Chapter 202 202: A Friend?

"Tsk tsk tsk," A man clicked his tongue as he looked at the report before him with a smile on his face, "what sad news to deliver on a Saturday morning."Despite his words, his face didn't look the least bit sad, a fact solidified by the small smile on his face.

Before him was a picture of Victor Langley, with his head slumped forward and a hole in it.

The collector leaned back and sighed, "though, sacrificing pawn pieces like this without achieving much really is not a sustainable strategy."

But he had learnt one new thing thanks to Victor, OmniTech was somehow working with Irina Romanova, the queen of the underworld.

How has OmniTech gotten her interest?

The collector guessed it might be because of an interesting tech or the other, based on what he had seen so far.

How has he known they were working together or had some kind of partnership?

That part was easy, his people were able to find info on Lillian Hayes's guards pretty easily.

He wished it was just as easy to find information on OmniTech, but a man wouldn't achieve anything if he relied on wishes.

OmniTech's COO, Lillian Hayes, also had an interesting past but the collector had no plans of using that against her, after all, Victor's son, Nathaniel, had tried that....and failed.

But that didn't mean he couldn't use info from that past in his plans.

The collector turned to the woman standing before him, "isn't that right, Olivia?"

This was the woman that had arrived the previous night and a key to his plan, well, not against OmniTech obviously, since the man seem to only have one woman in his sights.

But for that very woman he cared for.

Olivia just nodded as he continued looking at the man before her. First thing that had been made obvious was that this man was dangerous, very much so.

She had observed him shooting someone right before her eyes without the least bit of hesitation and it was just her first week working for him.

The second was that he seemed to be obsessed with this OmniTech person or rather, the CEO behind OmniTech Corp.

After all, they had moved to Atlanta because of this obsession.

And finally, she was just a pawn in his plans and the man didn't hesitate to get rid of his pawns the moment they were useless.

It wasn't like Olivia didn't know all this before she started working for him, he made it obvious enough that her use was only as a pawn, no more.

But she had no choice, after all, after the Langely's fell, she was out of a job and no company would hire her.

She needed the money for her mother's treatment and this man offered more than enough.

"Now then," the collector said with a smile on his face, "let's start making you useful shall we?"

***

Lillian let out a yawn as she dragged herself off her bed feeling completely refreshed after a great night's sleep.

Ethan had left earlier and Aria was now staying with her boyfriend in California so she was alone in this penthouse.

Walking to her kitchen, she realized that she had nothing to make, or rather, didn't feel like making anything in the kitchen.

So she just took a shower and went down the apartment's lobby where she was met by one of the guards.

"Good morning ma'am," the guard greeted politely.

"Morning," she replied before pausing and asking "don't you guys ever take a day off?"

"Miss Romanova would have our heads if we did and something ended happening to you in that time," the guard explained.

Lillian chuckled before nodding, "I see."

She wasn't going to dismiss them, not when there had just been an attempt to kidnap her the previous night.

Besides, Ethan would be mad if she did and she didn't want him made.

"Where shall I take you?" The guard asked.

According to her schedule, today wasn't a work day, and she wasn't even dressed in work clothes so that meant she wasn't going to the office.

"Just any cafe where I'll get good breakfast," she said.

"Yes ma'am," the guard nodded before walking with her outside where the car was already waiting and opened the door for her.

Lillian walked in, leaned back on the seat and enjoyed the drive.

She watched the city wake up as the car weaved through Atlanta's morning traffic. The sunlight glinted off skyscrapers, and the hum of engines blended with distant sirens and the occasional chirp of birds.

Despite the chaos below, she felt oddly calm. After the events of the previous night, it was almost surreal to have a normal morning again...well, not that this was a strange feeling to her, after all, this wasn't the first time she had been kidnapped, plus this time was only an attempt.

The guard glanced at her briefly before turning his attention back to the road. Lillian decided to break the silence.

"You know," she said, her tone casual, "it's strange, one day, someone tries to kidnap you, the next, everything's quiet like nothing happened."

The guard shrugged, "People don't usually plan well around you, ma'am. And… some things are out of their hands, I suppose." His words were careful, as if he were choosing each one deliberately.

Lillian smirked, "Out of their hands, huh? Sounds like my kind of chaos."

He raised an eyebrow but said nothing, merely keeping his eyes on the road.

They arrived at a quiet, upscale café tucked away from the main streets. It had a small outdoor seating area, sunlight spilling over neatly arranged tables.

Lillian stepped out, letting the guard hold the door. The smell of fresh bread and coffee hit her the moment she walked in.

She ordered something simple, scrambled eggs, toast, and a cappuccino, and took a seat outside, letting the morning sun warm her face.

"This feels nice," she muttered as she took a sip of her coffee, "maybe Ethan and I can come here when we're less busy?"

She and Ethan's first date, as Aria like to call it, was at a diner, it was the place where this chaos of a life started.

But she couldn't say she hated it, after all, her life had changed so much after she met him and maybe not all the changes could be counted as good (especially his bad habits that had been rubbing off her), she was satisfied.

"Um, excuse me," she was snapped out of her thoughts by the voice of a woman who was suddenly close to her.

Lillian raised her head to see a woman in jogging outfit with a small smile on her face, "can I sit with you?"

Looking around, the cafe looked completely packed, probably because this place was quite popular and it was a weekend.

Lillian blinked, slightly taken aback. "Uh… sure," she said cautiously, gesturing to the empty chair across from her.

The woman settled in with an easy grace, tying her hair back as she did so. She had a warm, approachable demeanor, completely at odds with the feeling Lillian had about last night.

"I'm Olivia," the woman said, tilting her head slightly, "and you are?"

"Lillian," she replied, keeping her tone neutral. She studied Olivia for a moment.

Something about her felt familiar… or maybe it was just the way her presence seemed deliberately unthreatening.

"Nice to meet you, Lillian," Olivia smiled, "mind if I ask what you do? You seem… important."

Lillian raised an eyebrow but didn't answer immediately.

She didn't know this woman, yet her curiosity was piqued. "I run a company," she said carefully, "and my job keeps me busy."

Olivia nodded, leaning slightly forward, "That sounds… impressive. Must be tough managing all that."

Lillian smiled faintly, "It has its moments." She hesitated for a second, then added, "And you? What brings you to this café?"

"Oh, I just finished my morning run and noticed this café was open," Olivia replied smoothly. "Figured I'd grab a coffee—I've heard they make an excellent brew here."

Lillian chuckled lightly, allowing herself to relax a little. There was something harmlessly charming about Olivia's approach, and for once, she didn't feel like she was being tested.

Olivia glanced around casually, "Do you come here often?"

"Not really," Lillian said, "but I like quiet places like this… it helps me think."

Olivia nodded knowingly, "I get that. There's something about mornings like this, sunlight, coffee, no one breathing down your neck, that's… peaceful."

For the next few minutes, they exchanged light, casual conversation. Olivia laughed easily, her tone was both warm and genuine or at least convincing enough that Lillian didn't question it.

Lillian found herself letting her guard down, which was unusual.

As she sipped her coffee, Lillian thought about how rare it was to meet someone seemingly normal in her life lately.

Olivia's timing, her approach, even the effortless way she carried herself… it all felt oddly calculated.

But Lillian allowed herself to enjoy the company, after all, she thought she might just be a bit paranoid after last night's events.