Chapter 14 - The Net Tightens
Marcus stared at the small scrap of paper in his palm. Clarissa had known. Even in her final, terrifying moments on that rain-swept terrace two years ago, she had anticipated Vivienne’s greed, had understood that the red ledger would become a target, and had entrusted the true cipher to the one person no one would ever suspect of carrying corporate power: her six-year-old son.
Marcus carried Leo up to the study on the third floor, away from the police tape and the flashing sirens. Elena brought up warm tea, staying close to the child as Marcus sat behind his massive mahogany desk and fired up his personal satellite link.
He smoothed the crumpled paper onto the leather blotter.
""Miller,"" Marcus said through the speakerphone. ""I have Clarissa's master sequence. I’m transmitting it to the Swiss regulatory mainframe now.""
""Standing by,"" Miller replied from his secure terminal in the city. ""Marcus, Vivienne’s plane just entered Canadian airspace for a scheduled refueling stop in Halifax. They don't know we've traced the tail number.""
""They won't get the chance to refuel,"" Marcus stated coldly. He entered the fourteen characters into his banking console.
The screen blinked, processing the encrypted token. A split-second later, a green verification banner swept across the monitor:
VANCE GLOBAL TRUST: MASTER ACCESS RESTORED. ALL EXTERNAL ACCOUNTS FROZEN. EMERGENCY RED FLAG ISSUED TO INTERPOL.
""It worked,"" Miller breathed. ""The entire liquidity pool of Vivienne's shell network just locked down. Her pilots' corporate credit lines for fuel are declined. The airport authorities in Halifax have just been notified of an international warrant for grand larceny and treason.""
Marcus looked out the high study window. The storm clouds were rolling in over the Blackwood Valley, rain beginning to tap rhythmically against the glass.
""She has nowhere left to run,"" Marcus said. ""Have the Canadian authorities take her into custody the second the wheels touch the tarmac.""
""Understood,"" Miller said. ""And what about Victoria?""
May you like
Marcus turned his head, looking toward the bedroom across the hall where Leo was finally resting, Elena softly singing him to sleep under the warm blankets.
""Let the prosecutors have everything,"" Marcus replied quietly. ""The staircase footage, the server logs, the audio recordings. She wanted a life of luxury built on the blood of my family. Let her spend the rest of it in a concrete cell.""
