Chapter 19 - The Digital Trap
Back in the Manhattan penthouse, the digital war room was alive with the hum of high-end servers and clicking keyboards. Julian and Claire’s elite cybersecurity team traced the malicious data packets straight back to a shell corporation registered under a Cayman Islands tax haven—a signature fingerprint of Viktor Sterling. They realized Viktor wasn't just trying to hack their database; he was planting falsified financial records designed to implicate the Carver Foundation in money laundering, triggering an immediate federal investigation. "He wants to use the government's own weight to crush us, just like we did to Richard," Claire analyzed aloud, pacing the sleek hardwood floor. Julian nodded grimly, analyzing the incoming trace. "If we report this immediately, the SEC will freeze our accounts while they investigate, paralyzing all our community initiatives. We have to trap him at his own game." A fierce, familiar spark ignited in Claire’s eyes—the unmistakable Carver fire. Instead of panicking, she formulated a daring counter-offensive to lure Viktor into the open.
