Chapter 15 - The Spectre’s Refuge
The coordinates extracted from Viktor’s encrypted phone led straight to an isolated coastal fortress perched atop the jagged cliffs of the Amalfi coast. Storm clouds gathered ominously overhead, casting a bruised indigo hue across the crashing waves below.
Leandro, Daphne, and Estelle disembarked from a rigid-hull inflatable boat, scaling the slick rock face with silent, deadly precision. They bypassed the estate's perimeter alarms using a frequency jammer provided by their tech division, slipping through a wrought-iron side gate into the courtyard.
The estate was eerily quiet. The sprawling Mediterranean villa looked more like a mausoleum than a syndicate safehouse.
“Stay sharp,” Daphne whispered, her weapon drawn and ready as she swept the perimeter of the colonnade. “This feels too easy.”
“It’s not a trap, it’s an invitation,” Leandro replied, his eyes fixed on the illuminated double doors of the grand study ahead.
He pushed the heavy mahogany doors open. The room was grand, filled with antique bookshelves and a roaring fireplace. Sitting comfortably in a leather armchair facing the hearth was Maribel. She didn't turn around immediately; she simply swirled a glass of amber cognac, her silhouette framed by the lightning flashing outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.
“I wondered how long it would take you to find my little sanctuary,” Maribel said, her voice smooth and unbothered as she finally turned her head to look at them.
Estelle stepped forward into the room, her eyes blazing with cold fury. “You never stopped pulling strings, did you? Even after everything, you’re still trying to burn our house down.”
Maribel stood up slowly, setting her glass down on a mahogany table. She looked older, lines of exhaustion etched around her eyes, but her gaze remained as sharp and predatory as ever.
“A true queen never abdicates, Estelle,” Maribel said, taking a step toward them. “I built the Vane empire from blood and bone. You think I’d let a boy with a silver ring tear it down for the sake of peace?”
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“Peace is a luxury you never afforded us, Mother,” Leandro said, stepping forward until he was mere feet away from her, towering over her with icy resolve. “And now, the bill has come due.”
Maribel didn’t flinch. Instead, a strange, knowing smile spread across her lips. “You think killing me solves the Iron Ring, Leandro? Look closer at the desk.”
