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The beam of the heavy-duty headlamp cut through the blinding blizzard, illuminating the crimson streaks of blood frozen against the white snow. / Chapter 23 / 32

Chapter 23 - The Ghost of GenevaWithin fourteen hours, Marcus’s elite cyber-intelligence team delivered results. The Zurich satellite relay node traced back to an ultra-exclusive private wealth management firm: Vanderberg & Sons, a secretive Swiss institution known for handling invisible fortunes for exiled elites and fallen oligarchs.

And the primary account holder?

A woman named Elena Vanderberg—Gretchen Vance’s estranged older sister and a high-ranking corporate raider who had vanished from Wall Street five years prior.

"Elena..." Victoria whispered, reading the dossier displayed on her tablet. "Gretchen wasn't just an assistant playing office politics. She was planted in Brandon’s company by her own family to manipulate him into marrying me and securing the Sterling shipping empire."

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The glass double doors of the Crown Harbor Hotel opened into the biting December air of Manhattan, but the winter chill was nothing compared to the ice freezing over my veins.

The glass double doors of the Crown Harbor Hotel opened into the biting...

The scent of the Columbus bakery pastries—butter, flaky crust, and sweet raspberry—now made my stomach turn. Julian sat at the mahogany dining table, casually biting into a croissant while tapping away on his tablet.

The scent of the Columbus bakery pastries—butter, flaky crust, and sweet...

The wind off the Atlantic whipped salt spray across the deck of the dolphin-watching boat, but the air between Emily, Caleb, and Rachel felt frozen in time.

The wind off the Atlantic whipped salt spray across the deck of the dolp...

"They didn't just want fifty million dollars," Marcus realized, realization dawning in his eyes. "They wanted complete controlling shares of your family's global shipping lanes. When Brandon pushed you off that cliff, he thought it was his idea. In reality, he was executing Elena’s blueprint."

Victoria let out a chilling, humorless laugh. "They thought they could use a pawn to steal my legacy. It’s time to show them what happens when you wake the dragon."

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Chapter 24 - The Invitation to the Lion's DenTwo weeks later, an elegant, gold-embossed envelope arrived at the Sterling-Vance Global headquarters in New York.
Chapter 25 - The Aspen SummitThe Grand ballroom of the Aspen estate glittered with crystal chandeliers, expensive champagne, and the elite figures of international finance. Dressed in a backless, midnight-blue velvet gown by Alexander McQueen, Victoria Prescott stepped through the double doors, every eye in the room instantly gravitating toward her.
Chapter 26 - The War of WordsElena’s polite smile faltered for a fraction of a second, though her eyes flashed with venom. "You think surviving a fall makes you invincible? Brandon was a fool who rushed things, but you’re walking right into a cage. Every asset, every shell company, every legal loophole protecting your family estate is currently under review by my legal board."
Chapter 27 - The Public ExecutionInstead of corporate logos, the massive screens flared to life with glowing red financial routing numbers, encrypted email threads, and signed bank wire transfers bearing Elena Vanderberg’s personal signature—transferring millions in illegal kickbacks and coordinating the assassination plot against Victoria Prescott.
Chapter 28 - The Final ConfessionInterrogated in a high-security federal holding facility in Denver, Elena Vanderberg sat across a stainless-steel table, her expensive suit rumpled, her composure entirely shattered.
Chapter 29 - Shadows FadeThree months after the Aspen summit, the legal dust settled completely.

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