The Vault Guard

Lex enter to the reception area to his Lawyer's office. It was manned by the same woman he vaguely remembered as Kat. She was typing away without so much as glancing up, her glasses sliding down her nose. 

"Morning, Mr. Latham." Her voice was polite, but flat. She hadn't even looked at him. 

Lex smiled faintly.  I was just another rich kid to her. 

He stepped past, heading down the corridor that led to the corner offices. 

The heavy oak door to Elias Mars office stood ajar, as it always did. Lex paused just outside, hearing the steady scratching of pen on paper. 

"Don't linger in doorways, Lex. It makes you look weak." 

Lex smirked and stepped in. 

Elias sat at his desk, reading over documents under the glow of a brass lamp. His silver glasses perched at the end of his nose as he signed something with meticulous precision.

"You're a bit early." 

Lex sat and shrugged. "I like to be unpredictable." 

Elias set his pen down carefully, folding his hands over the document in front of him. There was something reassuring about the way he did things—measured, deliberate, never rushed. 

Lex had once found it boring. Now, he saw the strength in it. 

"I see," Elias said slowly, watching Lex like he was searching for something beneath the surface. "You don't usually arrive early for anything, Lex." 

"Maybe I'm turning over a new leaf." 

Elias didn't smile. "That doesn't sound like you." 

Lex leaned back in the chair, arms draping over the armrests as he crossed one leg over the other. The silence stretched just long enough to feel noticeable. 

"You don't trust me," Lex said finally.

Elias's gaze didn't waver. "No, I don't." 

Lex's faint smirk faded. "I don't blame you. But you've know me since I was seven and have been looking after me for five years. Doesn't that count for something?"

Elias's gaze softened, but only slightly. "It counts. You … reckless tendencies, Lex. Bad patterns. It won't work. Not with the Maddox Legacy."

"I'm not playing," Lex said evenly, the weight in his voice enough to make Elias pause.

Elias exhaled through his nose, leaning back in his chair with a quiet creak. 

"You're not supposed to inherit the bulk of your trust funds until you're 25," Elias said, gesturing vaguely to a locked filing cabinet by the window. "Unless you've come to tell me you've joined the board overnight, I assume you want something." 

Lex's eyes flicked to the cabinet, knowing full well what was inside. Decades of wealth, land deeds, stocks—just waiting for the right hand to unlock them.

"I'm not here for anything yet," Lex said smoothly. "Just visiting." 

Elias's eyes narrowed slightly.

Lex didn't answer. 

The lawyer let out a slow breath, tapping his finger against the armrest. His eyes lingered on Lex's face as if trying to read between the lines. 

"Barnie will expect you to fall in line, Lex. He won't be as patient as before." 

Lex's smile didn't reach his eyes. 

"I know." 

For a moment, the room was quiet save for the faint hum of the building's air conditioning as Elias studied him. Finally, the old lawyer shifted, pulling open a drawer and retrieving a thick envelope. He slid it across the desk toward Lex. 

"Your father left this for you. I was instructed to hand it over once you turned Twenty." 

Lex's fingers curled around the edge of the envelope, but he didn't open it. It was an item he never received in his last life.

"Why now?" 

Elias adjusted his glasses. "Because something tells me you'll need it sooner." 

Lex's thumb traced the seal, the weight of the envelope pressing into his palm. 

His father's handwriting —sharp, precise, just like him. 

"Thanks," Lex said, pocketing the envelope. 

Elias nodded slowly, return to his paperwork but not before adding a line. 

"You'll make enemies in this office, Lex. Be careful about trusting the wrong people." 

Lex rose, straightening his jacket. "I'll keep that in mind." 

As he stepped toward the door, Elias's voice stopped him one last time. 

"And Lex," Elias added quietly, eyes still fixed on the papers before him, "don't underestimate Barnie." 

Lex's grip tightened on the door handle, but instead of leaving, he turned back, his gaze sharp. "You keep saying that. What exactly shouldn't I underestimate?"

Elias leaned back in his chair, his hands steepled under his chin. His expression was calm, measured—always measured. "Barnie isn't just a CEO. He's a strategist. Every move he makes is about consolidation: power, influence, loyalty. He doesn't play the game, Lex—he rewrites it to suits him."

Lex's jaw tightened. "I'm aware."

"Are you?" Elias arched a brow, leaning forward slightly. "You've spent the last few years watching Barnie from the outside. Do you know how many people he's stepped over to reach where he is? How many careers he's buried just to keep his hands clean?"

Lex didn't reply, his silence an acknowledgment.

"Let me guess," Elias continued, his tone faintly mocking but not unkind. "You think you'll march in here, flash some charm, pull a few clever tricks, and take the company back? That you'll be the rightful Latham heir riding in to save the legacy your father left behind?"

Lex smirked faintly, his arms crossing. "Something like that."

Elias sighed, shaking his head. "Lex, the Maddox legacy is built on bloodlines, but Barnie doesn't believe in family loyalty. He believes in leverage. Your name only matters as long as it serves his interests. And right now? It doesn't."

Lex tilted his head, watching Elias with careful curiosity. "And yet here you are, looking after me for five years. Why not cut ties and go all in with Barnie?"

Elias allowed a small smile to flicker across his face. "Because I knew your father, Lex. He wasn't perfect, but he built something real—something Barnie spent the last decade warping into his own."

Lex's smirk faded into something more serious. "And you want me to stop him?"

Elias adjusted his glasses, the glint in his eye sharp. "Not yet. But you've got potential."

The silence hung between them for a moment before Elias continued, his tone growing more pointed. "Tell me, Lex. Do you know what the land deal in Greenpoint is really about?"

Lex's brow furrowed slightly. "The development project? Some logistics hub Barnie's been pushing for years."

Elias chuckled softly, shaking his head. "It's not a logistics hub. It's a shell—a holding to hide a far more lucrative acquisition. That land sits on top of zoning rights for a waterfront casino. Barnie's been tying up local officials in contracts and favors for five years to keep it under wraps."

Lex's eyes narrowed. "And you know this how?"

"I'm your family's lawyer, Lex," Elias replied smoothly. "It's my job to know. The question is: why don't you?"

Lex didn't flinch, but the jab landed. "Because you don't exactly share this stuff freely."

Elias gave him a faint smile, leaning back again. "Consider it a lesson. If you're going to beat Barnie, you need to know more than he does. Otherwise, you're just another piece on his board—and not a particularly valuable one."

Lex inhaled deeply, nodding once. "Alright, then. Teach me."

Elias arched a brow. "It's not that simple. You want to play in Barnie's world? Then prove you can handle the rules. Start with Greenpoint. If you can figure out how he's hiding those zoning rights, you'll have your first real weapon against him."

Lex's lips curled into a faint smirk. "Challenge accepted."

Elias's expression remained impassive, but there was a flicker of approval in his eyes. "Just don't mistake confidence for invincibility. Barnie's been at this far longer than you've been alive."

Lex stepped toward the door again, pausing as he glanced back. "And yet, you've been looking out for me since I was twelve. Guess you see something worth betting on."

Elias didn't answer immediately. Finally, he gave a faint nod. "Your father did. Let's see if he was right."

Lex left the room, the weight of the envelope in his pocket heavier than it had been before. Barnie's game was layered, complex—but it was a game Lex was determined to win.