Chapter 10 - Blood and Diamonds
Forty floors above, the Grand Ballroom was a sea of champagne flutes, orchestral strings, and hollow laughter. Eleanor Sterling stood at the center of the room, draped in an emerald gown that matched the cold calculation of her eyes. Mayor Vance’s former political allies clustered around her like moths to a flame.
"To the future of Manhattan," Eleanor declared, raising her glass. "To progress, security, and absolute stability."
Suddenly, the massive LED screens behind the orchestra cut out. The classical music dissolved into a screech of feedback.
The ballroom fell dead silent.
Instead of promotional videos for Sterling Group, the high-definition displays lit up with scrolling lines of red financial data. Shell corporations in the Cayman Islands, offshore accounts tied to human trafficking rings, signed wire transfers to corrupt federal prosecutors, and audio logs detailing Arthur Vance’s pre-planned assassination filled every screen in the room.
Gasps rippled through the crowd. Phones began ringing simultaneously across the room as investors, news directors, and federal agents received automated alerts containing the decrypted vault files.
Eleanor’s face drained of color. Her champagne glass shattered against the marble floor.
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"Turn it off!" she roared, her polite composure instantly snapping into unhinged fury. "Shut down the power! Kill the feeds!"
"It’s not a feed, Mrs. Sterling," a voice echoed through the high-powered ceiling speakers. David’s voice filled the room, cold and steady. "It’s a liquidation."
