The elevator chimes were the only things that dared to break the silence as Julian Sterling ascended to the 45th floor of Apex Plaza. He adjusted his silk tie in the mirrored walls, his expression a mask of aristocratic boredom. Even as his empire bled billions in the markets, he refused to slouch. To the world, he was still Julian Sterling, and these offices of Golden Investments were merely a temporary stage for a minor settlement.
The doors slid open to reveal a floor that was unnervingly empty. There were no junior analysts scurrying with coffee, no ringing phones, and no hum of a busy firm. The vast, modern space was occupied by only two people: Jake Rivers and his assistant, Alice.
'Let them watch,' Julian thought, though there was no one to see him but the girl at the desk. 'They think they are witnessing a fall. They are merely witnessing a transition. I have survived worse than a two-month-old startup and a lucky nephew.'
