Chapter 2 - THE SHADOW OF VANCE
Trevor’s heart hammered against his ribs like a trapped bird. The pain radiating from his wrist was blinding, but the cold aura emanating from the man holding him was infinitely more terrifying.
"Listen to me!" Trevor choked out, trying to maintain his professional authority despite the tears of pain prickling his eyes. "I don't know who you think you are, buddy, but this woman is an intruder! She’s my ex-girlfriend! She’s a broke, uneducated—"
SNAP.
A sharp sound echoed through the high-end boutique. Trevor let out a high-pitched, pathetic shriek as Roman casually dislocated his thumb with a flick of his wrist.
"Trevor!" Chloe screamed, covering her mouth in horror. She looked toward the two mall security guards. "Help him! What are you standing there for?! Call the police!"
The two guards didn't move an inch. The senior guard swallowed hard, taking off his cap and holding it against his chest. "Ma'am... that's Mr. Vance. He owns this mall. He owns the security company. He owns the land under your feet."
Chloe’s breath hitched. She stared at Roman, her eyes wild with realization.
Roman casually let go of Trevor’s wrist. Trevor collapsed onto his knees on the marble floor, clutching his broken hand to his chest, sobbing hysterically. The sight was pathetically ironic—just moments ago, Sadi had been on her knees on the exact same marble.
Roman paid Trevor no further attention. He stepped over the groveling attorney as if he were nothing more than a stain on the rug.
He reached Sadi, his large, calloused hand gently reaching out to cup her cheek. His thumb brushed over her skin with extraordinary softness. "Are you hurt anywhere else, my love?"
"Just my knee," Sadi whispered, resting her palm against his tailored chest, feeling the steady, dangerous beat of his heart. "It’s nothing major, Roman."
"It is everything," Roman corrected softly. He turned to one of his men standing behind him—a towering man named Viktor with a scarred neck. "Viktor."
"Sir," Viktor replied, stepping forward instantly.
"Call Dr. Mercer. Have him prepare the private surgical suite at St. Jude’s. My wife has a contusion."
"Roman, that's unnecessary—" Sadi began, but Roman held up a gentle finger to her lips.
"Nothing is unnecessary when it comes to you," Roman said softly. He then looked down at Trevor, who was rocking back and forth on the floor, groaning in agony. "As for this creature..."
"Wait!" Trevor gasped, lifting his pale, sweat-slicked face. "You... you can't touch me! I’m Trevor Kingsley! Well, Trevor Miller, senior partner at Kingsley Law! We represent the city’s largest real estate firms! If you touch me, my firm will sue you into the ground!"
Roman raised an eyebrow. A slow, terrifying smile touched the corners of his lips. It was a smile that didn't reach his eyes—a smile of a lion amused by the squeaking of a mouse.
"Kingsley Law," Roman repeated smoothly. He pulled a pristine linen handkerchief from his pocket and slowly wiped his leather gloves. "Arthur Kingsley is your managing partner, correct?"
"Y-yes!" Trevor gasped, thinking he had finally found a leverage point. "Arthur is a powerful man! He has connections in the mayor's office! You lay another finger on me, and Arthur will ruin you!"
Roman chuckled. It was a dark, dry sound. He pulled a sleek black phone from his suit pocket, tapped the screen twice, and put it on speakerphone.
The line rang once.
"Mr. Vance!" an anxious, elderly voice boomed through the speaker. It was Arthur Kingsley, the senior founding partner of Kingsley Law. "To what do I owe the honor of your call, sir? Is the harbor development contract ready for signing?"
Trevor froze. His eyes widened in absolute horror as he recognized the voice of his boss—a man who treated governors like equals—speaking to Roman with the subservience of a nervous lapdog.
"Arthur," Roman said calmly, his voice echoing in the silent boutique. "I am currently standing in Vance Galleria. A young man named Trevor Miller just assaulted my wife, kicked her to the floor, and informed her that she is a vagrant who does not belong in my establishment."
Silence fell over the line. A long, agonizing, suffocating silence.
"He... he did what?" Arthur’s voice trembled, all professional composure instantly evaporating. "Mr. Vance... please tell me this is a misunderstanding. Trevor Miller is a junior partner... he—"
"Effective immediately," Roman interrupted coldly, "Vance Enterprises is severing all retainer agreements with Kingsley Law. Furthermore, I will be calling Mayor Davis in five minutes to revoke your firm's operating license in this district."
"Mr. Vance! Please! No!" Arthur pleaded, his voice cracking with desperation. "We have fifty attorneys! Two hundred staff! That contract is eighty percent of our firm's revenue! If you pull out, we’re bankrupt by Friday!"
"Then I suggest you fire Trevor Miller," Roman said flatly. "Disbar him. Audit his accounts. And make sure he never practices law in this country again. If he is still employed by you in ten minutes, Arthur... I will buy your building and tear it down."
"Consider it done, sir! He's fired! I’m calling the ethics board right now! He’s finished!" Arthur cried out.
Roman ended the call. He put the phone back into his pocket and looked down at Trevor, whose face was now entirely drained of blood.
"You... you can't do that," Trevor stammered, his body shaking violently as the reality of his total destruction began to set in. "My career... my license... I spent ten years..."
"You spent ten years building a life on the back of the woman you just kicked," Sadi said softly, stepping up beside Roman. She looked down at Trevor with no anger left in her eyes—only a profound, hollow pity. "I paid for your bar exam fees, Trevor. I pawned my mother’s ring so you could buy your first suit. And you left me with six hundred dollars stolen from a jar."
Trevor stared at her. For the first time, he truly looked at the woman standing before him. He looked at the oversized cashmere sweater—not cheap, but an unbranded piece from a famous Italian house worth twelve thousand dollars. He looked at the simple platinum ring on her left hand, holding a flawless seven-carat black diamond—the signature symbol of the Vance bloodline.
She wasn't a vagrant. She was the queen of the city.
"Sadi..." Trevor sobbed, horror and regret crashing over him like a tidal wave. "Sadi, please! I didn't know! I swear I didn't know it was you! I was stressed, I was arrogant! Please, tell him to stop! You know me! We were together for five years!"
"And those five years were a nightmare," Sadi replied coldly.
Roman gently took Sadi’s hand, lacing his fingers through hers. "Viktor. Have the police arrive. File charges for felony assault, hate crimes, and harassment. Make sure he is held without bail."
"Understood, Mr. Vance," Viktor said, stepping forward and placing a massive hand on Trevor’s shoulder, pinning him to the floor.
"Sadi! Sadi, please!" Trevor shrieked as he was dragged toward the back exit, his luxury suit gathering dust and grime from the floor. "Help me! Sadi!"
Chloe had already fled, sprinting out of the store to distance herself from the ruined man.
May you like
Roman turned to Sadi, his eyes softening instantly. "Are you ready to go home, my love?"
Sadi looked at the cufflinks sitting in the display case. She smiled faintly. "Not yet. I still need to buy your gift."
