Chapter 175: Daniel Crowe

[Breaking news: The COO of OmniTech Corp, Lillian Hayes, reported safe after unexpected attack and disappearance. Flight records confirm she returned to U.S. soil moments ago aboard OmniTech’s private jet. Full details are still pending.]That was the headlines being displayed on every major news site in the US, which was exactly what Ethan had planned.

It was just enough to satiate the media’s hunger over Lillian’s disappearance.

Lillian, meanwhile, leaned back on the plane’s seat and sighed. She watched as the news showed exactly how much of the media people were gathered outside the airport, waiting for her exit.

Ethan or rather, Irina had provided guards for her to prevent anything from going wrong. Ethan, the Vigilants and Irina couldn’t be seen with her, so they had left first, with the Vigilants returning to their base and Ethan waiting in the car that was supposed to come collect her.

Though, he kept his eyes on her through the cameras all around.

The jet slowly taxied towards the private terminal where Irina’s men and the crowd of journalists were already waiting.

The moment Lillian stepped out of the plane, multiple flashes of camera immediately hit her but she kept her expression calm and continued walking down the stairs.

The moment she was close enough, she was hit by a rapid fire questioning session by the group of journalists,

"MRS HAYES, CAN YOU COMMENT ON—?"

"WERE YOU REALLY ABDUCTED?"

"WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE?"

"DID OMNITECH PAY A RANSOM?"

"WERE YOU INJURED?"

Luckily, the guards had formed a wall between her and the journalists, keeping them from coming close enough.

Lillian stopped just close enough to the guards but far from the crowd of reporters.

"I’m grateful for everyone’s concern," she began, her voice calm despite the chaos. "I’m unharmed and I’m safe, that’s what matters most."

"Were you abducted?" a reporter called out.

"I can’t comment on specifics," she replied with a smile, "but I was never in a position where I felt truly abandoned. OmniTech Corp ensures the safety of all its executives."

"Was this politically motivated?"

"Was this an attack on OmniTech?"

"Do you know who was behind it?"

Lillian shook her head softly, "The investigation is ongoing. When we have concrete information, the proper authorities will make it known."

With that, she was guided to the black SUV by the guards, with the reporters still trying to get more from her.

"That was exhausting," she muttered the moment the door was closed and the car started driving away from the terminal.

"You did good," Ethan, who was also in the car, smiled, "that should at least tell them that you’re safe."

"Hmm," she nodded before leaning on his shoulder and closing her eyes.

She was back home, completely safe thanks to him.

Ethan, meanwhile, tapped on his tablet looking at the reports from the siblings. According to his orders, the testing of Vitaband should go on and according to their report, everything was going as planned.

Every patient chosen for the test was expected to sign an NDA and they happily did.

The results from the first few reports were nothing short of wonder. He scrolled through the live charts and logs from the data he had gotten:

– Patient 004: Undiagnosed arrhythmia detected

– Patient 012: Early signs of pancreatic inflammation

– Patient 021: Pre-diabetic markers flagged

– Patient 031: Oxygen saturation irregularities

– Patient 045: Possible sleep apnea confirmed.

According to the doctors at Caldwell Hospital, the data from the Vitaband has been a hundred percent accurate so far.

"Everything’s good," he said softly. "Better than expected."

The faster the tests were concluded the faster OmniMed would officially be public and his plans would come to play.

Though, the threat of the man who was targeting him remained, that wasn’t cause for his plans to slow down, not when a bigger threat was on the way.

***

The car pulled up at OmniTech’s headquarters towards the private elevator where she entered with Ethan and headed towards his office.

"You might want to meet your employees first," Ethan reminded as he exited the elevator on his empty floor, "some of them were worried sick."

"Yeah," she nodded, before pressing the button that took her back to her office floor, "I should."

Ethan watched the elevator close with a small smile on his face which soon disappeared the moment it completely closed.

He turned and walked into his office, the smile returning to his face, but it wasn’t the same gentle one he had shown to Lillian.

This was a cold one.

Xu and Jian’s benefactor might think he held the advantage after their last exchange but he was in for a surprise.

After all, Ethan didn’t leave that game empty handed. He had stumbled upon a pretty interesting information and that was going to be the man’s undoing.

***

Lillian nervously stood inside the elevator as it descended. She was doing breathing exercises to keep herself calm but they didn’t seem to be working.

The elevator soon reached her office floor and let out a ding as the door opened, allowing her to step out of the elevator.

The moment she did, the entire floor spoke up.

Her staffs were all standing at the private elevator’s door waiting for it to open and the moment it did, they immediately approached

"Welcome back, Mrs. Hayes!"

"We’re glad you’re safe!"

"You scared us half to death!"

Lillian blinked rapidly, momentarily overwhelmed. The team she had left back in California were all now standing close to her, welcoming her back.

The crowd of employees practically flooded toward her, but they still kept a respectful distance, creating a circle around her.

Their faces held expression of relief and happiness, they were truly happy that she had safely returned.

"Thank you," she said, offering a small smile. "I didn’t mean to worry everyone."

"We really thought something terrible happened—"

"It didn’t," Lillian assured them quickly, raising a hand. "I’m safe, and I’m back."

"Now then," she said, "get back to your positions, there’s much to do."

"Yes ma’am," with that, they all returned to their stations, their relief evident on their faces.

Lillian let out a quiet breath once the crowd dispersed. The warmth of her team’s relief softened some of the tension in her shoulders.

For a moment she just stood there, allowing the familiarity of her office floor to steady her nerves after everything that had happened.

She took a step toward her office door.

"Mrs. Hayes?"

She paused at the mention of her name before she turned.

A man in a dark gray suit stood near the reception desk. He wasn’t one of hers. He held a badge in one hand and offered a polite nod.

"Apologies for the sudden approach," he said, stepping forward so she could see the badge more clearly. "Daniel Crowe. Department of Homeland Security, Corporate Affairs Division."

"Homeland Security?" Lillian asked

Crowe nodded, "We were notified about your incident in California. Any situation involving a top-ranking executive tied to emerging national infrastructure tech tends to raise red flags."


"Is this an interrogation?" she asked calmly.

"No," Crowe smiled lightly, "just a formal interview. You don’t have to answer anything you don’t want to. I simply need a basic account of events and confirmation that OmniTech Corp isn’t under direct threat."

Lillian hesitated.

Crowe’s expression softened. "This stays off record unless you request otherwise. And to be clear... DHS is not investigating companies, we’re meant to protect them."

She nodded in understanding.

"Alright," she said, "but let’s do this inside."

Crowe stepped aside and motioned for her to enter her office first. Lillian led him inside, closing the door gently behind them.

He sat across from her while she settled into her chair.

"First," Crowe began, "I want to confirm something very specific. During your disappearance, did the individuals responsible, assuming individuals were responsible, mention OmniTech Corp directly?"

"I don’t know," she answered, "but it didn’t feel personal."

Crowe’s eyes narrowed with something too analytical to be simple concern.

"That’s helpful," he said. "Very helpful."

He closed the notebook gently, tapping the cover once with his finger.

"One last part," he said. "A small procedural formality."

He reached into his jacket and placed a silver device on her desk. It was shaped like a USB stick, but the casing was too polished and at the same time too custom.

"This is a secure DHS relay tag," Crowe said. "It passively monitors for cyber anomalies around personnel who’ve experienced hostile interference. Think of it as a safety net, it’ll inform us if anything goes wrong."

"And where exactly does it connect?" She asked as she looked at the device.

"Nowhere without your permission. It just sends a ping if anything unusual happens." He paused."You’ll want it."

"I see," Lillian muttered, "then I’ll have to give this back, after all, OmniTech has its own internal protocols," she finished. "We don’t integrate external hardware without clearance."

There was silence for a while as a small frown appeared on Daniel’s face, one which he quickly masked.

But before he could say anything, Lillian’s phone let out a ding and she took a quick glance before setting it down and saying, "on second thought, I think this might come in handy."

Crowe didn’t show surprise, but he definitely paused. His eyes moved briefly toward her phone, then back to her face.

"OmniTech’s internal protocols are strict," she said, "but we don’t forbid auxiliary safety measures as long as they’re kept isolated."

Crowe smiled in approval.

"I’m glad you reconsidered. It will help keep you safe."

"Of course."

He stood up before buttoning his suit jacket.

"I won’t take more of your time. If anything comes up, let me know," he tapped the silver stick lightly, "and keep that near you."

Lillian nodded and rose to shake his hand, "of course, Mr Crowe."

"Stay safe, Mrs. Hayes," Crowe said before turning and leaving the office.