Chapter 6 - The Storm Breaks
The clock on the library wall chimed five times.
Adam pulled his dark Bentley into the estate driveway, splashing through heavy puddles created by the pouring rain. The board meeting in Manhattan had been a complete ambush; Harrison Vance and Evelyn Reed had openly questioned his leadership, demanding that he place his personal assets into a corporate trust to 'protect shareholder value.'
Adam had shut the meeting down with ruthless efficiency, stripping Vance of his committee chairmanships, but the bitter taste of corporate betrayal still lingered in his mouth.
All he wanted was to enter his home, hear Leonard’s bright laughter, and see Laura’s warm, beautiful smile.
He pushed open the grand front doors, shaking the rain from his coat. "Henderson?"
The foyer was completely silent.
Adam walked toward the west wing, his brow furrowing. "Laura? Leonard?"
He found Leonard sitting alone in the conservatory, staring out at the rain-streaked glass walls. The boy was holding a small wooden birdhouse he and Laura had worked on yesterday, his face pale and distressed.
"Leonard?" Adam asked, rushing into the conservatory. "Where is Laura? Where's Leo?"
Leonard looked up, tears springing into his eyes. "She... she packed her bags, Dad. She took Leo and left in a taxi twenty minutes ago."
Adam felt as if the air had been sucked out of his lungs. "What? What are you talking about? Why would she leave?"
"A lady came to see her," Leonard cried, clutching the wooden birdhouse to his chest. "I listened from the hallway. The lady told Laura that if she didn't go away, bad people were going to take Leo away and ruin your company! Laura was crying, Dad... she told me she was sorry, and then she left!"
Adam’s blood ran ice-cold, replaced instantly by a scorching, terrifying fury.
He pulled his cell phone from his pocket, his hands shaking as he dialed Laura’s number.
“The cellular subscriber you are trying to reach has been disconnected or is no longer in service...”
Adam slammed his phone onto the stone bench. He remembered the arrogant smirk on Evelyn Reed’s face during the board meeting earlier that afternoon. He remembered Harrison Vance’s veiled threats regarding his personal life.
"They went after her," Adam whispered, his jaw clenching so hard his teeth groaned under the pressure.
He dropped down in front of Leonard, grabbing his son’s shoulders gently. "Stay here with Henderson, Leonard. I am going to bring her back."
"Don't let them hurt her, Dad!" Leonard sobbed.
"Nobody touches her," Adam promised, his gray eyes flashing with lethal, unyielding light. "Nobody."
Adam turned on his heel and stormed out of the estate. He got back into his Bentley, fired up the powerful engine, and dialed Marcus, his chief of security.
"Marcus," Adam thundered into the hands-free system as he tore down the driveway, the tires screaming against the wet asphalt. "Deploy the executive security team. Track the taxi that left my estate twenty minutes ago. And locate Evelyn Reed and Harrison Vance immediately."
"Sir?" Marcus responded, surprised by the raw rage in his boss's voice.
"They crossed the line, Marcus," Adam growled, stepping on the accelerator. "Initiate a full hostile takeover of Vance Financial. Freeze their corporate credit lines, seize their board seats, and call the State District Attorney regarding Harrison's offshore tax evasion files."
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"Right away, Mr. Bronski," Marcus replied grimly. "And Miss Reed?"
"Find out where she is right now," Adam commanded, his voice dropping into a register that promised absolute destruction. "I am going to end her career myself."
