Chapter 1: The Sunrise Surprise
The sunrise filtering through the floor-to-ceiling windows of Escalante Holdings headquarters was a shade of gold I hadn't seen in years. For four years, I had woken up in Andrew’s mansion, wearing muted colors, speaking in soft tones, and playing the role of a charity case.
This morning, wrapped in a razor-sharp charcoal Armani suit, I was finally breathing.
My father, Alejandro Escalante, sat across the mahogany conference table, swirling his espresso. He didn't look at me with pity. He looked at me with pride.
"The trap is sprung, Mariana," he said, tapping his tablet. "As of 6:00 AM, every line of credit tied to Andrew’s name, his mother’s name, and his corporate accounts has been frozen. The shell companies we used to prop up his failing enterprise have withdrawn their backing."
I took a sip of my black coffee. "And the mansion?"
"The deed was always in our corporate portfolio. He was basically a glorified tenant. Eviction notices are being served as we speak."
Across town, Andrew was likely waking up next to Brenda, dreaming of the gala he was supposed to host this weekend. I glanced at the massive monitor on the wall, displaying the real-time stock ticker of Andrew’s company, Vanguard Tech. Without my hidden capital stabilizing it, the stock was already plummeting in pre-market trading.
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My phone buzzed on the table. It was an unknown number, but I recognized the panicked rhythm of the voicemails pouring in.
The debt hadn't just come due. It was about to bury them alive.
