Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR: THE LEVERAGE OF TRUE WEALTH
Liam’s chest heaved. The humiliation was burning him alive. He tried to puff out his chest, leaning on the only crutch he had left: his family’s name.
“Look, Ms. Chen,” Liam said, attempting to inject a tone of professional equality into his voice, though it still quivered. “This is a massive misunderstanding. My father is Richard Vance, the CEO of Vanguard Logistics. We do millions in shipping contracts. I will personally write a check right now to cover the damages to your door, and I’ll buy this hypercar in cash. Let’s just consider this a rough introduction and move past it.”
Eleanor stopped pacing. She looked at Liam with a mixture of pity and absolute disgust.
“You think you have the capital to buy your way out of assaulting my family?” she asked softly. She snapped her fingers. Instantly, her lead executive assistant stepped forward, handing her a sleek titanium tablet.
Eleanor tapped the screen twice. “Vanguard Logistics. Yes. A mid-tier shipping firm. Heavily over-leveraged. Currently relying on a rolling credit facility to keep your cargo ships fueled.” She didn’t look up from the screen. “A credit facility managed by… let’s see… Global Trust Finance.”
Liam’s eyes widened in sheer, unadulterated terror. “How… how do you know that?”
“Because, Mr. Vance,” Eleanor said, finally looking up, her eyes locking onto his soul, “Apex Global acquired a controlling stake in Global Trust Finance six months ago. I am, for all intents and purposes, your father’s bank.”
She handed the tablet back to her assistant. “Call Richard Vance. Tell him his son just assaulted my father. Tell him Apex Global is calling in all lines of credit, effective immediately. Initiate a hard freeze on all corporate accounts associated with Vanguard Logistics.”
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“Wait! No! You can’t do that!” Liam screamed, lunging forward. Instantly, two of Eleanor’s massive security guards stepped in, grabbing Liam by the shoulders and slamming him back with bone-jarring force.
“I can,” Eleanor replied calmly. “And I just did. You spoke of paint, Mr. Vance. You told my father he couldn’t afford the paint on this car. By tomorrow morning, you won’t be able to afford the paint on a rusty bicycle.”
