Sterling stared at him for three seconds, then nodded slowly. "Understood. Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Andre."
"Have a good evening, gentlemen," Andre said.
He stepped past them, walking toward the subway station down the street. Behind him, the eight men in suits marched into the lobby of SSS Technologies, their leather shoes clicking in unison on the marble floor.
In the penthouse office on the thirty-second floor, the mood was vastly different. Bob had already opened a bottle of Château Margaux from Andre's private cellar—a wine Andre had been saving to celebrate the company's IPO. He poured three glasses, his face flushed with the kind of smug, arrogant triumph that only comes from a long-awaited betrayal.
"To the future," Bob said, raising his glass.
Laura took her glass, her eyes sparkling. She looked around the massive office, her fingers tracing the expensive Italian leather of the sofa. "Twenty years, Bob. Twenty years of watching him play the big-hearted hero while we had to hide in the shadows."
"The shadow is gone now, my love," Bob said, leaning down to press a kiss to her cheek. "Everything he built is ours: the building, the stock, the land outside of town. It's all legally yours."
Marta sat behind Andre's former desk, her feet propped up on the edge of the polished mahogany. She was scrolling through her phone, her expression filled with a lazy, satisfied indifference. "I still can't believe he actually signed it," Marta said, not looking up. "I thought he'd fight more. All that talk about how much he loved me, and the moment I showed him those photos, he folded like a house of cards."
"Because he knew he was guilty," Laura said, her voice dripping with artificial pity. "A rapist always knows what he is, Marta. He knew that if those photos went to a judge, his reputation would be destroyed forever. He chose his pride over his money."
"And now he has neither," Bob laughed, taking a deep sip of the wine. "He's out there on the street, probably looking for a bridge. Let him jump. It'll save us the trouble of eviction."
Suddenly, the heavy double doors of the office burst open. The laughter in the room died instantly.