Chapter 38
CHAPTER 38 — EXILE IN MONTAUK
A month passed in total, agonizing silence.
The world thought the Whitmore family was dead, swallowed by the massive explosion that destroyed Fort Preble. The media had shifted its focus to other corporate scandals, leaving the "criminal Whitmore dynasty" as a historical footnote.
Claire, Alexander, and Lily were living in a small, weathered fishing cabin at the isolated tip of Montauk, Long Island. They had no security teams, no private jets, and no millions in the bank. They lived on cash from a hidden safe-deposit box and caught fish to supplement their groceries.
Lily sat on the wooden porch, looking out at the gray waves. She was holding the single remaining red baby shoe—the one without the transponder—pressing it against her cheek.
"Do you think Anna is safe, Mommy?" Lily asked as Claire sat beside her, wrapping a warm wool blanket around her shoulders.
"Anna is a survivor, sweetie," Claire said, forcing a brave smile she didn't feel. "She's smart. She’s hiding, just like us. We’ll find her when the time is right."
Alexander walked out onto the porch, a satellite radio receiver in his hand. His face was grim. "I just picked up an encrypted broadcast on the old family frequency, Claire. Victoria has taken over the Vanguard Enclave's European operations. She’s launched a private pharmaceutical entity called Aegis Life Sciences."
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Claire gripped the porch railing. "She's going to commercialize Lily’s DNA sequence."
"Worse," Alexander said, turning the radio screen toward her. "They’ve issued a private bounty. One hundred million dollars for the live retrieval of the 'Genesis Key.' They aren't looking for a family anymore. They’re hunting an ingredient."
