Chapter 4 - The Notice
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Nathan froze. He kept his grip tight on Claire’s wrist, but his eyes flicked toward the table where his personal phone was glowing with a high-priority notification.
He dragged Claire toward the table, forcing her to stumble beside him.
With his free hand, he picked up the phone and unlocked the screen.
I watched his face through the door glass.
He read the automated subject line once.
Then he read it again.
All the color drained from his face, leaving his skin a sallow, sickly gray. The notification was an official, encrypted letter from Grant Meridian Legal, signed by Dana Ruiz, detailing his immediate termination for severe ethical breaches and breach of conduct.
“What did you do?” Nathan suddenly screamed, throwing his head back and shouting directly into Claire’s face.
Claire shrank back, weeping. “I didn't do anything! I don't know what you’re talking about!”
“You talked to someone!” he bellowed, tightening his grip on her wrist until her fingers turned white. “You went behind my back!”
Lorraine stood up from the table, her face twisted in confusion. “Nathan, what is it? What does it say?”
“I’m fired!” Nathan raged, shaking Claire violently. “They locked my accounts! They wiped my access!”
Marcus looked down at me. “Mrs. Grant?”
I gave him a single, firm nod. “Breach the door.”
Marcus didn't hesitate. He took one step back, lifted his combat boot, and drove his shoulder directly into the heavy oak lock frame.
The wood shattered with a noise like thunder.
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The door burst inward, striking the entryway wall so hard that the framed wedding photographs lining the hall shuddered and tilted on their hooks.
Nathan spun around, dropping Claire’s arm in sheer shock as Marcus and Simone swept into the foyer.
