Everyone mocked the maid until the groom knelt down in front of her.

The victory, however, was violently short-lived.

As Vivian and Maya exited the Aegis building, stepping onto the bustling New York sidewalk, the atmosphere shifted. The hair on the back of Vivian's neck stood up. The street, usually choked with yellow cabs and pedestrians, was eerily empty of traffic.

"Marcus," Maya said, her voice dropping to a dangerous register. "Something is wrong."

Before Marcus could draw his weapon, three black, unmarked vans screeched around the corner, jumping the curb and completely blocking the Maybach. The side doors slid open, and a dozen heavily armed men in tactical gear poured out. They weren't police. They carried military-grade assault rifles and moved with terrifying precision.

"Get down!" Marcus roared, shoving Maya and Vivian behind the thick concrete pillars of the vault’s entrance.

Gunfire erupted. The deafening roar of automatic weapons shattered the afternoon calm, tearing into the armored plating of the Maybach. Screams echoed down the street as civilians scrambled for cover.

"Victoria," Maya hissed, pulling a sleek, compact Glock from her designer handbag. "She tracked us."

"She wants the encryption key!" Vivian yelled over the deafening sound of bullets ricocheting off the marble facade. "If she gets those funds, she can buy enough voting shares to overthrow your grandmother!"

Marcus returned fire, dropping one of the tactical mercenaries, but they were hopelessly outgunned. "Miss Sterling! We need to move to the secondary extraction point! Now!"

Maya looked at Vivian, her eyes burning with adrenaline. "Can you run in those heels?"

"Watch me," Vivian snarled.

They sprinted down an adjacent alleyway, the sounds of pursuit echoing behind them. Trash cans exploded in showers of plastic and debris as stray bullets chased them into the shadows. Vivian’s heart hammered against her ribs, her lungs burning, but she didn't slow down. She wasn't the weak, crying girl who scrubbed floors anymore.

They burst into a deserted underground parking garage. The fluorescent lights flickered ominously.

Suddenly, a black Range Rover peeled around a concrete pillar, its high beams blinding them. The SUV slammed on the brakes, blocking their path. The back door opened, and Victoria Sterling stepped out. She wore a pristine white trench coat, entirely unfazed by the violence erupting blocks away.

"Going somewhere, nieces?" Victoria purred, a silencer-equipped pistol casually resting in her gloved hand. Two mercenaries flanked her.

Maya pushed Vivian behind her, raising her own weapon. "You're getting sloppy, Aunt Victoria. Shooting up the Diamond District in broad daylight? The feds will have your head on a spike."

"By the time the feds figure out what happened, I will be the majority shareholder of Sterling International, and my lawyers will write the official report," Victoria smiled wickedly. "Hand over Arthur Kensington's pocket watch, Maya. I know you have it. My moles inside Aegis alerted me the moment Vivian accessed the vault."

"Over my dead body," Maya spat.

"That can easily be arranged," Victoria sighed, raising her pistol.

Vivian’s mind raced. They were trapped. Maya was ruthless, but she couldn't outshoot three armed professionals. Vivian looked at the heavy Saint Laurent bag on her shoulder. She looked at the shadows. She looked at Victoria's smug, aristocratic face.

Adapt to the game, Maya had told her.

"Wait!" Vivian screamed, stepping out from behind Maya. She reached into her blazer pocket and pulled out the platinum pocket watch. It caught the dim fluorescent light, glittering like a beacon.

"Vivian, don't!" Maya yelled, her eyes wide with shock.

"I'm sorry, Maya," Vivian said, her voice shaking with perfectly feigned terror. She looked at Victoria. "If I give this to you, will you let me go? You promised me freedom in the wine cellar. You promised me five million dollars and a flight to Geneva. I still want that deal!"

Victoria’s cruel smile widened. "I always knew you were a pragmatic little rat, Vivian. Toss it to me, and you can walk away."

Vivian raised her arm and hurled the watch across the concrete floor. It clattered and slid, stopping right at Victoria’s pristine white boots.

Victoria chuckled, bending down to pick up the prize. She turned the watch over, her eyes scanning the engraved alphanumeric sequence.

"Fascinating," Victoria whispered. "Three hundred million dollars in the palm of my hand. Kill them both."

"Wait!" Vivian shouted, her voice suddenly losing all its tremor, replaced by a dark, triumphant mockery. "Before you shoot us, Victoria, you might want to look closer at the engraving."

Victoria frowned, squinting at the back of the watch.

"My father was paranoid, but he wasn't stupid," Vivian said, stepping forward, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Maya. "The watch in your hand belongs to my grandfather. The engraving on the back isn't a crypto seed phrase. It's a Bible verse. Proverbs 16:18. Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall."

Victoria’s face drained of color.

"The real seed phrase was engraved on the inside of the music box lid," Vivian smiled, tapping her temple. "I memorized it the second I opened it, right before I handed the useless watch to Maya. There is no physical key, Victoria. The key is in my head. And if you kill me, the money is lost forever."

Before Victoria could react, the screech of tires echoed through the garage. Three massive armored Wraith SUVs smashed through the security gates, surrounding Victoria’s Range Rover. A dozen Sterling security operatives poured out, weapons drawn, laser sights instantly painting Victoria’s chest in red dots.