THE BILLIONAIRE'S BODYGUARD IS THE SYNDICATE LORD

Chapter 4 The Silent Warning

The conference room on the forty-second floor smelled like old coffee and expensive, fake confidence. Morning light streamed through the floor-to-ceiling glass, but the atmosphere inside felt cold.

Evelyn sat at the head of the mahogany table. Her posture was straight, her hands resting flat against her tablet. She looked every bit the ice-queen CEO the media loved to write about. I knew better, though. I saw the faint tension in her jaw. I noticed the slight tremor in her fingers before she locked them together.

I stood two steps behind her left shoulder, wearing my standard dark suit. To everyone in this room, I was just a low-level guard hired by her grandfather. An extra body in the room. Nobody.

"Let us stop pretending, Evelyn," Director Vance—no relation to my family, fortunately—said, tossing a leather-bound folder onto the table. It slid across the polished wood, stopping inches from her hands. "The Hayes Group already owns thirty percent of our supply chain. If we do not accept Julian's buyout proposal by noon, they will cut our freight lines entirely. Sterling Enterprises will be bankrupt before the end of the quarter."

"Julian's proposal is not a partnership, Vance," Evelyn said, her voice smooth and measured. "It is a hostile takeover disguised as a rescue package. He wants fifty-one percent voting control."

"And what choice do we have?" another board member chimed in.

Vance leaned forward, resting his heavy forearms on the table. He was a bloated man in his late fifties with a thin hairline and an arrogant sneer. "We take the deal, or we all go down with your sinking ship. Frankly, your grandfather is too old to manage this company, and you are too soft. I am calling for an emergency board vote right now to strip your executive veto power."

Evelyn did not flinch, but I felt the shift in her energy. She was backed into a corner. The board members were terrified of Julian Hayes, or worse, bought off by him.

"You do not have the authority to call an emergency vote without forty-eight hours' notice," Evelyn said.

"Try me," Vance snapped, raising his hand to signal the board. "I have six proxy votes right here. I will remove you from this room myself if I have to."

He actually started to stand up, glaring at her like he wanted to physically intimidate her into backing down.

Anyway, I had heard enough.

I took a quiet step forward. My shoes did not make a sound on the carpet. I moved between Evelyn's chair and the table, placing myself directly in Vance's line of sight.

"Sit down, Director," I said softly.

Vance paused, looking at me like I was a stray dog that had wandered into a five-star restaurant. He chuckled, a deep, ugly sound. "What did you say to me, kid? Know your place. You are hired to help. Step back before I have security throw you out of the building."

I did not move. I did not raise my voice either. I simply looked into his eyes and let a tiny sliver of the aura I built in the Black Iron Fortress bleed through my eyes.

The temperature in the immediate space between us seemed to drop ten degrees. Vance's laugh cut short. The color began to drain from his face as he locked eyes with me. He froze mid-stand, his hands hovering over the table.

I leaned down slowly, bringing my mouth close to his ear so only he could hear me.

"If you raise your hand again, Ghost will release the offshore tax files from your Swiss accounts to the federal prosecutor before you reach the lobby," I whispered.

Vance went completely rigid. His eyes widened until the whites showed all around his irises. Sweat broke out instantly along his hairline. He swallowed hard, his throat making a loud, dry click. He knew about those accounts. Nobody was supposed to know about those accounts.

I stepped back, returning to my neutral position behind Evelyn. My expression was completely flat again, like I had just offered the man a cup of water.

Vance slowly sank back into his leather chair. His knees actually hit the underside of the table with a soft thud. He pulled a silk handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his brow, his hands shaking violently.

"Vance?" Evelyn asked, eyeing him with deep suspicion. "You were saying?"

"I... I..." Vance stuttered, unable to look in my direction. He stared at his trembling hands. "I think... Perhaps we should reconsider. We need more time to review the options. The vote can wait."

The rest of the board exchanged confused glances. A second ago, Vance was ready to start a mutiny. Now he looked like he had just seen a ghost. Evelyn glanced over her shoulder at me, her sharp blue eyes narrowing. I kept my face blank, staring straight ahead at the wall.

Before anyone else could speak, the sleek smartphone on the center of the table vibrated. The screen lit up with an unsaved number, but the caller ID crest was unmistakable.

It was the Hayes Group emblem.

Evelyn hesitated for a split second before pressing the speaker button. "Evelyn Sterling."

"Evelyn, my dear," Julian's arrogant voice echoed clearly through the silent conference room. He sounded relaxed, like a man playing chess against a child. "I assume Director Vance has explained the reality of your situation?"

Evelyn glanced at Vance, who was staring at the floor in silence. "We are in the middle of a board meeting, Julian."

"Not anymore," Julian smooth-talked, his tone dropping all pretense of warmth. "Listen to me carefully. I am done playing games with your little family legacy. You have exactly two hours to meet me at the Grand Riverdale Hotel. Sign the transfer papers, or by midnight, every single shipping container carrying Sterling tech across the border will be seized by the regional maritime authorities. You will lose everything."

The room went dead silent.

Julian added one last poison drop. "Oh, and bring your cheap ex-convict bodyguard with you. I want him to watch you sign away your empire."

The call disconnected with a sharp tone. Evelyn sat frozen, the blood draining from her lips as the board members began to panic.

I checked my watch.

Two hours. That was plenty of time for Julian Hayes to realize he was playing a game he had already lost.