The beam of the heavy-duty headlamp cut through the blinding blizzard, illuminating the crimson streaks of blood frozen against the white snow.
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Chapter 24 / 32
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.
Inside was an exclusive invitation to the annual Swiss-American Global Gala held at a private, high-security mountaintop estate in Aspen, Colorado. The guest of honor and keynote speaker was none of other than Elena Vanderberg, making her grand return to North American finance.
The note scrawled on the back of the invitation read: “Some ghosts are meant to stay buried, Victoria. Come see how the real empire is run.”
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Victoria stared at the invitation, her reflection sharp and unyielding in the glass desk. She didn't hesitate. She picked up her gold-plated fountain pen and RSVP'd for two.
"Book the jet," Victoria told her assistant over the intercom. "We’re going to Aspen."
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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.
Chapter 30 - The Monument of SurvivalInstead of letting the cliff remain a place of terror, Victoria had commissioned a private architectural sanctuary built directly into the lower ridge—a monument dedicated to resilience, maternal strength, and survival.
