Chapter 2 - Lineage of Blood and Iron
Julian Vance’s eyes bulged as he struggled for oxygen against the marble wall. His two bodyguards made a move toward their jackets, but four of Adrian’s personal security details drew silent, black suppressed sidearms, aiming them directly at the bodyguards' foreheads.
“Hold!” one of the bodyguards stammered, raising his hands instantly. “We’re just drivers! We’re just drivers!”
Julian gasped out a ragged breath as Adrian slightly loosened his grip, just enough to let the man speak, but keeping him pinned firmly against the stone.
“Adrian... listen to me...” Vance wheezed, his face red and splotchy. “The kid’s my niece. Kendra’s her legal guardian. You can’t just keep somebody else’s kids in your office! That’s kidnapping!”
“Kidnapping?” Diane Mercer stepped out of the conference room, her leather folder open in her hands, her voice ringing across the lobby like a church bell. “Mr. Vance, I suggest you shut your mouth before you add federal obstruction of justice to your growing list of felony charges.”
Vance sneered through his pain. “You got no authority here, Mercer! This ain't a court!”
“This is Ashford Global,” Adrian whispered near Vance’s ear, his tone chillingly serene. “Which means my word is the law until you hit the street. And right now, my law says you don't touch that girl.”
A sudden chime from the private elevator announced the arrival of another passenger.
The doors slid open, revealing Victor Ashford.
Victor was thirty-eight, dressed in a sharp three-piece suit, a gold watch glinting on his wrist. He walked out onto the marble floor with an easy, arrogant stride, a half-smile playing on his lips, though his eyes were completely devoid of warmth.
“Adrian,” Victor said smoothly, spreading his hands in a gesture of peace. “What is this circus? We have board members arriving in twenty minutes for the Q3 logistics briefing, and you’re pinning our primary transport partner against a decorative wall.”
Adrian didn't release Vance. He turned his head slightly to look at his cousin.
“Your transport partner just threatened a seven-year-old child inside my building, Victor,” Adrian said calmly.
Victor glanced past Adrian into the conference room, where Lily was still standing in the corner, holding Nora close while Maren stood in front of her like an iron shield.
Victor shrugged nonchalantly. “The kid ran away from home, Adrian. Kendra Vance called me an hour ago in a total panic. The mother died of cancer two months ago, the family is grieving, and the child has emotional issues. Kendra just wanted her home.”
“She leaves them locked in an apartment without food while she gambles with their mother’s death benefits, Victor,” Diane cut in, stepping directly between Victor and the conference room door. “And based on the financial footprints I just pulled up in the last five minutes, those state benefits are being deposited directly into a shell account registered to Vance Logistics.”
Victor’s eyes flickered—a fraction of a second of surprise, quickly covered by a practiced chuckle.
“Diane, you see a conspiracy behind every unpaid electric bill,” Victor sneered. “Kendra is a simple woman. She made a mistake leaving the kids alone for a few hours. That’s a matter for Child Protective Services, not for the Ashford security apparatus.”
Victor stepped closer to Adrian, lowering his voice so only the inner circle could hear.
“Let Julian take the kids, Adrian,” Victor murmured, his eyes hardening into flint. “Don't start a war with the Vance network over a stray child from the South Side. We need their trucks for the port delivery next week. Don't compromise family business over sentimentality.”
Adrian looked at his cousin.
For years, Adrian had tolerated Victor’s greed, his quiet insubordination, and his constant attempts to push the family back into dirty street operations. He had tolerated it because they shared the same grandfather—the man who had built the empire from nothing.
But looking at Victor now, seeing the complete absence of human empathy in his cousin’s eyes, Adrian realized that the cancer inside the Ashford family was no longer growing in secret.
It was standing right in front of him.
Adrian slowly released Julian Vance.
Vance collapsed onto his knees, coughing violently and clutching his neck.
“Take him out of the building,” Adrian ordered his head of security. “If Julian Vance sets foot on any Ashford property again without my written permission, shoot him.”
Julian’s eyes widened in horror. “Victor! You going to let him do this?”
Victor stood silent, his jaw clenched, his hands folded in front of his suit jacket as the security guards dragged Vance toward the service elevator.
Adrian turned back to Victor, stepping so close their chests almost touched.
“The family business is changing today, Victor,” Adrian said, his voice dropping into a register that made the air in the corridor feel ten degrees colder. “Starting with Vance Logistics. I am revoking their contracts effective immediately.”
Victor’s face went pale with fury. “You can’t do that without a board vote! I hold thirty percent of the voting shares!”
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“Then call a meeting,” Adrian replied softly. “And make sure you bring your lawyer. Because Diane is going to be very busy this afternoon.”
Adrian turned his back on his cousin and walked into Conference Room B, closing the glass door behind him, leaving Victor standing alone in the quiet corridor.
