Chapter 34
The ultimatum hung in the damp air of the foundry. Gabriel’s hand drifted subtly toward the concealed weapon under his jacket, his protective instincts flaring as he stepped slightly in front of Rachel. But Rachel placed a firm, grounding hand on his arm, silently urging restraint. A shootout here would plunge them back into the bloody syndicate wars they had fought so hard to escape.
"We will consider your proposal, Victor," Rachel said, her voice steady and diplomatic. "But we operate on our own terms. We will contact you in forty-eight hours with our decision."
Victor’s eyes narrowed, displeased by her calm defiance, but he offered a curt nod. "Forty-eight hours. Do not disappoint me, Mrs. Moretti."
The drive back to the estate was tense and silent. Once secured inside the subterranean bunker’s server room, Rachel immediately began running deep-level diagnostic scans on their global shipping routes.
"He's not bluffing, Gabriel," Rachel said, her fingers flying across the keyboard. "I’m seeing massive logistical blockades being formed around our primary international hubs. Aethelgard is using proxy companies to buy up docking rights and delay our freighters. They are trying to choke our revenue streams before we even give them an answer."
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"If we fight them on the water, we lose," Gabriel paced the room, his slate-gray eyes dark with frustration. "Victor has decades of entrenched power in maritime law and corrupt harbor masters. We need to hit him where he is vulnerable."
"Every empire has a weakness," Rachel murmured, staring at the complex web of financial data on her monitors. "Victor is old-school. He relies on physical assets and hard currency. He doesn't understand digital infrastructure the way we do. We don't need to fight his ships, Gabriel. We need to sink his bank."
