Chapter 4 - The Sanctuary
Robert Davidson stepped into the grand foyer of Nathan’s penthouse as if he owned the floor. He was a silver-haired man in his late fifties, dressed in a sharp tailor-made tuxedo, his smile thin and devoid of warmth.
"Nathan," Davidson said, smoothing his silk tie. "I apologize for the late hour, but the Frankfurt exchange opens in three hours. We need your final signature on the buyouts to consolidate the board votes."
"Always thinking of the bottom line, Robert," Nathan said evenly, stepping out to face him in the expansive living area. "Just like my father."
"William understood power," Davidson replied smoothly, stepping closer. "He understood that sentimentality is a poison in our industry. Speaking of sentiment... my sources tell me you made an unexpected stop at Hawthorne Memorial today."
Nathan didn't blink. "I visited my father's grave. Is honoring the dead now a board violation?"
Davidson’s eyes narrowed slightly, searching Nathan’s face for any crack in his armor. "Not at all. But a report came across my desk that two young children were seen loitering near the Collins plot. Street urchins, likely. You didn't happen to encounter them, did you?"
"I saw them," Nathan said smoothly, taking a slow step toward Davidson, his taller frame imposing a sudden pressure in the room. "And I had security escort them off the premises. Why? Does a pair of homeless children interest the Vice Chairman of Collins Enterprises?"
Davidson smiled, though his posture grew noticeably rigid. "Not in the slightest. I simply worry about your focus, Nathan. With the board meeting in forty-eight hours, we cannot afford distractions. Or ghost stories."
"There are no ghosts here, Robert," Nathan whispered, his voice dangerously dark. "Only living debts waiting to be paid."
Davidson stared at Nathan for a long, tense moment before nodding slowly. "Sign the papers by morning, Nathan. For the good of the family."
May you like
Once Davidson and his security detail exited into the private elevator, Nathan turned to Vance.
"He knows something," Nathan said. "Move the girls to the Estate in Upstate New York tonight. The fortress at Blackwood. Nobody gets in or out without my personal security code."
