CHAPTER 11: THE SHADOW OF THE SUCCESSOR
CHAPTER 11: THE SHADOW OF THE SUCCESSOR
The tranquility did not last. Not because the courts failed. But because money of that magnitude never truly sleeps. Six months after the trial ended. The foundation was operating at full capacity. Sophie was thriving, her smiles bright and unburdened. Then, the financial servers of the foundation flagged an anomaly. An anonymous deposit. Not a small donation. Twelve million dollars. Wired from a private banking institution in Zurich, Switzerland. Hannah and I sat in the server room, watching the glowing numbers. "Who would send this much money without a name?" I asked. Hannah’s eyes narrowed as she traced the routing code. Her face turned entirely pale. "It’s not a donation, Evy," she whispered. "Look at the transit signature." I leaned closer to the monitor. The alpha-numeric code at the bottom of the wire transfer read: S-G-L-V-2. Sterling Global Logistics. Version Two. Arthur Sterling was behind bars, his assets frozen by the federal government. But the machinery he built was still moving. "He has a successor," Hannah said, her voice dropping. Suddenly, my personal phone vibrated on the desk. An unlisted international number. I answered, my heart hammering against my ribs. "Evelyn," a young, smooth voice said. It wasn't Arthur. It was a voice that sounded like shattered glass. "Who is this?" I demanded. "My name is Christian Sterling," the young man replied calmly. "Arthur is my father." "And you are currently holding twelve million dollars of my operational capital." "Consider it a deposit for your cooperation." "If you don't return the metadata keys your brother Preston gave you..." "I won't just shut down your foundation." "I will finish what my father started twenty years ago." The line went dead.
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