Chapter 6 - The Counter-Strike
While Charlotte consolidated her control at Valle International, Margaret Hayes was not sitting quietly in defeat. Desperate, humiliated, and backed into a corner, she had retreated to her sprawling suburban estate to marshal her remaining resources.
Late that evening, in her dimly lit study surrounded by expensive leather-bound books and empty wine glasses, Margaret dialed a familiar number on her encrypted satellite phone—a contact she had sworn she would never need to call again.
“It’s me,” Margaret hissed into the receiver as soon as the line connected.
“Well, well,” a smooth, gravelly voice responded from the other end. “Word on the street is that the great Queen of the Valle empire has been dethroned by a girl carrying a canvas bag. To what do I owe the displeasure of this call, Margaret?”
“I don't have time for your sarcasm, Victor,” Margaret snapped, gripping the phone so tightly her knuckles turned white. “I need you to clean up a mess. A permanent mess.”
“Ah,” the voice on the other end chuckled darkly. “Corporate elimination. That’s outside my usual consulting fee, Margaret. The girl has federal protection now, not to mention old Sebastian watching her every move like a hawk.”
“I don't care about your fees!” Margaret shouted, tears of rage springing to her eyes. “She took everything from me! My status, my accounts, my home! If I’m going down, that little ungrateful brat is coming down with me. I want her discredited, ruined, or permanently removed from the picture before the board ratifies her permanent directorship tomorrow morning.”
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“Greed makes people sloppy, Margaret,” Victor replied smoothly. “And desperation makes them expensive. Transfer five million to the offshore Swiss account by midnight, and consider it handled.”
The line went dead with a click. Margaret lowered the phone, a manic, desperate smile stretching across her face as she stared out into the dark gardens of her estate. She truly believed she could claw her way back to the top. She had no idea that her encrypted call had been intercepted and recorded in real-time by Julian Vance’s cybersecurity surveillance network.
