[64]

Damian stepped into the room with a cold stare. The place was dark, lit only by a few low-hanging chandeliers, creating long shadows on the walls. Harold, the police chief who was Damian's partner, was already waiting there with some of his men. In the corner of the room, Tedy, Leonard's assistant, sat tied to a chair. His face was bruised, but his gaze remained defiant.

“What did you find here?” Damian asked Harold matter-of-factly.

Harold let out a long breath. “Not much. We only found traces of a small fight. Some of our guards were attacked in a very organized way. Leonard escaped with the help of someone who knows the ins and outs of this place very well.”

Damian turned to Tedy. “This guy,” he said, pointing at the bound man. “He must know something. He was Leonard's right-hand man for years.”

Marcus, who was standing next to Damian, approached with a tense face. “Let me do the talking first,” he said. Marcus approached Tedy and looked at him intensely. “Tell me where Leonard is now, or you won't get out of this place alive.”

Tedy just chuckled, although his face showed pain. “Did you really think I would talk? I'd rather die than betray Leonard.”

Damian stepped forward, giving Tedy a deadly glare. “Then I'll make sure you get what you want,” he said coldly. He pulled a chair in front of Tedy and sat down, displaying an eerie calmness.

“You know, Tedy,” Damian began to speak in a low voice, ”I don't like violence. But if it's the only way to get answers from you, I won't hesitate.”

Tedy did not respond. He just looked at Damian with a small, mocking smile. An impatient Marcus stepped forward, but Damian raised a hand to stop him.

“You think you're strong just because you're quiet?” Damian continued, his tone getting more and more depressing. “I've faced people like you before. And they all end up talking.”

Harold, standing in the corner of the room, looked uneasy. He knew all too well how Damian could lose control when angry. But he also knew that Damian wouldn't stop until he got an answer.

“Damian,” Harold tried to interject, ”maybe we can try a different approach. He won't last long in this state.”

Damian looked sharply at Harold. “I don't need advice right now, Harold. I need answers.”

Marcus, who was standing behind Tedy, grabbed the man's shoulders and gave him a firm grip. “You think Leonard will save you? He doesn't even care about you. Tell us where he is, and we might let you live.”

Tedy remained silent, but his smile began to fade. Damian stood up, approached the man, and without warning, he grabbed Tedy's arm. With one swift movement, there was a loud cracking sound. Tedy cried out in pain, but Damian showed no mercy.

“This is just the beginning,” Damian said in a cold tone. “You still have one more hand. And I have all night.”

Harold swallowed. “Damian, we can't do it like this. If she dies, we won't get anything out of her.”

Damian looked at Harold with flashing eyes. “She won't die. At least, not yet.”

Meanwhile, Marcus examined some documents found at the site. He found something that caught his attention. A small note in Leonard's handwriting.

“Damian,” Marcus called out. “I found something.”

Damian approached, picked up the note, and read it quickly. The note mentioned a place in the eastern region, which Marcus immediately recognized as Damian's house that Rebecca was currently living in.

“This is suspicious,” Marcus said. “If Leonard is heading east, he might try to get close to Rebecca.”

Damian immediately took out his cell phone and called one of his confidants who guarded the house. “Anything suspicious in there?” he asked in a sharp tone.

“Nothing, sir,” replied the voice on the phone. “Everything is under control.”

Damian hung up with a stern expression. “Marcus, keep looking. I won't take any chances.”

Marcus nodded. “I'll check all the traces that lead to it. If he's really headed to Rebecca, we need to move fast.”

Amidst the excruciating pain, Tedy began to laugh softly. The sound of his laughter grew louder, drawing the attention of Damian and Marcus.

“What's so funny?” asked Damian in a low but threatening tone.

“You,” Tedy replied with a painful smile. “You think you can control everything. But the truth is? You can't even catch one escapee.”

Damian leaned closer, his face inches away from Tedy's. “You want to see how far I can control everything? Okay.”

With one swift movement, Damian grabbed Tedy's other hand and broke it without hesitation. Tedy's screams filled the room, but Damian didn't care. He stood up straight, staring at Tedy who was now shaking in pain.

“Tell me where Leonard is,” Damian threatened. “Or I'll make sure you can never use your hands again.”

Tedy was panting, but still didn't answer. Harold finally stepped forward, trying to calm the situation.

“Damian, we need him alive,” Harold said in a firm but careful voice. “If you kill him, we'll have nothing.”

Damian took a deep breath, trying to control his anger. He glanced at Marcus. “Make sure we get another lead. I won't stop until Leonard is found.”

Marcus nodded. “I'll quickly track down all the possibilities. We'll find him, Damian.”

Damian looked at Tedy once more before turning around and leaving the room. However, his anger had not subsided. He knew that time was running out, and Leonard would not stop trying to destroy what he had built.

Behind him, Harold breathed a sigh of relief, while Tedy remained silent, enduring immense pain but still not giving out any information.

***

Soft cheers rang out in the University hall. The charity event organized by Victor was lively, filled with important guests discussing in the corners of the room. Victor, with a friendly smile, welcomed every guest who approached, making sure the event went smoothly.

However, in the middle of the crowd, a young girl steps up to him. Tessa, with a tense face and teary eyes, stood before him.

“Victor, I need to talk,” she said, her voice almost a whisper but full of urgency.

Victor looked at her for a moment before nodding. “Follow me.”

He led Tessa to a small room at the back of the stage. As soon as the door closed, Tessa rushed into it.

“I knew Miya was with you,” she said, tears beginning to flow. “Why didn't you tell me? Why did you let me keep looking for her without success? I just wanted to know she was okay.”

Victor let out a long breath, looking at the girl with a thoughtful expression. “Tessa, this isn't something I can talk about lightly. Miya is in a safe place, and that's all that matters right now.”

“But I'm her best friend!” Tessa exclaimed, her voice breaking with emotion. “I just want to see her. I won't say anything to anyone, I swear.”

Victor saw the sincerity in Tessa's eyes, and after a moment of silence, he nodded slowly. “All right. I'll take you to see him. But you must promise to keep this a secret, Tessa. If anything happens to Miya because of your carelessness, I won't forgive you.”

Tessa nodded quickly, wiping away her tears. “I promise, Victor. I just want to make sure she's okay.”

The car drove slowly through the deserted city streets. Tessa sat beside Victor, her mind full of unanswered questions.

“How did Miya end up with you?” Tessa finally asked, breaking the silence.

Victor remained focused on the road, but his voice sounded flat as he replied, “I found her in a difficult situation. She needed a place to hide, and I just did what needed to be done.”

“What exactly happened to her, Victor?” Tessa pressed. “Why does she have to hide? Does this have anything to do with Damian?”

Victor turned his head briefly, fixing Tessa with a piercing stare. “You're already asking too many questions. Wait until you meet Miya. Let her decide what she wants to tell you.”

Tessa bit her lip, feeling helpless. However, she knew that at least she would see her best friend again soon, and that was enough for now.

When their car arrived in front of Damian's mansion, the large gate opened slowly. Victor got out first, greeting Kayoko who was standing at the door.

“You're late, as usual,” Kayoko quipped, folding her arms across her chest.

Victor only smiled slightly. “You know I have a lot of work. Don't miss me too much.”

Kayoko snorted, but a small smile slipped across her face. “Who was that?” she asked, glancing at Tessa who was just getting out of the car.

“Miya's friend,” Victor replied shortly. “She's here to make sure Miya's okay.”

Kayoko raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything else. She simply opened the door, letting them in.

Inside, Miya was sitting in the living room with Hera. When she saw Tessa, she immediately stood up with wide eyes.

“Tessa?” her voice was filled with shock.

Tessa smiled broadly, tears flowing again. “Miya!”

Miya ran over, hugging her best friend tightly. “How did you get here? I thought I'd never see you again.”

“Victor took me,” Tessa replied with a sob. “I was so worried about you, Miya. Why didn't you tell me anything?”

“I couldn't,” Miya answered quietly. “Too much happened, and I didn't want to involve you.”

Hera, who saw the scene, gave a small smile. She nodded to Victor, as if approving of his decision to bring Tessa here.

“You have much to talk about,” Hera said as she stood up. “I'll leave you alone.”

Kayoko also stepped away, but not before nudging Victor's shoulder. “Don't take too long, hero. I still need your help here.”

Victor just chuckled. “I'll be back as soon as I can, boss.”

***

Victor returned to Catterpilar that night to take care of a few things. Marcus was still busy with the search for Leonard, so Victor had to fill in for him temporarily.

Just as he began to clear the table, a man entered with heavy steps. His hair was disheveled, and the expression on his face showed impatience.

“Hey, you,” the man said in a loud voice. “I need a drink. Now.”

Victor turned his head, looking at the man with a raised eyebrow. “Wait your turn, sir. I'm busy.”

“Busy?” the man laughed sarcastically. “You're just standing there. What's so hard about pouring drinks?”

Victor let out a long breath, trying to remain calm. “I'll serve you when I'm done here. Be patient.”

The man approached, tapping the table loudly. “You think I have time to wait? You work here, so do your job!”

Victor gave him a sharp look. “And you think I should obey everything you say? If you don't like it, you can go somewhere else.”

The man looked surprised by Victor's answer, but he didn't back down. “You really have guts, don't you? I could make you lose your job in a heartbeat.”

Victor smiled slightly, but his eyes showed no sign of gentleness. “Go ahead and try. I want to see how far you can go.”

The man grew angrier, stepping closer until they were only inches apart. “Who do you think you are? I could destroy this place if I wanted to.”

Victor remained calm, but his tone became more assertive. “You may think you can scare me, but you're wrong. If you don't like the rules here, the door is over there.”

The commotion attracted the attention of other customers, and one of them, a large man named Lucas, approached.

“Is there a problem here?” asked Lucas in a flat tone, but his gaze made the annoying man flinch slightly.

The man glanced at Lucas, then back at Victor. “It's not over yet,” he said before turning and leaving with heavy steps.

Lucas looked at Victor and chuckled. “You've got guts, Victor. Not many people can face a man like that.”

Victor just shrugged. “Sometimes, you just have to know when to fight.”

Lucas patted Victor's shoulder before returning to his seat. That night, it was quiet again, but Victor knew that the man would probably be back to cause trouble. But, as always, he was ready for whatever was to come.