Chapter 18: The Ghost of Viktor
The private conference room of Vance Global was bathed in the cold, blue light of pre-dawn monitors.
Spread across the large oak table were the analog cassette tapes, medical journals, and family trees recovered from Maya’s briefcase.
Maya was currently sleeping soundly in the secure guest suite upstairs, guarded by Marcus, who had immediately rushed over upon receiving Julian’s encrypted emergency alert.
Elena sat at the table, a cassette player plugged into her laptop as she listened to the scratchy, decades-old audio recording through a pair of headphones.
Julian stood behind her, watching the audio waveform spike and dip on the screen. "What does the tape say?"
Elena paused the recording, pulling off the headphones with a pale, trembling face. "It’s a voice log recorded by my father on the night of the lab fire. He wasn't working for your family willingly, Julian. Viktor—the man Maya mentioned—blackmailed them. He was the head of an international shadow syndicate that used Project Janus to groom corporate heirs with absolute, untraceable compliance."
"A syndicate," Julian muttered, pacing slowly across the polished floor. "My father, my mother, Richard—they weren't the masterminds. They were just pawns playing a game designed by Viktor fifty years ago."
Before Elena could respond, the encrypted computer terminal on the desk suddenly chimed. It wasn't an automated alert; it was a direct, incoming video call from an unregistered, heavily encrypted satellite frequency.
Julian stepped up to the console and hit accept.
The screen flickered with heavy static before clearing into a crisp, high-definition video feed. Sitting in a dimly lit, high-tech control room overlooking what appeared to be an offshore oil rig was an elderly man with sharp, hawklike features and a long, jagged white scar running from his left cheek down to his jawline.
Viktor.
"Julian Vance," Viktor’s voice was smooth, raspy, and carried an chilling aura of absolute control. "And Elena. I must admit, I am deeply impressed. You dismantled Site Zero, exposed the corporation, and even rescued little Maya. You truly are a survivor."
Julian gripped the edge of the console, his voice dropping an octave into a dangerous, icy growl. "Viktor. It ends tonight. Where are you?"
Viktor chuckled softly, leaning back in his leather chair. "Ends? My dear boy, nothing ever ends. Project Janus was never just about a corporation or a family fortune. It was about creating the ultimate ruling class. And your wedding tonight, Julian... well, it’s going to be so much more entertaining than the last one."
Elena’s blood ran cold. She leaned toward the microphone. "What are you talking about?"
Viktor smiled warmly, raising a small digital remote control toward the camera lens. "Check your lobby security feed, my dears. I sent a little wedding gift for the new couple. After all, every great story deserves a proper sequel."
Viktor’s image vanished, and the screen automatically switched to a live exterior feed of the Vance Global lobby downstairs.
May you like
Parked directly in front of the main revolving glass doors was a black delivery van, its hazard lights blinking rhythmically in the early morning fog.
And resting visibly on the dashboard through the windshield was a large, ticking digital timer with less than sixty seconds remaining.
