Chapter 59 - The Voice on the Wire
A sharp, rhythmic beep broke the silence.
Marcus stepped out of the bedroom, his face grim. He held up the ruggedized satellite terminal from the Pelican case.
"The decryption sequence finished," Marcus said quietly. "The Sovereign Ledger is unlocked. But there's an incoming transmission routed through a secure military relay in Geneva."
Dante struggled to his feet, leaning on my arm as we walked to the rough-hewn table. Marcus pressed the speakerphone icon.
The static hissed for three long seconds. Then, an aristocratic, terrifyingly composed female voice filled the cabin.
"You always were remarkably difficult to kill, Dante."
Dante’s breath caught in his throat. His fingers dug so hard into the pine table that his knuckles turned paper-white.
"Mother," he choked out.
A cold, melodious chuckle echoed through the speaker. "Did you truly believe that pathetic old fool could maintain an empire of this magnitude without my guidance? Your father was an arrogant brute. I used his greed to keep you safe from the real wolves until you were old enough to inherit."
"You tried to murder my son tonight!" Dante roared, his voice cracking with volcanic rage.
"I tried to extract the asset," Elena replied coolly. "Mateo possesses the primary cryptographic sequence to the family’s global holdings. Your father foolishly bound ninety billion dollars of private equity to the boy's genetic markers. Victoria was sloppy. She was meant to harvest the sample and dispose of you quietly."
"You won't touch him," I leaned toward the microphone, my voice dropping into a deadly, unyielding whisper that made Marcus glance up in respect. "I don't care what army you have, Elena. You come near my son again, and I will burn your precious ledger to the ground and dance in the ashes."
A long pause hung over the line. When Elena spoke again, the amused condescension was gone, replaced by razor-sharp intrigue.
"Ah. The little ER nurse from the south side. Dante always did have an eye for women who could survive a wolf pack. But tell me, Laura... have you checked the medical records Marcus pulled from the Spire's private server?"
My stomach plunged. "What are you talking about?"
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"Ask Dante about the night Mateo was conceived," Elena said, her voice dripping like sweet poison. "Ask him who really signed the donor authorization form in Zurich."
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