Chapter 199: Victor’s Moment

Lillian’s eyes slowly opened, her head pounding from the lingering effects of the gas.Her eyes slowly gained focus and she slowly realized where she was. There was a light overheadcasting shadows in the otherwise dark room.

The room smelt of metal and mold, almost as if it hadn’t been used in a long while...or even ever.

Her body felt heavy, stiff, and restrained. Panic rose as she looked down at her wrists and realized she was strapped to a chair.

She tried to remember how she got here. She remembered being in the elevator when she was suddenly hit with knock out gas.

She didn’t even get the chance to finish her sandwich.

"Where... am I?" she whispered, her voice hoarse.

She suddenly heard the sound of footsteps approaching from the darkness, causing her to lift her head until the person stepped into the light.

The person soon stepped into the light, revealing a head full of grey hair, wine colored suit and a cold expression on his face.

"Ah... awake at last," the man said smoothly. His voice carried the kind of calm authority that made her stomach knot, "I was beginning to worry my guest might be... uncooperative."

Lillian’s heart skipped a beat as she looked at the man before him, of course she knew who he was.

Victor Langley.

"I’m sorry our first meeting had to be in such... circumstances, Miss Hayes," Victor said with a smile, "I wish the place of meet was a bit more... presentable."

She tried to steady her voice, "what do you want from me?"

"Straight to the point, I like that." Victor smiled thinly, a calculated expression, "what I want is information about your company."

"Specifically, the identity behind OmniTech," he added, "and you, my dear, are the key to extracting it."

There was a frown on Lillian’s face as she looked at him, "and you think I’ll just give you his identity?"

"Oh no no," Victor said with a chuckle, "you’re too loyal to just give away your boss’s identity just like that."

"But I have a better idea," he continued, "let’s see exactly how much he values you, your life for his identity."

"A pretty fair deal if I do say so myself, right?"

Lillian suddenly started chuckling which soon became a full blown laughter.

Victor froze, his eyes narrowing, and his carefully composed smile faltered. "Would you mind sharing what’s so funny?" he asked, his voice laced with irritation.

"You see, if you wanted to know who OmniTech’s CEO was," she started, "you should’ve come up with a more elaborate plan."

"Oh I think this is elaborate enough, Miss Hayes." Victor said with a smile.

"Is that so?" Lillian asked, "then why don’t you try contacting him."

Victor frowned for a while before chuckling, "very well then, let’s get this show underway shall we."

He was still a bit hesitant at the fact that Lillian remained so confident even though she clearly was in danger, but that might as well be a bluff.

And Victor wasn’t calling it.

He opened a secured trace that the collector had found and connected to it, according to the man, it should be a direct call to OmniTech himself.

A link he hadn’t bothered deleting since he was enjoying his game with the collector.

The screen on the tablet switched and soon enough it revealed an avatar with black hair, blue eyes and a suit sitting on a cube.

There was silence for a couple of seconds, before Victor finally broke it with a chuckle.

"Your presentation really is not intimidating OmniTech," he said as he looked at the avatar on the screen.

{What do you want Victor Langley?} The avatar spoke up without an ounce of expression on his face.

"Oh you know of me?" Victor said proudly, "then this should be a lot easier."

With that, he stepped out of the way, revealing the bound Lillian.

Victor straightened his jacket, enjoying the power of the scene, "You value your company, don’t you? Your secrets? Your identity? I imagine you do. But today, we’ll play a little game and see if you’re willing to—"

He paused, as if savoring the suspense, "—give up everything you’ve worked for, just to save someone important to you. All it takes is one wrong answer from you. And I assure you, I am very patient."

Victor paced slowly in front of the camera, hands behind his back, "I have resources, connections, and the means to ensure she never speaks again. Yet here I am, giving you a chance. Isn’t that generous?"

He leaned closer to the tablet, a sly grin spreading across his face, "I know you’ve always been careful, OmniTech, always hiding. But no one plans for everything, do they? Sometimes, even the smartest man can... slip."

Victor straightened and gestured toward the restrained Lillian, "Look at her. Notice the fear, the hesitation? Or is that... composure? I wonder if she’s as loyal as everyone claims. Would she risk her own life for you?"

He chuckled softly, almost to himself, "I imagine she would. But that’s what makes this fun, isn’t it? Watching, waiting, seeing just how far someone will go to protect a secret."

Victor’s eyes glinted with excitement, "and if you refuse to answer, OmniTech... well, we’ll just see what kind of man you really are. Perhaps I’ll find her loyalty lacking, and then... perhaps I’ll have to improvise."

{What do want?} The avatar repeated his question, a frown on his face.

He didn’t seem willing to indulge in whatever game Victor was trying to play, but the board was completely out of his hands.

With a grin, Victor answered,

"It’s quite simple really," he said, "I’ll give you a dare and a time limit to complete it, if you do not...."

He pulled out a gun and placed the barrel on her forehead, "then I pull the trigger, and I assure you, this gun is fully loaded."

{....}

He took OmniTech’s silence as a signal to continue, so he said, "let’s begin then."