Chapter 10 - The Blockchain Trap
The temperature in the boardroom seemed to drop ten degrees instantly. Viktor Vance’s polished composure cracked, his jaw tightening as he stared at the small silver drive resting on the glass table.
"You're bluffing," Viktor said, though his voice lacked its previous absolute confidence.
"Am I?" Rebecca replied smoothly, tapping the surface of the drive with a manicured nail. "Your syndicate relies on decentralized blockchain routing to launder capital across European shell companies. Julian wasn't your debtor, Viktor. He was your primary node in North America."
Arthur Sterling watched the exchange with a mixture of shock and profound pride. He had underestimated his daughter's depth; while he and Julian had been fighting over corporate scraps, Rebecca had quietly mapped the entire criminal underworld feeding off the edges of Sterling Global.
Viktor took a slow step forward, his hand drifting dangerously close to the tactical holster beneath his suit jacket. The two armed guards by the door shifted their weight, their boots squeaking against the floorboards.
"If that ledger goes to the international banking committee," Viktor hissed, his voice dropping into a lethal whisper, "your company won't just face bankruptcy. Every single vessel in your fleet will be impounded by Interpol before breakfast, and your father won't live long enough to see the sunrise."
Before Viktor could draw his weapon, the heavy boardroom doors flew open behind him with a loud crash. Agent Miller stood in the doorway, flanked by a dozen federal tactical officers with assault rifles raised and aimed directly at Viktor and his guards.
"Drop your weapons! Federal agents!" Miller shouted, his voice echoing off the vaulted ceiling.
Viktor’s guards froze, looking back and forth between their boss and the wall of barrels pointed at their chests. Viktor slowly pulled his hand away from his holster, raising both palms into the air with a dark, mocking grin plastered across his face.
"You think a few federal agents can touch us, Miss Sterling?" Viktor sneered, not looking at Miller, but keeping his eyes locked entirely on Rebecca. "My syndicate doesn't operate in the courtroom. We operate in the dark. And when the lights go out permanently, you'll find out just how fragile your little empire really is."
"The lights aren't going out, Viktor," Rebecca said, stepping around the table and picking up the blockchain drive. "Because the moment you step out of this building, your entire network is being broadcast to every financial regulator on the planet."
Agent Miller stepped forward, clamping heavy steel handcuffs around Viktor’s wrists with practiced efficiency. As the guards were disarmed and pushed toward the exit, Viktor was dragged backward out of the room, his laughter echoing down the hallway like a chilling omen.
Silence descended upon the boardroom once again. Arthur Sterling sank back into his chair, letting out a long, shuddering breath that sounded like a lifetime of accumulated weight finally leaving his chest.
"It's over," Arthur whispered, looking up at his daughter with misty eyes. "We survived."
Rebecca didn't smile. She turned back toward the window, watching the rain finally begin to clear over the Manhattan skyline as dawn broke in a brilliant streak of gold and crimson.
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"No, Father," Rebecca said quietly, staring at her own reflection in the glass. "It hasn't even started yet."
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