Chapter 7 - The Unseen Machinery
Without another word to the stunned crowd, Arthur reached down and lifted Lily into his arms. He pulled her securely against his chest, wrapping his strong arm around her back as she buried her face into the crook of his neck, safe from the stares of the room.
He turned his back on the matriarch, the shattered table, and the sea of wide-eyed aristocrats. He walked toward the massive double doors of the ballroom with long, measured strides. The security guards didn't move to stop him; they actively scrambled out of his path, pressing themselves against the wood paneling as he passed.
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As he crossed the threshold into the cool night air of the estate's private courtyard, Arthur pulled a heavy, encrypted mobile phone from his back pocket. He tapped a single speed-dial key and brought the device to his ear.
"It's me," Arthur said flatly into the speaker, his voice cutting cleanly through the quiet chirping of night crickets. "Activate the Contingency protocol on the Vance Family Trust. Buy out their primary debt obligations from Swiss Commercial before midnight. I want full equity control of the estate by dawn."
