Chapter 18 - The Crumbling Empire.The penthouse suite was a sprawling masterpiece of white marble, gold fixtures, and panoramic views of the city skyline.
Alexander Haynes sat at a massive mahogany desk, screaming frantically into a secure satellite phone.
"What do you mean the accounts are frozen?" Alexander bellowed, his face purple with rage.
Victoria stood nearby, frantically stuffing velvet boxes of diamonds and bearer bonds into a leather duffel bag.
"The Caymans are gone, the Swiss accounts are drained, the shell companies are being seized by Interpol!" Alexander yelled, throwing the phone against the wall.
"We have to leave, right now," Victoria panicked, zipping the heavy bag shut.
"The chopper is waiting on the roof, we can be in international airspace in twenty minutes."
"Nobody is going anywhere," a cold, dead voice echoed from the foyer.
Alexander and Victoria froze, turning slowly to see Ethan Caldwell standing in the doorway.
He was covered in blood, soaking wet, and holding a Glock 19 aimed directly at Alexander's head.
"Ethan," Victoria gasped, dropping the duffel bag in shock.
"You're supposed to be dead."
"I am notoriously hard to kill, Victoria," Ethan sneered, limping into the center of the room.
"You destroyed everything!" Alexander roared, reaching toward a drawer in his desk.
Ethan fired a single warning shot, shattering a multi-million-dollar Ming vase inches from Alexander's hand.
"Keep your hands on the desk, Alexander, or the next bullet goes through your eye," Ethan commanded.
The sound of police sirens began to wail from the streets far below, growing steadily louder by the second.
"Do you hear that?" Ethan asked, his gray-green eyes filled with cold satisfaction.
"That is the sound of the FBI, the DEA, and Interpol arriving to dismantle the last remnants of your pathetic syndicate."
Victoria’s beautiful face contorted into an ugly mask of pure, unadulterated hatred.
"You threw away a kingdom for a maid and a bastard child!" she shrieked.
"That child is my daughter," Ethan growled, his finger tightening on the trigger.
May you like
"And she is worth more than every blood-stained dollar in this room."
Suddenly, the heavy steel doors of the private elevator dinged, signaling the arrival of a tactical SWAT team breaching the lobby below.
