Chapter 30 - The Night of the Equinox
The Hofburg Palace gleamed beneath the Austrian night sky like a jewel carved from imperial marble. Chandeliers of pure Bohemian crystal illuminated the grand ballroom, where hundreds of European elites, diplomats, and business magnates mingled in velvet tuxedos and couture gowns, sipping champagne while a string orchestra played Mozart.
None of them knew that a war for the fate of an empire was being fought right beneath their polished shoes.
I walked through the towering gilded doors wearing a floor-length emerald silk gown, my dark hair pinned up, my spine straight as an iron rod. Concealed beneath the heavy folds of my dress was a ceramic blade and an encrypted audio transmitter Vance had pinned against my collarbone.
Around my neck, resting against my bare skin, hung the gold pendant.
In my evening clutch, I held the silver flash drive—an empty duplicate loaded with an auto-executing tracker worm designed to lock down Julian’s private networks the moment it was plugged into his terminal.
*Rachel, comms check,* Vance’s voice purred in my hidden earpiece, steady and low. *Sniper across the canal has been neutralized. Madison is inside the Ambassador’s suite on the third floor with Chloe and two Marine guards. The uplink is hot. We are ready on your mark.*
*Understood,* I whispered, pausing near a marble pillar to accept a glass of sparkling water from a waiter. *Moving toward Box Four.*
I climbed the grand staircase, leaving the laughter of the ballroom behind. The corridor leading to the private imperial boxes was dimly lit, guarded by two private security operatives in charcoal suits. As I approached, they stepped aside without a word, opening the heavy mahogany door of Box Four.
I stepped inside.
The box overlooked the entire grand ballroom below. Sitting in a velvet armchair, holding a glass of vintage scotch, was Julian Sterling. Beside him stood an elderly man with a silver mustache and cold, dead eyes—Archduke Maximilian, the head of the Austrian syndicate branch.
"Rachel Campbell," Julian said, standing up with a mockingly theatrical bow. "Or should I say, my darling sister-in-law? You look exquisite. Much more regal than when you were cowering behind a public defender in that drab Manhattan courtroom."
"Let’s skip the theater, Julian," I said, my voice steady, ringing with icy clarity. "Daniel thought he could break me. He failed. Evelyn thought she could steal my daughter. She failed. You are the last rat left on this sinking ship."
Julian’s smile vanished, replaced by a sneer of pure aristocratic venom. "Daniel was a brute who lacked vision. He let his petty temper cloud his judgment. But I don't care about your broken marriage, Rachel. I care about the seventy billion dollars in bearer bonds your father stole from our syndicate. Hand over the drive, and I will let your child live."
I opened my clutch, pulled out the silver flash drive, and held it between two fingers. "Call off the Interpol warrant. Sign the legal renunciation of all claims against Chloe, and the ledger is yours."
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Julian chuckled, pulling a high-end decrypted laptop from under the side table. "Always negotiating. Plug it in, Rachel. Let’s see if Arthur Campbell’s daughter is as smart as she thinks she is."
***
