THREE YEARS FOR NOTHING

The Gates of Reckoning 2

Each word was a knife. Thaddeus stood there, bleeding from wounds she couldn't see. Three years. Three years he'd rotted in a cell for a crime she'd committed, and she'd spent that time... what? Shopping? Networking? Climbing social ladders over his back?

"You're pathetic," Margot continued, her voice rising. "You always were. Dorian is everything you're not—powerful, connected, successful. He's the kind of man who deserves to be at my side."

She pulled a checkbook from her purse, scrawled something quickly, tore it out, and let it flutter to the ground. "There. Fifty thousand dollars. Your compensation for three years of marriage. Take it, sign the papers, and let's end this cleanly. Don't embarrass yourself by begging."

For a long moment, Thaddeus simply stared at her. Then, something shifted behind his eyes—not anger, not even hurt anymore. Just... clarity. The kind that comes when illusions finally shatter completely.

He bent down, picked up the check, and very deliberately tore it into confetti, letting the pieces scatter in the wind. Then he grabbed the divorce papers, found the signature line, and signed his name with a pen that had fallen from the envelope.

"You're right about one thing," he said quietly, his voice steady now. "This isn't worth another second of my time."

He turned and walked toward the main gates without another word, without another glance. Behind him, Margot called out something—he didn't bother to listen.

As soon as Thaddeus disappeared from view, Margot pulled out her phone, her fingers flying across the screen. The call connected on the second ring.

"Dorian? It's done. I signed the divorce papers with that useless husband of mine."

Dorian Blackwell's smooth voice purred through the speaker. "Excellent timing, darling. Are you heading to the Sapphire Club now?"

"On my way. Did you arrange what we discussed? The girl?"

"Your ex-husband's blind sister? Yes, she's already there. My contact at Vanguard, Gregor Ventris—he's the VP of acquisitions, absolutely legendary for his... appetites. Give him the girl, and he'll ensure you get that partnership contract. Simple transaction."

Margot's lips curled into a satisfied smile as she slid into her Audi. "Perfect. That sister is the last useful thing Thaddeus Crane will ever provide me. After tonight, I never have to think about him again."

Meanwhile, Thaddeus walked through the prison gates into freedom—and into destiny.

Cordelia Ashworth saw him the moment he emerged. The photograph headquarters had transmitted was accurate, but it hadn't captured the quality she now witnessed: the way he moved, the set of his shoulders, the quiet intensity in his eyes. This was the man who would inherit an empire.

She stepped forward immediately, and behind her, twenty security personnel bowed in perfect unison.

"Mr. Crane." Her voice was respectful, professional, with an undercurrent of genuine reverence. "Congratulations on your release. On behalf of Vanguard Conglomerate, I formally welcome you as our new Chairman and CEO."

Thaddeus paused, studying her. The canvas bag hung forgotten in his hand.

Cordelia withdrew a black titanium card from her jacket—matte finish, engraved with a symbol that seemed to shift in the light. "This is the Apex Authority card. It grants you complete control over all Vanguard operations worldwide. Our assets, our resources, our networks—everything is now yours to command."

Thaddeus accepted the card slowly. His mind flashed back to three years ago, to that first week in prison when the old man had appeared in the cell next to his. Augustine Mortimer—that's what he'd called himself, though Thaddeus suspected it wasn't his real name. Frail-looking, with eyes that held centuries of knowledge.

"You have potential," Augustine had told him that first night, his voice a whisper through the bars. "One in ten million. Perhaps one in a hundred million. I can see it in how you carry your injustice—not with rage, but with dignity."

Over three years, Augustine had taught him everything. Economics, strategy, psychology, martial arts, philosophy, the invisible architecture of global power. On his deathbed in the prison infirmary, Augustine had gripped Thaddeus's hand with surprising strength.

"I built Vanguard over sixty years," Augustine had whispered. "I came here not because I committed crimes, but because I was tired of the corruption, the greed, the endless grasping. In prison, I found peace. And I found you. Everything is yours now, Thaddeus. Use it wisely."

Thaddeus had planned to tell Margot everything today. To share this incredible twist of fate, to build a future together with unlimited resources. But Margot had made her choice.

"Mr. Crane?" Cordelia's voice brought him back to the present. "Would you like to proceed to Vanguard headquarters? We have a full briefing prepared, and the board is eager to meet you."

Thaddeus shook his head. "No. Take me home first. I need to see my sister."

Concern flickered across Cordelia's professional mask. "Your sister, sir?"

"Elspeth. She's blind—has been since birth. We're orphans, grew up in the state system together. She's the only family I have." His jaw tightened. "Before I went to prison, I asked my wife to care for her. Given what I've just witnessed of my wife's character, I need to make sure Elspeth is safe."