Chapter 5 - The Sub-Basement Vault
The sub-basement smelled of rust, damp concrete, and wet earth. It was a stark contrast to the multi-million-dollar opulence thirty feet above their heads.
Ethan dropped lightly onto the concrete floor, his gun raised, scanning the shadows. Julian tumbled down after him, gasping for breath, his expensive tuxedo now torn and covered in soot.
"Where are we?" Julian whispered, looking around at the massive steel pipes and industrial generators.
"Underneath your father's empire," Ethan said, pulling out his smartphone. The signal was completely dead—blocked by signal jammers installed in the foundation.
They moved stealthily through the maze of boiler pipes until they reached a heavy, vault-grade titanium door embedded directly into the bedrock wall.
Above the door, a brass plaque read: SOVEREIGN FOUNDATION - ARCHIVE 01.
"This is it," Ethan said, inspecting the heavy biometric scanner next to the door. "The IHSA seal I saw on the camera feed upstairs. Your father didn't just frame me tonight, Julian. He's been stealing from our seized assets ledger for years."
"What do you mean?"
"Five years ago, the IHSA seized over three hundred million dollars in unregistered gold and cold-storage cryptocurrency from an international cartel. It was supposed to be transferred to the Federal Reserve. Instead, half of it disappeared during transit." Ethan looked at the vault door. "It didn't disappear. It was routed right here, into your hotel's foundation."
"So my father isn't just a hotelier..." Julian whispered in horror. "He's a fence."
"He's the fence," Ethan corrected. "And tonight, he was going to pin the entire missing three hundred million on me, claim I came here to steal it, and have his private security execute me in 'self-defense'."
Suddenly, the heavy titanium vault door hissed. The pneumatic seals released with a loud burst of pressurized air.
The door swung open from the inside.
Standing in the doorway, framed by rows of gleaming gold bullion and servers, was not Lord Arthur Sterling.
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It was a woman in a sharp grey power suit, holding a champagne glass.
It was Director Evelyn Vance—Ethan's mother, and the Supreme Chief of the IHSA.
