Chapter 19 - The Collapse of the Spider
"What is this?" Victoria hissed, her voice finally losing its composure, her hand instinctively moving toward the discreet panic button beneath the armrest of the CEO chair.
"Dr. Sterling turned on you forty minutes ago, Victoria," Daniel said, his voice ringing with absolute authority. "He wasn't your loyal uncle. He was an FBI asset who has been tracking your illegal offshore transactions for five years. He didn't certify Margaret's dementia—he certified *your* illicit procurement of schedule-one sedatives used to poison my grandmother on her ninetieth birthday."
Margaret stepped forward, pointing an aged, unyielding finger at the two private security guards standing behind Victoria.
"Gentlemen," Margaret spoke, her tone cold enough to freeze water. "The private military company you work for is an indirect subsidiary of Vance Maritime. Your contracts are paid by my offshore account. If you do not disarm and step out of this room within five seconds, your pensions, your passports, and your freedom are forfeit."
The two operators looked at each other, didn't utter a word, unholstered their sidearms, laid them quietly on the side console, and walked out the double doors, letting them click shut behind them.
Victoria stood alone. The color drained completely from her face. Her hands began to shake, her pristine fingernails digging into the leather of the chair.
"You think you won?" Victoria laughed, a shrill, manic sound that bordered on madness. "You think locking me up ends this?! Julian isn't in a hospital, Daniel! He was moved last night! The moment Sterling was arrested, Julian’s strike team activated the final extraction protocol!"
Margaret’s eyes widened in sudden, horrifying comprehension. "Where did they take him, Victoria?"
Victoria sneered, tears of pure hatred pooling in her eyes. "Where it all began. The coastal estate. The cliffs. He's waiting for you, Margaret. And if you don't go to him... the entire eastern shoreline will burn."
Before Daniel could reach across the table to grab her, Victoria reached into her coat pocket, pulled out a small glass ampoule, and crushed it between her teeth.
"Victoria, no!" Daniel lunged over the table, catching her as her legs buckled.
A sharp smell of bitter almonds filled the air. Victoria convulsed violently in Daniel’s arms, her eyes rolling back into her head, foam spilling from between her scarlet lips. With her final, dying breath, she gripped Daniel’s lapel with supernatural strength, pulling his ear down to her mouth.
"He... never... loved... her..." she rattled, her voice a dying hiss. "...he only... wanted... you."
May you like
Victoria’s grip went limp. Her body fell heavily onto the boardroom table, her unblinking eyes staring into the ceiling lights.
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