Chapter 40 - The Swiss Ultimatum
The alpine air of Zurich was biting, smelling of frost and impending winter snow, but the atmosphere inside the private subterranean boardroom of the private bank was entirely sub-zero.
Across the bulletproof glass table sat Viktor Sterling Jr.—not the bumbling rogue broker of the past, but a calculating, ice-cold operative who had inherited the remnants of the fallen Vesper syndicate's European holdings. Flanking him were three Swiss corporate attorneys whose faces were as expressionless as granite monuments.
Katherine Vance sat to my left, her posture rigidly defensive, though her green eyes burned with a furious, vindicated fire. She had spent the entire transatlantic flight proving her innocence, and now, standing in the heart of Zurich’s financial district, she was ready for blood.
"You thought you could buy your way out of history with an executive board seat, Katherine," Viktor sneered, swirling a glass of amber cognac with slow, deliberate arrogance. "The Vance bloodline was bound to our syndicate before Arthur Hale ever laid a brick in Chicago. Those accounts aren't yours to keep. They belong to the new world order."
"My grandfather cut ties with your syndicate before the ink on the Drake Hotel deeds was even dry," Katherine fired back, her voice ringing with razor-sharp authority. "I am a litigator of the New York Bar, Viktor. I don't negotiate with international extortionists."
"Then you'll enjoy watching your firm, your reputation, and your foundational equity block burn to ash," Viktor replied, snapping his fingers. One of his Swiss attorneys slid a thick dossier across the polished wood. "Sign over your voting rights in Hale International, or we release the forged wire transcripts that prove you orchestrated the cyber-breach from within."
I didn't flinch. I didn't even look at the dossier. Instead, I slowly slid my coffee cup across the table, leaning forward until my gaze locked onto Viktor's smug face with terrifying calmness.
"Viktor," I whispered softly, the silence of the room instantly dropping ten degrees. "Did you really think we flew all the way to Switzerland without checking your bank accounts first?"
Viktor’s smirk faltered for a fraction of a second.
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At that exact moment, the heavy oak doors of the boardroom blew wide open. Lucas strode in, flanked by two armed international security directors and a high-ranking Interpol financial crimes investigator.
"Every single shell account linked to Aegis Prime has just been frozen by order of the Swiss Federal Banking Commission," Lucas announced, slamming a certified digital warrant onto the table right in front of Viktor’s glass. "Your syndicate assets are locked, your proxy servers are seized, and your little Swiss holiday is officially over."
