Chapter 270
Chapter 270:
I held up my hand, fingers splayed. “Five p>
“Five thousand?” Seraphina scoffed, scrambling to her feet, dusting off her knees. “Fine. I’ll write you a check if it gets me out of here p>
“Fifty million,” I corrected softly. “USD. Liquid. Immediately. For emotional distress, for the damage to my reputation, and for the inconvenience of breathing the same air as you p>
The silence that followed was absolute—heavy and thick, suffocating the room.
“You’re insane,” Seraphina shrieked. “Fifty million? Nobody has that kind of cash sitting in a checking account p>
I looked at Dominic. I didn’t look at Seraphina. She was just noise; he was the bank.
“She’s your ‘sister,’ isn’t she, Dominic?” I asked, my voice smooth. “The long-lost heiress to the Sinclair fortune. Surely the Thorne family places a high value on their bloodline. Or is she… worthless p>
It was a trap. If he refused to pay, he admitted she was a fraud—or that he didn’t care about the family image he was trying to reconstruct. If he paid, he was bleeding resources for a pawn.
Dominic stared at me. His eyes were cold, dark tunnels. He was calculating. He knew exactly what I was doing. I was testing the depth of his commitment to this charade.
Then a dry, dark sound erupted from his chest.
He laughed.
“You have an appetite, Skye. I like that. But fifty million doesn’t move on a handshake p>
He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his phone. He dialed a number, putting it on speaker but keeping the volume low. It rang once.
“Mr. Thorne,” a clipped, Swiss-accented voice answered. “How may we assist you p>
“Authorize an emergency wire transfer,” Dominic said, his eyes locked on mine. “Fifty million USD. From the Grand Cayman holding trust. Route it to…” He looked at me.
“S.S. Consulting,” I supplied, reciting the routing number of a blind shell corporation Julian had set up for me hours ago.
“S.S. Consulting,” Dominic repeated. “Priority execution. Override the standard clearing hold p>
“There will be a significant penalty fee for the expedited liquidity, sir,” the banker warned.
“Do it,” Dominic ordered.
“Understood. The confirmation will be sent shortly p>
𝘙𝗲𝘤о𝗆𝘮𝗲𝗻𝘥 𝖻еl𝘯𝗼𝘷𝗲𝗅ѕ.c𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘆𝘰𝘶r 𝘧𝗿𝗂𝗲nd𝗌
Dominic hung up. A moment later, he turned his screen toward me as an encrypted email notification popped up.
Transaction Authorized: Pending Final Clearance (24hrs p>
“It’s done,” Dominic said, sliding his phone back into his pocket. “The money will be in your account by tomorrow morning. Thorne word is better than gold p>
I nodded once. My own phone—a cheap, plastic burner with no data connection—remained silent in my pocket. I didn’t need a notification to know the money was real. Dominic Thorne didn’t play games with his credit rating.
Seraphina saw the screen. Her legs gave out again, and she slumped against the wall. She realized, in that moment, that she was just an object. An expensive object, perhaps, but something that could be bought, sold, or paid for. She was worth less than the transaction fee.
“Done,” Dominic said. He walked over to Seraphina and grabbed her by the upper arm, hauling her up like a sack of laundry. “Let’s go p>
He paused at the door and looked back at me. “You owe me a favor now, Skye. And I don’t collect in cash p>
“We’ll see,” I said, waving my hand dismissively.
The heavy doors slammed shut, sealing me back in the quiet sterility of the room.
I stared at the empty paper cup. The number was absurd. It was enough to fund a small war. It was enough to burn Liam Kensington’s world to the ground three times over.
I smiled, but it didn’t reach my eyes. The money was cold comfort, but it was better than nothing. I took a sip of my water.
It tasted like victory.