Chapter 2 - The Shadows of Greed
Twenty-four hours after the incident at Logan Airport, the storm outside had cleared, leaving Boston wrapped in a blanket of glittering white snow. Inside the high-tech penthouse office of Harrison BioTech, overlooking the Charles River, the mood was cold and tense.
Richard Harrison stood in front of his panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows, holding a glass of iced water. Behind him, resting on a leather sofa, sat Ethan. The six-year-old boy was safely nestled in a new, upgraded medical chair, happily playing with a digital tablet. His health had fully stabilized, but Richard could not shake the memory of those terror-filled minutes at Gate B23.
The double mahogany doors swung open. Colin Dray walked into the room, holding a slender manila folder. He looked visibly uneasy, his eyes avoiding Richard’s gaze.
“Did you find her?” Richard asked immediately, turning around.
“Yes, Mr. Harrison,” Colin replied, setting the folder on the glass coffee table. “Her name is Clara Vance. She’s seven years old. She lives with her mother, Maya Vance, in a small rented apartment in East Boston.”
Richard sat down, opening the file. Inside were background check documents, medical records, and photographs of Clara and her mother.
“Her mother works two jobs—one as a late-night custodian at the community health clinic and another as a seamstress,” Colin explained smoothly. “Her younger brother, Leo, suffered from a rare congenital respiratory disorder and passed away eighteen months ago. That explains why the girl knew how to handle Ethan’s emergency equipment.”
Richard looked at the photos of Clara’s modest home, her patched clothing, and the small wooden cross resting over her brother's memory shelf. His heart throbbed with deep respect and profound gratitude.
“They are living in poverty,” Richard noted quietly. “Her mother is working sixteen hours a day just to pay off lingering medical debts from her late son.”
“Apparently so,” Colin said, resting his hands behind his back. “Shall I write a check from the company’s charitable foundation? A few thousand dollars should be more than enough to express your appreciation.”
Richard raised his eyes, looking sharply at his assistant. “A few thousand dollars? Colin, that little girl did what an entire terminal full of adults were too terrified to attempt. She saved Ethan's life. A check is insultingly transactional.”
Richard stood up, walking toward his desk. “I am establishing a ten-million-dollar trust fund in Clara Vance’s name. It will cover her education through university, housing, healthcare, and provide her mother with full financial security for the rest of her life. Additionally, I want our legal team to clear every cent of Maya Vance’s medical debt by the end of the day today.”
Colin’s jaw tightened slightly, a fleeting look of extreme irritation crossing his face before he managed to mask it with a smooth smile. “That is... exceptionally generous, Mr. Harrison. I will have the legal department prepare the trust documents immediately.”
“No,” Richard said. “I want to deliver the news personally. Pack Ethan’s travel bag. We are going to visit them this afternoon.”
As Richard turned his back to speak to Ethan, Colin stepped into the private executive hallway, pulling out an encrypted satellite phone from his jacket pocket. His hands were trembling with anger. He dialed a private number, stepping close to the wall.
“We have a massive problem,” Colin whispered harsh into the receiver.
“What problem?” a heavy, distorted voice replied on the line. “The airport incident failed. Harrison’s kid was supposed to suffer fatal respiratory arrest during the commotion. The media was ready to cover his grief, and the board was set to vote you in as interim CEO on Monday!”
“I know!” Colin hissed through his teeth. “The wheelchair mechanism I tampered with worked as planned—the lock snapped, the chair tipped, and the air hose was crimped. But some poor kid from the slums stepped in and cleared his airway before the brain damage could set in!”
“Fix it, Colin,” the voice warned coldly. “If Richard Harrison visits that girl and digs into her background, he might ask why the airport security feed showed you standing right beside the wheelchair when the axle bolt sheared off. He’s already assigning top-tier investigators to review Ethan's equipment safety logs. If that trust fund goes through, his attention will be focused on that family forever.”
Colin’s eyes narrowed into dark, ruthless slits. “What do you want me to do?”
“Make sure the girl and her mother disappear from the picture before Richard reaches them. Blame it on their neighborhood, blame it on an accident... just ensure Harrison’s attention stays where it belongs—on his dying empire.”
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Colin ended the call, slipping the phone back into his pocket. He turned his head toward the CEO’s office door, his face twisting into a cold, murderous smile.
“You won't be delivering any trust funds, Richard,” Colin whispered softly to himself. “Not today.”
