Chapter 99 Chapter 99
"Alexander faked a video of me agreeing to be his ally, but that never happened!" I yelled into the phone. "And now, Damien doesn't trust me, so he has confined me to my room. I need your help."
"What do I do?" Elena asked.
"The intel you've been gathering on the Syndicate, I need it. We need to tell Damien so that he would see that I have really not been working against him. Please, Elena."
"You know that will only expose me and make me become a target." She complained. I knew this, I knew that it would mean exposing who my source was, but at the same time, it was the only way I could ever clear my name.
"I understand that, Elena, but at least you are not betraying him. Rather, it would prove that you have been helping him. Come on, Elena." I pleaded. This was my only option.
"Alright, fine, I'll help. I'll send you some documents now. Go through them and then share it with Mr. Paulo."
"Alright, thank you very much," I said and cut the call. Few minutes later, the document entered my phone. I went through every single thing on it, and it made me realise just what the Syndicate's plan was.
Suddenly, my door was pushed open. I had not even heard the key enter the lock. Damien strode into my room, his face blazed with fury.
He stretched out his hand, "Show me, now." His voice was a tone above a whisper but very close to a yell. I looked at him, confused. His eyes looked up at an angle in the room.
I followed his eyes and caught the new camera he had installed. All this time? I realised he had seen everything.
"Damien..."
"Show me what you are hiding. The phone, now!" He ordered this time around. I had no choice but to hand him the phone.
He opened it and found the document I had been reading. My heart rammed rapidly against my chest, and I was worried that if care wasn't taken, it would fall out.
"What is this? How did you get your hands on this?" He asked. I looked from him to the phone. I couldn't let him find out it was Elena who helped me; it may not turn out well. Damien was very unpredictable like that.
"I told you to trust me. That I would never betray you or take Alexander's side. That conversation never happened. I know I did not tell you everything when you had asked, but that was only because I did not want to think about it or make it a big deal. I trusted that whatever it was that you did, you had your reasons, but I never thought that innocent lives would be involved."
Damien's expression softened, and I realised he was listening. I just wish I could convince him completely.
"I told you everything that was happening as it happened. I told you Victor was working with Alexander. If I had been working with him, would I blow his cover? I have been gathering information about the syndicate with the help of an anonymous source."
He cocked his eyebrows at me. "I know, no more secrets, but I need you to trust me. The only way this person can keep helping us is if I keep their identity a mystery." I replied. He looked at me skeptically, but eventually, he gave in.
Damien nodded his head and went through the document on my phone. I watched him assess the information with keenness and speculation.
"I would never betray you like that. Alexander tried to turn me against you, but I chose to stay here, where I knew I was safe, compared to being locked in a prison cell in one of Alexander's safe houses." I concluded.
Damien looked at me, and this time I saw that he believed me, even though there were still shadows of doubt in his eyes.
"I trust you, Lisa. I want to know that I can trust you. This evidence is a head start, and I appreciate your efforts in getting it. Duke ran the video on his computer. You're right, it is a deep fake."
Hearing him confirm my suspicions gave me great relief. Thank goodness Duke and his computers were able to sort out the fake video, or else I would have been worried about Damien disbelieving me now and refusing to trust that I had not received the document as part of another conspiracy against him.
Surprisingly, Duke rushed into the room, seemingly alarmed. "What is it?" Damien asked him.
"Boss, we have another problem. Victor has taken over the south side of the city. He went there and killed all our men and is establishing dominion as we speak."
Damien's hands folded into a fist. The south side was one of Damien's main territories. I knew this because we were all advised to avoid it, and Damien's name was the only one whispered on those streets enough to cause fear and trembling.
"Get the cars ready now!" Damien roared out. "This has gone on long enough. Victor wants war; well, it is time for war."
He turned to two of his men standing there, "Put a call out to every single person, and tell them I need them. Anyone who refuses the call or doesn't show up, mark them. As soon as this is over, they will join their alliances in the grave."
Damien strode out of the room angrily, and I followed behind him, determined to be of help and assure him of my support despite how dangerous this was.
"Get the men out of the chambers. This is their one chance to prove their loyalty to me, or else, they will face execution before we leave." I shuddered at the thought of this. Damien was gathering all his alliances. This was going to be an all-out war.
He turned to me, his eyes holding the question he probably already knew the answer to. There was no way I was sitting still and letting him face Victor alone.