The top floor of the Sterling Tower was filled with high-ranking executives and high-priced divorce lawyers when I arrived. I was wearing a sharp, custom charcoal suit instead of my usual mechanic uniform. Two private security guards stood outside the double doors of the main boardroom, bowing their heads respectfully as I walked past them.
Inside, Richard was sweating profusely through his blue dress shirt, while Victoria sat beside him, clutching her designer purse like a shield. Chloe stood near the glass window, pacing back and forth with a legal document in her hands.
Richard: Where is the representative from Vance Capital?! We've been waiting for twenty minutes!
Lawyer: Calm down, Mr. Sterling. The chairman said he would be joining us personally to sign the foreclosure papers.
Victoria: This is a total outrage! We are an established family in this city! How dare they freeze our life insurance policies without warning!
The heavy doors slid open, and I walked into the room, setting my leather briefcase on the long mahogany conference table.
Victoria: You?! What is this garage trash doing in here?! Security! Get this man out of our meeting!
Richard: David! Did you follow my daughter here to cause another scene?! Get the hell out before I have you arrested for trespass!
Chloe: David, please! What are you wearing?! What is wrong with you?! Go home!
I didn't say a word. I pulled out the high-backed leather chair at the head of the table and sat down, leaning back comfortably as Marcus walked in behind me, carrying a stack of legal folders.
Marcus: Good morning, everyone. I am Marcus Brody, lead legal counsel for Vance Capital.
Richard: Mr. Brody! Thank God you're here. Please tell your security guards to kick this unemployed mechanic out so we can discuss our debt restructuring!
Marcus: Mr. Sterling, I believe you are confused. The man sitting at the head of this table isn't an unemployed mechanic.
Victoria: What are you talking about? He works at a grease pit down on Fifth Street!
Marcus: He owns Fifth Street, Mrs. Sterling. In fact, he owns the entire holding firm that holds ninety percent of your family's personal debt.
The entire room went dead silent. Chloe's mouth dropped open as she stared at me, her hands shaking so hard the papers she was holding fell to the floor.
Chloe: David... what is he saying?
David: My full name is David Vance, Chloe. My grandfather founded Vance Capital forty years ago.
Richard: No... no, that's impossible! You've been fixing cars for five years!
David: I like working with my hands, Richard. I opened that auto shop with my own money because I wanted a quiet, normal life away from greedy people like you.
Victoria: This is a lie! He's a fraud! He's trying to trick us!
David: Open folder number three, Marcus.
Marcus opened a thick red folder and dropped a stack of bank statements directly in front of Victoria. Her face turned ghost white as her eyes scanned the top page.
David: Five hundred thousand dollars transferred from your family trust fund to offshore accounts over the last three months. You were already broke before last night, Victoria. You were using my daughter's future inheritance to pay off your personal credit card debts.