Chapter 6 6

Cade stopped less than two feet away from Ansley.

He looked her up and down, his eyes lingering on her black suit. He let out a loud, grating laugh.

"Look at this," Cade mocked, his voice echoing in the quiet lobby. "The little greenhouse flower put on a suit to play pretend on Wall Street."

A few Aegis employees walking by stopped and turned their heads, watching the drama unfold.

Ansley didn't step back. She stared right into his eyes. "That hard drive belongs to Kegan. You stole it."

Cade's smile twitched, but he recovered quickly. He leaned in closer. "I helped write the code. I'm just cashing out my equity."

He lowered his voice so only she could hear. "Besides, Kegan is going to be dead in a week anyway. That company is a sinking ship. I'm just taking the life raft."

The mention of Kegan dying sent a shockwave of despair through Ansley's chest. Her eyes filled with helpless tears.

"You can't do this, Cade," she pleaded, her voice cracking. "Please."

Cade snarled, his face contorting with disgust. "Watch me." He took a step forward and shoved her hard in the chest.

Ansley stumbled backward in her high heels. Her back crashed hard against the solid marble of the front desk. The breath was knocked out of her lungs, and she let out a sharp cry of pain.

The two security guards lunged forward. They grabbed Ansley by both arms, their thick fingers digging into her biceps. They started dragging her toward the exit.

Cade straightened his tie. He looked at the receptionist. "This crazy bitch is stalking me. Throw her out."

He turned back to Ansley, a victorious sneer on his face. "I already met with the director. The contract is mine. Take your little envelope and go back to Europe, Ansley. You don't belong here."

Ansley's arms throbbed with pain as the guards dragged her backward. Pure panic set in. She was losing Kegan's only hope. In a blind, desperate frenzy, she thrashed against their iron grips.

"No! Let me go!" she cried out.

One guard slipped slightly on the polished marble. Ansley used the split second of imbalance to wrench her arm free. She didn't think; she just reacted. She lunged over the counter, her hands blindly grabbing the heavy black phone sitting on the receptionist's desk.

"Hey!" The receptionist screamed, reaching for the phone. "Grab her!"

Ansley dodged the woman's hand, her fingers trembling wildly as she punched in the four-digit extension she had memorized from a leaked corporate directory last night. It was a suicide mission, but it was all she had.

The top floor. The CEO's office.

The phone rang exactly once before a deep, icy male voice answered. "State your business."

Cade laughed out loud. "Who are you calling? God? You think crying on the phone is going to save you?"

Ansley squeezed her eyes shut as the guards grabbed her waist, ready to hurl her to the pavement. She pressed the receiver tight against her ear, a sob catching in her throat.

"My name is Ansley Holcomb," she blurted out, her voice shaking with raw terror but laced with an undeniable desperation. "Please... tell Darius Woodward that Emery Holcomb's sister is down here. Please!"

The moment those names left her mouth, the lobby froze.

The security guards stopped pulling her. Their hands hovered in the air, suddenly terrified to touch her.

The receptionist yanked her hand back from the phone like it was on fire. All the color drained from her face.

Total, dead silence fell over the room. Everyone in the building knew the weight of the Holcomb and Woodward names. They were the apex predators of New York.

On the other end of the line, the icy voice paused for three agonizing seconds.

When the man spoke again, his tone had completely changed. It was smooth and deeply respectful.

"Please wait right there, Miss Holcomb. I am coming down personally."

The phone slipped from Ansley's sweaty fingers and clattered onto the desk. She shrank back against the marble counter, her chest heaving as she looked at Cade with wide, frightened eyes.

Cade's mouth was open, but no sound came out. He looked like he had just seen a ghost.