Free Web NovelChapter 200: Chapter 200: Under the Radar
Alexander pulled up the interface on the console dashboard and dialed Vanessa’s encrypted line. The call connected after a single ring.
"Where can I meet you to hand over the final payment?" asked Alexander, his deep voice smooth as he navigated through the late-evening financial district traffic.
"Well, well" said Vanessa, her sultry laugh echoing through the car speakers. "I honestly thought it would take you a bit longer to gather that kind of liquidity."
"I don’t like dragging my feet when it comes to important business" said Alexander, shifting gears.
"I love that attitude in a man" said Vanessa. "Perfect. I’m currently about five minutes away from the building. I’ll meet you right at the rear entrance."
Alexander disconnected the call and glanced back at the passenger seat. "I’m just dropping off the cash. I won’t be long."
Victoria didn’t answer right away. She was staring blankly out the window, her fingers tightly gripping her phone as she periodically checked the screen, her thumbs hovering over it as if she were desperately waiting for a specific notification.
Alexander pulled the Shelby into the designated loading zone near the high-rise and shifted into park. He looked over at her, his expression sharpening. "I’ll be right back."
Again, Victoria remained silent, her mind clearly miles away.
"Hey" said Alexander, leaning in slightly to catch her attention. "Are you alright?"
"Oh... sorry" said Victoria, blinking rapidly as she snapped out of her trance and shoved her phone back into her small purse. "Yes, I’m fine. I was just focused on something else. Ignore it, it has nothing to do with you."
Alexander stepped out of the Shelby, grabbing the heavy metallic briefcase containing the money from the passenger side floorboards, and walked toward the rear entrance. He pushed through a set of rusted metal double doors that led into a dimly lit warehouse space.
Standing near the center of the concrete floor was Vanessa. She was sitting at a metal table, overshadowed by the massive figure of a man standing in front of her.
The guy was easily over two meters tall, black, and built like a brick wall of solid muscle. He looked genuinely terrifying. He wore thick gold and silver chains draped across his chest, bright silver bracelets reflecting the low light, and heavy rings on nearly every finger radiating the raw aura and flow of an old-school gangster.
"You know exactly what you’re doing, girl" said the massive man, his deep, rumbling voice echoing off the warehouse walls. "Either way, you know I’ve got your back. I’ll save your ass if it comes down to it."
The giant didn’t cast a glance in Alexander’s direction. He simply turned on his heel and strode out toward a side exit, followed closely by two heavily armed guards who had been standing silently in the shadows.
Vanessa stood up from the table, smoothing down her short dress as she watched the heavy doors click shut behind the giant. She turned her gaze to Alexander, a sharp, knowing smile breaking across her face.
"What did you think of my boss?" asked Vanessa, leaning against the edge of the metal table. "Terrifying, isn’t he?"
"He looks exceptionally strong, I have to admit that" said Alexander, his expression flat and unreadable.
He stepped forward and set the heavy metallic briefcase down onto the metal surface between them, popping the latches with a loud click.
"One point two million accounted for" said Alexander.
Vanessa didn’t even bother to glance inside the case. Instead, she took a slow, deliberate step toward Alexander, her eyes locking onto his with a dangerous intensity. "I heard you’ve been having a lot of fun with the Sinclair family lately." ƒгeewebnovёl.com
The moment the words left her mouth, a dark, unsettling feeling twisted in Alexander’s gut. How the hell does everyone already know my movements? It was either that his actions were becoming entirely too obvious, or the factions in this city had a terrifying amount of eyes watching every single street corner. freewebnovel.cσ๓
"Yeah, something like that" said Alexander, his voice dropping into a cautious, smooth rumble.
"Excellent" said Vanessa, a wicked gleam flashing in her eyes as she crossed her arms. "Because I want to contract you for a small, private assignment... The payout is exactly one point two million dollars. What do you think?"
"What exactly do I have to do?" asked Alexander.
Vanessa reached into her jacket and slid a glossy photograph across the table. The picture displayed a sharply dressed, middle-aged man leaving a high-end corporate building.
"This person goes by the name of Puffy" said Vanessa, her voice dropping into a low, lethal whisper. "He is the primary financial broker for Arthur Sinclair, the head of the family. Let’s just say... I want him and his entire immediate family to disappear from the face of the earth. Do you have the balls to take it?"
Alexander’s mind raced, a heavy silence settling over the warehouse. Part of him immediately wanted to reject the contract to stay under the radar, but another part desperately wanted to accept.
"I need to know exactly what I’m stepping into here" said Alexander, his eyes shifting from the photograph back to her face. "Why do you want him dead, and why are you offering this specifically to me?"
"No questions, no witnesses, just a clean job" said Vanessa, her expression turning flat and businesslike as she tapped the photo. "Take it or leave it."
Alexander stood perfectly still, his mind weighing the massive payout against the escalating chaos of the city streets. He stared at the man in the picture, then thought about his current standing within TMC. The risk was simply too high. Something deep in his survival instinct was screaming at him that he was being set up as nothing more than cheap cannon fodder—a disposable, nameless asset to be discarded the moment the dust settled. It felt almost written in stone that accepting this contract would be digging his own grave.
"I’ll pass" said Alexander, taking a step back from the table.
