Chapter 40 - The Altar of the Ledger
The heavy oak doors of the Great Hall swung open. Daniel walked in with steady, measured steps, the click of his boots echoing against the marble floor. Leo walked beside him, his chin held high, matching his father's stride.
A dozen armed security guards moved their hands toward their holsters, but Magistrate Vogel raised a sharp hand. "Hold your positions! This is a judicial inquiry under sovereign Swiss protection. No weapons will be drawn in this chamber."
Daniel stopped five paces from the mahogany table. He looked neither at the armed guards nor at the magistrates. His gaze locked squarely onto Arthur.
"You asked for the heirs, Arthur," Daniel said, his voice ringing through the cavernous hall. "Here they are."
Arthur leaned forward on his cane, his eyes burning with an unholy triumph. "Magistrates, you bear witness. The children are present. Herr Hess, present the genetic authentication logs and the emergency petition for sole paternal guardianship."
Conrad Hess stepped forward, unfolding a thick parchment bearing the seal of the Swiss Confederation. "Under Article Nine of the Charter, upon the physical presentation of three legitimate heirs, the Patriarch retains undivided executive authority over all family trusts, provided the current custodian signs the deed of conveyance."
Hess slid a gold pen across the table toward Daniel.
"Sign the release, Daniel," Arthur said softly, his voice trembling with manic anticipation. "Sign the transfer of custody, and you walk out of these gates a free man. You get to live your miserable life in exile."
Daniel looked down at the pen. Then, slowly, he smiled.
"You forgot one detail, Arthur," Daniel said.
Arthur’s smile faltered. "What detail?"
"The charter requires three legitimate heirs," Daniel said calmly. "You have Leo. You have the girl in my arms. But the child upstairs in the west wing... the boy in the glass case..."
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Daniel reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black flash drive, setting it down with a click on the mahogany surface directly in front of Magistrate Vogel.
"That child isn't an heir," Daniel said. "He’s a mirror."
