When a ruthless matriarch tied a seven-year-old boy in heavy hemp rope and forced him to confess into a microphone, the massive double doors of the ballroom blew open.

At 7:30 AM, the executive boardroom on the 45th floor of the Vance Global Tower was filled with shouting.

Julian Vance, wearing a bespoke Italian suit that couldn't hide his red, sweaty face, was pacing furiously in front of a giant digital stock ticker. Next to him, his wife Victoria sat with an ice pack pressed against her shoulder, her dark purple dress from the night before replaced by a sharp ivory suit, though her makeup couldn't hide the dark circles under her eyes.

"He's crazy!" Victoria snapped, wincing as she shifted her position. "Did you see his eyes, Julian? He tossed Ryan through the banner like he was made of paper! He hit me! In front of the entire elite of this city!"

"Shut up about your shoulder, Victoria!" Julian roared, slamming his hands down on the glass conference table. "The police aren't arresting him! Do you understand what that means? I called Commissioner Hayes three times last night, and the man literally told me to 'lose his number'! Marcus has done something behind the scenes!"

Just then, the double doors of the boardroom swung open. Three senior board members walked in, their faces pale, holding their smartphones like active grenades.

"Julian, turn on the news," one of them said, his voice shaking. "Now."

Julian grabbed the remote and smashed the power button on the massive wall-mounted display.

The screen lit up with a breaking news banner: VANCE GLOBAL FINANCIAL FRAUD EXPOSED: CHILD ABUSE INVESTIGATION UNDERWAY.

On the screen stood Eleanor, surrounded by a wall of microphones and news cameras outside the Supreme Courthouse. Behind her, projected on a massive digital screen mounted on a broadcast truck, was a high-definition video frame from the night before: Victoria Vance shoving a bound, crying Leo toward a microphone.

"As of 6:00 AM this morning," Eleanor’s crisp voice echoed through the boardroom speakers, "a formal criminal complaint has been filed against Victoria and Julian Vance for aggravated child endangerment and unlawful restraint. Furthermore, we are releasing certified forensic accounting documents proving that over forty million dollars in family trust funds were illegally diverted by Julian Vance to cover personal margin debts."

"Turn it off! Turn it off!" Victoria shrieked, jumping up from her chair.

Julian stared at the screen, his mouth open, paralyzed.

Before anyone could move, the boardroom ticker began to turn bright red.

VANCE GLOBAL (VNC) - 12%... - 18%... - 25%...

"What is happening to the stock?!" a board member screamed, pointing at the wall. "Who is dumping?!"

"It's the Zurich accounts," Julian whispered, his skin turning ash-grey as the realization hit him like a freight train. "He's pulling the liquidity reserve... He's bankrupting us in broad daylight!"

At that exact moment, the heavy oak doors of the boardroom opened once again.

Marcus walked in.

He wasn't wearing a suit today. He wore a simple dark sweater and long coat, looking calm, rested, and utterly in control. Behind him walked two federal marshals in dark blue jackets with yellow lettering across their backs.