Chapter 5 - The Sabotaged Guy-LinesJulian’s private office trailer sat tucked behind the luxury pavilion—a climate-controlled, mobile command center equipped with satellite internet, leather armchairs, and private security guards stationed at the door.
Maya and Daniel stepped inside, the heavy door clicking shut behind them, cutting off the noise of the luncheon outside.
Julian sat behind a sleek mahogany desk, leaning back in his leather chair. He didn’t offer them a seat.
“Let’s drop the pleasantries, Maya,” Julian said, his voice dropping all pretense of charm. “My security chief informed me that a high-powered telephoto lens was focused on the lower valley sector late last night.”
Maya stood straight, her hands clasped tightly in front of her. “It’s a beautiful valley, Mr. Caldwell. Especially when illuminated by mining blueprints.”
Julian’s expression didn't change, but a subtle tension gripped his jaw. “You are a freelance photographer earning fifteen hundred dollars for a weekend gig. You have no idea how the real world operates. That land development project represents a two-hundred-million-dollar economic injection for this region.”
“By turning a protected wilderness sanctuary into an open-pit lithium mine?” Daniel challenged, his voice cold.
Julian glanced at Daniel with utter disdain. “A mountain guide has no standing here. This is business.”
He turned back to Maya, opening a desk drawer and pulling out a pre-printed non-disclosure agreement along with a checkbook.
“Here is how this ends, Ms. Bennett,” Julian said, writing a number on a check. “Fifty thousand dollars. Cashier’s draft, cleared immediately. You sign this NDA, hand over the primary SD card and all backup files, and you walk off this mountain a very comfortable woman.”
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Maya stared at the check resting on the mahogany desk. Fifty thousand dollars was more money than she made in two years of freelance photography. It would pay off her equipment loans, cover her rent for a year, and give her financial security she had never known.
Julian watched her face, a victorious, arrogant smile slowly forming on his lips. “It’s a simple choice, Maya. Take the money and build your career... or refuse, and I will ensure you are sued for corporate espionage, blacklisted from every outdoor publication in North America, and left with nothing.”
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