Chapter 4 - The Urgent Phone Call
Across the city, in the penthouse boardroom of a Manhattan skyscraper, Richard Belmont was sweating.
He checked his Rolex for the fifth time in ten minutes. The long mahogany table was set. His legal team was nervously shuffling papers. This buyout was the only thing standing between him and a total liquidation of his grandfather’s company.
He was waiting for Marcus Thorne. The elusive genius behind Apex Industries. Richard had only ever dealt with Thorne's proxies; today was supposed to be their first face-to-face meeting.
Richard’s private cell phone vibrated violently on the table. The caller ID read: NYPD Precinct 113.
Frowning, he stepped out into the glass-walled hallway and answered. "Belmont."
"Mr. Belmont, this is Sergeant Harris with the Port Authority Police at JFK. We have your wife, Eleanor Belmont, in custody."
Richard’s blood ran cold. "In custody? For what?"
"Assault, battery, and destruction of property aboard a commercial flight. She attacked another passenger and destroyed highly sensitive legal documents. Bail has not yet been set due to the federal jurisdiction of the airspace."
"This is an outrage!" Richard barked, slipping easily into his usual bullying tactics. "My wife is a pillar of the community! Whoever this passenger is, they obviously provoked her. I want her released immediately, or I will have your badge, Sergeant. Who is the victim?"
"Sir, I don't care who you are, and you can't threaten me," the Sergeant replied dryly. "And as for the victim, he's a high-profile VIP. The CEO of Apex Industries. A Mr. Marcus Thorne."
Richard Belmont stopped breathing.
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The phone slipped from his sweaty fingers, clattering onto the marble floor. The world around him spun. His wife hadn't just assaulted a random passenger. She had assaulted the man coming to save his company. She had destroyed the very contracts that were supposed to keep Richard out of bankruptcy court.
He dropped to his knees, frantically scrambling to pick up the phone, but the line was already dead.
