Chapter 28 - THE VAULT BENEATH THE ESTATE
Late that evening, Ethan descended the private elevator into the subterranean vault hidden beneath his study.
The vault contained high-tech communications equipment and secure servers linked directly to global intelligence networks.
Ethan opened a steel safe containing documents left behind by his late father, Marcus Vance.
Among the papers was a handwritten journal detailing Marcus's early warnings about the Sovereign Circle twenty years ago.
"If you are reading this, Ethan, it means they have returned to claim what we built," his father's entry read.
"They use domestic proxies like the Montgomerys to weaken targets before launching their primary assault," the note continued.
Ethan realized with absolute clarity that Eleanor's original attack at the gala was merely the first move in a massive chess game.
His father had spent years preparing countermeasures, embedding hidden legal triggers inside Vance Global's charter.
Ethan smiled grimly, feeling his father's wisdom guiding him across the decades to protect their heritage.
May you like
He downloaded the hidden legal triggers onto a satellite flash drive, ready to deploy them at a moment's notice.
***
