Chapter 73 PULLING THE STRINGS

Chapter 73 PULLING THE STRINGS
VIKTOR'S POV

I leaned back in my chair, drinking my morning coffee. I was also watching Aria form my live feed.

“Do you think this would make Damian move?” asked by one of the operatives beside me, a young man named Torres. He tapped nervously at his tablet.

I didn’t flinch. “Let her feel the strain. Let her taste panic. Every second she hesitates is a second Blackwood becomes desperate.”

Torres swallowed. “And the route change? She’s starting to sense something..”

“I know,” I cut in, my voice cold but calm.

“That’s exactly why we shift the timing. A little pressure, Torres. ”

Another operative, Lina, leaned in from the side. “Sir… the guards are asking for clarification. They don’t want to risk exposure.”

I let out a soft hum. “Hmmmm.”

I tapped a finger on my desk. “Check the warehouse feeds. Make sure the doors are locked. every exit… double-check. I want her contained, but not broken. Not yet. Blackwood must chase shadows before he realizes the truth.”

Lina nodded quickly. “Understood.” She moved to execute the orders.

I turned my attention back to the main screen. Aria. She didn’t know I was orchestrating this. She thought she i was on her side.

That ignorance,her own perception of chaos,was the real weapon.

A subtle smile curled on my lips. “Phase three,” I murmured. “Everything falls into place only when they think it’s out of place.”

Torres hesitated again. “Sir… won’t he notice eventually? Damian?”

I leaned forward, eyes narrowing. “Notice what? That she’s gone? That’s the point. Let him play into the trap. Let him exhaust himself. Let him make mistakes. The more frantic he is, the easier it is to destroy his little empire.”

A message came from my encrypted phone. I swiped it open. A message: Blackwood delayed. He’s still en route.

“Perfect,” I said under my breath, " he doesn't need to know now.”

Lina peeked over my shoulder. “Sir… the other side is starting to communicate. Someone’s asking about payments, and the tracking devices have been...”

I chuckled, “Let them try. Every attempt to disrupt us only confirms they would be dead. Keep feeding them dead ends, Lina. I want confusion,.”

Torres frowned. “And Aria? Should we… keep her aware of the plan?”

I shook my head. “No. It would make this worse if she knows I'm the master mind.Let her feel trapped, let her fight, let her think she has a chance to escape. .”

The outside city stretched in glittering indifference. Cars moved, lights flashed, with people lived their ordinary lives.

They had no idea how fragile the threads of control around them were.

They didn’t see me, pulling the strings, the calm eye of the storm.,how would they?

Did they see when I was suffering all because of Damain's father?

No.

I turned my chair slightly to look at the screens showing Blackwood’s building.

I would surely bring him down.

Panic had begun to ripple among the board members. Shares were fluctuating. Internal distrust was spreading.

And Damian… he was still unknowing, still reacting, still chasing.

“Sir, she’s attempting to check her surroundings,” Torres said, voice tight.
I leaned forward. “Let her. Let her sniff the room only. You can give her food, her blood won't be on my hands.”

Lina adjusted one of the feeds, zooming in on Aria. “She’s… hesitating at a corner. She looks like she’s trying to retrace her steps.”

“Exactly,” I said. “She thinks she’s in control. She’s not. She’s playing her role beautifully.”

I poured myself a cup of cold coffee and took a slow sip, savoring the silence that followed.

Then, almost as if testing the limits of the plan, I leaned closer to Torres.

“Double-check the perimeter cameras near the east exit. I want all possible escape routes closed within the next five minutes.”

Torres nodded, a bead of sweat sliding down his temple. “Yes, sir. Understood.”

An alert flashed from the warehouse. I leaned in, eyes narrowing. “Someone’s approaching the wrong entrance. Unscheduled. Who is this?”

Lina quickly typed into the system. “ I don't know.It’s… unknown. They’re using a temporary passcode, bypassing initial scans.”

I tapped my fingers against the desk. " They think they’re clever. I want that arrogance. They'll make mistakes.”

Torres whispered, “Sir… do we intervene now?”

I shook my head slowly. “No. Watch them,everything. Every move they make is a lesson, and every mistake feeds our advantage. Soon they'll be off balance."

The tension in the room was electric, yet I sat, calm, unshaken. it was in letting them move themselves into my trap.

A quiet beep drew my attention. A new alert,Aria had paused near a narrow alley, seemingly trapped. Just where I wanted her.

She's smart.

I leaned back, fingers steepled again, eyes scanning the monitors like a predator surveying the hunt. “She’s right where she needs to be. Soon, Blackwood ould be here.”

Lina murmured, almost in awe, “You’re… incredible, sir.”

I didn’t answer.

I stood, straightening my jacket, and walked toward the window.

“This,” I whispered, “is only the beginning. And soon… they will realize that I am everywhere—and nowhere.”