"He didn't do anything wrong, Ms. Cross."
Victoria turned slowly on her heels, glaring at the young intern with venomous disdain.
"Defend him again," Victoria warned in a low, vicious tone, "and don't come back tomorrow. Your internship and your career in this city will be finished before it starts."
Frank looked at Lucas with deep, paternal concern, touched that the young man would risk his future to stand up for a janitor.
"Don't throw away your job for me, son," Frank whispered softly.
"I won't stay silent while someone treats you like trash, sir," Lucas replied, standing his ground without an ounce of regret.
Chapter III: The Call from the Floor
Victoria scoffed, letting out a sharp, mocking laugh as she turned back to Frank, expecting the old cleaner to get on his knees with the mop.
Instead, Frank slowly set the mop handle against the wall. The hunched, fragile posture vanished instantly. His shoulders squared, his jaw hardened into steel, and an unmistakable aura of towering authority commanded the entire atrium.