Chapter 3: The Benefactor’s Wrath

The arrival of Lionel Mack at the gates of the Locke residence was like a sudden, freezing gust of wind in the middle of a summer afternoon.

The air, previously thick with the arrogant taunts of the Lockes and Laureen Rogers, was now paralyzed by the sheer presence of the man who held the keys to Wisteria’s corporate kingdom. Davina stood frozen, her cheek still stinging from Laureen’s slap, her mind racing to adjust to this unexpected turn of events.

Behind her, the Locke family—Ron, Ellen, and Kevin—looked as if they had been struck by lightning. Their faces, which moments ago were twisted in masks of cruel superiority, were now pale and twitching with a mixture of terror and frantic hope. Laureen Rogers, usually so poised and condescending, found herself suddenly speechless, her hand still raised from the blow she had delivered to Davina.

From their vantage point a block away, the members of Team Quinton 2.0 were equally stunned. Dylan Jones gripped the steering wheel of his Rolls Royce, his eyes narrowed as he watched the scene through a pair of high-powered binoculars.

"Mr. Mack? Who is this guy?" Dylan asked, his voice low and dangerous.

"Only one way to find out," Chester Smith replied, already pulling out his phone. He snapped a high-resolution photo of Lionel and sent it instantly to the Phoenix Mafia’s intelligence hub back in Townsville. "Check the background of this guy. Fast."

The response was almost instantaneous. One minute later, Chester’s phone buzzed with a detailed report from his right-hand man, Noah Young.

"Ok, guys, listen up," Chester reported, his voice tinged with a new kind of intrigue. "According to Noah, this is Lionel Mack, the Chairman and CEO of the Mack Group here in Wisteria. Apparently, Davina has been working in his company as a janitor all these years."

Tiffany Cross looked puzzled. "Why then, would the chairman and CEO of such a prestigious organization come to the aid of a janitor, assuming he doesn't know her true identity? It doesn't make sense."

"Shhh... let's listen in," Terrence interjected, adjusting the directional microphone they had pointed toward the gate.

Back at the gate, the silence was finally broken by Kevin Locke, whose voice was now a high-pitched, sycophantic whine. "Mr. Mack! We... we did not expect your arrival! We apologize for the tardiness of this... this loser here. Please, welcome to the Locke household. We have the finest vintage waiting for you inside."

Laureen, recovering some of her arrogance, stepped forward, her eyes flashing with a desperate need to impress. "Are you blind, you loser?" she hissed at Davina, her voice loud enough for Lionel to hear. "Don't you see Mr. Mack standing there? Get lost while you still can! You’re polluting the ground he’s about to walk on!"

Lionel Mack’s expression was one of absolute, chilling unimpressedness. He didn't even look at the Lockes; his gaze was fixed on Davina, taking in the red mark on her cheek and the destroyed cake at her feet. When he finally spoke, his voice was like a gavel striking a stone.

"So, this is the way the ungrateful Locke family treats their benefactor and future partner? How pathetic. How truly, deeply pathetic."

Ron Locke’s face went from pale to a sickly shade of green. "Wait, Mr. Mack! There must be some misunderstanding! We treat our partners and benefactors with the utmost respect! We give our fullest cooperation to the Mack Group! We were just... just dealing with a minor personnel issue."

"Really?" Lionel’s voice rose, his anger finally breaking through his cold exterior. "Do you even know how you got an opportunity to work with me, you bunch of ungrateful creeps? Do you have any idea why I even looked at the Locke Group’s proposal?"

He pointed a long, steady finger toward Davina. "You see this wonderful young woman here? She is the reason you even had a chance to upgrade to the upper echelon of Wisteria. You owe your entire future to her! Just like how I owe the survival of my entire group to her!"

The shock that rippled through the Locke family was palpable. Davina herself was stunned. She knew she had saved the Mack Group, but she hadn't expected Lionel to credit her so publicly, and certainly not in front of the people who had just cast her out.

In the Rolls Royce, the reactions were just as intense. "What does Lionel mean by that?" Dylan asked, his brow furrowed. "Did Davina buy his company while we weren't looking?"

"I highly doubt it," Chester replied, scrolling through the updated report from Noah. "Wait... here’s why. Just a few hours ago, the Mack Group was about to go bust. Someone launched a massive short-selling attack. Davina... she helped him out. In a matter of minutes, she not only bailed out the Mack Group but doubled its profits."

Olivia Reed pieced the puzzle together with the cold logic of her father. "So, by helping the Mack Group, Lionel must have promised Davina a favor. And she, in her infinite kindness, used that favor to recommend a partnership with the Locke Group."

Tiffany added, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "And as soon as the Lockes got the news, they threw her out like trash. They had no idea she was the one behind their success. The irony is almost too much to bear."

Back at the gate, Lionel was still dismantling the Lockes. "Evidently, I have been gravely mistaken about this fraud of a family. You have thrown away the only opportunity you will ever have to make it to my level."

He turned to Davina, his demeanor softening instantly. "Ms. Davina, since this family wants to take you for granted, I think it is only right that I terminate my proposed partnership with the Locke family immediately. There will be no contract, no funding, and no association with the Mack Group."

The Lockes looked as if the ground had opened up beneath them. Kevin’s mouth hung open, his dreams of being a Wisteria elite vanishing like smoke. Laureen Rogers looked like she was about to faint.

"Perhaps you have other companies in mind, Ms. Davina?" Lionel asked, his voice filled with a genuine, hopeful respect. "I will be more than willing to explore any other recommendations you might have."

Davina took a moment to consider. She could feel the weight of the moment, the shift in power that was as dramatic as any she had seen in her father’s world. She noticed Team Quinton’s Rolls Royces in the distance and realized she needed to leave this scene before her true identity was revealed to the wrong people.

"Mr. Mack, I do have a company in mind," Davina said, her voice regaining its calm authority. "However, I can see you do not wish the Locke family to be privy to our discussions. How about we discuss this in your limo?"

Lionel was more than happy to oblige. "I agree, Ms. Davina. Jerome, please help take Ms. Davina’s luggage to our car."

Jerome, Lionel’s stoic driver, stepped forward and bowed to Davina before picking up her suitcase. Lionel himself escorted Davina to the back seat of his limousine, treating her with the kind of deference usually reserved for heads of state.

"Mr. Mack, wait!" Laureen shrieked, her voice cracking with desperation. "What about our partnership?! You can't just terminate it on the word of this... this skank!"

"That's right, Mr. Mack!" Kevin added, his voice trembling. "It was Laureen who secured the deal with your group! Not this trash!"

That was the final straw for Lionel. He stopped, turned back toward Laureen and Kevin, and walked toward them with a purposeful stride. Before either of them could react, he delivered a sharp, ringing slap across each of their faces.

"You had better watch your filthy mouths when you address her," Lionel growled, his voice low and terrifying. "You will call her Ms. Davina. As far as I can tell, YOU are the real skank trash here. The Locke family can stay in mediocrity for all I care. You are finished in this city."

Without another word, he turned, stepped into the limo, and the sleek black vehicle glided away from the Locke residence, leaving the family standing in the wreckage of their ambition.

Inside the limo, the atmosphere was thick with an awkward tension. Lionel found himself sitting next to the woman who had saved his life’s work, yet she was still wearing the uniform of a janitor. He felt a strange mixture of profound respect and a growing, nagging curiosity.

Davina, for her part, was feeling equally strange. She had spent three years being invisible, and now she was being championed by the most powerful man in Wisteria.

"Mr. Mack," Davina said, breaking the silence. "May I ask... what were you doing at the Locke residence just now? It seems a bit out of your way."

"Ahem, well," Lionel said, clearing his throat. "I personally wanted to visit them after you recommended the partnership. To be fair, I half-expected you to be there as well, given your relationship with Kevin. I wanted to see the people you cared about. Little did I know things would dissolve into such a mess."

"Yeah, me too, Mr. Mack," Davina said, her voice tinged with a lingering sadness. "I thought I knew them. I guess three years wasn't enough to see their true colors."

"Well, since the partnership with the Locke family is over," Lionel said, leaning forward. "Do you have another recommendation? I truly value your insight, Ms. Davina."

This was the opening Davina had been waiting for. She looked at Lionel, her grey eyes sharp and focused. "Actually, Mr. Mack... have you thought of a partnership beyond Wisteria’s borders?"

Lionel looked surprised. "Actually, I have been wanting to expand overseas for some time now. Do you know of any reputable companies?"

"Yes," Davina said, a small, knowing smile on her lips. "The Quinton Consortium in Townsville. If I recall correctly, there is a major investment convention happening there in a couple of weeks. Perhaps you could travel to Townsville and be a part of it?"

Lionel’s eyes lit up. "The Quinton Consortium? They are legendary. Yes, I would love to join. If it’s not too much trouble, could you make the necessary arrangements and liaise with my assistant, Carrie?"

"It would be my pleasure, Mr. Mack," Davina replied.

Just then, Davina’s phone buzzed. It was a message from Dylan. 'We are right behind you. If you want, you can ask Mr. Mack to pull over and we can pick you up.'

"Mr. Mack, my house is actually just ahead," Davina said, pointing toward a nearby bus stop. "You can drop me there. I can take the bus the rest of the way."

Lionel obliged, and Jerome pulled the limo to the curb. As Jerome helped with her luggage, Lionel looked at Davina one last time. "Ms. Davina... take the rest of the week off. After what happened today, you deserve some peace. I’ll see you soon."

"Thank you, Mr. Mack," Davina said, shaking his hand. She watched as the limo drove away, then turned to see Dylan’s Rolls Royce pulling up beside her.

As she stepped into the luxurious interior of the car, surrounded by her true family, Davina felt the last of her "janitor" life falling away.

"Dylan," Davina said, her voice now the cold, clear command of a Quinton heir. "Send word to my parents. I’m coming home. And tell them to prepare... because we have a convention to plan, and a family in Wisteria to destroy."