Chapter 3 - The Snakes in the Grass
Back in his downtown penthouse, Alexander poured himself a glass of scotch and stared at the burner phone David had recovered. The screen was cracked, but the messages were legible.
The texts were between Victoria and a contact saved simply as 'J'.
Victoria: The old bat keeps coming around. She’s going to ruin everything. J: Handle her. Once you have the ring, Alexander will sign the merger papers. Then we cash him out and leave him with nothing. Victoria: I handled it today. But it got messy.
Alexander threw the glass of scotch against the wall. It shattered, amber liquid bleeding down the expensive wallpaper. 'J' was Julian Vance, his Chief Operations Officer and the man Alexander had considered a brother since college.
The betrayal sliced deeper than a knife. Julian had introduced him to Victoria a year ago. It had all been a setup. A carefully orchestrated long con to get Alexander to sign over fifty-one percent of Reed Industries through a proposed shell-company merger.
His phone buzzed. It was the hospital.
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"Mr. Reed?" the nurse's voice was frantic. "You need to get down here. Your mother’s heart rate is spiking, and security just caught someone trying to enter her room dressed as medical staff."
Alexander didn't hesitate. He grabbed his coat, a loaded firearm from his safe, and ran out the door. The game was over. It was time to go hunting.
