CHAPTER 90

COUNTESS ELENA'S POV

The glass-walled boardroom on the forty-second floor of the De La Vega Tower gave a clear, wide view of Madrid's financial district. Below, the busy streets of Paseo de la Castellana were filled with the evening rush of traffic, and the yellow headlights formed steady streams of gold under the setting Spanish sun.

I stood by the tall glass wall, holding a glass of aged Rioja wine, and my reflection looked back at me, quiet and thoughtful, against the darkening window.

On the long mahogany board table behind me sat three locked tablet screens, each one flashing live numbers from the major deep-water ports of...