Chapter 1: The Morning Glitch
Andrew woke up with the smug satisfaction of a man who believed he had just taken out the trash.
Sunlight poured into the master suite, catching the curves of Brenda, who was already awake and scrolling on her phone. "Baby," she cooed, tracing a manicured nail down his chest. "Since we don't have to deal with her anymore, how about we go look at that Cartier watch I wanted? Consider it an upgrade gift."
"Anything for you," Andrew smirked, grabbing his phone from the nightstand. He opened his banking app to check the balance of his slush fund.
A red exclamation point flashed on the screen: ERROR. ACCOUNT FROZEN.
He frowned, tapping the screen aggressively. "Damn banking glitch," he muttered. He dialed his private wealth manager. It rang twice before an automated voice picked up. He tried his corporate card. Denied. He called his CFO.
"Andrew," his CFO answered, sounding breathless and terrified. "Thank god. Have you seen the news? The bank pulled our credit lines at 4:00 AM. Suppliers are calling. Payroll bounced. We’re in freefall."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Andrew snapped, throwing the blankets off. "We have fifty million in liquid capital!"
"Not anymore," the CFO's voice cracked. "The primary backer triggered a total asset liquidation clause. They stripped the accounts bare. Andrew... whoever owns Escalante Holdings just pulled the plug on your entire life."
Miles away, in a glass-walled penthouse overlooking the city skyline, I took a sip of black coffee. The tailor made final adjustments to the cuffs of my bespoke Armani suit.
My assistant, David, stepped into the room, handing me a tablet. "Good morning, Ms. Escalante. The freeze is absolute. The mansion is under foreclosure, the corporate accounts are drained, and the board has called an emergency meeting for 10:00 AM."
May you like
I looked at my reflection. Gone was the mousy, subservient wife who wore pastel dresses to blend into the background. I looked like money. I looked like war.
"Have the car ready, David," I said, a cold smile touching my lips. "I have a meeting to crash."
