Chapter 44
CHAPTER 44 — The Zurich Gathering
9:00 AM. Zurich, Switzerland. Heavy snow blanketed the ancient, cobblestone streets of the financial district. Inside the massive, white-marble conference hall of Vontobel Bank, the air was thick with the scent of wet wool, high-end espresso, and raw, undisguised tension.
Valeria entered the room wearing a sharp, floor-length black wool coat. Flanking her were Victor and Elena, who had flown in with a specialized decryption rig strapped into a tactical briefcase.
Across the long, polished oak table sat Ofelia Moreno. The aristocratic matriarch no longer looked like a panicked fugitive; she sat entirely composed, flanked by three senior legal advisors from the US Treasury and two armed federal marshals.
"You’re five minutes late, Valeria," Ofelia purred, tapping a perfectly manicured red fingernail against the table. "The asset-seizure mandate has already been verified. The United States government has designated these three billion dollars as illicit proceeds of global money laundering. You have zero standing to touch a single cent."
A senior Treasury official slid a thick, leather-bound document toward Valeria. "Ms. Salgado, sign the forfeiture waiver. If you cooperate, we will ensure your domestic foundation, the Phoenix Alliance, remains untouched by federal audits. If you refuse, you will be detained immediately as an active co-conspirator in state-level financial terrorism."
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Valeria didn't even glance at the pen. She sat down slowly, placing her personal phone directly in the center of the mahogany table.
"You truly believe you represent justice here?" Valeria asked, her voice calm, cutting through the room like a razor blade. "You don't want this money to compensate victims. You want it to plug the black-budget deficit of your unsanctioned operations in the Middle East. I’ve seen the transaction logs you tried so desperately to scrub."
