Chapter Fifty-Eight-3

"Shut up," Victor commands. "Don't be a fool. I'm not going to kill him. Here's what's going to happen." He turns to all of us, making eye contact with everyone as if this is his final performance. "I am going to walk out of this building safely with Lee. I have my men outside too. Actually, some of my men are already on this floor. Some of my men...are your men. So, let's not make any foolish mistakes. I will take Lee. I will get into a car with Lee. I will take him to an unknown destination. All of you will obtain his assets—I don't care how, just do it—and also liquidize your assets and anything you have in your accounts and transfer it to a private wire plus the several accounts I've built through algorithms not to be caught. The world will wonder where your money and companies went and you will simply be bankrupt or jailed for jeopardizing your companies through financial fraud. You will lose everything. Your reputation, your wealth, and anything else you ever thought you had. Remember, I'm going gentle on you. I originally planned to kill a few people at least. But this is much smarter. So do we all understand?" No one moves, breathes, or speaks. "I SAID, DO WE UNDERSTAND?" Victor raises his voice, his eyes angry. "Speak or I will shoot right now." Everyone nods or mumbles a yes, left defenseless. "Perfect." I clench my fists, close my eyes and open them before taking all the courage I have and using it. "NO," I refuse. Victor's eyes scan over and settle on me. "Excuse me?" "No," I repeat. I stand my ground, putting my hands at my side. "That's not the smartest thing to do," I say. "The smartest thing to do...would be to take me." Everyone's faces are surprised and upset that I would suggest that but Victor's twists into confusion before it becomes a menacing evil smile. "Why is that, Ivory?" he questions. "Because," I elaborate, my voice shaking slightly. "If you think about it. Every single person in this room has a direct connection to me. I am a daughter, a granddaughter, or was once loved deeply by people in this room." Lee and I lock eyes, his angry and telling me to quit it. "If you take me, you can get guaranteed money from every fortune as you say, in this room. I am valuable to all of them." I try to seem confident. "And you can torture all of them emotionally, especially my father, because you are taking the last of his family away from him until you get your money." Victor, beaming with happiness now and a dark spark in his eyes, walks over to me as he points his gun. "Who knew? The smartest of them all would be—" Lee suddenly shifts for the two seconds that Victor isn't looking and pulls out a black gun from the inside of his coat pocket, pointing it at Victor. "Get away from her." Victor turns, slightly surprised. "Oh! Would you look at that? Rich boy came prepared." He quickly grabs my arm and pulls me close to him, pressing his gun to my head. "Oh, but I am just too quick for you. Put that gun away, boy. Or I will kill the girl you love right in front of you." Being strong was never my best ability. Tears begin to flood my eyes. I am scared and I feel stupid in every sense. It feels like either I will get shot or Lee will get shot. "Put the gun down," orders Victor, leaving no space between the tip of the gun and my temple. He begins to choke me with the arm around me as well, leaving me sputtering. The sounds trigger Lee as he puts the gun down. "Fuck you," Lee spits out. "Ah-ah, wouldn't want to get me angry, now would you?" Victor says, choking me further. I struggle to breathe and he doesn't stop. I feel his arm cutting into my neck, digging into any pipe that helps me breathe. "STOP!" Lee yells, his fists clenching. He bends, almost as if to reach for the gun again. "Do you see this? You're doing this every time you disobey. Beg me to stop or I won't." I began to scramble, arms reaching up to get him off of me but his arm is firm. Noises of choking begin to escape me. "Beg, boy." Nothing. I'm losing feeling. "Beg." "Please let her go," Lee begs, his eyes shut and face contorted in absolute pain. His face finally portrays weakness much to Victor's glee as he stops choking me, but his gun never wavering. "Now, all of you watch, as I take away one of your most valued prized possession. If I don't get out of this building safely, if I don't get my money within hours, trust me, I will kill her. I am going to jail either way if I get caught so don't pull anything. If Ivory dies, it will be all of your faults," Victor announces, pushing me to the door. "Remember my words. You can mark her death if you do anything foolish." He opens the door, shoving me in the hallway, hiding the gun in an angular area as he closes the door. "Say goodbye. Who knows if you'll ever see her again?" The door slowly shuts as I say goodbye to everyone and everything I love.