Chapter 13 - The Spilled Wine
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Inside the dark, quiet halls of the mansion, Genevieve didn't go to the bridal suite.
She hiked up the heavy skirts of her ruined wedding dress, moving with a fast, practiced efficiency that completely shattered the illusion of the delicate socialite. She bypassed the grand staircase and headed straight for the east wing, her high heels clicking sharply against the marble floors.
She reached the heavy mahogany doors of Alessandro’s private study.
Silas stepped out from the shadows of a nearby alcove. The catering uniform was gone; he was wearing black tactical gear, a suppressed handgun gripped loosely in his right hand.
“The cameras are looped,” Silas whispered, his eyes scanning the corridor. “We have exactly twelve minutes before the override window closes.”
“I don't need twelve minutes,” Genevieve sneered, dropping the sweet, high-pitched voice she used for Alessandro. Her true voice was harsh, cold, and dripping with contempt. “I’ve been waiting sixteen months for this. Let’s gut this arrogant bastard and get out of Chicago.”
Silas pushed the study doors open. They stepped inside, locking the deadbolt behind them.
Genevieve didn't hesitate. She marched directly behind the massive desk and grabbed the heavy, gilded frame of Alessandro’s mother’s portrait. She pulled it to the right, exposing the brushed-steel door of the biometric safe.
She pulled a small, clear piece of silicone from her cleavage. It was a perfect, high-resolution mold of Alessandro’s right thumbprint, lifted from his whiskey glass three nights ago.
She pressed the silicone mold firmly against the glowing green glass of the biometric scanner.
The machine beeped once. A green light flashed.
Because the system was in the post-marriage override window, the keypad remained dark. It didn't ask for the rolling code.
The heavy steel bolts inside the door groaned, and with a satisfying clack, the safe swung open.
Genevieve smiled, a dark, victorious sneer. She reached inside and pulled out the small, black encrypted hard drive.
“Got it,” she said, tossing the drive to Silas. “Two billion dollars in the palm of your hand. Plug it into the decryptor.”
Silas pulled a small, specialized laptop from his tactical backpack. He booted it up, attached a decryptor cable, and plugged the black drive directly into the USB port.
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“Uploading the extraction virus now,” Silas muttered, his fingers flying across the keyboard.
Genevieve leaned against the desk, admiring her diamond ring. “I can't wait to see the look on his face when he realizes he’s penniless.”
