Chapter 12 - Venom in Singapore
Z
The private Vanguard-Sterling Gulfstream G650 touched down at Changi General Aviation Center under the cover of a tropical torrential downpour. The humidity outside was suffocating, thick with the scent of jet fuel and rain.
I stepped off the mobile staircase surrounded by eight heavy-tactical guards, holding my dark trench coat tight against the wind. Alexander and Eleanor were safe in a fortified safehouse in Zurich under the personal care of Dr. Reyes and thirty elite mercenaries. I couldn't risk bringing them to Asia. This was a hunting trip, and I was the bait.
Our convoy swept through the neon-lit streets of Singapore, heading straight for the Marina Bay Financial Centre, where the regional headquarters of Sterling Asia was located.
"Madam Chen's local representative is a man named Victor Zhang," Marcus explained from the front seat as our armored sedan negotiated the wet asphalt. "Former Singapore Special Forces, turned corporate fixer. He's currently occupying your father's old corner office on the 60th floor. He claims he has power of attorney over the Asian refineries."
"Does he know we landed?" I asked, watching the city skyline blur past the rain-streaked glass.
"No. We used false flight manifests out of Los Angeles," Marcus said, checking his sidearm. "He thinks you're still in California panicking over the phone call."
Ten minutes later, we bypassed the main lobby security using my father's master biometric keycard—a mechanical override hardwired into the building's physical foundation that no hacker could delete. The private executive elevator shot up to the 60th floor in total silence.
When the elevator doors slid open, the floor was silent except for the faint hum of computer servers. The floor-to-ceiling glass windows overlooked the stormy bay, flashes of lightning illuminating the lavish leather furniture.
Sitting behind my father's mahogany desk, pouring himself a glass of twenty-year-old Japanese whiskey, was Victor Zhang. He was in his mid-forties, impeccably groomed in a tailored gray suit, a deep scar cutting through his left eyebrow.
He didn't look up when we entered. He simply took a slow sip from his crystal glass.
"You travel fast, Mrs. Vanguard," Zhang said, his voice deep and raspy. "I expected you to send lawyers first."
"Lawyers are for civilized people," I said, stepping into the room while Marcus and two guards flanked the entrance. "I came to collect my property."
Zhang set his glass down with a heavy thud and finally raised his eyes to meet mine. "You don't own this office. You don't own the refineries. Julian Sterling pledged those assets as collateral to Madam Chen four years ago when he bought the offshore servers for your fiancé's little project."
"Julian is dead. Damian is in a federal cage," I said, resting my hands on the back of a leather chair. "The collateral is void under international corporate law."
"Madam Chen doesn't care about corporate law!" Zhang spat, slamming his palm onto the desk as he stood up, his posture threatening. "Do you have any idea who you are dealing with? The Chen Syndicate controls the shipping lanes from Malacca to Taiwan! One word from Madam Chen, and every Vanguard vessel in the Pacific will be seized or sunk!"
I didn't flinch. I slowly reached into my coat pocket and pulled out a sleek, black leather binder, tossing it onto the desk in front of him.
"Read page four," I said softly.
Zhang narrowed his eyes, glaring at me before opening the binder. As his eyes scanned the printed financial documents and bank records, the arrogant composure on his face slowly evaporated, replaced by a pale, sickened shock.
"Where... where did you get this?" he stammered, his fingers trembling against the paper.
"That," I said, leaning over the desk, "is the complete paper trail of your private Swiss bank accounts. While you were busy acting as Madam Chen's loyal enforcer, you were quietly skimming three percent off every rare-earth shipment passing through the Singapore refinery and routing it to an offshore account in the Cayman Islands under your wife's name."
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Zhang's throat worked as he tried to swallow. "She... Madam Chen will kill me..."
"She will do much worse than kill you if I email this file to her right now," I purred, my voice dropping into an icy threat. "You have thirty seconds to sign the transfer deeds restoring full operational control of the Asian refineries to Vanguard-Sterling. Sign them, and I keep your dirty secret. Refuse... and I leave you to Madam Chen's mercy."
