Chapter 5 - THE SIEGE OF PENDELTON TOWER
Before Victor could comprehend what Marcus meant, the glass windows of the boardroom shattered inward in a violent spray of crystalline fragments!
Heavy rappelling ropes dropped down from above. Black-clad operators from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Special Operations Command swung through the broken windows, weapons raised, laser sights painting the walls red.
"FEDERAL AGENTS! ON THE GROUND! NOW!" tactical officers screamed.
The board members shrieked, falling out of their chairs and dropping to their knees, putting their hands over their heads. Victor stood frozen, staring at Marcus as tactical officers pinned him to the floor, pulling his arms behind his back and clicking heavy steel handcuffs onto his wrists.
General Vance stepped through the shattered window frame, detaching his rappelling harness with practiced ease. He walked over to Marcus and handed him a sleek leather folder.
"It's done, Chief," General Vance reported. "The Treasury Department has officially frozen all foreign accounts tied to Victor and his associates. The board is stripped of all executive authority. By presidential executive order, control of Pendelton Capital has been restored to its rightful founder: you."
Victor, pinned to the floor under a tactical boot, raised his head, screaming wildly. "You set me up! This was a trap from the very beginning! The street corner... Arthur... the viral video... it was all planned!"
Marcus walked over and knelt down in front of his uncle. He pulled the single gold coin out of his pocket—the same coin Arthur had thrown onto the sidewalk hours earlier.
"Arthur thought he was throwing me charity," Marcus said softly, holding the coin in front of Victor’s face. "He didn't realize this gold coin was minted in 1911 by our grandfather. It was the founding token of this entire bank. I placed it in Arthur’s safe three days ago, knowing his greed would compel him to carry it around."
Victor’s eyes widened in disbelief. "You... you tracked his movements through the coin?"
"A micro-GPS tracker and audio bug embedded in the metal," Marcus revealed with a slight, cold smile. "Every bribe Arthur took, every threat he made, and every command you gave him for the last seventy-two hours was recorded in high definition. Arthur didn't humiliate me today, Victor. He broadcasted your confession to the entire world."
Marcus placed the gold coin gently on Victor’s cheek. "Keep it. You're going to need it to buy protection where you're going."
As the federal officers dragged Victor and the corrupt board members away, screaming and cursing, the boardroom cleared out. Only Marcus and his brother Richard remained, standing amidst the shattered glass high above the city skyline.
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Richard looked at his older brother, his eyes filled with immense respect. "It's over, Marcus. You got your life back. You got the bank back."
Marcus looked out at the city lights below, his expression unreadable. "No, Richard," he murmured. "This was just the cleaning of the house. The real enemy hasn't even shown his face yet."
