Chapter 5 5

The air in the Vanderbilt Group's top-floor boardroom was freezing.

Jett pushed the heavy glass doors open exactly at the stroke of ten.

The massive room was empty, save for the long mahogany table.

At the far end sat Richard Vanderbilt.

Behind him stood three of the most expensive corporate lawyers in Manhattan, their faces blank and hostile.

Jett ignored the lawyer gesturing for her to sit at the side.

She walked straight down the length of the room, the sharp click of her heels echoing loudly in the cavernous space.

She pulled out the chair directly opposite the patriarch and sat down.

She adjusted her blazer, ensuring her posture was perfectly straight, projecting absolute dominance.

Richard stared at her, his eyes like a hawk trying to intimidate a mouse.

He tapped his cane against the floor, a slow, rhythmic thud designed to build anxiety.

Jett's heartbeat remained slow and steady.

The lead lawyer stepped forward and slid a thick, leather-bound contract across the polished wood.

It stopped in front of Jett.

"The Vanderbilt family takes care of its own, even those who are leaving," Richard said, his voice a raspy, fake purr.

"Sign the non-disclosure and the buyout. You walk out of here today with five hundred million dollars in cash."

Jett did not even look down at the contract.

She kept her eyes locked on Richard's.

A cold, sharp laugh escaped her lips.

"Five hundred million," Jett repeated, her voice laced with pure venom.

"That was my initial capital injection three years ago. You are trying to use the Cayman trust loophole to swallow the entire profit margin."

Richard's hand tightened on his cane.

His rhythmic tapping stopped.

"Do not push your luck, girl," Richard warned, his chest beginning to heave.

"With the money laundering rumors circulating this morning, you are one phone call away from a federal investigation."

Jett reached into her bag.

She pulled out a sleek, blue folder bearing the crest of an independent Swiss auditing firm. She had quietly commissioned this massive, covert undertaking six months ago, predicting Richard's exact strategy down to the letter. She knew the day would come when they tried to erase her, and she had built a financial guillotine in the shadows.

She placed her hand flat on it and slid it forcefully down the table.

It hit Richard's coffee cup, spilling a few drops onto the wood.

"That is a certified, independent asset evaluation," Jett stated, her voice dropping the temperature in the room by ten degrees.

"Based on current Wall Street market caps, my four percent equity is worth exactly one point five billion dollars."

The three lawyers behind Richard leaned in to look at the numbers.

A collective, sharp intake of breath hissed through the silence.

Richard slammed both hands onto the table and forced himself to stand.

"This is extortion!" Richard roared, his face flushing a dangerous purple.

Jett leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs.

She watched his physical breakdown with absolute detachment.

"If this goes to open litigation," Jett said softly, "the discovery phase alone will crash your stock by thirty percent. Your shareholders will eat you alive."

Richard gritted his teeth.

His chest felt incredibly tight. He forced himself to take a shallow breath.

"I took you in," Richard wheezed, trying to play the emotional card. "I gave you a family when you had nothing."

"Your version of care was watching your grandson parade his mistress around Wall Street while I fixed your broken ledgers," Jett fired back, her words hitting like physical blows.

The lead lawyer stepped forward, trying to regain control.

"Ms. Whitfield, a lawsuit of this magnitude will take years. We will bleed your cash flow dry in legal fees before you ever see a courtroom."

Jett turned her head slowly, fixing the lawyer with a look of utter disgust.

"My legal fund could buy your entire firm and turn it into a parking lot," Jett said.

Richard sank back into his chair, his breathing ragged.

"Five hundred and fifty million," Richard gasped out. "Final offer."

Jett stood up.

She picked up the heavy leather-bound contract.

With a swift, violent motion, she tore the thick document straight down the middle.

The sound of ripping paper echoed like a gunshot in the silent room.

She dropped the torn halves into the trash can beside the table.

"One point five billion," Jett said, looking down at the gasping old man. "Not a penny less."

She turned toward the door.

"If the funds are not in my account by sunset tomorrow, my lawyers will file the suit in federal court."

Jett walked out, the heavy glass doors swinging shut behind her.

Richard clutched his chest, his face turning a sickly gray.

"Call PR," Richard gasped to his panicked lawyers. "Call them now!"