Three days.
Julius sat in his corner office, staring at his phone. Elinor had been gone for three days.
"Zack," Julius barked.
His assistant hurried in. "Yes, Mr. Logan?"
"Where is she? The cards are frozen. She has no cash. How is she eating?"
Zack adjusted his glasses, looking nervous. "Sir, there's been no activity. No attempts to use the cards. It's like she... vanished."
Julius felt a tightness in his chest. Not worry, exactly. Control. He was losing it.
He dialed Harper again.
This time, she answered.
"Where is she?" Julius demanded. "Tell her to stop this childish game and come home."
"Mr. Logan," Harper's voice was crisp. "Please direct all future communication to my legal counsel."
"Legal counsel? She wants a divorce?"
"Oh, it's more than divorce," Harper said. "By the way, you might want to ask your girlfriend about the origins of the Aurora Project."
Click.
Julius stared at the phone. A cold knot formed in his stomach.
Suddenly, the door flew open. Beverly marched in, waving a letter.
"Julius! What have you done?"
"Mother, not now."
"The Trust Committee just sent a notice!" Beverly slammed the paper on his desk. "Clause 44-B. The inheritance disbursement is contingent on a stable marital union. If you are separated for more than thirty days, the quarterly dividend is frozen."
Julius grabbed the letter. His eyes scanned the legalese.
Frozen.
Millions of dollars. The liquidity the company needed for the new merger. Gone.
"Find her," Julius hissed at Zack. "Now!"
SoHo.
The loft smelled of fresh paint and sawdust. It was wide, open, and industrial.
Elinor stood on a ladder, adjusting a camera. She was wearing a black jumpsuit, her hair tied back in a severe ponytail.
Harper walked in, popping a bottle of champagne. "To the new fortress!"
Elinor climbed down. She checked the monitor. The feed from the hallway was crystal clear.
She typed. "He's not looking for me. He's looking for his wallet."
"The trust fund?" Harper asked.
Elinor nodded. She knew the bylaws better than Julius did. She knew exactly where to cut to make him bleed.
Her phone buzzed. An encrypted message from an unknown number. It was Martha, the housekeeper.
He knows where you are. He's coming.
Elinor looked at the security monitor.
"He's on his way," she typed.
Harper looked nervous. "Should we call the cops?"
Elinor shook her head. She walked to the smart home panel on the wall. She tapped a button labeled Perimeter Alert.
"I want him to see," she typed. "I want him to see that I am not afraid."
Ten minutes later, a black sedan screeched to a halt on the street below.
Julius got out. He looked up at the lighted windows of the third floor. He looked angry. He looked desperate.
Elinor stood by the window, holding a glass of red wine. She looked down at him like a queen looking at a peasant.
Come on up, husband, she thought. Welcome to my world.
