เข้าสู่ระบบChapter 122: The Manhattan Re-alignmentThe wood fire in the library was crackling, the only sound competing with the heavy rain hitting the big windows of the villa. The room was a space with dark wood shelves, old leather books and comfy velvet armchairs but it felt tense, like a war room.Julian stood by the fireplace with a glass of scotch in his hand. He wasn't drinking it. He wore a black sweater and his big frame looked strong and alert. His gray eyes reflected the flickering flames staring out into the dark valley. His business empire was secure. He was still on high alert.Elena sat at the oak desk typing away on the computer. She had a charcoal shawl wrapped around her and a raw quartz pendant hung still against her neck. On her hand a simple silver band caught the warm light of the fire as she worked on some encrypted files from Thomas Vance's device."Thomas wasn't just talking to Geneva, " Elena said, her voice clear and calm. She worked her magic on the files uncoveri
Chapter 121: The Foundations of BetrayalThe heavy iron vault door fully opened with a mechanical sound. This let in a wave of filtered air into the damp stone hallway. Inside the server towers made a pitched humming noise. It sounded like the steady heartbeat of a trapped animal.Thomas Vance stood in front of Terminal 04. His hands stopped moving over the keyboard. He was Baron Hendrick Vance's nephew. Thomas had been the logistics coordinator for the estate for five years. He had worked with the Vane framework for a time. Julian had become the chairman. Thomas had been there before that. He was a careful person. Thomas had managed the estate's transit lists with accuracy.Now Thomas looked different. His face turned pale under the lights. His eyes moved quickly to the monitor. The VALE_09 decoy files had just finished a deletion process.Julian entered the room first. He was very tall. Blocked the exit. His presence made the air in the vault feel tight. Thomas had trouble breathing
Chapter 120: The Ridge SentinelThe storm over the Hudson Valley was really bad at midnight. It tore through the pine trees that lined the steep road to the ridge. The armored Escalade drove through the storm, its windows getting hit with rain as it made its way up the final mountain turns. After the corporate wars in Brussels and the problems in the French Riviera, going back to their private place felt more like a military deployment than coming home.Julian sat in the dark back seat, his big body straight and giving off a lot of energy. His dark shirt was open at the neck. His jaw was set in a hard line. His gray eyes kept looking at the estate's security dashboard. His big hand was on Elena's back holding her close to him. This showed that he was in charge of her safety as they entered their borders, which had been compromised.Elena had her high-security command unit on her lap. Its blue light shone on her face. She had a quartz pendant around her neck and a silver band on her ha
Chapter 119: The Domestic GhostThe bad smell of burned electronics went away as the armored SUV drove away from the Nice airfield. Outside the rain had finally caught up with the Mediterranean coast making the flashing blue lights of the emergency vehicles look like long blurry lines against the dark glass.In the back of the SUV it was very quiet. Elena sat with her laptop on her knees typing with a careful pace that she always used. The rough quartz pendant around her neck did not move against her collarbone. The silver ring on her finger shone under the vehicle's white lights.Julian sat next to Elena looking strong and in charge. He had his arm around her pulling her close to him with a grip that showed he was protecting her. His gray eyes were fixed on the screen watching as the shadow cartel's money was being taken away."The money transfer is going smoothly, " Elena said, her voice clear and sharp. "The VALE_09 system has taken all the regime's hidden money. Every single franc
Chapter 118: The Biometric LockoutThe inside of Hangar 4 was an empty space made of corrugated steel. It smelled like fuel for airplanes, hydraulic fluid and electronics that were working hard. In the middle of the floor there was a jet with no company name on it. The jet was black and medium sized. Its engines were not making any noise. A small unit was humming and making the ground vibrate.Under the jet's wing a temporary medical station was set up. It had computers that were showing a strong yellow light. This light was making shadows on the jet's body.Julian walked past the pieces of the side door. He was really big. Blocked the whole exit. His jaw was tight with anger. His gray eyes were fixed on something in front of him. He did not look at the guns that were lying around the room. Just being there he made the air feel thick and hard to breathe.Elena was standing next to him. She was wearing a leather coat that was a little open. Her fingers were moving quickly on the comput
Chapter 117: The Hangar BreachThe plane landed at the Nice-Côte d'Azur airport in the middle of the night. The Mediterranean coastline was dark. The lights from the coast were shining bright. The Gulfstream plane touched down on the runway with a lot of force making the people inside feel like they were being pushed back into their seats.Julian did not wait for the stairs to come out of the plane. Soon as the door opened he started walking down feeling the warm air of the French Riviera on his face. He was not wearing his coat. The tie and the top button of his shirt was open. His eyes were cold and angry. He looked very powerful as he walked out onto the open space.Elena followed him, her long black coat flying around her legs as she walked. Her face was serious and strong and the stone pendant around her neck was shining in the light of the cars that were waiting for them. There were three black cars with armor given to them by Marcus and his team."The people guarding the hangar
Chapter 97: Above the CloudsThe engines of the Gulfstream are really quiet now. It is like they are humming a song. The plane is flying at forty-five thousand feet. Outside the windows the Atlantic Ocean is dark. You can not see anything.. Above us the stars are shining brightly in the sky.Inside
Chapter 96: The Midnight TarmacThe rain had. It was a clear starry European night when the silver Mercedes van arrived back at Rotterdam’s private executive airfield. The wet runway shone like a mirror reflecting the white taxi lights and the sleek Gulfstream G650 waiting at the center of the stag
Chapter 95: The Horizon ShiftThe quiet sound of the evening slowly settled over the Rotterdam suite. As the rain finally stopped, a pale amber light broke through the clouds. It cast long reflections across the polished timber floors and the silent server terminals. The storm had passed, leaving b
Chapter 94: The Anchors HoldThe rain outside Terminal 4 had slowed down. It was now a rhythmic drizzle. The industrial area of the Rotterdam port looked like a slate of charcoal and silver. Below the office the automated cranes kept moving in a silent synchronized dance. They were lifting containe







