Chapter 35: Vincent is the biggest Mystery
In the past, she had barely noticed the man who was always stuck by Leo’s side. He was always impeccably dressed and never spoke unless spoken to. She never imagined he would be the one to save her.
But why?
Violet took a step forward, remembering she was supposed to speak to him after signing the contract, but she’d been wrapped in her own excitement and had forgotten.
The underground parking lot was empty and dimly lit. Rows of cars lined both sides.
The knowing look in his eyes made Violet visibly uncomfortable. She scanned the area as though searching for someone.
Vincent remained where he stood, watching her. When she turned back to him, he noted how convincingly confused she was pretending to be. "I didn’t even get a thank you." he said, his lips curling mischievously to the side. Gone was the meek man who looked ready to pounce only at his boss’s command.
Violet cleared her throat, quickly schooling her expression. "I think you have the wrong name. I’m Kierra. Kierra Adams."
Vincent shook his head, wagging a finger while casually tucking his other hand into his pocket. "No, you’re not." he said.
He didn’t look the least bit worried that someone might be watching them.
"We both know that."
Violet pressed her lips together, quickly assessing the situation.
Vincent had helped her back there. She could only secure the two billion currently sitting in her purse because of him. He’d produced airtight evidence, evidence that shouldn’t even exist, to prove she was who she claimed to be.
That could only mean one thing: he knew she was a fraud. He’d let her deceive his boss, and now that he’d approached her directly, it could only be because he wanted a cut.
But Violet wasn’t willing to share. She wasn’t giving him anything. She could easily make him vow never to breathe a word to anyone.
She dropped the act. "What do you know?" That was the wrong question, so she quickly rephrased it. "What do you want?"
"What do you think I want?" he asked, throwing her question right back at her.
She narrowed her eyes. How manipulative. "Anything but exposing me. After all, you must have spent a lot of time putting together those documents to prove my identity." Telling his boss was out of the question, that would make him look like an accomplice and cost him Leo’s trust entirely.
Vincent shrugged casually. "That was quite easy to do."
Whatever he said next faded as Violet blinked. Her interface materialised in front of her.
Instead of the usual red dot appearing between his brows, a gold dot settled there instead. The system flared red, and she felt the ground shift slightly beneath her.
WARNING!
Host is unable to deploy System functions against this target.
Violet furrowed her brows and felt a heavy weight settle behind her eyes. The world tilted. She closed her eyes and stumbled backward as the system vanished.
Vincent quickly reached out to catch her, but she moved swiftly out of his grasp, steadying herself against a nearby pillar instead.
A sharp sensation ripped through her temples, she squeezed her eyes shut, staying like that for a few seconds.
Vincent’s brows scrunched with worry as he watched her. His heart pounded frantically behind his chest, he hadn’t even touched her, they’d merely been talking. He didn’t understand what was wrong with her.
The headache lasted about two minutes before vanishing as quickly as it had come. When she opened her eyes, Vincent’s worried expression was the first thing she saw. His face was positioned close to hers.
He stepped back as she straightened to her full height. What had just happened? Her mind spun, trying to make sense of it, that warning had never appeared before. Had the system just malfunctioned, or had it hit some kind of limit she didn’t understand?
"Are you okay?" he asked.
Violet inhaled a deep breath and nodded, smoothing her dress with her free hand. "Yes. What were you saying?"
Vincent looked reluctant to continue, clearly unconvinced she was actually fine, he’d just watched her nearly faint, how could she be fine?
At that moment, a car pulled in, its headlights cutting through the dimness. It stopped a few feet away and honked loudly. Jen was back, which meant it was time for Violet to leave.
"Meet me at The Hollow tonight, 10 pm. I’ll tell you why I helped you today, and what I want." After saying that, he turned and walked away.
Violet stared at the spot where he’d been standing for the next ten seconds. So much had happened in such a short time, and there was still more to process.
Vincent remained the biggest mystery of all.
She turned around and walked toward the car.
"I’m so sorry, I stepped away a while ago to handle something urgent."
Violet adjusted herself in her seat, pulling the seatbelt over her.
"You could have texted me."
"I did." Jen had her body angled toward her. "Did you not see it?"
Violet opened her purse and pulled out her phone, and true to Jen’s word, there was a text waiting. Things had been so tense she hadn’t even noticed.
"I guess I missed it." she said. Her purse was still open, and she glanced into it before pulling out the cheque. "Take me to the bank." she instructed, and Jen pulled out of the underground parking lot.
The drive to the bank took about twenty minutes. Once they arrived and she presented her cheque, she was immediately escorted into the managing director’s office.
She sat across from him.
His secretary brought in a cup of tea for her, steam curling from its surface.
"The amount you’re looking to deposit is quite substantial. I’ll need to confirm it with Mr. Kings first. It’s simply one of the verification procedures the bank has in place, nothing personal, Miss Adams."
Violet took a sip of her tea and nodded. "Go ahead."
The man picked up his phone and stepped aside. While he was on the call with Leo, Violet let her eyes wander around the room, taking in the gleaming mahogany shelves lined with awards and framed certificates, a wall of glass overlooking the city skyline, and a small collection of antique clocks ticking quietly in perfect, unsettling unison.
After the call, the man returned, all smiles. His respect for her had visibly grown. He treated her with care, making sure she was attended to immediately.
As Violet walked to her car, she received an alert on her phone.
2 billion paid into Kierra Adams account. Seeing the amount lifted her mood instantly. A week ago she’d had nothing, and today she was two billion dollars richer.
She felt a deep sense of satisfaction and relief wash over her.
She could finally begin hoarding supplies properly. But first, she needed a good meal. No, a feast.
"Let’s go." she said to Jen once she got into the car. Jen noticed her mood had lifted considerably. She didn’t look like someone who’d just experienced something traumatic, the way she had earlier when Jen had seen her standing with a strange man. Jen hadn’t seen the man’s face this time, so she chose not to jump to conclusions.
There was a lot left to buy. Violet reached into her purse, pretending to search for something, but what she actually did was reach into her space and pull out her old phone.
Violet was going to build a fortress, so that when the apocalypse came she’d be safe, far removed from the chaos, and two billion, however massive it sounded, wasn’t remotely enough for that.
But for today, and the days ahead, she’d focus on hoarding. By the time Leo Kings discovered that Kierra Adams didn’t exist, she’d have already erased that name completely.
But something else lingered in her mind amid all the excitement.
Vincent.
At that thought, her phone pinged. A message from an unknown number.
Unknown Number: Don’t forget our meeting at 10 pm. Also, remember to come as Violet Sullivan.
She knew immediately the number belonged to Vincent.
But how had he gotten her contact?