Chapter 19 - THE ZERO HOUR
The sky over Zurich was heavy with white, blinding snow.
The Vance Syndicate’s private alpine estate sat perched on the edge of a jagged granite cliff, three thousand meters above sea level.
Beneath the estate lay the Sub-Zero Vault.
This was where the actual physical wealth of the family was stored—gold bullion, bearer bonds, and ancient sovereign deeds.
It was protected by five-foot-thick titanium doors that could only be opened by two matching keys.
Key One: The biometric print of the current Sovereign.
Key Two: The physical Pink Emperor Diamond.
A high-speed private jet cut through the thick snow clouds, its landing gear locking into place as it touched down on the private icy runway.
The door of the jet opened.
Sofia stepped out onto the freezing tarmac.
She wasn't wearing her grey business suit anymore.
She wore a long, regal white fur coat over a black leather combat suit.
She walked with supreme, absolute authority.
Behind her stepped out six heavily armed men clad in white winter camouflage.
Standing near the vault entrance was Marcus Vance.
He wasn't in prison.
His face was bruised and bandaged from his fight on the balcony, but he was dressed in an expensive winter coat, sipping warm brandy from a silver flask.
As Sofia approached, Marcus lowered his flask and bowed his head slightly in respect.
"You took your time, my lady," Marcus said, his gravelly voice filled with genuine deference.
Sofia walked past him without stopping, her heels crunching on the hard ice.
"Elena is smarter than you thought, uncle," Sofia said coldly.
"She figured out the phone routing faster than expected."
"She knows I'm not Arthur's daughter."
"And she knows I'm the one who founded Winterfall."
Marcus chuckled darkly, following her down the concrete steps toward the subterranean vault doors.
"It doesn't matter what she knows now," Marcus said.
"She gave you the key."
"She gave you total access to the network when she signed those transfer documents this morning."
They reached the massive titanium vault door.
The biometric screen glowed blue in the freezing subterranean air.
Sofia stepped up to the scanner.
She raised her hand.
On her finger sat a replica of the pink diamond.
She didn't need the real stone.
She had the cryptographic master override code that she had stolen from Elena’s desktop while pouring the vodka three hours ago.
She entered the twenty-four-digit code into the digital keypad.
BEEP... BEEP... BEEP.
The massive titanium lock gear began to turn with a deep, echoing groan.
CLANK! CLANG! CLANG!
The four-ton steel door slowly swung open, revealing the glittering mountain of gold and documents inside.
"Three hundred years of Vance wealth," Marcus whispered, his eyes wide with pure, unadulterated greed.
"All ours."
Sofia stepped into the gold-filled room, picking up a heavy gold bar from the central pallet.
"Not ours, Marcus," Sofia corrected him smoothly, turning her head toward him.
"Mine."
Before Marcus could react, Sofia raised a small, compact pistol from her fur coat sleeve and pulled the trigger.
THWIP!
The bullet caught Marcus directly in the forehead.
He dropped onto the pile of gold bars without making a sound, his eyes wide in sudden betrayal.
Sofia didn't even look at his corpse.
She turned to her white-camouflaged mercenaries.
"Set the charges on the vault walls," Sofia ordered.
"We take the bearer bonds and blow the rest of the mountain."
"When Elena arrives, she will find nothing but rubble and blood."
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Suddenly, a calm, familiar voice echoed from the dark elevator shaft behind them.
"You really never learn, do you, Sofia?"
