Three days later, the tension of the week still hung heavily in the air as Brook sat hunched over her workbench in the Brooklyn tech incubator.
She wore thick safety goggles, her hand steady as she pressed the hot soldering iron against the green circuit board.
A tiny plume of smoke rose into the air.
She was so focused she did not notice the sudden shift in the room's atmosphere.
The usual loud chatter of the open office area completely died out.
It was replaced by a tense, collective gasp.
Talia Wexler, the financial director of the incubator, sprinted into Brook's glass-walled studio.
Talia grabbed Brook's shoulders and shook her hard.
Take your headphones off right now.
Brook pushed her goggles up into her hair, a flash of irritation crossing her face.
Did the servers crash again.
Talia pointed a shaking finger toward the glass wall looking out into the main hall.
The CEO of Vaughn Capital is here. He is doing a walkthrough.
Brook felt her heart slam against her ribs, missing a beat entirely.
Her hand jerked, and the hot tip of the soldering iron barely missed her finger.
She quickly flipped the power switch off.
She peeked through the narrow gaps in the window blinds.
Arthur Vance, the director of the incubator, was walking backward, bowing slightly like a nervous servant.
Damon Vaughn walked behind him.
He wore a pristine, dark gray three-piece suit that screamed old money and absolute power.
He moved through the cheap, cluttered startup space like a king inspecting a conquered village.
The heavy thud of his expensive leather shoes against the concrete floor echoed in Brook's ears.
Every step he took felt like a hammer hitting her nervous system.
Brook immediately dropped to a crouch.
She hid behind a stack of computer monitors on her desk.
She squeezed her eyes shut, praying to whatever god was listening that he was just passing through.
But Damon's gaze cut through the crowd like a laser.
He locked eyes on the glass door of Brook's studio without a second of hesitation.
He stopped walking.
He cut off Arthur's nervous rambling about the building's future expansion plans.
I want to see this project.
Damon pointed directly at Brook's door, his voice carrying an absolute command.
Arthur looked terrified but eager to please.
He pulled out his master keycard and swiped it against the scanner.
The lock beeped, and the heavy glass door swung open.
Brook realized she had nowhere left to hide.
She stood up slowly, her face completely devoid of emotion.
She dusted off her jeans and stared straight into the eyes of the man walking into her space.
Damon's massive frame instantly made the small studio feel suffocating.
It felt as if he had sucked all the oxygen out of the room.
He reached out and picked up a half-finished mechanical joint from her desk.
His long fingers slowly rubbed the rough metal edges.
What is the conversion rate on this hardware.
He asked the question using a perfectly professional tone.
But his dark eyes were fixed entirely on Brook's lips, carrying a heavy, aggressive implication.
The executives standing in the doorway held their breath.
They waited for the startup girl to stumble over her words and try to impress the billionaire.
Brook let out a short, cold laugh.
She rattled off a complex string of technical parameters at lightning speed, her voice dripping with pure ice.
I doubt this niche art-tech is something Vaughn Capital can comprehend. I suggest you check out the AI startups down the hall.
Arthur turned pale white.
He frantically signaled Brook with his eyes, terrified she was going to ruin their funding chances.
Damon did not look angry.
Instead, a low, dark chuckle vibrated in his chest, a sound that made the hairs on Brook's arms stand up.
He took a slow step forward, crossing the boundary of professional distance.
You have more thorns than you used to.
He murmured, pitching his voice so low that only she could hear the dangerous edge in it.
Brook did not back away.
Do not bring your pathetic personal games into my workplace.
She whispered back, her eyes blazing with defiance.
Damon's expression hardened into stone.
He turned his head slightly and looked at Arthur.
Vaughn Capital is buying this building. Full buyout of the property rights, effective today.
A loud gasp echoed from the executives in the hall.
Talia slapped both hands over her mouth in shock.
Brook felt a sickening drop in her stomach.
Damon turned his gaze back to Brook.
He looked at her with the absolute arrogance of an apex predator.
He was letting her know that he now owned the ground she stood on.
He turned around and walked out, his entourage scrambling to follow him.
Brook collapsed into her desk chair.
She stared out the window as the black Maybach pulled away from the curb.
She realized this was not a coincidence; it was the start of a hunt.
