Chapter 2 - Blood on the Altar
The burner phone lit up with a single, glowing red notification: TRANSFER COMPLETE.
Elena glanced down at the screen, then turned her gaze toward the grand double doors that led directly out to the cathedral foyer. Outside, hundreds of elite guests—governors, judges, hedge fund titans—sat waiting for the union of the century. They believed they were attending the merging of two industrial titans. In reality, they were sitting in the blast radius of an assassination.
""Check your phone, Charles,"" Elena said, resting the silver club across her slender shoulder with casual grace.
Trembling with rage, Charles reached into the breast pocket of his charcoal suit. His hands shook violently as his phone screen flashed a flood of automated alerts from Zurich, London, and the Cayman Islands. Every offshore reserve owned by Sterling Capital had been systematically drained. Every shell corporation had declared bankruptcy in the span of ninety seconds.
""What have you done?"" Chad whimpered from the sofa, clutching his swollen arm. ""Dad... what is she talking about?""
""Shut up!"" Charles roared, though his voice lacked any shred of authority now. He stared at Elena, horror finally breaking through his arrogant facade. ""The merger contracts... you signed them yesterday. If you ruin us, you ruin yourself!""
""I signed nothing under my legal name,"" Elena murmured, taking a deliberate step toward the door. Her guards flanked her, weapons drawn and held discreetly against their legs. ""I signed as the sole liquidator of Sterling Assets. You handed me your life's work because you couldn't resist the urge to buy a captive wife for your pathetic son.""
Elena turned her back on them, walking toward the grand chapel. Before pushing the doors open, she paused and glanced over her shoulder.
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""Don't bother calling the police, Charles. The chief of police was on my payroll before you even learned to cheat on your first wife.""
As the massive carved oak doors swung open, exposing the gasping congregation to Elena’s armed escort, the chapel’s grand organ abruptly cut out. Through the silence, a single gunshot echoed from the private parking structure below.
