Chapter 19 - CheckmateWe stepped out of the Mercedes in unison—Marco to my left, his weapon trained on the guards, and I walking dead center, holding the secure tactical case in my right hand.
The silver-haired man smiled, stepping forward with slow, deliberate arrogance.
“Adrien Moretti,” the man said smoothly, his voice carrying across the empty concrete dock. “I must admit, I underestimated you. Most men would have panicked and called the authorities. You brought yourself straight to the slaughter.”
“Cut the monologue,” I said, stopping ten feet away from him. My eyes locked onto his. “You wanted the encryption keys to your financial network. Here they are.”
I lifted the tactical case slightly.
The man’s eyes flicked to the case, a flash of greed crossing his cold features. “And the children?”
“The children are safe at the estate, under heavy guard,” I lied smoothly. “You want the keys? You walk away from my city, and you dissolve the Iron Crown’s contracts permanently. Right here. Right now.”
The silver-haired man laughed softly, shaking his head. “You really think you’re in a position to negotiate, Adrien? My men have your estate surrounded right now. We don't need to trade.”
“Are you sure about that?” I asked, my lips curving into a cold, humorless smile.
I reached down, tapped a single button on my encrypted wristwatch, and held it up.
Instantly, the secure terminal in my pocket relayed a high-frequency broadcast straight to the micro-SD card hidden inside Sophie’s doll back at the mansion—and simultaneously pinged every major financial institution in Geneva, Zurich, and New York.
Bzzzt.
The silver-haired man’s encrypted smartphone buzzed violently in his coat pocket. He pulled it out, glancing at the screen.
His face instantly drained of all color.
“What... what did you do?” he whispered, his aristocratic composure shattering in a single second.
“I just uploaded your entire master database to every international cyber-crime unit and Interpol mainframe on the planet,” I said, taking a slow step forward. “Your shell companies are frozen. Your accounts are being seized. And your name is currently at the top of every global most-wanted list.”
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The four mercenaries raised their rifles in panic, looking at their leader for an order.
“Kill him!” the silver-haired man screamed, his voice cracking with absolute rage. “Kill him now!”
