Chapter 10 - Whispers in the Dark
Three days later, the reality of my new life was settling in.
The press release had gone live that morning: *Sterling Global Acquires Vance Media in Historic Restructuring; Mark Lawson Named CEO.* My inbox had exploded with thousands of congratulatory emails, old colleagues reaching out, and major corporate clients expressing their eagerness to work with the newly reformed agency.
Arthur Pendelton had sent a corporate driver to bring me the final closing binders for the holding company shares. Everything was signed, sealed, and legally binding. Gavin Vance had retreated into hiding, his reputation entirely destroyed after the media caught wind of his dismissal.
It was almost 9:30 PM on a stormy Thursday evening. The rain lashed against our suburban living room windows in fierce, heavy sheets. Sarah had just tucked the girls into bed and had joined me on the sofa with two mugs of hot chocolate.
"Still feels like a dream," Sarah said softly, resting her head on my shoulder as we listened to the storm outside. "I keep thinking I’m going to wake up and you'll be stressing over Gavin's morning status reports."
"It's real, honey," I smiled, kissing the crown of her head. "No more Gavin. No more walking on eggshells."
Suddenly, the house was plunged into pitch-black darkness.
The hum of the refrigerator died. The television screen flashed black. Outside, the streetlights flickered and went out completely.
"Power outage," Sarah murmured, sitting up. "I'll go grab the flashlights from the pantry."
"I'll check the breaker box in the garage," I said, clicking on the flashlight on my phone.
Before either of us could take another step, a sharp, violent knock echoed against the front door.
*BANG. BANG. BANG.*
Sarah froze, clutching my arm. "Who is that at this hour? In this weather?"
I frowned, keeping my voice low. "Stay here with the girls."
May you like
I stepped into the dark foyer, the beam of my phone light bouncing against the walls. The knocking came again—faster, more frantic, accompanied by the muffled sound of a desperate whimper.
I approached the heavy wooden door, unlocked the deadbolt, and pulled it open, keeping the chain engaged.
