Wednesday, 2:00 PM. Vanguard Holdings Headquarters.
The boardroom on the 50th floor was a theater of war disguised as a corporate meeting space. The long mahogany table was polished to a mirror shine. The city sprawled out beneath the floor-to-ceiling windows, a kingdom waiting to be ruled.
I stood in the back corner, officially listed as a "special consultant to the Interim CEO." I was invisible to most of the billionaires in the room, just another suit blending into the shadows.
But I wasn't watching the city. I was watching Richard Sterling.
He sat near the head of the table, his face pale, his eyes darting nervously around the room. He looked like a man who hadn't slept in days. He kept checking his phone, waiting for messages that would never come.
Victoria sat at the head of the table, a picture of absolute serenity. She wore a charcoal grey suit that looked like armor.
