The Ghost of Vanguard

"Stop the signing."

The voice was like a ghost from a grave. Jason dropped the pen. He turned toward the door. His heart hammered against his ribs. The man standing there was tall. He had grey hair at his temples. He wore a suit that cost more than a house. He had the same eyes as Jason. He had the same jawline. It was Robert Vanguard.

"Father." Jason whispered.

The room went silent. The accountants stopped typing. Even Sarah looked surprised. Her eyes widened for a split second before she masked it with ice. She stood up slowly.

"Robert Vanguard." Sarah said. Her voice was sharp. "You were supposed to be dead. The plane crash in the Alps ten years ago had no survivors."

"I am a hard man to kill. Ms. Miller." Robert walked into the room. He didn't look at the accountants. He didn't look at the boxes. He walked straight to Jason. He placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "You look weak. Jason. You were about to give away our bloodline because a girl scared you."

"She is a Miller. Father." Jason said. His voice was shaking. "She owns our debt. She is Arthur Miller's daughter."

Robert let out a cold laugh. He looked at Sarah. He didn't look afraid. He looked like he was greeting an old enemy. "I know who she is. I knew her father before she was born. Arthur was always a thief. He sent his daughter to finish what he started. It is a classic move."

Sarah leaned against the desk. She crossed her arms. "Your son failed. Robert. He ran this company into the ground. He traded his loyalty for a woman like Elena Vance. I didn't have to do much. I just waited for him to trip over his own ego."

"He is young." Robert said. He turned back to the desk. He picked up the resignation letter. He tore it into pieces. He let the paper fall like snow. "The debt you bought is invalid. The land lease you think you own was signed under a trust. I am the head of that trust. Not Jason. You cannot seize a building that belongs to a dead man who is very much alive."

Sarah didn't flinch. She picked up her phone. She tapped a few buttons. "My legal team is already on it. Robert. If you are alive. then you are guilty of insurance fraud. You took a billion dollar payout ten years ago. If I call the authorities. you won't be sitting in this office. You will be sitting in a cell."

"Call them." Robert challenged. He sat in the guest chair. He acted like he owned the building. "I spent ten years building a new empire in the shadows. I have already paid back the insurance. with interest. I am clean. But your father is not. Do you want to talk about how the Millers got their start in the shipping business. Do you want to talk about the blood on his hands."

"My father is a businessman." Sarah said.

"He is a butcher." Robert snapped. "And he sent his lamb to do his dirty work. Go home. Sarah. Tell Arthur that Robert Vanguard is back. Tell him the war is not over. It is just beginning."

Sarah looked at Jason. She didn't look at the father. She looked at the man she had been married to. Jason was standing behind Robert. He looked like a child hiding behind a shield. He looked small.

"You think this saves you. Jason." Sarah asked.

Jason didn't speak. He looked at the floor. He felt a mix of shame and relief. He was happy his father was alive. But he knew he had lost his power. He was no longer the CEO. He was just a son again.

"Get out of my office. Sarah." Robert said.

Sarah grabbed her purse. She looked at the accountants. "Pack it up. We are leaving. For now."

She walked toward the door. She stopped next to Jason. She leaned in close to his ear. "Your father didn't come back to save you. Jason. He came back to save his money. You are still a nobody to him. Just like you were a nobody to me."

She walked out. The heels of her shoes clicked on the marble. The sound faded as she reached the elevator.

Jason looked at his father. "Where were you. Why did you wait ten years."

Robert stood up. He walked to the window. He looked out at the city. "I had to build a shield. Jason. The Millers were too strong back then. I had to let them think they won. I watched you from a distance. I saw you marry that girl. I knew it was a trap. but I wanted to see if you would figure it out."

"You let me suffer." Jason said.

"I let you learn." Robert turned around. His eyes were hard. "But you didn't learn. You let a woman take your crown. You let her sign papers under your nose. You are a disgrace to the Vanguard name. But I will fix it. I will take back what she stole. And then I will destroy the Millers once and for all."

"She is powerful. Father. She isn't just a girl."

"She is a Miller." Robert said. "And Millers have one weakness. They care about their legacy. They care about their blood. We are going to find Arthur's secret. Every man has one. We will find it. and we will use it to break her."

The door opened again. Elena ran in. She looked around. She saw the mess. She saw Robert.

"Jason! What is happening." Elena cried. She saw Robert and stopped. "Who is this."

"My father." Jason said.

Elena’s eyes went wide. She immediately changed her tone. She smoothed her hair. She put on her sweetest smile. "Oh! Mr. Vanguard! It is such an honor. I am Elena. Jason’s fiancée."

Robert looked at her. He looked at her necklace. He looked at her fake smile. He let out a snort of disgust.

"This is the woman you chose over a Miller heiress." Robert asked Jason. "You traded a diamond for a piece of glass. You are even stupider than I thought."

Elena flinched. "I love Jason! I have stayed by his side through everything."

"You stayed by his side through his bank account." Robert said. He looked at his watch. "Get her out of here. Jason. I have work to do. And take that fake necklace with you. It is embarrassing."

Elena looked like she was going to cry. She looked at Jason for help. Jason didn't look at her. He was staring at the pieces of the resignation letter on the floor. He realized his father was right about one thing. He had been a fool. But he was also starting to realize something else. He missed Sarah. He missed the quiet way she handled things. He missed the way she actually cared about his health. His father didn't care if he was tired. His father didn't care if he was stressed. His father only cared about the war.

"Go home. Elena." Jason said.

"But Jason!"

"Go!" Jason shouted.

Elena ran out. crying.

Jason looked at Robert. "What is the plan."

"We are going to hit the Miller Group where it hurts." Robert said. He sat at the desk. He took Jason's chair. "They are launching a new medical wing. They have been buying up patents for years. Sarah thinks she has the market cornered. But I have the original research. I have the data they missed. We are going to launch our own wing. We will undercut their prices. We will steal their investors. We will make Sarah Miller look like an amateur."

"We need capital." Jason said.

"I have the capital." Robert opened a laptop. He typed in a code. "Ten billion dollars. Hidden in a Swiss trust for a decade. It is time to spend it."

Jason looked at the screen. He saw the numbers. He felt a surge of power. He felt like a king again. He imagined Sarah’s face when he beat her in the boardroom. He imagined her begging him for a deal.

But deep down. a small part of him felt a chill. He remembered Sarah’s eyes. She didn't look like a girl who could be easily beaten. She looked like a woman who was just getting started.

Sarah sat in the back of her limousine. She was staring at her phone. She was watching the stock market. Vanguard International was stabilizing. The news of Robert Vanguard's return was already hitting the wires. The market loved a miracle.

"He's alive." Sarah whispered to herself.

She wasn't scared. She was annoyed. She had planned for everything. She had planned for Jason's ego. She had planned for Elena's greed. She had even planned for Arthur’s temper. But she hadn't planned for a dead man to walk into the room.

Her phone rang. It was her father.

"Did you see the news." Arthur Miller sounded furious.

"He was in the office. Father. He tore up the resignation."

"That bastard." Arthur growled. "He was supposed to be at the bottom of the Alps. He cheated me. He cheated everyone."

"He has money. Father. He has a lot of it."

"It doesn't matter." Arthur said. "He is one man. We are an empire. Sarah. I want you to go to the gala tonight. I want you to announce the medical wing. Do not let them see you blink. We will crush them in the light of day."

"I know what to do." Sarah said.

"And Sarah."

"Yes."

"Do not let your feelings for the boy get in the way. Jason is his father’s son. He will betray you again if he gets the chance."

"I have no feelings for Jason." Sarah said. "He is just a target now."

She hung up. She looked out the window. She saw a billboard for Vanguard International. It featured Jason’s face. He looked proud. He looked arrogant.

Sarah felt a sharp pain in her heart. She remembered the nights she had sat by his bed when he was sick. She remembered the way she had protected him from her father's shadow. She had loved him. She really had.

But that girl was gone. That girl died when he tossed the divorce papers onto a cold plate of lobster.

"Drive faster." Sarah said to the driver. "I have a gala to prepare for. And call Julian Thorne. Tell him I accept his invitation to be his date tonight."

The driver nodded. "Yes. CEO Miller."

Sarah closed her eyes. She imagined the gala. She imagined the look on Jason's face when she walked in with his biggest rival. She wasn't just going to win the war. She was going to enjoy every second of his destruction.