Gillian slouched pathetically between two chairs, her eyes pleading for sympathy.

Vance and Micah stood behind her, shaking their heads in silence before circling around to face her.

"Gillian, the surveillance caught what you did. You've been flagged as the prime suspect, and when the higher-ups get here, you'll have to explain yourself."

Gillian clutched her face in feigned innocence. "I have no idea what you're talking about! Besides, I can't even see this supposed surveillance you're mentioning. How can I be sure you're not just framing me? And I'll have you know, I'm pressing charges against Vivienne for this mess. She won't get away with what she did to me!"

Vivienne snorted with laughter and pulled a packet from her bag, tossing a facial mask onto Gillian's face.

The moment it touched her skin, Gillian let out a squeal like a pig being slaughtered. Miraculously, her face returned to normal, not a single mark to be seen.

Then, Vivienne shoved the footage in front of her. "This is you, right?"

Gillian nodded. "Yes, that's me, but I was just checking the screens at the command console. It's my job to keep records. Is that a crime now?"

With a swift motion, Vivienne slapped Gillian across the face.

It wasn't just for the sake of it-her palm was itching for justice!

The slap left Gillian's cheek swelling even more than before, ballooning up instantly.

"That's your problem to explain!" Vivienne said with disdain, handing over the tablet to Micah. "I'll be waiting for the outcome."

With that, Vivienne turned on her heel and walked away.

Gillian scrambled toward the door, only to be tripped up by Micah's cane, which "accidentally" landed on her already fractured ankle. "Ah!" she cried out, pain knocking her out cold.

When she came to, she found herself in a hospital ward-the genuine patient this time, with doctors who wouldn't dream of turning her away. After some treatment, Gillian could finally see clearly again.

"Director, I really don't remember what happened. I hit my head on some equipment, and I still can't recall what happened. It wasn't me."

Gillian was a slobbering mess, insisting on her innocence.

Vance nodded along. "I hear you. You're new here, still wet behind the ears. It's normal to make a mistake now and then. My daughter is younger than you and always messing up. I get it." Her hope restored by Vance's words, Gillian's lips curled into a smile. "So, you believe me, Director?"

Vance kept nodding. "Of course, I believe you, Gillian. You're a gem at the Vanguard Agency. If I can't trust you, who can I trust?"

Wiping her tears, Gillian beamed. "I knew you'd believe me, Director. Oh, my head's spinning."

To sell her story, she added an extra swoon for good measure.

Vance sighed. "Alright, Gillian. I understand your condition. From now on, Sophia will handle all of Vanguard's work. You're off duty."

The words left Gillian stunned. Was Vance stripping her of her authority? Headquarters sent her; Vance had no right to do this!

"Director, I..."

"That's enough. Rest up. The headquarters has sent an investigative team. Just cooperate with them, and don't worry. I believe you, and so does everyone else here!"

Vance's words were firm, his belief in her seemingly unshakable.

But for Gillian, her days of pulling strings at the Rivenwood Vanguard Agency were over.

As Vance left, the shock was evident on Gillian's face.

She had paid a high price to infiltrate Rivenwood Vanguard Agency, and now Vance dismissed her with just a few words?

No sooner had Vance exited than the Sea City main office's investigation team entered, taking Gillian away for questioning.

With the gravity of the situation, she would be detained for a while. What would happen next was anyone's guess.

After all, if the daughter of a notorious drug dealer could infiltrate Vanguard Agency as a secretary from headquarters, what else was possible?

Outside the hospital, Vivienne watched Gillian being led away, still feeling a knot of unresolved anger. If Gillian dared to return to Rivenwood Vanguard Agency, Vivienne would ensure it was a one-way trip. "Vivienne, Dracon's been found," Percival approached.

The spy base affair was now in the hands of the International Intelligence Bureau, and with Gillian taken in for questioning, there was still one more player to deal with the man at the heart of it all, Dracon, who had Benjamin sell those cameras.

He targeted bionic biotech, a market F-Poison had dipped into before with their synthetic robots. It wouldn't be a stretch to think Dracon was involved.

"Let me go! Do you know who I am? Do you know who my father is? Touch me, and you'll regret it, I swear! You'd better release me now, or I'll raze this place to the ground!"

Dracon was shackled in a dim basement, his hollow threats echoing off the walls.

He learned of Benjamin's mishap the same day and knew his exposure was imminent. He fled on the first flight out, hoping to lay low.

But as soon as he disembarked, he was hooded, stunned, and carried off before he could even register what was happening.

When he awoke, he was bound in this dark chamber.

Suddenly, the basement flooded with light, blinding and disorienting Dracon.

His ordeal was just beginning. It took what felt like an eternity before he could muster the courage to open his eyes again, and when he did, he was greeted by a 1000-watt bulb blazing so bright it nearly blinded him.

"Who the hell are you? Who?" Dracon bellowed, the frustration in his voice palpable.

A ghostly male voice, thin as a whisper from the underworld, drifted to his ears. "Dracon, who gave you the order to have Sean sell the Brooks Group's cameras?"

Dracon jumped, tumbling chair and all to the floor. "Ah! Who are you? Who?"

The voice, unrelenting, pressed on, pushing against Dracon's throbbing head, turning his world from pitch black to blinding white, rendering him unable to see clearly.

In his extreme terror, Dracon started to blabber, "It was Gillian! We despised Vivienne and wanted to sabotage her bionic tech ventures. Gillian wanted to reclaim the patents. I wanted to see Vivienne suffer,

and yes, I used my dad's influence to get Gillian into the Rivenwood Vanguard Agency. That's all I know, now get lost! Get out of here!"

After spilling his guts, the voice vanished as suddenly as it had appeared, and the room's light slowly returned to normal.

Dracon waited a full ten minutes before he dared to open his eyes once more.

To his horror, his father was sitting right in front of him, his face twisted with rage.

Squirming on the floor like a worm, Dracon pleaded, "Dad, please, you gotta help me! Save me, Dad, please!"

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