Chapter 5 - The Opening of the Door
The heavy brass knocker on the front door didn't get a chance to strike again because I reached the entryway first, my heels clicking sharply against the polished marble floor. Behind me, I could hear Garrick’s frantic footsteps trailing close behind, his breathing ragged and panicked.
"Wait—don't open it!" Garrick hissed, grabbing my shoulder and attempting to spin me around. "You have no right to bring outsiders into my family home! This is private property!"
I didn't turn around. I simply raised my elbow, sharply striking his wrist with enough precision to force him to recoil with a sharp gasp of pain. It wasn't excessive force, but it was enough to remind him that physical intimidation only worked against people who were afraid of him.
"Remove your hands from me, Garrick," I said coldly, never breaking stride. "Unless you want me to add battery of an officer of the court to your growing list of felony charges."
He stumbled backward, clutching his wrist, his face a mask of furious disbelief.
I reached out, unlatched the heavy deadbolt with a single smooth motion, and pulled the massive oak door wide open.
Standing on the porch beneath the warm amber glow of the exterior carriage lamps was a formidable assembly. At the front stood Commissioner Raymond Fletcher of the metropolitan police department, dressed impeccably in his formal civilian overcoat, flanked by two senior state troopers. Directly behind them stood two executive board members of Ashford Industries—Marcus Sterling and Victoria Vance—holding secure digital tablets and corporate seal cases.
Commissioner Fletcher’s eyes widened slightly in surprise as he recognized me. He immediately snapped to a respectful, formal posture.
"Counselor Vance," Fletcher greeted, offering a crisp nod. "We received your priority ping. The state board members joined my vehicle two blocks away. Is there an active security threat?"
"Good evening, Raymond," I replied, stepping aside to let them cross the threshold. "No physical threat to the public, thankfully. But we do have an urgent corporate and criminal matter that requires immediate executive intervention."
Marcus Sterling, the senior vice president of Ashford Industries, stepped into the foyer, his sharp eyes immediately locking onto Garrick, who stood trembling near the edge of the living room archway.
"Garrick Ashford?" Marcus said, his voice dropping into a tone of icy corporate disapproval. "What on earth is going on here? We received an emergency directive from the primary voting trust stating that an executive review was being triggered tonight."
Garrick swallowed hard, forcing a desperate, synthetic smile onto his face as he tried to regain his footing. "Mr. Sterling! Commissioner! Please, this is... this is a private family misunderstanding. My mother-in-law is simply overwrought. She’s elderly, she’s confused, and she’s meddling in my domestic affairs—"
"I am neither elderly nor confused, Garrick," I interrupted, my voice cutting through his frantic excuses like a laser. "And as the primary voting shareholder of this corporation, I am officially invoking Clause 14, Section B of the Ashford executive charter: immediate suspension of all pending promotions pending a federal ethics and conduct audit."
Miriam finally staggered out of the dining room, clutching her pearls, her face pale with horror. "Mr. Sterling! You can't listen to her! This woman is a vindictive outsider trying to destroy my son's career over a family squabble!"
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Victoria Vance, the female board member, stepped forward, her expression hardening into absolute disgust as she looked past Miriam and caught sight of Sienna standing quietly behind me in the hallway—the heavy medical sling still strapped tightly across her chest, the visible edge of a dark purple bruise peeking out from beneath her collar.
Victoria gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "Good God... Sienna? What happened to your arm?"
