Chapter 2 - Shadows at the Gates
Three days later, Damon brought Sylvie and the twins—whom they named Alexander and Clara—home. But home was no longer the cold, glass penthouse overlooking Central Park. Damon had secretly purchased a gated, secluded estate in upstate New York two months prior, intending to list it as an investment asset. Now, it served as a sanctuary.
However, the real world refused to remain outside the gates.
While Sylvie rested inside with the twins, Damon sat in the library, looking at a stack of printed financial reports delivered by his one remaining loyal assistant, Elena.
"It's worse than we thought, Mr. Vexley," Elena explained, her voice tense over a secure line. "The moment news leaked that you resigned, the stock plunged thirty percent. Marcus Vance has already bought up eight percent of the floating shares. He’s organizing an emergency board meeting for Friday to vote on liquidating Vexley Pharmaceuticals' experimental drug pipeline."
Damon’s jaw clenched. "The pediatric cancer trials? He wants to liquidate those?"
"Yes," Elena said quietly. "Vanguard Health wants to sell off the patents to a offshore holding firm for quick cash. If they do that, the medicine will never reach the market."
Damon leaned back in his leather chair. The pediatric cancer drug was the project he had started eight years ago—the very reason he had created the company before corporate greed consumed him. It was the project Sylvie had loved most.
"Where is Marcus getting the capital for this sudden stock rush?" Damon asked, his analytical mind kicking into high gear.
"That's the strange part," Elena replied. "The funding is coming from an anonymous offshore entity called Helios Capital. But I ran a trace on the registration numbers. The documents were notarized by a firm connected to your ex-father-in-law."
Damon froze. "Arthur Montgomery?"
"Yes, sir. Your former father-in-law is backing Marcus Vance."
Damon felt a chill run down his spine. Arthur Montgomery had never approved of Damon marrying his daughter. Arthur was old money, traditional, and ruthlessly manipulative. When Sylvie divorced Damon, Arthur had openly celebrated.
Damon closed his eyes, realizing the scope of the trap. Arthur hadn't just wanted Sylvie out of the marriage—he wanted Damon utterly destroyed so Sylvie would be forced to return to the Montgomery family fold with the newborn twins under Arthur's control.
The phone line crackled as Elena spoke again. "Mr. Vexley... there's one more thing. A process server just arrived at the front gate of the estate."
Damon walked to the high library window looking out over the long driveway. A black sedan was idling at the heavy iron gates.
"What are the papers for, Elena?"
"It’s an emergency custody petition filed by Arthur Montgomery's legal team. They are claiming you are an unfit parent due to pending federal corporate fraud investigations, and that Sylvie is medically incapacitated."
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Damon's hand tightened around his phone until his knuckles turned white.
"Tell the process server to leave the papers at the gate," Damon said, his voice deadly calm. "And call my personal security director. It's time to go to war."
