THE BILLIONAIRE'S BODYGUARD IS THE SYNDICATE LORD

Chapter 3 Stepping into Sterling Enterprises

The glass tower of Sterling Enterprises looked impressive from the outside, but the inside told a completely different story. I walked two paces behind Evelyn Sterling as we crossed the polished marble lobby. The air smelled like cheap espresso, stale ozone, and quiet desperation.

I kept my hands folded behind my back. My cheap, off-the-rack dark suit felt stiff against my shoulders, but it served its purpose. It made me invisible. To the security guards at the turnstiles, I was just another line item on the monthly expense report. A useless expense, judging by the way the desk supervisor sneered when I swiped my temporary clearance badge.

"Good morning, Miss Sterling," the receptionist said, her voice shaking slightly. She didn't look Evelyn in the eye. Her gaze darted constantly toward the elevators, like she expected a tactical team to burst through the glass doors at any second.

Evelyn offered a crisp nod. "Morning, Sarah. Has the executive committee gathered yet?"

"They're waiting in Boardroom B, ma'am," Sarah muttered, her fingers twitching over her keyboard. "Director Vance—I mean, Director Thomas—arrived twenty minutes ago. He brought his own legal counsel."

"I see," Evelyn said. Her voice stayed smooth as ice, but I caught the slight tension in her neck. Her posture remained rigid. She was carrying the weight of a dying empire on her shoulders, and everyone in this building knew it.

We stepped into the private executive elevator. The doors slid shut, cutting off the low hum of the lobby.

"You don't need to stand so close," Evelyn said without turning around. Her reflection in the mirrored wall looked exhausted. Dark circles crept underneath her sharp eyes, barely hidden by makeup.

"Company protocol, Miss Sterling," I replied, keeping my tone light and conversational. "Your grandfather hired me to be your shadow. Shadows don't take coffee breaks."

She let out a short, dry laugh. "My grandfather is an idealist. He thinks a bodyguard can stop a financially hostile takeover. Julian Hayes isn't coming at me with guns, Vance. He's coming at me with debt, proxies, and corrupt board members."

"Sometimes those things are the same," I said quietly.

She turned her head slightly, eyeing me through the mirror. "You talk remarkably well for a guy who spent three years in prison."

I smiled, though my eyes stayed cold. "You learn a lot of strange things in prison, Miss Sterling. Mostly about who really runs the world."

If she only knew. The Black Iron Fortress wasn't a prison; it was a crucible. While Julian Hayes was popping expensive champagne in River City's private clubs, I was learning how to break international banking codes and snap necks with my bare hands.

The elevator chimed, announcing our arrival on the forty-second floor. The atmosphere up here was even worse than the lobby. Employees scurried between glass-walled offices like rats on a sinking ship. Files were stacked haphazardly on empty desks. Half the cubicles were already cleared out, left behind by middle managers who had jumped ship the moment the Hayes Group launched their smear campaign.

Morale wasn't just low; it was completely dead. The entire company was waiting for the executioner's axe to fall.

I tracked every movement as we walked down the wide hallway. Two men in cheap suits near the water cooler stopped talking the second we passed. A senior accountant refused to make eye contact, hurriedly locking her computer screen. They weren't just afraid; some of them were already bought. I could spot a paid informant from fifty yards away. Ghost had already sent me a partial list of the board members receiving offshore transfers from Julian's shell companies.

Evelyn pushed open the heavy oak doors to Boardroom B.

Inside, six men in tailored suits sat around a massive glass table. The air was thick with the smell of expensive cigars and cold panic. At the head of the table sat Richard Thomas, a fat, balding man with heavy jowls and an obnoxious red silk tie. He was Evelyn's uncle by marriage and Julian Hayes's favorite puppet on the board.

"You're late, Evelyn," Thomas barked, slamming a leather-bound folder onto the glass. "We were just discussing the emergency liquidation proposal. The Hayes Group expanded their short positions this morning. Our stock is down another twelve percent."

"The market opened thirty minutes ago, Richard," Evelyn said, taking her seat at the foot of the table. "And I haven't authorized any liquidation proposal."

"You don't have a choice!" Thomas snapped, his face turning a deep shade of red. "The board is losing patience. We need to cut our losses and sign the merger agreement before Julian bankrupts us completely!"

I stepped up behind Evelyn's chair, standing straight with my hands at my side. My eyes swept the room, cataloging every micro-expression. Three board members looked terrified. Two looked smug. Thomas looked ready to pop a vein.

Thomas's glare suddenly shifted from Evelyn straight to me. His eyes narrowed as he took in my simple suit, my posture, and my complete lack of deference. He was looking for an easy target to vent his frustration, and the nameless security guard standing in the room was the perfect candidate.

"Who the hell is this?" Thomas demanded, pointing a fat finger at my face.

"My personal security," Evelyn said smoothly, not even turning around. "Lucas Vance."

"Vance?" Thomas sneered, his mouth twisting into an ugly grin. "Wait. The disgraced analyst from three years ago? The convict who got thrown into Black Iron Fortress for stealing corporate secrets?"

The other board members whispered among themselves, shooting dirty looks in my direction.

"He was cleared of all charges upon his release," Evelyn said coldly. "My grandfather hired him personally."

"I don't care if the Pope hired him!" Thomas roared, standing up so fast his leather chair rolled back into the window. "I won't have a pathetic, ex-con thief standing in my boardroom while we discuss billion-dollar assets! He's a liability, a criminal, and an eyesore!"

Thomas slammed his fist on the table and stared directly into my eyes.

"You're fired, you worthless trash! Security! Get this garbage out of my building right now!"