Chapter 28 - The Vault of Shadows
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The Zurich air was biting cold, carrying the scent of pine and heavy rain. A sleek black limousine was waiting for us at the private terminal, its engine idling silently.
A driver in a sharp suit held open the door. "Mrs. Montes. Mr. Vance is expecting you at the Paragon Bank."
I stepped into the limousine with Mateo right beside me. The vehicle glided through the historic streets of Zurich, stopping in front of an imposing granite building that looked more like a medieval fortress than a modern bank.
We were escorted down three subterranean levels via a private, keycard-access elevator. The air grew colder, smelling of concrete and old paper.
The elevator doors opened into a sprawling vault room lined with thousands of stainless-steel safety deposit boxes. Sitting at a long mahogany table in the center of the room was Valentin Vance.
He was in his late seventies, wearing an immaculate bespoke suit. His silver hair was brushed back, and his piercing blue eyes were as cold as the Alpine glaciers outside.
"Elena," Valentin said, his gravelly voice echoing off the steel walls as he stood up. "You look remarkably like your mother. Though you certainly inherited your father's flair for drama."
"Where are the final release papers for my foundation, Valentin?" I asked, bypassing all pleasantries and standing ten feet away from him.
Valentin chuckled dryly, pouring two glasses of sparkling water from a crystal carafe. "Straight to business. I respect that. Alejandro never had your backbone. He was a weak, impulsive fool."
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"He was your son," I reminded him coldly.
"He was an asset that failed to produce a return," Valentin corrected smoothly. "And now, you are going to fix his mistakes."
