Chapter 13 - The Intruder's UltimatumRoberto’s hand instantly dropped to the heavy brass paperweight on the nearby desk, but he kept his footing steady, blocking the only exit from the vault.
"Who the hell are you?" Roberto demanded, his voice a low, dangerous rumble.
The man slowly turned around. He was middle-aged, with sharp, cold features, a thin scar running down his left cheek, and eyes completely devoid of warmth. He closed the metal box with a quiet, echoing click.
"Name's Darius," the man replied, casually slipping a small leather-bound ledger into his coat pocket. "And I’m just a man doing a very lucrative job for Viktor Vance. You see, Vanessa was just a clumsy amateur. She thought she was playing Julian Thorne. But Viktor has owned the debt underlying this entire estate long before you ever signed the deed."
Roberto took two slow steps forward. "This house was purchased legally through Silva Global Holdings."
"Legally?" Darius let out a dry, humorless laugh. "Paperwork can be manipulated, Mr. Silva. The original land titles for this estate were tied to a high-risk offshore loan back in the nineties—a loan that Viktor’s syndicate quietly acquired last month. Legally speaking? You’re squatting on Viktor's property."
"You think a piece of paper gives you ownership of my home?" Roberto stepped closer, the air in the vault turning razor-sharp.
Darius didn't flinch. Instead, he pulled a compact encrypted satellite phone from his pocket and pressed speed dial, holding it out toward Roberto so he could hear the speakerphone.
After two rings, a smooth, gravelly European voice answered on the other end.
“Mr. Silva,” Viktor Vance purred from across the ocean. “I trust you received my letter. How does it feel to realize your empire is built on sand?”
"If you want a war, Viktor, you picked the wrong man," Roberto said coldly into the phone. "I will hunt down every asset you have, freeze every account, and tear your syndicate apart down to the last brick."
Viktor chuckled softly. “Ah, such grand threats from a desperate father. But let’s see how brave you are when you realize what else is missing from that vault. Check the secondary compartment, Roberto. The one containing your daughter’s medical trust documents... and her mother's final diary.”
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Roberto’s heart skipped a beat. He lunged forward, but Darius instantly drew a sleek, suppressed firearm from his coat, leveling it squarely at Roberto's chest.
"Don't be stupid, billionaire," Darius whispered. "Step back."
