Chapter 7 - ARCHIVES OF DECEIT
The heavy steel doors of the underground central archive stood before them.
It was hidden three levels beneath the main ballroom, tucked behind an old boiler room.
This was where the Vance Syndicate kept its physical paper trails.
The dirtiest secrets of Europe's top elite were cataloged in fireproof steel boxes.
Elena slid a stolen security keycard through the reader.
The door unlatched with a heavy pneumatic hiss.
The room inside was freezing, smelling heavily of paper, dust, and ozone.
Row upon row of floor-to-ceiling metal shelves filled the dark space.
Sofia walked behind Elena, her shoulders hunched, staring at the floor in shock.
Her entire worldview had been shattered in less than an hour.
"Why are we in here?" Sofia asked quietly, her voice hoarse.
"If my father is coming to the main vault, shouldn't we be waiting for him?"
"Your father isn't coming to the vault alone, Sofia," Elena said, pulling out a heavy metal ledger from a lower shelf.
"He's bringing a full tactical squad."
"He knows you're lying."
Sofia gasped, backing up a step.
"He... he knows?"
"A father like Arthur Sterling doesn't care about his daughter's voice," Elena explained while flipping rapidly through yellowed pages.
"He checked the internal security feed the moment you called."
"He saw Viktor's body in the elevator."
"He's using the vault as a trap for us."
Elena stopped on a specific page stamped with red ink: OPERATION WINTERFALL.
She held her flashlight over the document.
Sofia leaned closer, unable to resist looking.
Her eyes scanned the typed text at the top of the page.
Subject: Marcus Vance / Arthur Sterling Co-Ownership Agreement.
Date: October 14, 2023.
Sofia’s blood ran cold as she read the lower paragraphs.
“In the event of the elimination of Elena Vance, total executive power of the Vance Syndicate will be transferred to Arthur Sterling...”
“...upon presentation of the original Pink Emperor Diamond.”
Underneath the text were two signatures.
One belonged to her father, Arthur Sterling.
The second signature belonged to Marcus Vance.
The signature was dated three weeks ago.
Not three years ago.
Elena’s hand tightened on the paper so hard it tore.
Marcus wasn't dead.
He had never been dead.
He had faked his own death in the Swiss Alps to operate in the shadows.
He had been working with Arthur Sterling all along to slowly strip Elena’s power.
They had orchestrated the fake ring swap together.
Elena had been a puppet leading a ghost empire.
"He's alive..." Elena whispered, her voice dropping an octave into pure ice.
"My own brother sold me out to your father."
"I'm... I'm so sorry, Elena," Sofia stammered, feeling a strange wave of sympathy for the terrifying woman before her.
"Don't be sorry," Elena snapped, slamming the heavy ledger shut.
"Be ready."
Suddenly, the red lights inside the archive room flashed twice.
The heavy steel door behind them slowly began to slide shut on its automated tracks.
CLANG!
The lock engaged with a loud double-clack.
Over the overhead speaker system, a smooth, refined voice filled the small room.
It was Arthur Sterling.
"I must admit, Elena, you are far more resourceful than your father ever was," Arthur’s voice echoed through the speaker.
"Finding the Winterfall file so quickly... impressive."
"Father!" Sofia shrieked, running to the speaker on the wall.
"Daddy! I'm in here! Open the door!"
"Be quiet, Sofia," Arthur’s voice snapped, completely devoid of affection.
"You've been a disappointment your entire life."
"Whining about dresses, wasting my money, embarrassments at every gala."
"You couldn't even die quietly in the garage like you were supposed to."
Sofia felt as if a physical blade had been driven into her chest.
Tears streamed down her face, but no sound came out of her mouth.
"Arthur," Elena said calmly, stepping toward the center of the room.
"You really think a steel door can hold me?"
"No," Arthur chuckled coldly over the speaker.
"The door won't hold you."
"The thermite charges attached to the support beams will."
"In ninety seconds, this room reaches four thousand degrees."
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"You and my useless daughter will be reduced to ash."
"And the board will finally belong to me."
