Chapter 54: Investments

Director Vance stopped mid-sentence, his head snapping toward the open loading dock.

Beside him, Harper and Julian Vance, the Director’s hotshot nephew and Apex Media’s newly appointed lead architectural engineer turned to watch the spectacle unfold.

Ablacked-out Koenigsegg Jesko hypercar cut through the construction zone.

Jude Lawson stepped out of the driver’s seat, adjusting the cuffs of his suit.

"Mr. Lawson," Julian greeted. "I was under the impression your private jet to Tokyo was scheduled for wheels-up at noon."

Jude walked up the loading ramp. "My Tokyo associates can wait an extra hour, Julian. I found myself with a brief window of free time, so I decided to personally inspect my newest industrial acquisition."

Julian couldn’t help but scoff under his breath. "The private airstrip is literally forty miles in the opposite direction, sir. You didn’t come to check on the soundstages. You just wanted to ensure no one else was monopolizing President Harper’s schedule."

Jude didn’t bother denying the accusation. Instead, he offered a smile. "You are an architectural engineer, Julian. You should know better than anyone that the most valuable assets require constant, vigilant supervision. I simply prefer to keep a very close eye on my investments."

Director Vance, sensing the testosterone filling the room, quickly stepped forward to break the tension.

He cleared his throat and gestured toward the center of the soundstage. "Well, Mr. Lawson, since you’re here, you might as well inspect the centerpiece of our upcoming flagship production."

Jude shifted his sharp gaze toward the middle of the warehouse, where a silk tarp was currently being pulled back by two logistics handlers.

Sitting in the center of the floor was a restored, pristine 1964 Aston Martin DB5.

It was an authentic, museum-grade piece of automotive history, acquired at auction for a staggering fifteen million dollars...

It was slated to be the hero vehicle for Apex Media’s upcoming spy thriller, a film designed to completely dominate the summer box office.

Jude walked around the perimeter of the vehicle, admiring the silver chrome and the immaculate leather interior.

He paused near the driver’s side door and looked over the roof at Harper.

"An exceptional acquisition," Jude noted, raising an eyebrow. "I assume you requested this to replace your current commuter car? It certainly fits your aesthetic, Harper."

Director Vance burst into a hearty laugh. "Good god, no! If she drove this priceless museum relic through downtown traffic, I’d have a heart attack! Every single pothole would be a twenty-thousand-dollar suspension repair! The vehicle meant for actual, daily commuting is the armored Maybach parked by the security gates!"

"Move aside," Julian muttered, stepping past Jude with a clipboard in hand.

Trying to reassert his dominance, the young architect began directing the logistics team to secure the DB5 inside a specialized, climate-controlled transport container.

"Do you require assistance securing the transport manifest, Julian?" Jude asked, his tone dripping with mock graciousness.

"No need, Mr. Lawson. I’m familiar with the structural tolerances of high-value freight." Julian replied, checking off boxes on his tablet.

Jude didn’t take offense...

He reached into his jacket pocket and withdrew a featureless obsidian card.

It was an encrypted corporate black card connected directly to his offshore liquidity pool.

"Director Vance, I assume the fifteen million for the DB5 is still sitting in escrow?" Jude asked, bypassing the young architect.

"Yes, sir. The auction house is expecting the final wire transfer by five o’clock today," the older executive confirmed.

Jude handed the obsidian card to the logistics foreman. "Bypass the studio’s accounting division. Charge the fifteen million directly to this account, then have the asset fully insured under Harper’s personal corporate portfolio."

Having successfully secured the asset and thoroughly demoralized the young architect, Jude turned back to Harper.

Harper checked her designer watch. It was already creeping past one o’clock. "I need to get back to the executive tower, Julian. The city zoning committee is holding a preliminary hearing regarding the Nanshan permits at three. We can review the rest of your structural schematics tomorrow morning."

"I’ll lock up the soundstage, Harper," Director Vance offered, waving them off. "You two go ahead."

After Jude and Harper disappeared through the loading dock doors, Director Vance let out a sigh and turned to his nephew.

"I told you to rein it in, Julian," the older executive scolded. "You never stood a chance. You are a brilliant engineer, but Jude Lawson operates on an entirely different planetary scale. Trying to impress her while he’s in the room is suicide."

Julian threw his clipboard onto a nearby crate, his face flushed with bitter frustration. "If you knew she was so exceptional, Uncle Arthur, why didn’t you set me up with her two years ago? Before that Wall Street predator bought the studio and locked her down?"

Director Vance shook his head, refusing to entertain his nephew’s pathetic lament. "Because two years ago, she was solely focused on saving this company from bankruptcy. And quite frankly, Julian, she would have eaten you alive."

Meanwhile, outside the soundstage, the arrangements were being finalized...

Since Harper had ridden to the site in Director Vance’s vehicle, she was currently without a ride back to the downtown tower.

Jude took the driver’s seat of the Koenigsegg Jesko, cleanly waving off his private chauffeur and instructing the security detail to follow at a discreet distance in the armored SUV.

Harper slid into the incredibly low passenger seat. The cockpit felt more like a fighter jet than a luxury automobile.

Jude pressed the ignition. The V8 engine roared to life.

He didn’t hesitate...

Jude engaged the transmission and the hypercar shot forward like a fired bullet, leaving the Nanshan Media Park far behind in a blur of concrete.

For the first few miles, Jude pushed the Koenigsegg, letting the horsepower dominate the open roads.

But as they merged onto the elevated highway approaching the downtown financial district, he eased off the throttle, allowing the hypercar to glide through the dense metropolitan traffic.

Harper watched the city skyline approaching, her brow furrowing slightly as she realized they were in the wrong lane.

"The Apex executive tower is at the next exit, Jude," Harper noted. "Where exactly are we going?"