Chapter 14 - The Final Ledger
"You think you own our preferred shares, Viktor?" Maeve asked calmly, taking two measured steps forward while ignoring the muzzle flashes of the guns pointed at her. "You think buying fractional blocks through anonymous shell companies gives you leverage?"
Viktor laughed, a harsh, grating sound. "It gives me veto power over every major asset acquisition your board makes tomorrow morning! One signature from me, and Moretti Global goes into immediate Chapter 11 bankruptcy liquidation!"
Maeve pulled a sleek encrypted tablet from her coat and tapped the screen once. A blindingly bright satellite uplink beam projected a live financial feed against the side of a nearby shipping container.
"Check your primary Swiss holding account, Viktor," Maeve said quietly.
Viktor frowned, pulling a secure encrypted smartphone from his coat pocket. He swiped the screen, and his face instantly turned the color of ash. His knees buckled slightly, and he nearly dropped the device into a puddle.
"What... what is this?" Viktor stammered, his eyes darting frantically across the numbers. "The funds... they're gone! All of them! My entire offshore liquidity reserve—wiped clean!"
"You tried to route your capital through the exact same algorithmic vulnerabilities your brother Arthur used three months ago," Maeve explained, her voice as cold as the winter wind. "It took our forensic team precisely forty minutes to trace your digital footprints, penetrate your shell corporations, and legally forfeit every single cent to the federal asset-recovery fund as proceeds of international racketeering."
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Viktor let out a primal roar of absolute rage, raising his pistol directly at Maeve’s chest. "I’ll kill you! I’ll tear this entire empire down to ash and blood!"
He pulled the trigger.
