Chapter 7 - The Descent
In Manhattan, the empire was falling apart at the seams.
Daniel Harrison hadn't slept in seventy-two hours. The executive suite on the top floor of Harrison Freight Systems looked like a war zone—empty coffee cups stacked in pyramids, legal pads covered in frantic, looping handwriting, and financial reports scattered across the Persian rug.
"Daniel, you look like hell," Margaret said, pushing open the heavy glass doors of his office without knocking. She walked in, setting a fresh container of black coffee on his desk.
Daniel didn't look up from his computer screen. He was staring at flight manifests, credit card transaction logs, and private aviation records, trying to find a single digital breadcrumb that would tell him where Amy had gone.
"I've checked every commercial airline operating out of the tri-state area," Daniel said, his voice raw and cracked from lack of sleep. "I've had investigators looking into rental car agencies, train stations, even private charter services. She didn't use her personal credit cards after she left JFK."
"Because she knew you'd look there," Margaret said quietly, pulling up a leather chair and sitting down across from him. "Amy isn't stupid, Daniel. For seven years, you treated her like an accessory to your success. When a woman realizes she's invisible in her own home, she doesn't just pack a bag—she disappears completely."
Daniel slammed his fist down on the mahogany desk, making the coffee cup rattle. "I didn't mean for her to disappear! I was building this company for us! For our family!"
"Whose family, Daniel?" Margaret countered, her voice sharp and uncompromising. "You spent four months flying across the globe while your wife was carrying your first child—a child you didn't even know existed because you were too busy answering texts from Vanessa Cole!"
The mention of Vanessa’s name made Daniel flinch. He had fired her forty-eight hours ago, walking into her office, stripping her of her title, and having security escort her out of the building before she could even blink. The corporate fallout was massive, but Daniel didn't give a damn. The hollow satisfaction of firing Vanessa didn't bring Amy back; it only highlighted how hollow his entire life had become.
"I never touched her, Mother," Daniel said, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper. "It was... it was stupid ego. I liked the attention because I wasn't getting any at home. But it meant nothing. Absolutely nothing."
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"It meant everything to Amy," Margaret said softly, her expression softening just a fraction as she looked at her son—broken, exhausted, and utterly undone. "You can buy a fleet of trucks, Daniel. You can acquire every shipping lane from London to Tokyo. But you cannot buy back a wife and a child once you've taught them they can survive just fine without you."
Daniel put his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking as the crushing weight of his own arrogance finally broke him down.
