The affluent gathering in Mayfair Lagoon buzzed with animated gossip. It was the first time they had seen such a dramatic confrontation between bidders. A man of Derek Shepherd's standing accused an ordinary bodyguard of being a fraudster.Derek was not to be blamed since the Chief Auctioneer, Phillips Sotheby, himself harbored serious doubts. The way Victor Damone had conducted himself raised a lot of red flags.First of all, Victor was a mere bodyguard. He looked too young to have achieved any level of success in the business world. Finally, his bid of six hundred million dollars for the seven-gems royal gown sounded unrealistic. Not even a trillionaire would spend such an exorbitant amount on an auction.Sotheby's accountant, Miller, stood before Victor's table with an extended hand. He asked for his debit card to confirm his bank balance.Rose turned to Victor and offered him a debit card. "My account has fifty million dollars. I won't mind if you use it."Claire had already fishe
"I'm just a simple bidder," Victor replied. "Now, do your job."Miller seemed like he was in a trance. He turned to the billionaire crowd slowly. "The bidder, Victor Damone's account, is legitimate. His financial credentials are genuine. Mr. Damone can pay for his bid of six hundred and twenty million dollars!"The assembly broke into gasps and squeals. Did Victor really own such inordinate wealth? If so, why did he live the life of a poor bodyguard?Derek and Sotheby's faces looked like bags of rice had hit them squarely.Carol was stumped as well. She could not imagine in her wildest dreams that her ex-husband had over six hundred million dollars! Where did Victor get the wealth from? Clearly, he refused the cards of the lady billionaires and insisted on getting his own card scanned. If the man was indeed affluent, why did he hide such a huge secret from his wife?Everyone else looked at Victor in admiration. Claire was speechless, while Rose and Julia's eyes were wide in shock. What
Haley B and Claire gasped as Derek revealed he had a ticking bomb in his body. "Victor… Is that a real bomb?" Claire stammered. She left her seat and backed away in panic. Haley B's face showed signs of alarm, but she didn't budge from her position. 'I will die one day or another,' she told herself. 'But I'll be lucky if it happens beside the man I love.'Victor didn't respond to Claire's question. He was convinced beyond doubt it was a genuine bomb. His piercing eyes narrowed, analyzing the blinking light on Derek's abdomen. The monolith leader had implanted a nano-bomb under his skin that could take down the entire building in an explosion. Victor was confident their organization had no access to such advanced technology. He figured they purchased it from an underworld broker, perhaps the Blackwells. Angela Kaufmann was working on military applications of nanotechnology, many of which were stolen by the Puppetmaster. The latter sold the advanced tech to the highest bidder. The nan
"He wants to destroy the world, and the Armageddon will start in Springfield. A place where he failed last time…"Victor's eyes peered into Derek's. The defeated villain drooled like a baby in a trance. "I see. So the Puppetmaster has finally changed his ways, making allies in the criminal world. He'll fail all the same as I'm going to stop him. Now tell me what he looks like! Where is he hiding?"Derek snapped out of his reverie for a moment and vomited blood. "It's too late, Victor Damone…" he spat. "He's sending your own blood to destroy you... All your loved ones will be killed… He will have no mercy!" Victor was about to put Derek under hypnosis again, but the Monolith leader started bleeding from his eyes, nose, and ears. He collapsed to the floor and went into a violent seizure. With a last convulsion, he frothed in the mouth and slumped dead.Victor kneeled and parted Derek's dead lips. "There was a suicide pill hidden in his tooth. It was activated remotely. We were being w
Victor narrowed his eyes at the young tantalizing beauty before him. Courtney Blackwell, the secret heiress of Alexander, was not just a pretty face. Victor had enough intel on the girl. She had one of the most brilliant minds in the corporate world, capable of managing the entire conglomerate all by herself. Even the Black Dragon gang was a puppet army under Courtney. Victor had heard that the girl was the brain behind Alexander's financial and real-world decisions. Damien was merely a figurehead propped up by the old man to deceive competitors. Damien was a facade to convince the patriarchal business world that the mighty Blackwells had a male heir. The truth was that Courtney pulled the threads from the shadows. "I have no business with the Blackwells," Victor replied without emotion. He already disliked the family for humiliating Carol in Carmine City. They tried to set her up as a fraud and a thief.The Blackwells would have succeeded had Victor not intervened. The man infiltra
Dr. Sophia Baker was in the Hospital Director's office, poring over medical files. When Victor knocked, she jumped to her feet, looking as excited as a little girl. Realizing her break of character immediately, she cleared her throat and reined in the enthusiasm. "Come in…"Victor entered and offered her a thin smile. "I wanted to drop by and ask whether you were hurt in the Mayfair Lagoon incident."Sophia shrugged. "I'm alright. But why should you worry about me? I remember being asked to leave while you chose to stay behind with Claire and Haley. Apparently, they mean a lot to you. You'd be happy to die with them."Victor shook his head slightly. "Haley is not someone who listens to me, so asking her to run away would be pointless. However, Claire needed to face Derek Shepherd because he conspired to kidnap and kill her."Sophia raised her brows innocently. "Oh, I was not aware of that. I'm sorry…"Victor eyed her endearingly. She was a grown woman, a renowned surgeon at the top of
Dr. Sophia's face paled as she heard Victor's appalling words. "What?! Someone poisoned you?! Do you know which chemical they used? I'll get the antidote immediately!"Victor had broken into a vigorous sweat. "I'm unsure since it was in my food and was tasteless and odorless."The female doctor felt a crippling pang of anxiety rush over her, but she made a resolute face. She wouldn't let the man she loved die before her eyes. "How did the poison enter your system?""It was in a slice of cake." Victor realized Courtney Blackwell had tried to kill him with a nefarious plan. She used Carol to lower his defenses.Based on the symptoms, it was a fast-acting chemical. An ordinary guy would probably be already dead. However, Victor was functionally immune to poisons and toxins. Even the most potent substances like hemlock wouldn't even make him drowsy. But there was something different about Courtney's poison.Sophia rifled in the medicine cabinet and handed him a vial of tincture. "This is
With great regret, Sophia bit her lip and bid Victor goodbye."I'll wait for you to get back and perform a diagnosis when you return,” she said, averting her eyes. “Take care."Victor turned to go, but another splitting headache paralyzed his stride. "Arghh!" His pupils contracted and expanded rapidly and then came to a halt. The man rose to his full height with a different air about him."What happened?" In the urgency to treat Victor, the beauty had forgotten to dress up and was still in her lingerie. Her beautiful assets were on full display. Victor glared at Sophia like a predator in the wild. A flame of insatiable bloodlust erupted in his eyes."Victor… Are you okay?" Sophia asked nervously. "You seem different."Without warning, Victor rushed at Sophia, slamming her into the wall. "What are you doing?" she exclaimed. "Ah!"The man smirked and grabbed her breasts roughly. "Is this what you want? Do you like it?" His voice sounded savage and beast-like.Sophia's eyes widened in h