Chapter 3 - The Blueprint of BetrayalThe basement of the east house was not a wine cellar or a storage room. It was a makeshift interrogation and holding facility, outfitted with soundproofing panels bolted directly into the vintage brick walls.
At the center of the room stood a metal table illuminated by a single overhead pendant lamp.
Spread across the table were blueprints—not of the Hamptons estate, but of Viktor’s primary stronghold in Manhattan and his private airstrip in Zurich. Next to the blueprints sat a laptop running an encrypted satellite uplink, its screen casting an eerie green glow across the room.
Rachel pointed a trembling finger at the screen. "Look at the destination coordinates."
Viktor stepped forward, his eyes scanning the data lines. The flight plan was logged for 6 a.m. tomorrow morning. A private Gulfstream G650 registered under a shell corporation owned by Elena Vance. The cargo manifest listed industrial chemicals, firearms with filed-off serial numbers, and a single passenger designation: Viktor Kovac (Deceased - Estate Transfer Pending).
"She wasn't just planning to kill you," Rachel whispered, stepping into the dim light of the basement. "She was planning to inherit your entire portfolio by noon tomorrow, backed by the Chicago commission."
Viktor’s jaw clenched so hard a muscle ticked in his cheek. The betrayal cut deeper than a knife because of its precision. Elena had spent eighteen months cultivating this image of sweet, devoted compliance. She had played the grieving fiancée when his brother died. She had stood beside him at galas, draped in silk and diamonds, whispering words of loyalty.
And all the while, she had been selling his logistics network to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Russian Bratva splinter faction simultaneously.
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"How long have you known?" Viktor asked, his voice chillingly calm.
"Long enough to know that if I went to your head of security, I’d be sleeping in the Atlantic tonight," Rachel replied, turning to face him fully. "Because your head of security, Marcus, is on her payroll."
