Chapter 6 - Into the Serpent's Den
The safehouse at District 4 Docks was run by Gabriel Vance—a former special forces operative whose life I had saved ten years ago during a corporate extortion attempt in Madrid.
By 2:00 AM, Gabriel’s team had provided us with clean clothes, encrypted communications, and tactical gear. Lily was fast asleep in a secure inner room, guarded by two of Gabriel's most trusted operators.
Renata sat before three monitors, her fingers flying across the glowing keyboard as she decrypted the files from the black book she had saved.
"I've got it," Renata breathed, her eyes reflecting the green text streaming down the screen. "Julian... it's worse than we thought."
I leaned over her shoulder, smelling the gentle lavender scent of the soap she’d just used, a stark contrast to the dark reality on the screen. "What is it?"
"Vivian isn't acting alone for money," Renata said, pointing at a series of wire transfers. "She’s the daughter of Viktor Vancea—the Romanian syndicate chief your father bankrupted twenty years ago. This entire marriage was a long-con vendetta to dismantle your family and take control of the eastern shipping corridors."
"And Marcus?" I asked, feeling a cold weight settle in my gut.
"Marcus owes twelve million dollars in gambling debts to Vancea's syndicate," Renata revealed, pulling up bank records. "They promised to wipe his slate clean and give him ten percent of Ashford Global if he helped throw you into a black site."
I stood tall, feeling the final remnants of my hesitation vanish. "They aren't just trying to rob me. They tried to destroy my life, tortured an innocent woman, and terrified a child."
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I looked at Renata. Her eyes were steady, filled with a fierce, quiet courage that made my heart hammer in a way no boardroom victory ever had.
"Tonight, we end Viktor Vancea's legacy," I said. "And we take back Hollow Crest."
