Chapter 21 - The Greed of the Scorpion
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Back in a luxurious, rented penthouse overlooking the city skyline, Vanessa sat elegantly on a velvet sofa, filing her nails. The electronic ankle monitor she was forced to wear buzzed slightly, a constant, humiliating reminder of her imprisonment.
Arthur Sterling paced the living room, holding the piece of paper Noah had given him.
"I'm telling you, Vanessa, the kid broke," Sterling gloated, pouring himself a drink. "He was practically crying in the booth. He handed over the keys to ten million dollars just to make the bad press stop. We take the money, bleed the account dry, and then I crush the zoning permits anyway."
Vanessa stopped filing her nails. Her eyes locked onto the piece of paper in Sterling's hand.
"Let me see that," she demanded, holding out her hand.
Sterling handed it over hesitantly. "My cyber guys are running the routing numbers now. It looks like a legitimate, off-the-books charity reserve."
Vanessa stared at the account details. A familiar, intoxicating rush of greed flooded her veins. It was the same thrilling sensation she felt years ago when she tried to steal Daniel’s estate.
"Ten million dollars," Vanessa whispered, her lips curling into a wicked smile. "The little cripple actually thinks he can buy his peace. How delightfully pathetic."
"We will split it sixty-forty, as agreed," Sterling said, adjusting his expensive tie. "And then we finish the job on the real estate."
Vanessa looked at Sterling with utter contempt. He was a useful idiot, a pawn she had used to harass the Whitmore family, but she had absolutely no intention of sharing a single dime with him. This was her revenge, and this was her money.
"Of course, Arthur," Vanessa lied smoothly, standing up. "Leave the paper with me. I will have my personal offshore banker initiate the wire transfer tonight. It requires a delicate touch to avoid setting off IRS flags."
May you like
Sterling nodded, entirely oblivious to the trap closing around him from both sides. As soon as he left the penthouse, Vanessa rushed to her encrypted laptop. She wasn't going to wait for her banker. She was going to drain the account directly into her hidden crypto-wallet right now, leaving Sterling with nothing and leaving the Whitmore family completely bankrupt.
She rapidly typed the access codes Noah had provided. Her fingers trembled with greedy anticipation as she hit the 'Execute Transfer' button.
