Chapter 5 - BLOOD ON THE MARBLE
Ten minutes later, the double oak doors opened.
Victor didn't walk in alone. Behind him stood a high-priced criminal defense lawyer in a three-piece suit, and standing right beside him was Marcus Cole himself.
Marcus was a tall, silver-haired man in his late fifties with a smile like a shark sensing blood in the water. He straightened his designer tie as he stepped onto my Persian rug, looking around my office as if he already owned it.
"Gabriel," Marcus smiled warmly, extending a hand I didn't take. "Sad situation. Truly sad. A misunderstanding between old friends getting splashed all over the local news."
"Get out of my office, Marcus," I said, sitting back in my leather chair without moving an inch. "And take your criminal trash with you."
Victor’s eyes flashed with anger, but with Marcus standing beside him, his arrogance had returned. "Careful, Gabriel. The charges against me are based on unverified digital records. My legal team will have them thrown out of court by Friday."
"The bail was two million dollars, Victor," I said, leaning forward. "Marcus paid it for you. Which means you are officially his property now. How does it feel to go from being my second-in-command to a billionaire's lapdog?"
Marcus laughed softly, taking a seat in one of my leather armchairs without being asked.
"Let's skip the theatricals, Gabriel," Marcus said, crossing his legs. "Victor made some mistakes, sure. But the damage is done. The stories about sick maids, unpaid wages, and health violations are hits on your brand. Tomorrow morning, the press will run articles calling the Vance Hotel Group a sweatshop empire."
"Unless?" I prompted, my voice deathly calm.
"Unless you sell me fifty-one percent of your hotel shares," Marcus said smoothly. "I'll take the scandal off your hands. I'll take Victor off your hands. You walk away with fifty million dollars in cash and your retirement intact."
I stared at Marcus for three long seconds. Then I looked at Victor, who was smirking behind his lawyer.
"You really don't know me at all, do you, Marcus?" I asked softly.
I reached into my desk drawer, pulled out a second red folder, and tossed it onto the coffee table in front of Marcus.
"What is this?" Marcus frowned.
"That's a list of every bank account Aegis Hospitality owns in Switzerland, Panama, and the Cayman Islands," I said. "Along with recorded wire transfers showing seven million dollars paid directly from your corporate account to Victor Conti over the last three years."
Marcus’s smile froze.
"You thought Victor was your insider tool to break my business," I continued, standing up and towering over both of them. "You didn't realize that the moment I found out about Elena Santos, I bought controlling debt on Aegis’s parent company. As of nine o'clock this morning, Vance Enterprises owns sixty percent of your bank loans, Marcus."
Marcus’s face turned bright red. He scrambled to open the red folder, his hands shaking violently as he read the financial documents.
"If you don't withdraw Victor's bail, cancel your legal defense, and hand over every document related to this sabotage by 5:00 PM today," I growled, "I will foreclose on Aegis Hospitality tomorrow morning. You won't just be ruined, Marcus. You'll be broke."
Victor looked at Marcus, his panic returning ten times worse. "Marcus... tell him he's bluffing! Tell him!"
Marcus slowly stood up, closing the folder. He didn't even look at Victor.
"Your bail is revoked, Victor," Marcus said coldly, his voice devoid of any warmth. "Find your own lawyer."
"What?!" Victor screamed as Marcus walked out of the office without looking back. "Marcus! You promised me!"
Two federal marshals stepped through the doorway behind Marcus, handcuffs already drawn.
"Victor Conti," the lead marshal announced. "You are under arrest for federal wire fraud, racketeering, and corporate conspiracy."
As they slapped the steel cuffs around Victor’s wrists, he looked at me, tears of utter defeat spilling down his cheeks.
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"Gabriel... please..." Victor begged, his voice cracking. "We were brothers..."
"Brothers don't let children starve in lobbies, Victor," I said, turning my back on him for the final time.
