Chapter 24 - The Viper's Final Breath
The entire hall erupted into pandemonium.
Victor Sterling’s face turned ghastly white. He looked down at his encrypted tablet, which was now flashing red with catastrophic loss notifications:
> CRITICAL ALERT: ASSETS FROZEN BY INTERPOL. > WARRANT ISSUED: VICTOR STERLING - RACKETEERING & TREASON.
"You... you arrogant little bitch!" Victor roared, losing his composure completely. He reached inside his jacket, pulling a concealed firearm from his holster.
The crowd screamed, scattering in horror.
Before Victor could raise the weapon, two French Special Forces officers dropped from the ceiling rafters on tactical lines, slamming Victor face-first onto the marble floor. The gun clattered harmlessly across the polished tile.
Within seconds, dozens of armed Interpol officers flooded the Salle des Étoiles, pinning down Victor’s bodyguards and slapping heavy titanium restraints on the Vanguard chairman.
As Victor was dragged away in handcuffs, spitting curses into the air, Lena walked slowly up to him. She looked down at the ruined mastermind with the same icy calm she had shown Preston Hale eleven years prior.
"You thought you could use my ex-husband's greed to destroy my family," Lena said softly, her voice carrying the cold weight of absolute victory. "You forgot one fundamental truth, Mr. Sterling. A man who builds his kingdom on deceit will always fall to the woman who built hers on truth."
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As the police pulled Victor through the grand doors, the remaining executives and world leaders in the hall broke into a thunderous, standing ovation.
Standing in the spotlight, surrounded by her daughters and Lord Henry, Lena turned her back on the chaos of the past, stepping into the absolute triumph of her present.
