Chapter 13 - Julian Examines The Hidden Envelopes Inside Maya's Wallet
Inside the private study, the heavy mahogany doors clicked shut, locking out the quiet hum of the penthouse. Julian sat behind his expansive desk, opening a secure encrypted laptop while reviewing financial reports from the Zurich banking network.
His phone buzzed beside the keyboard with an incoming encrypted message from an unknown overseas node. He swiped the screen open, reading a short, chilling warning text: “The Chicago debt was just a distraction, Julian; the real audit has only just begun.”
Julian’s dark eyes narrowed as he traced the digital ping back to a masked server farm in Switzerland. Someone was playing a much larger, more dangerous game, using Maya’s financial vulnerability as a pawn to test his defenses.
He opened the desk drawer and pulled out the worn leather wallet Maya had left on the kitchen counter earlier that morning. He flipped it open, sliding out the secret compartment behind her ID card where the final notice envelopes had been hidden.
He pulled the papers out one by one, examining the official letterheads and loan signatures under the harsh desk lamp. Most of them were cheap local fronts, but the primary holding company listed at the bottom caught his immediate attention.
Vance International Holdings — Zurich Branch. Julian’s jaw clenched so hard his teeth ached. Derek Vance had nothing to do with this specific shell, but the name on the corporate paper belonged to an old rival he thought he had buried years ago.
The doorbell chimed softly through the intercom system, breaking the intense focus of the study. Julian tossed the wallet back into the drawer and tapped his desktop communicator to check the lobby security feed.
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A delivery courier stood outside the private elevator doors holding a heavy black metal briefcase stamped with an international legal seal. Julian pressed the remote release button, unlocking the elevator doors from his terminal.
Within seconds, the heavy footsteps of a trusted courier echoed down the private hallway before knocking twice on the study door. Julian stood up and opened it, accepting the cold metal case with a silent nod of acknowledgment.
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