Chapter 13 - DESCENT INTO GENEVAThe private Monteverde jet touched down on the tarmac of Geneva International Airport under a heavy, slate-gray sky. The air was biting cold, carrying the sharp scent of alpine snow.
They weren't traveling as targets anymore; they were traveling as an army. Two security details, headed by Marcus and a team of international protection specialists, flanked the armored black Mercedes waiting on the runway.
Elena held Gabriel tightly against her chest inside a warm woolen carrier, looking out the tinted window as the sleek, modern architecture of the city melted into ancient, cobblestone streets lined with imposing stone mansions.
"The tribunal is meeting at the Villa Valais, an estate overlooking Lake Geneva," Alejandro explained, reviewing a tablet filled with encrypted security schematics. "It’s heavily fortified. They’ve granted us safe passage for the hearing, but once we step inside that boardroom, we’ll be completely cut off from external comms due to signal-jamming architecture."
"Then we don't rely on technology," Elena said quietly, her hand resting over Alejandro’s clenched fist on the console. "We rely on each other."
When the convoy pulled through the wrought-iron gates of Villa Valais, the atmosphere was suffocatingly formal. Men in tailored European suits and severe expressions stood on the grand marble steps, watching their arrival with cold, calculating detachment.
May you like
As Alejandro helped Elena out of the vehicle, a tall, silver-haired man stepped forward. His name was Director Vance—not the administrator from St. Jude’s, but his older, far more dangerous cousin, Arthur Vance, the head of the Geneva Council.
"Welcome to Geneva, Mr. Monteverde, and Miss Ruiz," Arthur said, his voice smooth as polished glass. "We appreciate your prompt compliance. Now, if you’ll surrender the child to the preliminary medical examiners, we can begin the tribunal."
