#Chapter 148: The Money Ring

Liora’s office always smelled like lemon oil and ink. She was Richard’s personal accountant, a former Pack analyst who left the Council payroll years ago but still knew more about its backdoors than anyone on staff. The ledgers she handed me weren’t just clean, they were curated. Each line was hand-copied from digital sources to keep them off the mainframe. The kind of paranoia that looked eccentric until it saved your life. She tapped a column with her pen. “They’re using defunct corporations, names that haven’t filed taxes in a decade. But the payment trails don’t end there. They form a loop around the cathedral district. A ring.” I leaned in. “A containment ring?” “Or a conduit. The funds aren’t just going out. They’re moving inward, consolidating, laundering themselves through shell accounts that lead to private vaults. Every vault sits at a pressure point on the old city grid.” I felt my skin prickle. “The bell tower.” She nodded. “They were feeding it. Or feeding some