Chapter 19 - The Vanguard Heir
Fifteen years later.
The brass doors of Vanguard Enterprises swung open, but this time, the freezing rain didn't push anyone back.
A young woman in a sharp, tailored maroon power suit stepped into the grand mahogany foyer. The polished granite gleamed beneath her expensive stilettos. Men in charcoal suits nodded respectfully as she walked past. Women clutching designer briefcases stepped aside, offering polite smiles.
Maya Vance, now twenty-three years old, walked with the absolute authority and confidence of a queen stepping into her castle.
She bypassed the reception desk entirely, heading straight for the private glass elevator. She scanned her biometric fingerprint, and the doors slid open.
As the elevator shot upward toward the executive boardroom, she checked her phone. A text from Leo, who was currently a freshman at an Ivy League university: Good luck today, sis. Give 'em hell.
Maya smiled, typing back a quick heart emoji.
The elevator doors opened to the penthouse executive floor. Maya strode down the hall, pushing open the heavy mahogany doors of the boardroom.
The room was filled with older, seasoned executives. At the head of the table sat Julian Vance, his hair now salted with gray, but his eyes just as sharp and predatory as ever.
"You're late," Julian noted, though a proud smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"I was finalizing the Apex acquisition in the lobby," Maya replied smoothly, tossing a thick, signed contract onto the center of the table. "We just acquired them for twenty percent below asking price."
The boardroom erupted into impressed murmurs.
May you like
Julian stood up, looking at the brilliant, fierce young woman his daughter had become.
"Excellent work, VP Vance," Julian said, gesturing to the empty chair to his right. "Take a seat."
