Chapter 771
Chapter 771:
“Don’t get used to it,” Victoria smirked. “I still think your shoes are tacky p>
Skye laughed. It was the first time she had laughed in weeks.
The flight to Vegas was tense. They took a private jet, but flew under a shell corporation’s name. Liam spent the flight reviewing the schematics of the Phantom Casino with Alistair and Julian.
“The server farm is here,” Julian said, pointing to a sub-basement beneath the high-limit poker room. “It’s air-gapped. We need physical access to upload the Oracle Key p>
“So while Skye and I are cutting the cake,” Liam said, “you and Alistair go down the laundry chute p>
“Essentially,” Alistair said, checking his pistol. “Though I prefer ‘tactical insertion’ to ‘laundry chute p>
Skye was sitting across the aisle, working furiously on her laptop. She wasn’t just coding; she was translating. She hummed the melody under her breath, converting each note into its corresponding frequency value, building a complex numerical string.
“Almost done,” she muttered, typing a final string of integers. “If my father is right, this sequence is the master key p>
“We’re landing,” the pilot announced.
Vegas glittered below them, a jewel in the dark desert. To most, it was a playground. To them, it was a fortress.
They checked into the Phantom Hotel. The Baron, a man they knew only by reputation, sent a complimentary bottle of champagne to the suite. The note read: Congratulations on the happy occasion. May luck be a lady tonight.
“He knows,” Skye said, reading the note. “He knows it’s a cover p>
“Of course he knows,” Liam said, pouring the champagne down the sink. “He’s arrogant. He thinks he can outplay us on his home turf p>
“Then let’s prove him wrong,” Skye said.
That evening, the suite was a flurry of activity. Stylists, hired for cover, fussed over Skye’s hair. She wore a sleek, modern wedding dress—white silk, backless, dangerous. Beneath the garter on her thigh was a ceramic knife. Liam looked devastating in a tuxedo. When he saw her, the room seemed to stop.
𝗥𝗲ad 𝗳𝘳om 𝘺o𝗎r p𝗁o𝗻𝘦 o𝗇 𝖻е𝗅nо𝘷е𝗹𝗌.𝘤o𝘮
“You look…” he started, his voice rough.
“Like a distraction?” Skye supplied.
“Like my wife,” Liam said softly.
Skye’s heart skipped a beat. For a moment, the mission didn’t matter. Just them.
“Focus,” Julian hissed from the bathroom, where he had set up his comms station. “We have movement in the lobby. The Baron’s security is doubling down p>
“Showtime,” Liam said, offering Skye his arm.
The “wedding” was a spectacle. Flashbulbs popped like strobes as they crossed the casino floor. The press had devoured the leak: “The Billionaire Reconciliation of the Century!” They reached the private ballroom, decorated with thousands of white roses. The officiant, a paid actor, began the ceremony.
“Dearly beloved p>
Skye held Liam’s hands. His palms were warm. She scanned the room. Security guards in the corners. Waiters who moved too efficiently.