Chapter 5 - The Snake's Betrayal
With his legal strategies failing and his reputation destroyed, Julian’s life began to unravel at a terrifying speed. The penthouse they were staying in felt less like a luxury retreat and more like a bunker.
Victoria was packing her bags.
"What are you doing?" Julian demanded, grabbing her arm as she threw expensive designer clothes into a leather suitcase. "You can't leave me now, Victoria! We’re in this together!"
Victoria shook his hand off with violent disgust. "In this together? Look at you, Julian! You’re broke, you’re discredited, and you have a federal restraining order against you. You’re useless to me. You’re useless to Mr. Sterling."
"I still have information!" Julian yelled, desperation cracking his voice. "I know the inner workings of Vance International! I know the security protocols for their main server rooms! We can still hack their systems, steal their upcoming tech patents, and sell them to Apex Global!"
Victoria paused, her predatory eyes narrowing. She looked at Julian, evaluating whether he still possessed any value. "The security protocols? Arthur changed those the moment he woke up from his coma."
"Not all of them," Julian whispered, stepping closer to her, his eyes wild with malice. "The legacy servers—the ones holding the original blueprints for the Vance global logistics network—they are stored in an off-site facility in the old industrial district. Arthur never updated those because they are completely disconnected from the main network. You need a physical keycard and a biometric scan from a direct family member to access them."
Victoria raised an eyebrow. "And where are we going to get a direct family member's biometric scan? Evelyn won't give it to you, and Arthur will kill you if you get close."
Julian smiled a twisted, sickening smile. "Lily. Lily’s biometrics are registered in the family database as an emergency override. A simple fingerprint and a retinal scan from the girl will open those vault doors."
Victoria’s smile slowly returned, cold and calculated. "Now you're thinking like a real businessman, Julian. If we get those blueprints, Mr. Sterling will pay us fifty million dollars. We can leave this country and start over in South America."
What Julian didn't know was that Victoria had already recorded their entire conversation using a hidden microphone in her collar. She had no intention of sharing the fifty million dollars with him. The moment Julian got her the blueprints, she planned to tip off the police about his violation of the restraining order, leaving him to rot in prison while she escaped with the fortune.
Later that evening, Victoria made a secure call to Thomas Sterling in Hong Kong. "Sir, Julian is taking the bait. He’s going to kidnap the child tonight to access the legacy servers. I will secure the blueprints and eliminate Julian from the equation."
May you like
"Good," Sterling’s deep, gravelly voice echoed through the encrypted line. "Make sure the child is unharmed during the process. We can use her as a permanent leverage against Arthur Vance. Once we have the logistics network blueprints, the Vance empire will crumble, and I will finally have my revenge."
Victoria hung up the phone, a cold satisfaction washing over her. She walked out into the living room where Julian was mapping out the security schedule of Evelyn’s townhouse. They were walking straight into a trap, but Victoria was confident she would be the one holding the cheese.
