Chapter 10 - The Invitation from Victor Thorne
The silence in the war room instantly deepened. Even the frantic clacking of the financial analysts' keyboards seemed to slow as every eye in the room turned toward me.
Daniel stood up slowly from his kneeling position, his jaw tightening into a hard, dangerous line. He didn't interrupt, but he stepped closer, placing his hand firmly on the back of my chair, his dark eyes locked onto my face.
"I'm listening, Mr. Thorne," I said, keeping my voice remarkably steady, though my heart was pounding against my ribs like a trapped bird.
"You're a talented architect, Ms. Carter," Victor Thorne continued smoothly, sounding entirely too relaxed for a man whose liquidity fund was currently being dismantled piece by piece across the financial markets. "It’s a shame you hitched your wagon to a sinking ship. Daniel Kang is a relic of a dying underworld. The moment my injunction hits the municipal desk on Monday morning, his little boutique hotel project is going to become a multi-million-dollar concrete parking lot."
"If our project is a sinking ship, Mr. Thorne, why are you spending your entire morning trying to steal our steel suppliers?" I shot back, injecting a sharp, defensive edge into my voice.
A low, raspy chuckle came through the speaker.
"Smart girl," Thorne purred. "Which is precisely why I’m offering you a way out. Break your contract with Kang Hospitality Group by noon today. Sign on as lead architect for my upcoming commercial tower in Midtown—triple your current design fee, full creative control, no interference from corporate compliance."
I glanced up at Daniel. His face was a mask of granite, but his eyes burned with an intense, quiet fire as he watched me.
"And if I say no?" I asked into the phone.
"Then by tomorrow afternoon, every major architectural firm in New York will receive a portfolio of fabricated structural safety violations bearing your signature," Thorne’s voice dropped into a cold, threatening whisper. "Your license will be revoked before you even realize what hit you. You'll never design anything higher than a suburban doghouse in this city again."
Before I could form a response, Daniel’s hand reached out, gently taking the phone right out of my fingers.
He didn't hesitate. He pressed the speakerphone button so the entire war room could hear, brought the phone close to his mouth, and let out a single, cold laugh.
"Victor," Daniel said, his voice dropping into a register of absolute, terrifying dominion.
On the other end of the line, there was a sudden, sharp intake of breath. The arrogant, smooth demeanor in Thorne's voice evaporated instantly.
"Kang," Thorne choked out, his voice suddenly tight and frantic. "What are you doing on this line?"
"You threatened my architect," Daniel said softly, every syllable dripping with lethal intent. "You threatened her livelihood, her license, and her future in this city."
"It's just business, Daniel—" Thorne stammered, his bravado entirely shattered.
"No, Victor," Daniel interrupted, leaning down toward the phone, his voice echoing across the silent war room. "Business is when you try to buy a steel supplier. What you just did was a declaration of war. And unlike my father, I don't negotiate with scavengers."
"Daniel, wait—"
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"Check your portfolio terminals, Victor," Daniel whispered with a grim, razor-sharp smile. "Your primary holding company was just delisted from the New York Stock Exchange. Welcome to bankruptcy."
Daniel tapped the red end-call button, cutting off Thorne's panicked screams in mid-sentence, plunging the war room back into an absolute, breathless silence.
