Chapter 5 - VIPERS IN THE NEST
The extortion was a minor issue. The real problem was closer to home. When I ordered my Chief Financial Officer, Julian, to liquidate ten million euros from a hidden offshore account, he balked.
Julian and I had built the Romero empire together. He was a slick, handsome man who wore bespoke suits and carried himself with the arrogance of untouchable wealth. But as he stood in my private office, his face was pale.
"Alejandro, you can't just drain ten million in untraceable cash overnight. The board will ask questions. The tax authorities will notice. For a street rat? You're letting your emotions compromise the company."
"Do it, Julian," I said, refusing to look away from the window. "Or I will find a CFO who can."
As he stormed out, Vargas stepped from the shadows. "Boss, you should know... I've been monitoring the syndicate's financial ties. El Alacrán doesn't operate in a vacuum. He launders his street money through a series of shell companies. Shell companies that trace back to Julian's private accounts."
The betrayal hit me like a physical blow. Julian wasn't just my CFO; he was my friend. And he was funding the monster who enslaved Sofia. He was profiting off the suffering of the girl who was giving me my life back.
"Julian knows that if we buy Sofia and investigate El Alacrán, his money laundering operation will be exposed," Vargas said grimly. "He won't let you pay that ransom, Alejandro. He's going to make a move against you."
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"Let him," I said. I wheeled myself away from the window and toward the heavy oak doors of my office. "Prepare the men, Vargas. We aren't paying a dime. We're taking her back."
I gripped the wheels of my chair and pushed upward, locking my arms, transferring the weight to my trembling, firing legs. With a guttural grunt, I rose from the chair. For ten seconds, I stood under my own power.
