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Even at night, lit up and covered in frost, the Dolder Hotel looked like an other-worldly fantasy castle straight out of a Bond movie. We stood in the car park, admiring the multi-tower, stunning facade while a concierge team did their thing around us, seamlessly gathering luggage from two blacked-out Maybach Mercedes S Class limousines.
“It’s the perfect place to stage a spy novel. Whoever we’re meeting here has a taste for luxury and a tendency toward the dramatic, Victor.”
“Their art collections inside include Takashi Murakami and Salvador Dalí originals.”
“That’s what we’re paying for.”
“I already took care of the bill on my account here, Amy.”
“Why?”
“The Dolder takes Bitcoin. I had some cryptocurrency doing nothing at all useful, so I paid it onto my account here.”
“You have an account here?”
“You do, too; I had you named on my account. You can even use room service without my permission.”
“I’d rather go to a local store and buy a few cans of soda and a multi-pack of chips.”
Victor laughed loudly because he found my thrifty nature quite comical. Before meeting him, I’d lived on a reasonable allowance from the fortune my parents left me. My only indulgence was the apartment I bought to live in while studying at Columbia, which was also an investment.
“I wanted to ensure I left plenty of money for my children, so I went easy on using my inheritance, honey.”
“I know, and that’s admirable, but it’s time for you to change your ways, Amy.”
“Maybe.”
Rania was impatient, ushering us to move inside, seeing snipers behind every bush and tree. She knew the stakes of our meetings were high and that a tenuous, unsigned deal depended mainly on the contents of the vaults we would inspect over the coming few days.