Chapter 5 - Katherine's Desperate Play
The glass-and-steel skyscraper of Vance Retail headquarters loomed over 5th Avenue like a monument to Katherine’s once-glamorous life. But today, the revolving doors were locked, and two burly private security guards in black tactical suits stood outside the lobby, checking employee badges against an electronic manifest.
At 2:00 PM, a sleek black Porsche screeched to a halt at the curb.
Katherine Vance stepped out, concealing her bloodshot eyes behind oversized sunglasses, her trench coat tightly belted around her waist. Beside her walked Julian Montgomery—her wealthy fiancé, an heir to a commercial real estate dynasty, looking noticeably uncomfortable and irritated.
“Katherine, this is insane,” Julian muttered, grabbing her arm before she reached the revolving doors. “My father saw the morning news alerts. Sovereign Crest froze all Vance Retail operations. Why are you dragging me down here? You said we were going to lunch to discuss the wedding venue!”
“Julian, shut up and listen to me!” Katherine hissed, wrenching her arm free. “Jocelyn is bluffing! She hacked my company through some legal loophole, but she doesn't have the original design patents or the overseas client contracts. They’re locked in the master safe in my executive office on the 42nd floor. If I get those hard drives, I can transfer the core intellectual property to a new corporate entity under your family’s name. We can freeze Jocelyn out!”
Julian hesitated, his brow furrowing with suspicion. “Wait... are you asking me to help you smuggle corporate property out of an audited firm? That’s corporate espionage, Katherine! If my father finds out—”
“Do you want to marry a ruined woman?!” Katherine shouted, her voice drawing stares from pedestrians on the crowded sidewalk. “If I go down, the Montgomery name gets dragged through the mud with me! Now act like a man and help me get upstairs!”
Katherine pushed past the revolving door into the grand marble lobby.
“Hold on, miss,” the lead security guard stepped forward, raising a hand. “Access is restricted to authorized personnel only. May I see your badge?”
Katherine ripped off her sunglasses, glaring at the guard with haughty disdain. “Do you know who I am?! I am Katherine Vance! My name is on the front of this building! Move aside before I have you blacklisted from every private security firm on the East Coast!”
“Ms. Vance,” a calm, crisp voice called out from the mezzanine balcony.
Katherine froze, looking up.
Jocelyn was descending the curved glass staircase, flanked by two forensic auditors carrying leather briefcases and Marcus, who stood a half-step behind her like a sentinel. Jocelyn wore a sharply tailored navy blue power suit, her dark hair pulled back into an elegant knot, looking every inch the corporate empress.
“You’re trespassing, Katherine,” Jocelyn stated, stopping at the bottom of the stairs.
“This is *my* building!” Katherine screamed, losing every shred of composure as the lobby staff and onlookers gathered around. “You had no right to lock me out! Julian, tell her! Tell her she can’t do this!”
Julian looked between Katherine’s frantic, disheveled appearance and Jocelyn’s calm, absolute authority. His eyes lingered on the Sovereign Crest badge pinned to Jocelyn’s lapel. Julian wasn't stupid; he was a businessman who understood the brutal arithmetic of Wall Street.
“Julian?” Katherine pleaded, grabbing his arm.
Julian slowly, deliberately took a step back, pulling his sleeve out of her grasp. “Katherine... I think you should leave. This is a corporate dispute. I have no part in this.”
Katherine’s jaw dropped. “Julian?! We’re engaged!”
“The engagement was contingent on transparency,” Julian said coldly, taking another step backward toward the exit. “My family does not associate with fraud. Don't contact me again.”
With that, Julian turned on his heel and walked out through the revolving doors, disappearing into the city crowd.
Katherine stood alone in the center of the lobby, surrounded by security, auditors, and former employees who were quietly filming the spectacle on their smartphones.
“You ruined my life!” Katherine shrieked, lunging forward toward Jocelyn with her manicured nails aimed at her sister’s face. “You took my company, you took my fiancé, you took everything! I should have destroyed you five years ago!”
Before Katherine could take three strides, Marcus stepped forward with blinding speed, catching her wrist mid-air and twisting it behind her back with effortless precision, pinning her against the marble reception desk.
“Let go of me! Get your filthy hands off me!” Katherine thrashed wildly, screaming like a banshee.
“Call the NYPD,” Jocelyn instructed the security lead, her voice never rising above a conversational tone. “Inform them that a terminated executive has attempted assault and corporate trespassing on Sovereign Crest property. And Marcus?”
“Yes, ma'am?”
May you like
“Make sure the security footage from this lobby is uploaded directly to our legal archive. We will need it for the restraining order hearing tomorrow morning.”
***
