Chapter 19 - The Sovereign's Offer
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I slowly pushed myself up off the floor, dusting off my coat, keeping my hand hidden near my pocket where the hourglass drive was stowed.
"Who are you?" I demanded, standing tall despite the ringing in my ears.
"You may call me Lady Genevieve," the blonde woman replied, casually examining her manicured nails. "I am a senior director of The Sovereign. Your father was a nuisance, Victoria. He spent decades hiding what rightfully belonged to the global elite."
"My father protected the world from monsters like you," I spat.
Genevieve chuckled softly, a sound as cold as the Vermont winter outside. "The world is run by monsters, my dear child. Your father was just a fool who thought he could play god with a computer drive."
She extended her hand toward me, her silver pistol remaining steady aimed at my heart.
"Hand over the Aegis drive, Victoria," Genevieve offered smoothly. "Do it, and I will allow you to walk away. You can keep your billions, your estates, and your Vance Enterprises. You can live out the rest of your life in luxury and peace."
"And if I refuse?"
Genevieve’s smile vanished, her eyes turning into cold slits of ice. "If you refuse, I will kill you, I will kill Salvatore, and I will burn your company to ashes before the sun sets today."
I looked at Sal lying on the floor under the guard's boot. He looked up at me, shaking his head slightly, silently telling me not to give in.
I reached into my pocket and slowly pulled out the pulsing hourglass drive, holding it up between us in the dim light of the vault.
May you like
Genevieve’s eyes gleamed with intense greed. "Wise choice, Victoria."
"My father taught me many things, Genevieve," I said softly, my thumb hovering over a tiny red button on the side of the drive. "But the most important lesson he taught me... was never to make a deal with a snake."
