Chapter 14 - The Betrayal Within
Back inside the penthouse on the forty-second floor,
the atmosphere was thick with tension.
Victor Vance stood near the floor-to-ceiling windows,
his hands shoved deep into his pockets,
trying to maintain a facade of arrogant composure despite knowing his digital trail had been exposed.
Julian stood across the room by the marble island,
reviewing real-time satellite telemetry feeds on his encrypted tablet.
“Your tactical team won't make it out of Delancey Street,” Vance sneered,
turning to face Julian with a twisted smile.
“I have three platoons of private mercenaries surrounding that facility.
”
“By sunrise,
that boy will be on a freighter bound for South America,
and your trust documents will be nothing more than expensive campfire fuel.
”
Before Julian could respond,
the secure intercom panel on the wall buzzed urgently.
Arthur stepped over to the console and pressed the audio receiver.
“Arthur speaking,” the head butler stated crisply.
“Arthur! Thank God!” a frantic voice gasped over the speaker.
It was David Sterling,
Hail Group’s chief technology officer and head of corporate cybersecurity.
“We have an active breach on the mainframe server room on the thirty-fifth floor!” Sterling yelled over the sound of blaring alarm klaxons.
“Someone is attempting to wipe the cryptographic ledgers and transfer the entire trust portfolio to an offshore holding account!”
Julian’s head snapped toward Victor Vance.
Vance’s smug smile faltered slightly.
“Who is inside the server room,
Sterling?” Julian demanded into the comms panel,
his voice freezing the air in the room.
“It’s.
.
.
it’s Sarah Jenkins from legal!” Sterling shouted back.
“She’s holding a keycard override! She’s working for Vance!”
Vance’s face turned pale.
He had forgotten about his final insurance policy embedded deep within the corporate legal department.
Before Julian could issue a command,
Elena stepped out of the study doorway,
her eyes blazing with fierce determination.
“I’ll handle Sarah,” Elena said quietly,
her voice ringing with absolute resolve.
Before Julian could stop her,
May you like
she turned and sprinted toward the private service elevator,
moving with the speed and agility of someone who had spent years hiding in plain sight and waiting for her moment to strike back.
