She thought about the jail cell. She thought about her mother's medication. She thought about four years of shame. She looked up at Henderson, and the fire that had burned in the restaurant was back hotter this time. Let's go take him down, she said.
The boardroom at Thorne Vanguard Capital was 60 floors up, encased in glass, offering a panoramic view of a city that worshipped money. Julian stood at the head of a massive polished stone table. He looked exhausted. His usual perfect hair was slightly askew, and there was a manic energy in his eyes. Seated around the table were the representatives of the Sterling Trust, three severe-looking men in dark suits, and the Zurich Group, who looked impatient.
"The delays are purely administrative." Julian was saying, his voice a little too loud. "The diligence check Mr. Henderson requested is underway, but I assure you the Icarus Protocol is proprietary Thorn technology. We are ready to accept your capital injection and begin trading immediately." "We'll wait for Henderson."
The lead Sterling investor said, checking his watch. "He controls the largest tranche of the investment. We don't move without him." "Henderson got cold feet." Julian scoffed.
"He's aging. He's lost his nerve for real risk. We don't need him." The double doors at the far end of the room swung open. "Actually, Julian."
Henderson's voice boomed across the room. "I think you do." Henderson walked in, confident and imposing, but all eyes instantly shifted to the person walking beside him. It was Maya. She wasn't wearing a waitress uniform anymore.
Henderson had stopped on the way. She wore a sharply tailored navy blazer over a white blouse, dark trousers, and heels that clicked with authority on the stone floor. Her hair was pulled back in a severe bun. The transformation was startling. She didn't look like help.
She looked like a CEO in waiting. Julian dropped the laser pointer he was holding. It clattered loudly on the floor. "Security!" Julian screamed, slamming his hand on the intercom button on the table.
"Get security up here. The trespasser is back!" "Cancel that." The lead Sterling investor said sharply. "Let them in, Julian.
I want to hear this." "She's a criminal. I had her arrested last night." Julian shouted, losing control. "And I bailed her out this morning."
Henderson said calmly, pulling out a chair for Maya at the center of the table directly opposite Julian. Maya sat down. She didn't look at the view. She didn't look at the investors. She locked eyes with Julian.
"Hello, Julian." She said. Her voice was steady, devoid of the deference she had been forced to use yesterday. "You have 5 seconds to leave before I have you forcibly removed again." Julian hissed.
"Mr. Thorn." The Zurich investor said, his tone icy. "Shut up and sit down. We are listening to Ms. Lin." Julian looked around the table.
He saw the shift. The smell of desperation was on him, and these men hated desperation. He slowly sat down, his hands gripping the arms of his chair until his knuckles turned white. "Thank you." Maya said.
She placed Henderson's laptop on the table and connected it to the main projector system. The screen behind Julian flickered to life. It wasn't equations this time. It was code. Raw, dense lines of programming language.