Accessing The Vault

Lex's footsteps echoed against the polished floors as he stepped into Elias Mars' office.

At the reception desk, Kat barely glanced up. "You again?" she mused. "Didn't you just see him yesterday?"

Lex smirked. "Plans change."

She snorted, pressing the intercom. "Lex is here."

The heavy oak doors swung open.

Inside, Elias looked up from a thick legal folder. "Twice in one month. I'm either doing something very right or terribly wrong."

Lex dropped into the chair across from him. "That depends."

Elias leaned back, fingers steepling. "Alright, Lex. What's on your mind?"

Lex's eyes flicked to the framed photo on the bookshelf—his father and Elias, caught mid-laugh at a charity event.

A rare moment of warmth.

Something tightened faintly in his chest.

"I want to start something," Lex said. "A new firm. Under my name."

Elias arched a brow but didn't look surprised. "Go on."

"Not a hedge fund. Not yet. Just something small. Early investments—startups, tech, entertainment, streaming. I'll pull from my trust. Hundred grand here, two hundred there. Small moves, nothing flashy."

Elias's gaze sharpened. "And you want this done openly?"

"Yes. My name on the paperwork—Lex Latham. No shell companies, no backdoors."

Elias let out a slow breath. "You're not doing this just for the returns."

Lex met his gaze. "No. It's about visibility. If I operate in the open, Barnie won't suspect I'm moving under him. He'll think I'm playing safe."

Elias studied him carefully. "And if Barnie decides to take an interest?"

Lex smirked. "He won't. I'm not touching real estate or finance—not yet. I'm investing in things he ignores. Streaming, indie films, a few apps, maybe some music rights."

Elias's lips twitched. "Small toys, then."

Lex nodded. "Exactly."

Elias exhaled and adjusted his glasses. "You know, Maddox Senior never did things like this. He built empires."

"I know. But my father did."

For a moment, Elias's expression softened.

Roger Latham had invested in people. His choices weren't just financial—they were personal. Lex remembered late nights, listening to his father talk about artists, inventors, dreamers who just needed one shot.

"I'm not trying to be a Maddox, yet." Lex's voice was quiet. "I'm doing this for Latham. For Dad."

Elias studied him, then nodded. "Alright. Let's talk about how you're funding this."

He opened a folder and pulled out several documents.

"Your money is locked up, Lex. And I mean locked." He tapped the first sheet. "You have four trusts. Each one comes with its own set of rules."

Lex leaned forward. "Walk me through them."

Elias sighed, adjusting his glasses as he flipped through the thick folder. "Alright, let's start with what you already know—your great-grandmother's trust."

"Your great-grandmother left you an estate worth forty million," Elias began. "Mostly fine art, jewelry, and antique collections. She was a Maddox through and through—saw wealth as something you curated, not just spent."

Lex nodded. "And my access?"

"You get half at eighteen. The other half when you get married." Elias smirked faintly. "She had very… traditional views on stability."

Lex groaned. "I still can't believe marriage is a financial condition in my life."

Elias chuckled. "You and me both. But there's a loophole—you can borrow against the trust. If you need capital, the assets can be leveraged as collateral."

Lex drummed his fingers on the desk. "Noted."

Elias flipped to the next page.

"This is your father's trust—twenty million in stocks, bonds, and company shares."

Lex's gaze sharpened. "This one hasn't been touched yet, right?"

Elias nodded. "Correct. You've been living off the dividends—roughly nine hundred thousand a year. But the principal remains intact."

Lex sat back. "And I can pull from this."

"To an extent," Elias clarified. "At eighteen, you get access to five million—twenty-five percent of the trust. But full control? That doesn't happen until twenty-five. Unless…"

Lex arched a brow. "Unless?"

"You complete university. Your father wanted you to have options, but also structure. If you graduate, you get full access early."

Lex exhaled slowly. "Five million is enough to start moving."

Elias nodded, flipping to the next section.

"Your grandfather, William Latham, built his wealth in real estate. His trust holds sixty million—half in commercial properties that he built himself, the rest in diversified investments."

Lex tilted his head. "What's my access?"

Elias tapped the paper. "Nothing until thirty. Unless your trustees—me and your mother—agree to an early release. But there is a special clause."

"Go on."

"Twenty percent emergency liquidity. Roughly nine million. I control that, and it's only for significant life events."

Lex smirked. "And what exactly qualifies as 'significant'?"

Elias gave him a flat look. "Not funding a tech startup, if that's what you're thinking."

Lex chuckled. "Figured. But good to know."

Elias moved to the last trust, his expression turning more serious.

"Now, this is where things get complicated."

Lex's jaw tightened. "The Maddox Trust."

Elias nodded. "Your great-grandfather, Burnard Maddox, set this up. Complicated. Worth about Six hundred and fifty million. And it's almost entirely tied to Maddox Holdings stocks."

Lex crossed his arms. "And my access?"

Elias's gaze didn't waver. "Not until you're thirty-five. Or if you join the Maddox board."

Lex let out a humorless chuckle. "And Barnie controls the board."

"For now."

Lex drummed his fingers against the desk. "There's no way to access it early?"

Elias hesitated. "There is one clause. If Barnie retires or dies, the trust transfer to you immediately."

Lex smirked. "Good to know."

Elias shot him a warning look. "Don't get any ideas."

Lex waved a hand dismissively. "Relax. I'm playing the long game."

Elias studied him carefully. "So, to summarize—you have money, but not unrestricted control. You'll have to be strategic."

Lex smirked. "That's the fun part."

Elias sighed, closing the folder. "I assume this new venture of yours will start with your father's Trust allowance?"

Lex nodded. "I'll take what I can get. For now."

Elias opened a drawer, pulling out a legal pad. "What do you want to call it?"

Lex hesitated for a moment.

"Latham Ventures."

Elias wrote it down. "Simple. Good. You'll have two million in working capital."

Lex shifted in his seat. "One more thing."

Elias looked up. "Go on."

"I want to sell the penthouse."

Elias froze, the pen hovering mid-air.

"The penthouse? Your father's?"

Lex nodded, though something heavy settled in his chest. "Mom and I are staying in the brownstone. It's too much space, and… it feels like it belongs in the past."

Elias carefully set his pen down. "Lex, that penthouse is worth more than its market value. It's part of your father's legacy."

Lex exhaled. "I know. But holding onto it feels like a ghost house."

Elias studied him, his sharp gaze softening. "You don't have to rush this."

Lex leaned back. "No rushing. But I need to start somewhere. Letting go of that place feels right."

Elias nodded slowly. "I'll handle the sale. Quietly. I assume you'll be keeping all the art and personal items?"

"Yeah."

Lex stood, glancing around the office. The framed photos, the dark wood, the traces of his father's presence still lingering.

He knew he could never go back to the penthouse.

Not when he was pushing forward.

"Lex," Elias said softly before he could exit.

Lex turned.

Elias met his gaze. "Your father would be proud."

Lex stilled.

"Not because of the firm," Elias continued. "But because you're thinking ahead. He always said you had the sharpest instincts in the family."

A faint smile tugged at Lex's lips.

"I'll make sure that counts for something."

As Lex left the office, his father's memory followed him.

But this time?

It didn't feel like a burden.

It felt like momentum.