“You do not know how happy I am,” she chuckled, setting the bag down. “Do you know how long I have been working on this project, Jade? Six years! Six long years. First I had to perfect the paper, then the ink, then the security thread, the microprinting, and finally, the minute details only a KBA Giori press can produce, which meant snatching one. It took a year just to understand how that blasted machine worked. If not for you, the U.S. Treasury Department would be knocking me out of business as we speak.”
Jade smiled. On the inside, she was terrified.
Valentina opened the bag - Jade could smell the freshly printed bills from across the room. She pulled out one of the one hundred dollar notes and gazed at it, her eyes misty. “Behold! A veritable masterpiece!” She gazed up at the oil pai
