Chapter 177 - The Citadel of Basel
Three weeks later, the snow had returned to the high passes of the Jura Mountains, blanketing the city of Basel in a quiet, pristine layer of white.
Inside the subterranean central vault of the Bank for International Settlements—located eighty meters beneath the Rhine River behind three blast doors of solid titanium—a historic legal execution was taking place.
Present in the vault were the Swiss Minister of Finance, the Governor of the Bank of France, Marcus Vance, and Dr. Jean-Paul Moreau.
Sitting at the center of the mahogany conference table were Noah and Sophie.
Noah wore an immaculate dark charcoal suit with a silk tie, his wire-rimmed glasses sparkling under the recessed halogens, reviewing a three-hundred-page asset liquidation schedule with his mechanical pencil.
Sophie sat beside him in an elegant navy velvet dress with white lace cuffs, her plush rabbit resting politely beside her water glass, her back straight as an arrow.
Ethan and I stood behind them, our hands resting gently on their shoulders.
The Swiss Minister of Finance turned a heavy brass key in the master console, activating the central biometric scanner.
"The court recognizes the heirs of Commandant Hélène de Saint-Germain and the guardianship of Victoria and Ethan Vance," the Minister announced with formal, solemn reverence. "Noah and Sophie... place your hands on the glass."
The twins reached forward together.
Noah placed his right palm on the left scanner; Sophie placed her left palm on the right.
BIOMETRIC RECOGNITION: COMPLETE.CHROMOSOMAL LINEAGE VERIFIED: SAINT-GERMAIN AUTONOMOUS COVENANT.VAULT FOURTEEN UNLOCKED.
With a deep, hydraulic sigh that vibrated through the bedrock, the sixty-billion-dollar sovereign wealth depository opened.
Inside were no stacks of paper currency.
There were rows upon rows of sovereign land deeds, deep-water port concessions, clean energy patents, and educational endowments dating back two centuries.
Noah looked up at the Swiss Minister, his hazel eyes completely clear of greed.
"My sister and I have signed the restructuring directives, Mr. Minister," Noah said, his young voice carrying the weight of a seasoned statesman. "The sixty billion will not remain in this vault."
"What are your instructions, Monsieur Vance?" the Minister asked, astonished.
"Eighty percent is permanently transferred to the Hélène de Saint-Germain Foundation for Global Humanitarian Defense," Noah stated. "To fund free pediatric medical airlift networks across Europe and provide independent legal defense for children trapped in international custody disputes."
Sophie smiled, her clear voice ringing through the titanium chamber:
"And the rest goes to build a new playground at the abbey in Normandy. With a big wooden seaplane that swings in the wind."
May you like
The Swiss Minister stared at the two ten-year-old children, took off his reading glasses, and slowly bowed his head in profound, humble respect.
"It shall be done, Mademoiselle Sophie," the Minister whispered. "Exactly as you command."
