Chapter 10 - The Aftermath
The Vanguard Society Hall descended into absolute chaos. Billionaires scrambled like rats off a sinking ship, pushing each other aside to get through the front doors.
But waiting for them at the bottom of the marble steps was a barricade of flashing red and blue lights. Swat teams, FBI agents, and federal prosecutors were already forming a perimeter. There was nowhere to run.
Inside the VIP vault, Evelyn looked down at Dominic. He was broken, staring blankly at the floor, a shell of the titan who had walked into the room two hours ago.
"Goodbye, Dominic," Evelyn said.
She turned and walked to the back of the vault. She pushed aside a heavy oak bookshelf, revealing a narrow, pre-installed maintenance shaft that led directly to the subway tunnels beneath the city. She had spent two years bribing construction crews to ensure this exact escape route existed.
She slipped into the darkness, leaving the tablet on the table, the screen displaying a single word: JUSTICE.
Ten minutes later, heavily armed FBI agents breached the VIP vault. They found Dominic Sterling sitting on the floor, laughing softly to himself in the throes of a complete mental breakdown.
"Hands in the air! Don't move!" the lead agent commanded.
Dominic didn't resist. He let them pull him to his feet and snap the cold steel handcuffs around his wrists. As he was marched out of the room, he looked at the open maintenance shaft, realizing the terrifying truth.
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He had spent his entire life building a gilded cage for the world... only to realize that Evelyn Cross held the only key.
The empire was dead. And the ghost had vanished into the night.
