“Get back in line! You are nothing here!” Briggs roared, his patience completely gone. With a violent shove, he thrust Evelyn backward.
She hit the cold terrazzo floor hard. The lobby erupted in horrified gasps.
But Briggs didn’t get a second to gloat.
The tall man in the dark suit didn’t just walk—he surged forward like a missile. Moving with terrifying, calculated precision, the stranger grabbed the bulky guard by the collar and the belt.
*CRACK.*
Briggs’s world exploded in white light as the man slammed him face-first into the metal security desk. Pinned instantly, struggling for breath, Briggs’s eyes bulged in pure, unadulterated panic. The giant guard was completely immobilized by a single hand pressed against his neck.
A graveyard silence crashed down over the lobby.
Evelyn slowly stood up. She didn’t look flustered. Calmly, she placed a hand on her chest, took a breath, and straightened her beige blouse.
“Call the police!” Briggs choked out against the metal table, sweating profusely. “Call the CEO! She’s trespassing!”
The receptionist at the front desk was trembling, staring at Evelyn with wide eyes. “M-Ms. Vance… I am so sorry. We didn’t know you were arriving today.”
Briggs froze. The blood completely drained from his face.
*Vance.* As in Vance Holdings. The conglomerate that had quietly bought the building—and their entire security firm—just yesterday morning. The tall man wasn’t a bystander; he was her personal protection.
Evelyn stepped close to the desk, her gold hoop earrings catching the bright artificial light. She looked down at the sweating, defeated guard, her expression shifting into one of cold, absolute authority.
“You confused a badge with authority,” Evelyn said, her voice flat, deliberate, and icy enough to freeze the entire room.
“You’re fired.”