The metallic tang of exhaust fumes and greasy street food hung heavy over the Manhattan intersection. My feet were already aching inside my practical, sensible loafers after a grueling four-hour bus ride from Connecticut, carrying a heavy brown leather suitcase that felt as though it were filled with lead. I had just stepped onto the curb when the sharp, ugly sound of a confrontation cut through the city noise. / Chapter 5 / 10

Chapter 5 - The Digital Siege

The following morning, federal agents descended upon Apex Global Transport’s Manhattan headquarters with the force of a military strike. Armed with the forensic audit packages compiled by Abigail and verified by Leonardo’s legal team, federal prosecutor Miller executed search warrants simultaneously across three shipping terminals and two offshore shell companies. Marcus Vance found himself hauled out of his glass-walled corner office in handcuffs before the stock market even opened.

However, Vance’s associates weren't going down quietly. Realizing their criminal enterprise was completely exposed, a rogue faction of mercenaries loyal to Vance made a desperate, reckless move: they attempted a coordinated cyber-attack and physical reconnaissance breach against the Costa estate to destroy the master physical servers kept in Leonardo’s basement vault.