Chapter 18: The Inner Betrayal
Before Camila could process the warning, a sharp, metallic click echoed from the dark catwalk directly above the drainage outfall.
"Drop the weapon, Director Vance," a familiar voice commanded from the shadows overhead.
Camila glanced up, her heart skipping a beat. Standing on the catwalk, silhouetted against the dim emergency lights, was Director Thomas Sterling—her direct superior at the International Financial Crimes Tribunal, the man who had personally signed off on her undercover assignment into the Santillán family.
"Sterling?" Camila said, her voice dropping into a tone of cold disbelief. "You..."
"I'm sorry, Camila," Sterling said, though his voice lacked any real remorse as he leveled his service pistol down at her from the catwalk. "Some fish are simply too big to be dragged into the boat. If you dismantle Nox Maritime, the global liquidity markets collapse. Governments fall. Economies crash. We couldn't let you finish the operation."
Viktor watched the standoff with quiet amusement, slipping the data drive back into his pocket. "Always a pleasure doing business with the bureaucrats, Sterling. Now, open the gate."
Sterling punched a code into the keypad on the catwalk, and with a heavy, pneumatic hiss, the massive iron drainage grate swung outward, revealing the dark, rushing waters of the river just beyond.
Camila didn't lower her weapon, but her mind raced at lightspeed. She was trapped between Viktor in front of her and her own superior betraying her from above.
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"You betrayed everything the tribunal stands for," Camila whispered, locking her eyes onto Sterling.
"The tribunal stands for stability, Camila," Sterling replied coldly. "And stability requires blood in the dark. Now, drop the gun, or your career—and your life—ends right here in these tunnels as an unsanctioned casualty of a rogue operation."
