Chapter 23 - The Glass Wall
The federal penitentiary was a bleak, miserable fortress of concrete and razor wire.
Ethan sat in the sterile visitation room, separated from the inmate holding area by a thick pane of scratched, bulletproof glass.
The heavy steel door clicked open, and Derek was escorted into the room by a guard. Derek wore a faded orange jumpsuit. He had lost weight, his face pale and hollow, entirely stripped of the arrogant, wealthy sneer he used to wear.
Derek picked up the plastic telephone receiver on his side of the glass. Ethan picked up his.
"To what do I owe the pleasure, Ethan?"
Derek rasped, his voice rough and bitter.
"Vanguard Zenith,"
Ethan stated flatly, not wasting a single second on pleasantries.
Derek’s eyes widened slightly, a pathetic, genuine flicker of surprise crossing his face before he masked it with a smirk.
"I don't know what you are talking about,"
Derek lied smoothly.
"You always were a terrible liar, Derek,"
May you like
Ethan replied coldly.
"I know your old lawyer is funneling your hidden assets to buy shares in my company. I am giving you one chance to call him off before I hand the paper trail to the federal prosecutor and add another ten years to your sentence."
