Chapter 26 - The Unmasking
"A dramatic speech, my dear," Vivienne mocked, leaning over the podium, her knuckles whitening against the mahogany. "But law is not theater. I hold Julian Montgomery’s signed power of attorney over the Ward covenants. Under Swiss law, his signature is binding on the defaulted debts."
"Julian’s signature was executed after his formal indictment under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act," Marcus Vance stated, stepping forward and opening his briefcase. "Under Title 18 of the United States Code and the bilateral mutual legal assistance treaty between Bern and Washington, all assets transferred by an indicted conspirator within ninety days of charges are frozen under immediate federal sequestration."
"This is Switzerland, Mr. Vance!" Vivienne snapped, her composure cracking for a fraction of a second. "American statutes end at the Atlantic!"
"Admiralty law does not," I said.
I took the red-ribboned portfolio from Thomas and laid it flat on the auctioneer’s table, directly in front of the Swiss tribunal registrar.
"This is the original 1858 sovereign maritime charter granted by the State of South Carolina and affirmed by the United States Supreme Court," I declared. "Clause Nine states unequivocally: *No assignment, lease, or transfer of the Ward deepwater rights shall be lawful under foreign or domestic admiralty jurisdiction without the counter-seal of the Ward Signet Ring and the physical presence of the lineal heir.*"
I raised my right hand, displaying the heavy gold signet ring bearing my father’s motto: *Veritas Vos Liberabit*.
The registrar, an elderly Swiss jurist with impartial eyes, adjusted his spectacles and leaned over the ancient parchment. He ran his thumb across the raised, hundred-and-sixty-year-old seal, then inspected my ring with a pocket jeweler's loupe.
He looked up at Vivienne Sterling. "Madame Sterling... did you possess this signet counter-seal when you filed the petition for auction?"
Vivienne’s jaw clenched so tight the tendons stood out against her pale neck. "Julian Montgomery swore the signet was lost in the probate court five years ago."
"Julian Montgomery lied to you," I said, stepping onto the raised platform, leveling my eyes with hers. "Just as he lied to me. But while he lied to me out of greed, he lied to you out of fear. Because even a spineless coward like Julian knew that the moment you got your hands on these slips, you would discard him like garbage."
I reached forward with a movement so swift and deliberate that neither her private security nor the bailiffs had time to intervene.
My fingers caught the Ward family sapphire pendant hanging around her neck.
With a sharp, violent snap of the gold chain, I ripped the family heirloom from her throat.
Vivienne gasped, staggering back a half-step, clutching her bare chest as if she had been shot. "How dare you! Guards! Arrest this woman!"
Two private security guards moved forward, but Thomas Vance blocked them with a cold, terrifying stillness. Behind him, four Swiss federal officers drew their sidearms to low-ready.
"Step back," the senior Swiss officer commanded the guards. "The auction is officially suspended under order of the Federal Office of Justice."
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I held the sapphire up in the light of the Baur au Lac chandeliers. The crossed anchors gleamed with an azure brilliance that seemed to banish every shadow of the last five years.
"This belongs to my mother," I said, slipping the pendant into my coat pocket. "And Charleston belongs to its people. Your auction is dead, Vivienne. And so is your vendetta."
