Chapter 4 - THE SHAREHOLDER GALA
Axiom Tower was a fortress of glass and steel, but tonight, it was dressed in silk and champagne. Julian stood at the top of the grand staircase, a master of the universe projecting absolute calm. Every major investor was present, sipping crystal flutes, completely unaware that a digital war was raging fifty floors below.
Elena was not in a waitress uniform tonight. She wore a stunning midnight-blue gown, a diamond earpiece hidden beneath her dark hair. She moved through the crowd like a phantom, her presence sending ripples of shock through the elite guests who recognized the supposedly deceased prodigy.
“He’s moving,” Julian’s voice cracked softly in her ear. “Nathan just slipped away from the board members. He’s heading for the basement server farm.”
Elena set her champagne glass on a passing tray. “I’m on it. Have the federal agents ready at the loading dock.”
She bypassed the security checkpoints, using codes Julian had quietly reinstated. The air grew colder as she descended into the subterranean levels of the building. The hum of massive servers vibrated through the floorboards.
She stepped into the glass-walled nerve center. Nathan Cole was already there, furiously typing at the master terminal, a flash drive glowing red in the port.
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“You always were a sloppy coder, Nathan,” Elena said, stepping out of the shadows.
Nathan whirled around, all the blood draining from his face. “Elena.”
