Chapter 563
Chapter 563:
“Delete them,” Skye nodded. “And then, scrub the internet of any mention of them. Replace them with… let’s see… Oracle’s new charity initiative for homeless youth p>
Parker turned to his keyboard. His fingers were a blur. “Give me ten seconds p>
Skye watched the screens. Lines of code scrolled faster than she could read.
“Done,” Parker said. “The photos are gone from the servers. The cached versions are being overwritten. And I just pushed a press release to AP, Reuters, and BuzzFeed about your charity p>
“Impressive,” Harper whistled. “I might actually have to work to keep up with you p>
“Now for the big one,” Skye said. She reached into her purse and pulled out a black USB drive.
“This,” Skye said, “contains the ledger we seized from Beatrice. I’ve already decrypted the older files—the ones linking Beatrice to the poison and the initial funding. That evidence is solid p>
Parker took the drive, spinning it in his fingers. “Okay, so what do you need me for p>
“The active accounts,” Skye said, her eyes darkening. “Lucian has a secondary layer of encryption protecting his current assets. The money he’s using right now to buy mercenaries, the funds he’s planning to siphon from the Hayes Trust the moment he says ‘I do.’ It’s a ghost protocol. I can see the data moving, but I can’t see where it’s going p>
Parker plugged the drive in. His eyes widened as the code filled his screen. “I know this architecture. It’s a chaotic algorithm based on real-time stock market fluctuations p>
“Can you crack it?” Skye asked.
Parker let out a bitter laugh. “Crack it? I wrote it. Or at least, the beta version p>
Skye raised an eyebrow. “You worked for Lucian p>
“Not directly,” Parker muttered, typing rapidly. “About three years ago, I took a freelance gig on the dark web. Anonymous client. Wanted a secure, untraceable banking tunnel. The pay was insane. I built the skeleton code and handed it over. I didn’t know it was Lucian until I saw the digital signature pop up on a news report about a cartel bust. He took my code and weaponized it p>
“Then you know the backdoor,” Skye said.
No missing chapters on be.com
“I know exactly where the flaw is,” Parker grinned, a wicked glint in his eye. “Because I always leave a key under the mat. Just in case the client doesn’t pay p>
He typed a command. A green bar appeared on the screen: DECRYPTING… 10%… 40%… 100 p>
The screen filled with files. Real-time transfers. Offshore accounts. The bleeding heart of Lucian’s operation.
“Whoa,” Parker whispered. “This is… this is nuclear p>
“Tomorrow night is Lucian and Victoria’s engagement gala,” Skye said. “It’s being livestreamed to every major news network. He wants the world to watch his victory lap p>
“Why is he marrying her?” Parker asked. “Lucian doesn’t do anything for love p>
“Because he’s broke,” Skye said. “We destroyed his digital empire last week. The FBI is closing in. He needs the Hayes family trust—Victoria’s inheritance—to buy his way out of the country p>
“This gala isn’t a celebration,” Skye continued. “It’s a heist p>
“And you want me to hijack the feed,” Parker grinned.
“I want you to turn the gala into a tribunal,” Skye said. “Can you do it p>
“I can override the projection system from here,” Parker said. “I can lock the doors electronically. I can make the lights dance the Macarena if you want p>
“Just the evidence,” Skye said. “And one more thing p>