Chapter 6 - The Shattered Mirage
Victoria stared at her phone screen in sheer horror. The red glow illuminated her pale face, highlighting the cold sweat forming along her hairline.
"No... no, no, no," she whimpered, tapping the glass frantically. "Call dropped. Emergency service only?"
Behind her, her group of wealthy friends began checking their own devices.
"Hey, my card just got declined at the marina lounge," one of the young men shouted, looking around in confusion. "The resort Wi-Fi is completely down!"
"My banking app says 'Account Suspended'!" a girl in a silk romper squealed. "What is going on?!"
Step by step, the pristine luxury world Victoria had inhabited her entire life was dissolving around her like sugar in boiling water. The neon lights of the Sovereign Bay Resort blinked twice and went dark, leaving only the cold, bright floodlights of the Aegis illuminating the pier.
A pair of dark, unmarked SUVs pulled up to the security gate at the entrance of Pier 9. Four men in dark suits stepped out, carrying federal enforcement binders and digital warrant tablets.
Victoria watched in mounting terror as the men marched directly toward her.
"Victoria Vance?" the lead federal agent asked, stopping three feet away from her.
"Yes... who are you?" she stammered, pulling her satin dress tightly around her shoulders as the sea wind whipped her hair across her face.
"Your father, Jonathan Vance, was taken into custody fifteen minutes ago at his residence in Palm Beach," the agent declared cold and clear. "All assets belonging to Vance Capital, including this dock lease, have been seized under federal asset forfeiture warrants. You are required to vacate these premises immediately."
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Victoria felt as though the pier were tilting beneath her feet. She looked up at the towering white hull of the Aegis.
Standing high above on the top deck, looking down at her with absolute, unyielding calm, was the small boy in the brown t-shirt.
