Chapter 7 - The Apex Protocol
BOOM!
The glass roof of the Grand Palais suddenly shattered as dozens of tactical flashbang grenades dropped from the high ceilings, exploding in blinding flashes of white light and thunderous booms!
Screams of terror ripped through the ballroom as a thousand wealthy guests scrambled in absolute panic, diving under tables and running toward the exits.
From the shattered glass dome above, dozens of elite strike operatives dressed in sleek black tactical armor dropped down on fast-ropes, landing with pinpoint precision across the floor.
Leading the strike team was Marcus Thorne, armed with a tactical rifle, his dark visor gleaming under the flashing emergency lights.
"CONTAINMENT PROTOCOL ACTIVE!" Marcus roared into his headset. "SECURE ALL EXIT DOORS! NO ONE FROM THE APEX BOARD LEAVES ALIVE!"
Julian’s four bodyguards frantically reached beneath their tuxedos to draw their weapons, but I moved faster.
I grabbed the arm of the nearest guard, twisting his wrist violently until the joint snapped with a loud CRACK! I ripped the submachine gun from his hands, spun on my heel, and slammed the heavy metal stock directly into the second guard's jaw, sending him crashing through a tower of glass champagne flutes.
The remaining two guards raised their weapons, but before they could pull their triggers, Marcus Thorne fired two quick, precise suppressed shots: Thwip! Thwip!
Both guards collapsed onto the marble floor, neutralized instantly.
Lord Julian, his lion mask knocked askew, backed away in utter horror, staring at me as if he were looking at a demon in a liquid gold dress.
He spun around, trying to run toward his private VIP exit behind the stage, but I sprinted forward, my golden silk gown flowing like liquid fire behind me.
I leaped onto a mahogany dining table, vaulted off the edge, and brought my flying knee directly into the back of Julian's neck!
BANG!
Julian crashed face-first into the hardwood stage, his expensive tuxedo covered in blood and dust, his lion mask shattering into pieces against the floor.
He groaned in agony, trying to crawl toward a fallen pistol, but I brought my high heel down hard onto his wrist, pinning his hand to the floorboards.
"AAAGH!" Julian shrieked, tears of pain bursting from his eyes. "Stop! Please! Stop!"
I knelt down beside him, grabbing him by his grey hair and yanking his head up so he was forced to look directly into my eyes.
"You killed my father for sixty billion dollars," I whispered, my voice cold enough to freeze hell itself. "You tried to use his own empire to enslave me. Look at me, Julian. Look at the heiress you tried to destroy."
Julian trembled violently, his face covered in blood, his arrogant British composure completely destroyed. "Victoria... please... I can give you hundreds of billions... I can give you control of The Apex Group! You can rule the global market with us!"
"I don't want your money, Julian," I said, pulling a encrypted tablet from Marcus’s hand as my tactical team formed a tight security perimeter around us. "I want your network."
I pressed the tablet screen against Julian’s face, triggering the retinal scanner embedded in his eye.
BEEP.
“Retinal Authorization Confirmed: Chairman Level Access Granted. Downloading Apex Group Global Registry...” a synthetic voice announced from the tablet.
On the screen, thousands of files began downloading—names, bank accounts, private coordinates, and criminal dossiers belonging to every single high-ranking member of The Apex Syndicate across London, Tokyo, Geneva, and New York.
"It's over, Julian," I said, standing up and releasing his hair. "Every single member of your board will be arrested by international law enforcement within the hour. Your empire is gone."
Julian lay on the floor, weeping pathetically, realizing that the twenty-year global criminal syndicate he had built had just been systematically dismantled in less than five minutes by a twenty-six-year-old woman in high heels.
Marcus stepped up beside me, handing me a glass of warm water and a silk towel to wipe a stray speck of dust from my cheek.
"Interpol and the French National Police are entering the building now, Victoria," Marcus reported, looking down at the defeated Julian with supreme satisfaction. "The Apex Group is completely neutralized."
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I took a sip of the water, looking out over the grand, empty ballroom of the Grand Palais.
"Good," I said softly. "Let's go home."
