Chapter 4 - The Midnight Knock
Leo’s mother, Elena, was exhausted. Working double shifts at the diner barely kept the lights on, let alone paid for the advanced engineering camps Leo desperately wanted to attend. She knew her son was special—he had been taking apart toasters and rebuilding car engines since he was five—but she lived in constant fear of his obsession with his late grandfather’s tools.
At 11:45 PM, a sharp, authoritative knock rattled their apartment door.
Elena opened it to find Richard Sterling standing in the dim hallway, flanked by two men in immaculate dark suits. He flashed a predatory, million-dollar smile.
"Mrs. Vance," Sterling said smoothly, stepping into the apartment uninvited. "You have a very talented son. And a very difficult financial situation. I’m here to solve both."
Sterling placed a sleek leather briefcase on the kitchen table and snapped it open. Inside were stacks of hundred-dollar bills. "Two hundred thousand dollars. Right now. In exchange, Leo comes to work for Apex Dynamics’ special projects division, and he signs over all intellectual property rights to whatever is inside his grandfather's toolbox."
Elena’s eyes widened at the money, but her maternal instincts screamed. "He's twelve years old," she said, stepping between Sterling and Leo's bedroom door. "He's not signing anything."
"I'm afraid you don't understand the gravity of the situation," Sterling’s smile vanished, replaced by a cold menace. "Your father-in-law stole proprietary knowledge when we fired him. If you don't take this deal, my lawyers will crush you. We will take the boy’s tools, we will take this apartment, and we will make sure he never touches an engine again."
Just as Sterling reached out to shove a contract toward Elena, a heavy voice boomed from the doorway.
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"You're not taking anything, Sterling."
It was Marcus, the Chief Engineer from the tarmac. He was breathing heavily, having tracked Leo down through the airport’s security footage. Marcus stepped into the room, glaring at the billionaire CEO. "Arthur Vance didn't steal anything. And I think it's time this family knew the truth about what really happened twelve years ago."
