Chapter 8 - The Cost of Fear
Malcolm hadn't run. He couldn't. He stood near the library desk, his confidence completely shattered, but his intellect trying desperately to find an escape angle.
“You tricked us,” Malcolm spat, his fear turning into bitter venom. “You put on rags and played in the dirt like a lunatic! What kind of billionaire acts like a street beggar to test his employees?! You’re insane, Adrian! This proves it! You’re sick in the head!”
Adrian slowly walked toward Malcolm until he was standing only inches away. Despite the grease still lingering in the creases of his skin and the torn wool coat hanging from his broad shoulders, Adrian looked larger, stronger, and far more imposing than he ever had in a ten-thousand-dollar suit.
“I was sick, Malcolm,” Adrian said quietly, his voice carrying a weight that made Malcolm flinch. “I believed that fear was the only thing that made men loyal. I believed that if I pushed people hard enough, if I stripped them of their dignity, they would respect me. I built a mountain of money, and I hired a pack of wolves like you to guard it.”
Adrian leaned in closer. “And while I was standing out in the rain, freezing and dirty, I learned that the men I paid millions to protect me were waiting for me to die... while a girl who earns eighteen dollars an hour gave me her own breakfast because she couldn't bear to see another human suffer.”
Malcolm opened his mouth to reply, but no sound came out.
“You thought I was weak because I disappeared,” Adrian said, pulling a leather folder from inside his coat pocket—a folder he had retrieved from his private vault before stepping out into the hall. “These are the wire-transfer records from your Cayman accounts for the last three years. Embezzlement, corporate espionage, and insider trading. The FBI financial crimes division is waiting for you at the main gate right now.”
Malcolm’s face went completely dead. The pen fell from his hand, rolling under the desk.
Two state troopers, who had been alerted by Adrian’s private security detail fifteen minutes earlier, walked quietly into the library, grabbed Malcolm by his elbows, and led him away in handcuffs without a word.
The grand library was suddenly empty, save for Adrian and the remaining domestic staff standing nervously in the doorway.
The silence in the house was absolute.
Adrian turned toward the open door. Lucian, the kitchen girls, and the groundskeepers stood frozen, terrified of what the billionaire would do next.
Then, Adrian’s eyes met Grace’s.
May you like
She was still holding the gold pocket watch inside her coat pocket. Her eyes were wide, filled with a mixture of awe, relief, and deep, profound uncertainty.
“Grace Miller,” Adrian said softly, his voice echoing through the vast mahogany room. “Step forward, please.”
