"Ludlum, Robert - The Matarese Countdown" - читать интересную книгу автора (Ludlum Robert)

"A force far more dangerous than what exists between all the warring
factions on this earth."

"What 'force," dear woman?"

"The Matarese .. . the consummate evil." The old woman's head fell
back. She was dead.

The huge, glistening white yacht, its length over a hundred fifty feet
from bow to stern, slowly maneuvered its way into the marina at
Estepona, the northern point of Spain's opulent Costa del Sol, a
retirement haven for the wealthy of the world.

The gaunt old man in the luxurious master stateroom sat in a velvet
covered chair, attended to by his personal valet of nearly three
decades.

The aged owner of the ship was being groomed by his servant and friend
for the most important conference of his long life, a life that spanned
over ninety years, the precise age kept secret, for much of that life
was spent in the cutthroat arenas of men much younger. Why give those
avaricious turks the advantage of his rumored senility, which in
reality amounted to several generations of superior experience? Three
cosmetic operations on his features might have left his face partially
masklike, but that was merely superficial, a misleading image to
confuse the opportunists who would usurp his financial empire, given
half a chance.

An empire that meant nothing any longer. It was a paper colossus worth
over seven billion American dollars, seven thousand times a million,
built on the manipulations of a long-forgotten entity. It began with a
vision of revenge and turned ever more violently satanic, further
corrupted by underlings who had no vision beyond themselves.

"How do I look, Antoine?"

"Splendid, monsieur," replied the valet, applying a mild aftershave
lotion and removing a lap cloth to reveal formal clothes complete with
a striped cravat.

"This isn't too much, is it?" asked the elegant employer, gesturing at
his finery.

"Not at all. You are the chairman, sir, and they must understand that.
You can brook no opposition."

"Oh, my old friend, there'll be no opposition. I plan to instruct my
various boards to prepare for destructurization. I intend to give
generous benefits to all who have devoted their time and energy to