The Price of Betrayal

Amsterdam has never looked so gloomy.Victoria “Vic” Dewi Maharani gazes at the imposing building of De Nederlandsche Bank through the windshield of her Audi RS e-tron GT parked at Oude Turfmarkt. November showers pound the city with low but persistent intensity, creating a curtain of water that refracts the streetlights into a spectrum of golden hues. The clock on the dashboard reads 23:47 - an unusual time to start a financial audit.But since when was life normal?Vic straightens his black Armani suit, making sure his special Forensic Finance name tag is perfectly in place. At 42 years old, he still looks stunning with his unique blend of Indonesian-Dutch features: piercing dark brown eyes, high cheekbones, and fair skin that contrasts with his shoulder-length black hair that is always neatly styled.“Are you sure you want to do this now?” Stefan van der Wolff, her 35-year-old husband, took her hand. Their platinum rings glistened faintly. “It can wait until tomorrow morning.”Vic

Alexandra Visser has always known that death is an art form.Fifteen years ago, she orchestrated her own death with the precision of a maestro. A fake corpse with manipulated DNA, carefully planted evidence, even precise calculations on how the ice in the vault would preserve her “remains”. All for one purpose - to destroy the Red Lotus from within.Now, standing in the dimly lit warehouse with a gun pointed at Victoria van der Wolff's head, he could almost feel his maestro-piece climaxing.“Put the gun down, Max,” he ordered without taking his eyes off Vic. “Unless you want this forensic darling of yours to join 'my body' in the safe.”Max didn't move. His hand was steady on the Glock, his eyes searching for openings - a habit they'd learned together at the secret Red Lotus academy all those years ago. “What exactly are you planning, Alex?”“You still don't understand?” Alexandra laughed softly. “All this time you thought you were protecting me, dear sister. But actually, I was the o

Erasmus Medical Center has the best VIP rooms in the Netherlands, but for Vic, the luxurious room with Phillipe Starck interiors felt like a prison. It had been three days since Stefan had regained consciousness after surgery, and during that time she had not left his side except to take a shower in the private bathroom attached to the room.“You need to rest,” Alexandra placed a Maison Kayser paper cup filled with café au lait on Stefan's bedside table. “We have a big battle ahead.”Vic took a cup of coffee, feeling the warmth seep into his cold hands. “How did the last scan from the IT team go?”“They managed to break 60% of the encryption on the data I transferred.” Alexandra took out her iPad Pro, showing a series of complex graphs. “As you might have guessed, Red Lotus is not just another money laundering organization. They have a special division that focuses on manipulating the crypto market.”“Crypto laundering,” Vic nodded. “Perfect platform to hide dirty funds. Untraceable,

The Bombardier Global 7500 private jet landed smoothly at Geneva International Airport just as dawn touched the summit of Mont Blanc. Alexandra, who hadn't taken her eyes off Maria Maharani's Lenovo ThinkPad laptop since takeoff from Amsterdam, finally looked up.“There's something strange about this laptop,” she said as she removed her Bowers & Wilkins headphones. “Some of the files are encrypted with algorithms I've never seen before.”“Mama always liked puzzles,” Marcus nodded from the chair opposite, his fingers tapping lightly on Connolly's leather armlrest. “But what's even stranger is why papa let us get the key to Willem Visser's safe so easily.”Vic, who had been silently watching the clouds from the window, twisted the Cartier Trinity ring on his finger - a birthday present from Stefan that he never took off. “Because it's not about the physical key.”“You mean?” Alexandra frowned.“Gerard said papa wanted us to steal the key,” Vic pulled a platinum key out of his Chanel bla

The sound of gunfire in Rotterdam still echoed in Vic's ears as he stepped into UBS Private Banking. Alexandra followed beside him, Beretta pistol at the ready.“We should have saved him,” Alexandra whispered, guilt evident in her voice.“We will,” Vic replied coldly. “By finishing this.”The elevator took them to the 14th floor in eerie silence. A long white corridor stretched before them, its glass walls reflecting the golden afternoon sunlight.Room 1402.Vic pulled out the platinum key Gerard had given him, his fingers tracing the familiar carved rose. The same key Elizabeth van Houten held in that old photograph.“Ready?” he glanced at Alexandra.“No. But we've come too far to back out.”The door opened with a soft click. The room was bright and spacious, with floor-to-ceiling windows displaying a panoramic view of Geneva. In the center of the room, an antique mahogany table.It was empty.“Too late?” Alexandra whispered, securing the corners of the room with her pistol.“No,” Vi