Chapter 17

Maxwell's office occupied the entire top floor, a testament to power wrapped in glass and steel. Floor-to-ceiling windows offered a god's-eye view of Miami, the city sprawling beneath him like a glittering chess board of his own design. Sunlight poured through hurricane-proof glass, casting long shadows across Italian marble floors that had been shipped in specifically for this space. The furniture spoke of understated wealth - a desk carved from a single piece of rare African wood, chairs upholstered in butter-soft leather that probably cost more than most cars. Every surface gleamed with the kind of perfection that only came from a small army of cleaning staff working through the night. Modern art pieces worth millions adorned the walls, carefully selected to impress without trying too hard. A scale model of Miami's skyline dominated one wall, with tiny LED lights marking all the properties Maxwell owned or planned to acquire. His desk faced the bay, positioned so that eve