"Escort this man out immediately," Victoria commanded. "If he resists in the slightest, call the police and have him arrested for trespassing."
One of the guards, the hulking man named Marcus, reached out and grabbed Alexander's shoulder tightly. Alexander didn't flinch. He didn't pull away. He slowly looked at the heavy hand resting on his canvas jacket, then calmly looked up into Marcus's eyes.
"Take your hand off me," Alexander whispered. It wasn't a threat; it was a statement of fact.
"Move it, old man," Marcus growled, shoving Alexander backward toward the door.
Alexander allowed himself to be pushed back a few steps. He needed to see this play out. He needed all the pieces on the board. He needed to see exactly how deep the rot in this specific branch went.
"You have absolutely no idea who you just put your hands on," Alexander said, looking directly over Marcus's shoulder at Victoria.
Victoria rolled her eyes dramatically. "Let me guess, you're going to sue us? Go ahead. Bring it on. Our legal team will bury you under so much paperwork you won't see daylight for a decade."
Alexander reached into the inner pocket of his canvas jacket. The guards tensed, ready for a weapon, but he slowly pulled out a sleek, unbranded black smartphone.
"I'm not going to sue you," Alexander said quietly as he dialed a speed-dial number. "I'm going to erase you."
Chapter 4: The House of Cards
In a sprawling, glass-walled office forty blocks away in the financial district, Regional Director Sarah Whitforth was in a state of sheer panic. The stock for Vance International had just taken an inexplicable, momentary dip, and rumors were swirling about a potential hostile takeover of a European subsidiary. Her desk was covered in reports. Her phone buzzed aggressively. She glanced at the encrypted caller ID and nearly dropped her pen in shock.
A. Vance - Direct.
"Mr. Vance! Sir, what an unexpected honor," she stammered, sitting up bolt straight in her ergonomic chair.
Through the phone, Alexander’s voice was unnervingly calm, echoing slightly through the speaker. "Sarah. Good afternoon. I'm currently standing inside branch number ten. The Fifth Avenue flagship."
Sarah frowned in deep confusion. "You are? Sir, I wasn't informed of a corporate inspection—"
"No one was," Alexander cut her off smoothly. "I am standing here with your Store Manager, Victoria, and two of your security guards who currently have their hands physically restraining me."
Sarah’s blood ran completely cold. The color drained from her face. "They... what?"
"They physically threw my daughter onto the street an hour ago, Sarah. And now, they are attempting to do the exact same thing to me."