Chapter 6: The Airport Trap
Chapter 6: The Airport Trap
Daniel's words hung in the air like a thunderclap.
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"Victoria has emptied every account connected to the Sterling Family Trust."
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"And she's preparing to leave the country."
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Alexander stood motionless.
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For years, his mother had always preached one lesson.
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"Never run from your mistakes."
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Now she was doing exactly that.
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"How much did she transfer?"
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Daniel glanced at the report on his phone.
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"Approximately one hundred forty-eight million dollars."
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Margaret gasped.
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"My God..."
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Alexander's expression remained unreadable.
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"Destination?"
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"The Cayman Islands."
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"Several shell corporations."
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"The transfers began less than forty minutes ago."
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Alexander nodded once.
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"Freeze every account."
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Daniel hesitated.
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"We can freeze the domestic accounts."
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"But once the offshore transfers are completed—"
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Alexander interrupted him.
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"They won't be."
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He pulled out his phone.
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There was only one person with the authority to stop international transfers that quickly.
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"Get me Evelyn Brooks."
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Ten minutes later.
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Alexander's limousine raced toward Sterling Tower.
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Rain hammered against the windshield.
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Daniel worked nonstop beside him.
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"Our cybersecurity team has confirmed unauthorized access to the family investment accounts."
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"The transactions were approved using biometric verification."
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Alexander looked at him.
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"My mother's fingerprints."
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Daniel nodded.
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"Yes."
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Alexander gave a cold smile.
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"She finally became impatient."
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Across town.
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Victoria Sterling entered the VIP terminal of Westbridge International Airport.
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She wore a cream-colored designer suit.
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Large sunglasses hid most of her face.
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Her platinum luggage rolled smoothly across the polished marble floor.
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Anyone watching would assume she was leaving on another luxurious vacation.
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She approached the private aviation counter.
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"My jet should already be prepared."
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The receptionist smiled politely.
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"Yes, Mrs. Sterling."
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"Departure is scheduled in thirty-five minutes."
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Victoria checked her watch.
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Perfect.
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By the time Alexander discovered the missing money...
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She would already be outside American jurisdiction.
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She smiled to herself.
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Alexander had inherited his father's intelligence.
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But he had also inherited his father's weakness.
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He still believed people could change.
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Victoria never had.
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Back at Sterling Tower.
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The executive boardroom had transformed into a command center.
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Financial analysts.
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Cybersecurity specialists.
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Corporate attorneys.
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Federal banking consultants.
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Everyone worked in complete silence.
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Alexander entered.
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Every person immediately stood.
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"Sit."
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No one wasted another second.
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Evelyn Brooks, the Sterling Group's chief legal officer, placed several documents on the conference table.
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"The emergency injunction is ready."
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Alexander skimmed the paperwork.
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"How long?"
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"If the federal judge signs immediately..."
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"...we can suspend every international transfer."
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Alexander nodded.
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"File it."
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Evelyn didn't move.
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Instead, she looked directly at him.
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"Alexander."
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"This isn't just financial fraud anymore."
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"This is organized criminal activity."
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He knew.
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Forgery.
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Identity theft.
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Wire fraud.
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Money laundering.
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Witness intimidation.
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Obstruction of justice.
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The list kept growing.
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The woman responsible happened to be his own mother.
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Meanwhile.
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Emily sat quietly inside the apartment.
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Sophia colored pictures on the living room floor using broken crayons.
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Emily smiled softly as her daughter drew three stick figures holding hands.
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"Who's this?"
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Sophia pointed proudly.
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"That's Daddy."
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"And Mommy."
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"And me."
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Emily's smile faded.
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"You still believe we'll all live together?"
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Sophia looked surprised.
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"We already do."
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Emily blinked.
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"What do you mean?"
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Sophia giggled.
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"Daddy came back."
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"Families stay together."
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Children always found hope where adults only saw scars.
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Emily wished life were that simple.
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Her phone suddenly vibrated.
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Unknown number.
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She almost ignored it.
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Then answered.
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"Hello?"
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Silence.
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Then a familiar voice.
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"You should have stayed hidden."
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Emily's heart stopped.
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Victoria.
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"I warned you years ago."
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Emily gripped the phone tightly.
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"What do you want?"
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"I want you to disappear."
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"For good."
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Emily remained silent.
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Victoria laughed quietly.
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"You really think Alexander will choose you over his family empire?"
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"You never understood him."
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Emily answered calmly.
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"No."
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"I never understood you."
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Victoria's voice turned icy.
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"You've already ruined enough."
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"If you don't leave..."
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"...your daughter will suffer for it."
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The line went dead.
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Emily stared at the phone.
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Her hands trembled.
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Not because of the threat.
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Because Victoria had threatened Sophia.
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Again.
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At Westbridge International Airport.
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Victoria entered the private lounge.
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A flight attendant greeted her warmly.
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"Good afternoon, Mrs. Sterling."
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"The aircraft is fully prepared."
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Victoria smiled.
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"Excellent."
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She accepted a glass of champagne.
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For the first time in days...
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She relaxed.
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She believed she had won.
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Then every television inside the lounge suddenly switched channels.
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Breaking News.
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A live press conference.
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The reporter spoke rapidly.
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"Federal authorities have issued an emergency financial injunction involving Sterling Global Holdings."
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Victoria slowly lowered her champagne glass.
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The reporter continued.
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"Sources confirm that nearly one hundred fifty million dollars in international transfers have been frozen pending a criminal investigation."
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Victoria's face turned white.
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Her phone immediately rang.
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She answered.
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"What happened?"
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Her financial adviser sounded panicked.
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"They froze everything."
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"Every transfer."
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"Every account."
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"How?"
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"The order came directly from a federal judge."
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Victoria's breathing became uneven.
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"No."
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"That's impossible."
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"There wasn't enough time."
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"There was."
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"The request came from Alexander Sterling himself."
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The call disconnected.
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Victoria stood frozen.
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Then she heard another voice behind her.
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"Mrs. Sterling?"
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She turned.
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Two federal agents stood only a few feet away.
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Each displayed an official badge.
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"Yes?"
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"Would you please come with us?"
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Victoria forced a smile.
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"Is there a problem?"
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One agent opened a folder.
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"At this time..."
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"...you are not under arrest."
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"But you are prohibited from leaving the United States pending an ongoing criminal investigation."
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Victoria's fingers tightened around the handle of her suitcase.
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"You can't stop me."
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The senior agent calmly handed her a court order.
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"We already have."
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Across the city.
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Alexander looked out the conference room window as the rain finally began to clear.
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Daniel received a text message.
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He smiled for the first time all day.
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"They stopped her."
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Alexander slowly closed his eyes.
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"No."
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"They only delayed her."
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He turned back toward the conference table.
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"This isn't over."
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"Now..."
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"We expose every lie."
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Neither man realized that hidden inside Victoria's designer handbag was a small encrypted flash drive.
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May you like
And that flash drive contained a secret capable of destroying the entire Sterling family forever.
End of Chapter 6
