Chapter 6 - The Frozen Accounts
The grey paper felt cold between Elena's fingers. The bold red stamp across the bottom—*Asset Freeze Order #904*—seemed to mock the victory they had celebrated only hours before in the grand ballroom. Catherine Vance gripped the steering wheel, her knuckles turning white as she fought to regain her composure. The unmarked black van remained idling, its exhaust pipes rumbling a low, threatening note in the cool morning air. Veronica Sterling stood nearby, her earlier despair instantly replaced by a vindictive, triumphant grin as she watched the tide turn against her rivals.
"You thought you could just sweep us aside," Veronica sneered, walking closer to the driver's side window. "You forgot that big fish always have bigger fish behind them. Richard might be an idiot, but he knew who to crawl to when things went south."
Elena ignored Veronica, turning her sharp gaze toward her mother. "Mom, look at me. Is this real? Can an international holding freeze our operational accounts without a federal judge's signature?"
Catherine slowly exhaled, the executive armor settling back over her features, though a faint line of tension remained etched between her brows. "They didn't use a federal judge, Elena. They used a sovereign debt clause hidden in the original zoning laws of the financial district. Whoever holds that seal controls the entire downtown grid."
The man in the tactical jacket tipped his head slightly toward Catherine, a grim smile touching the corner of his mouth. "You have forty-eight hours to vacate your headquarters, Mrs. Vance. Same terms you gave the Sterlings. Irony has a wonderful sense of humor."
Before Elena could throw open the door and confront the operative, the side door of the van slammed shut with a heavy thud. The vehicle roared to life, kicking up gravel as it spun around the fountain and vanished down the private driveway just as quickly as it had appeared.
Richard Sterling, sensing his brief moment of leverage returning, puffed out his chest and walked toward the sedan with a smug swagger. "Looks like we'll be sharing a park bench after all, ladies. Unless, of course, we pool our remaining assets and negotiate with the new holders together."
"Shut up, Richard," Veronica snapped at her husband, unwilling to share her newfound sense of superiority even with him.
Elena turned to her mother, her jaw set with unwavering defiance. "We are not giving them our headquarters. Who signed that grey paper, Mom? Give me a name."
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Catherine looked at her daughter, a mixture of pride and deep apprehension in her blue eyes. "You don't want to know that name, Elena. Because once you say it out loud, there's no turning back."
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