Chapter 5 - The Reconstruction of Power
Richard Vance fell back against the head table, his breath catching in his throat as if he were the one who had just been thrown into the freezing water. The Royal Palms Plaza project was the crown jewel of his company’s portfolio—a three-hundred-million-dollar luxury development that was currently seventy percent complete. If Blake Campbell called in the debt notes, the Vance family conglomerate would be forced into involuntary bankruptcy before the stock market closed on Monday.
"Maya, please," Eleanor Vance suddenly cried out from the pavilion, her high-society reserve completely breaking down as she rushed toward the fountain, her hands extended in a desperate plea. "Talk to your husband. We’re your family. Your sister... it's her wedding day. You can't ruin her life over a minor family disagreement!"
Maya looked at her mother through the dark strands of her wet hair, her face completely calm under the weight of Blake's cashmere coat. The burning rage she had felt in the water had settled into a quiet, absolute clarity. She remembered the applause. She remembered her sister's laughter.
"I told you to remember the moment, Mother," Maya said softly, her voice carrying an icy, unyielding weight. "You chose the audience. Now you get to live with the review."
Blake didn't wait for another word of explanation or another tearful apology from the people who had spent their lives using human beings as stepping stones. He turned Maya toward the waiting convoy, his large hand resting protectively against the small of her back as his security detail formed a moving wall around them, blocking the view of the elite guests who were now frantically whispering into their phones, trying to liquidate their positions in Vance Development before the news hit the public wire.
The security guards threw open the heavy door of the armored SUV, and Maya stepped inside, the luxurious leather interior smelling of cedar and expensive security equipment. Blake climbed in beside her, closing the heavy door with a solid, pressurized thud that cut off the sounds of the chaotic garden forever.
As the convoy roared to life, accelerating away from the Royal Palms Plaza and heading toward the bright lights of the Miami skyline, Blake reached over and took Maya's wet hand in his, his fingers warm and strong.
"Are you cold?" he asked softly.
May you like
Maya looked out the tinted window, watching the white orchids and the gold balloons of her sister's wedding fade into the dark distance. She shook her head, a small, definitive smile finally touching the corners of her mouth as she leaned against his shoulder.
"No," Maya whispered, her voice steady and clear. "I've never been warmer in my life."
