Chapter 16 - The Federal PhantomPeace is an intoxicating drug, but in the upper echelons of global power, it is always a temporary high.
For three months after Adrian placed that flawless emerald-cut diamond on my finger, our lives in Napa Valley were a sanctuary of sun-drenched vineyards and silent, absolute victory. Apex Biotech had not just survived the Croft syndicate; we had swallowed their market share whole.
But old monsters are easily replaced by new ones.
It was a freezing Tuesday morning. I was sitting at the massive marble island in our kitchen, reviewing the guest list for our wedding, when the secure, encrypted satellite phone on the counter buzzed. It was a line reserved strictly for Tier-One corporate emergencies.
Adrian, who was pouring coffee, went entirely still. The relaxed, devoted fiancé vanished, instantly replaced by the ruthless apex predator.
I put it on speaker. "Elara speaking."
"Elara, I am so sorry," Dr. Patel’s voice crackled through the line, breathless and laced with sheer panic. "At 6:00 A.M. EST, the Department of Defense executed a classified raid on our Maryland data center. They didn't take the hardware. They served us with a National Security Letter. They are seizing the proprietary rights to our diagnostic algorithm under the Defense Production Act."
The air evacuated my lungs. "On whose authority?"
"Senator Thomas Vance," Patel whispered, uttering the name of the most powerful, corrupt Chairman of the Armed Services Committee. "He claims our tech is a matter of national security. But Elara... he’s forcing the board into a blind trust controlled by his private sector allies."
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Adrian slammed his coffee mug onto the counter, his jaw locking into a rigid line of pure granite. "He’s trying to steal the company using the federal government as a weapon."
"Pack a bag," I said, my voice dropping to a freezing, absolute zero as I ended the call. The terrified bride-to-be was a ghost. The wartime CEO had returned. "We are going to Washington."
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