Chapter 18 - A Mother’s Legacy
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I walked up the carpeted stairs to the private VIP suite, accompanied by Natalie and two security detail members.
Inside the dimly lit lounge, a tall man in a tailored black suit stood near the floor-to-ceiling window, looking out over the illuminated Boston skyline. He turned around as I entered. He was an older gentleman with a neatly trimmed silver beard and piercing icy eyes—Julian Cross, the senior director of the European Apex Syndicate.
"Director Maya Vance," Julian said, bowing his head respectfully. "It is an honor to finally meet the woman who conquered Wall Street in a single season."
"Mr. Cross," I said, keeping my posture guarded. "I assumed my grandfather handled all syndicate matters from Geneva."
Julian smiled softly, reaching into his inner coat pocket. He pulled out a small velvet box and placed it on the mahogany glass table between us.
"Your grandfather passed away peacefully in his sleep two nights ago, Maya," Julian revealed quietly.
I caught my breath, a wave of shock washing over me. "What?"
"He waited until he saw you successfully claim your throne," Julian explained softly. "Before he died, he instructed me to hand this directly to you."
I walked over to the table and slowly opened the velvet box.
May you like
Inside rested the original gold signet ring of the Vance Syndicate—and beside it, a modern encrypted satellite flip phone, identical to the one my mother had kept in her kitchen drawer.
"Your mother protected you from the dark side of our world for twenty years," Julian said. "But now, the global council requires a supreme leader. The signet ring carries full voting power over seven billion dollars in international assets."
