Chapter 35 - The Architect's Face
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Above us, the sound of heavy tactical boots roared down the basement corridor. The steel vault door was cut open with a thermal torch, sparks flying into the dark room.
The door swung open, revealing a squad of elite FBI HRT agents in full tactical gear, flanked by Elena and my father.
"Clear!" the lead agent shouted, sweeping the room with his rifle sight before spotting me holding Victoria Sterling on the floor. "Drop the weapon, ma'am! FBI!"
I lowered my pistol slowly, setting it on the floor, and stepped back as two agents tackled Victoria, pinning her arms behind her back and slapping iron handcuffs onto her wrists.
"Audrey!" my father called out, rushing over to hug me tightly. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Dad," I gasped, resting my head against his shoulder as the adrenaline finally began to recede. "The ledger is gone. It's public."
Elena walked over to the central console, watching as news alerts began flashing across every major media network on her tablet screen.
"BREAKING NEWS: Massive dark-money criminal syndicate exposed by federal leak... over two hundred politicians, judges, and corporate executives named in global indictment..."
Victoria Sterling was dragged to her feet, her eyes filled with pure hatred as she looked at my father.
"You destroyed everything, Arthur," Victoria hissed through bloodied teeth. "Your name is on those files, too. You're going to prison with me."
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My father looked at her calmly, his face at peace for the first time in twenty years.
"I know," my father replied softly. "And for the first time in my life, I'm ready to pay my debt."
