Chapter 15 - The Floating Fortress
"Reunion?" Richard repeated, stepping in front of Olivia as they set foot on the polished teak deck of the cruise liner. "What is that supposed to mean?"
The woman in the red silk kimono raised a gentle hand, her expression serene yet completely unreadable. "All will be made clear in the Grand Salon, Lord Vane. My name is Mei-Ling, personal secretary to the Chairman of the Sovereign Group. Please, hand over all electronic devices and concealed weaponry to my guards."
Marcus stepped forward, his massive frame towering over the security team. "Not happening, lady. My team doesn't disarm in international waters."
Mei-Ling smiled softly, tapping a small silver remote on her belt. Instantly, twelve dark apertures opened along the upper deck railings, revealing automated micro-turret system pointed directly at the tender boat and everyone standing on the deck.
"We respect your reputation, Apex Commander," Mei-Ling said calmly. "But on this vessel, the Sovereign Group makes the rules. You may retain two personal bodyguards, but all heavy weaponry must remain on your craft. Otherwise, your boat will be converted into scrap metal before you can take a step."
Richard looked at Marcus, giving him a silent nod. "Comply, Marcus. Keep your sidearms hidden in the secondary holsters."
Marcus grunted in disapproval but gestured for his tactical team to fall back to the tender boat while he and Lucas accompanied Richard and Olivia inside.
They were led through a labyrinth of opulent golden corridors decorated with priceless Asian antiquities and modern art, eventually arriving at double doors made of solid mahogany inlaid with jade. Mei-Ling pushed the heavy doors open, revealing a vast, two-story salon with panoramic glass walls overlooking the pitch-black ocean.
Sitting at a large circular table of polished black granite was an elderly man dressed in a immaculate white linen suit. He was sipping longjing tea from a delicate porcelain cup. Despite his advanced age, his posture was straight, and his dark eyes held a sharp, calculating intensity that commanded the entire room.
"Ah," the old man said, setting his cup down with a soft click. "The brave daughter and the legendary lion of Blackwood Bay. Welcome."
Olivia stepped forward, keeping her posture tall and unyielding. "Are you 'The Collector'?"
The old man chuckled softly, gesturing to the empty leather chairs around the granite table. "Names are merely labels for the press, my dear. You may call me Grandmaster Chen. Please, sit. The tea is fresh."
Nobody sat.
"We didn't come five miles out into the ocean to drink tea, Chen," Richard said, his tone low and dangerous. "You hold fifty-one percent of our debt bonds. Name your price to release the lien on Carrington Global."
Chen looked at Richard, a nostalgic, sad smile touching his lips. "You look so much like your father, Richard. Always so quick to fight, so eager to protect what you believe is yours."
Richard’s eyes narrowed. "You knew my father?"
"Knew him?" Chen laughed softly, leaning back in his chair. "My dear boy, your father and I were business partners fifty years ago. Together, we founded the original Carrington-Sovereign Maritime Alliance. We controlled sixty percent of all shipping lanes between Shanghai and San Francisco!"
Olivia looked at Lucas, who quickly pulled out his tablet to verify the historical records, his eyes widening as he discovered encrypted archives from the 1970s.
"It's true," Lucas whispered to Olivia. "The original company charter wasn't just Carrington... it was a joint venture!"
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"Until your uncle Victor betrayed us both," Chen’s voice suddenly turned razor-sharp, his eyes flashing with old rage. "Victor framed my family for smuggling contraband, seized my assets in Asia, and forced me to flee into the shadows for thirty years! I was the original owner of Carrington Manor!"
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