They Thought I Was A Janitor, Until I Refinanced The Skyscraper And Evicted Them

By the next morning, the "Janitor CEO" story hadn't just gone local; it was global. Elena stood in the penthouse office—Marcus's former office—watching the news on the massive wall-mounted screen. The footage of Marcus shoving her was playing on a loop on CNN, BBC, and social media feeds.

"Investors have fled Sterling Capital en masse," the reporter said, standing outside the very building Elena was currently standing in. "Sources say he is preparing to file for bankruptcy as his assets are frozen pending the assault investigation."

Elena turned away from the screen and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. The city sprawled out below her, grey and rainy, but inside, it was warm.

Down on the street, a commotion drew her eye. A sleek black luxury sedan was double-parked, blocking traffic. A tow truck was backing up to it.

She pressed her hand against the cold glass. It was Marcus’s car. The bank wasn't waiting for the court date. They were initiating asset repossession immediately.

She saw a tiny figure in a suit run out into the rain, waving his arms at the tow truck driver. Even from fifty stories up, she recognized the flailing desperation. It was a public relations disaster that no amount of spin could fix.

"Ms. Rossi?"

Elena turned. Her assistant—formerly the building's receptionist who Marcus had fired for smiling too much—was standing there with a tablet.

"The Board is on line one," the assistant said. "And the car seizure got picked up by TMZ. Do you want to make a statement?"

Elena looked back down at the street as the tow truck dragged the luxury car away, leaving the little man standing alone in the rain.

"No statement," Elena said. "Let him fade away."