Chapter 4 : The Counter-Strike
Chapter 4 : The Counter-Strike
Back in the city, the Vance stronghold was descending into absolute chaos. Richard Vance paced the length of his mahogany-paneled office, slamming his fist onto the desk as his chief legal counsel frantically tried to manage the unfolding disaster.
"What do you mean the federal auditors have frozen our primary accounts?" Richard roared, his face purple with rage. "Find a judge! Pay him off! Do whatever it takes!"
"Sir, we can't!" the lawyer stammered, adjusting his tie with shaking hands. "It’s not just a local audit. The SEC and the Department of Justice have issued simultaneous freeze orders across all subsidiaries. Furthermore... someone just leaked a massive cache of encrypted financial logs to the national press. The media is calling it the largest corporate corruption scandal of the decade."
Richard froze, the blood draining instantly from his face. "Who? Who leaked it?"
"We don't know," the lawyer whispered, terrified. "The data packets originated from an untraceable, decentralized proxy network. But that’s not all, Mr. Vance. Marcus is still recovering in the ICU from his dog mauling, and the board of directors is holding an emergency vote at noon to strip our family of all executive powers."
The phone on the desk rang shrilly. Richard stared at it for a long moment before hesitantly picking up the receiver. "Vance speaking," he barked.
"Hello, Richard," a calm, chillingly familiar voice came through the line. It was Liam.
Richard’s grip on the phone tightened until his knuckles turned white. "You! Where is Clara? If you think you've won, you are gravely mistaken. I will hunt you down if it's the last thing I do!"
"You're not hunting anyone, Richard," Liam replied smoothly, a cold edge cutting through his words. "You're too busy watching your multi-billion-dollar empire burn to the ground. Every offshore account you hid behind has been exposed. Every threat you made is now a federal exhibit. You thought you were playing chess, but you forgot one simple rule: predators eventually become prey."
"I'll destroy you!" Richard screamed into the receiver, but the loud, flat tone of a disconnected line was his only answer.
In the underground bunker, Liam slowly lowered his burner phone, a quiet smile forming on his lips. He looked across the room at Clara, who was watching him with a mixture of awe and profound gratitude. She walked over, placing her hand gently over his.
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"It’s almost over, isn't it?" she whispered.
"It’s just beginning," Liam answered softly, pulling her into a warm, protective embrace. "The law is coming for them. And we are finally free."
