Chapter 15
Across the city, in a dimly lit, cheap motel room that smelled of stale smoke and damp carpet, Richard paced like a caged animal. His tailored suit was wrinkled, his tie discarded on the unmade bed. His laptop screen cast a sickly pale light across his face, displaying the glaring red text of a dozen frozen bank accounts.
There was a heavy, rhythmic knock on the door. It wasn't the police. The police knocked with authority. This knock was quiet, patient, and terrifying.
Richard froze, the blood draining from his face. He slowly backed away from the door. "Who is it?"
The lock clicked. Richard hadn't given anyone the key, but the heavy wooden door swung open anyway. Two men in dark, unremarkable clothing stepped into the room. They didn't look like mobsters from a movie; they looked like accountants who happened to specialize in breaking bones.
"Mr. Walter," the taller man said, his voice entirely devoid of emotion as he closed the door behind him. "Our employers are quite distressed. Your offshore collateral seems to have evaporated overnight."
"It's a temporary freeze!" Richard stammered, holding his hands up defensively. "My father is just... he's throwing a tantrum over an internal corporate dispute. The money is there! The downtown plaza is worth fifty million alone! I just need a few weeks to untangle the legal injunctions."
"The plaza is no longer in your name, Richard," the second man noted, pulling a folded legal printout from his jacket. "We check the registries. Walter Holdings reclaimed the asset this morning. You have no collateral. You have no liquidity. And you owe our employers twelve million dollars by Friday."
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"I can get it!" Richard screamed, panic overtaking him completely. "I know where my father keeps the bearer bonds! In the estate! There's a private archive in the basement! I can get into it, I just need a few days!"
The taller man tilted his head, considering the desperate lie. "You have forty-eight hours, Richard. If the debt is not settled, we won't be visiting you again. We will simply balance the ledger with your life." The men turned and left, the door clicking softly shut behind them. Richard sank to the floor, grasping his head in his hands. He had only one option left.
