Chapter 3: The Freeze of the Century
The silence in the grand foyer was so absolute that the hum of a distant server rack sounded like a roaring engine.
Victoria Santillán’s mouth opened and closed several times, but no sound came out.
Her eyes darted from Commander Vance kneeling on the floor to Camila standing calmly above him, her expression as unreadable as stone.
"Supreme... Supreme Director?" Rodrigo stammered, his usual corporate composure completely shattered. He took a staggering step forward, pointing a shaking finger at Vance, then at Camila. "Are you out of your mind? This is private property! This is the Santillán Corporation headquarters estate! Do you have any idea who my father is? Arthur Santillán will have every single one of you arrested, stripped of your licenses, and thrown into a black site before sunset!"
Commander Vance didn’t even bother looking up at Rodrigo. He remained locked in his disciplined kneel, his eyes fixed respectfully on Camila’s polished leather shoes.
Camila finally broke her silence. Her voice was quiet, yet it carried an authority that commanded total obedience.
"Rise, Vance," she said.
"Sir!" Vance snapped to his feet with practiced efficiency.
"Has the asset transfer protocol been initiated?" Camila asked, her tone entirely conversational, as if she were discussing the weather rather than the hostile takeover of a multi-billion-dollar empire.
"Complete, Director," Vance reported crisp, handing over a slim, encrypted tablet encased in carbon fiber. "As of three minutes ago, the central treasury of Santillán Holdings has been routed through our offshore liquidity pool. All domestic and international accounts belonging to Arthur, Victoria, and Rodrigo Santillán have been flagged under emergency asset-freeze mandate 7-Delta."
Rodrigo lunged forward, his face purple with fury and sudden, suffocating panic. "That’s impossible! No court in the country has the jurisdiction to freeze our accounts! We have federal judges in our pocket! We have—"
He stopped dead in his tracks as his own smartphone, tucked securely in his breast pocket, suddenly buzzed violently.
With trembling fingers, Rodrigo pulled it out, ignoring the earlier jamming notification which had now lifted just enough to allow localized notifications. He unlocked the screen.
ALERT: Your primary corporate checking account balance is $0.00. ALERT: Credit line suspended. ALERT: Margin call triggered on all personal investment portfolios.
"No..." Rodrigo whispered, stumbling backward until his back hit the cold marble pillar. "No, this is a glitch. A cyberattack. I need to call the board chairman—"
"The board chairman resigned via emergency email two minutes ago, sir," Vance said dryly, turning his helmeted head toward Rodrigo for a fraction of a second. "Followed by the chief financial officer, who is currently being detained at Frankfurt international airport for corporate espionage and tax evasion."
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Victoria finally found her voice, letting out a shriek that sounded more like a wounded animal than a matriarch of high society. "Camila! What is the meaning of this sick joke?! You miserable little parasite, tell these men to get out of our house right now, or I swear to God—"
"Shut your mouth, Victoria," Camila said sharply, her dark eyes flashing with a sudden, freezing intensity that made the older woman recoil physically. "You spent the last two hours reminding me of my place in this house. Now, let me show you yours."
