The Return Of Franklin Miles

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-THREE

Within three days, the culprits requested a meeting with Franklin at the Empire State Hotel. The three men sat stiffly around the polished conference table as Franklin entered the room with an air of calm confidence. He moved to a seat at the far end of the table, facing them directly.

“Good of you to make time for us, Mr. Franklin,” Robert Grant began, his tone formal but strained.

Franklin leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. “I assumed it must be important if you called me here. What’s this about?”

The men exchanged cautious glances, their unease palpable. Over the last few days, rumors and whispers had started to circulate, some tied to them and others to the recent upheaval involving the hotel. The tension in the room was unmistakable.

“Well,” Henry Collins began hesitantly, “we thought it necessary to revisit the terms of your recent proposal.”

“Revisit?” Franklin echoed, arching a brow. “That’s a change of heart. Not long ago, you all were quite adamant about not having