Chapter 12 - The Lobby Incident
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Julian arrived precisely at eleven o’clock the next morning. I was watching the live security feed from my desktop monitor when he pushed through the revolving glass doors of the Vance Foundation headquarters.
Ten years of hard living had not been kind to him. He was wearing a faded, oversized jacket, and his hair was unkempt and thinning. He moved with a nervous, jittery energy, his eyes darting aggressively around the pristine, marble-floored lobby. He marched directly up to the front security desk, slamming his hand down on the polished stone surface.
"I'm here to see Arthur Vance," Julian demanded, his voice loud enough to echo through the atrium and startle a passing group of executives.
The security officer, perfectly trained for this exact scenario, remained completely calm.
"Do you have an appointment, sir?" the officer asked politely.
"I'm his brother!" Julian shouted, his face turning an angry shade of red. "I don't need an appointment to see my own flesh and blood. Tell him Julian is downstairs right now. Tell him he owes me a conversation after hiding from his family for a decade!"
I watched the screen as two additional security guards subtly flanked Julian, creating a physical barrier between him and the employee elevators. Julian noticed them and immediately became defensive, puffing out his chest and pointing a finger at the guards.
"Don't touch me! You don't know who you're dealing with!" Julian sneered. "My brother owns this entire building. If you lay a hand on me, he'll fire every single one of you!"
I picked up the secure phone on my desk and pressed the button for the lobby desk.
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"Hold him there," I instructed the head guard softly. "I am coming down."
I straightened my tie, buttoned my tailored suit jacket, and walked out of my office. It was time to put the final nail in the coffin of my past.
