Victor Van Spin’s office was darker than usual, as if the shadows themselves were conspiring against him. He was on the phone with one of his contacts at Spectacle News Network. His voice carried the edge of fury although anyone listening would think it was because the tailor had messed up the inseam on his new suit.
“What do you mean, did she say moles? How many does she say there are?” His contact’s voice was shaky, but Victor barely listened, too busy processing the implications.
“Multiple? And she’s leaking it to Expose Weekly! They once ran a story about a hamster running a hedge fund!” Victor lowered his voice, a dangerous edge creeping into his tone. “Does she know names?”
“Yes. She knows about Tommy Trueman, and she’s made references to others. Look, Victor, you need to do something fast before—”
“I’m already doing something.” Victor slammed the phone down, cracking the screen. His mind was a whirl of anger and desperation. He couldn’t let this get out. Not now. Not when he was so close to tightening his grip on everything.
He’d dealt with pests before, and Izzy was just another name on the list of people he’d silenced. Tommy Trueman hadn’t been the first, and he sure as hell wouldn’t be the last.
Victor’s lips curled into a sneer as he thought back to other reporters who had dared to stand in his way.
Tommy Trueman was one of the more recent casualties, but before him, there had been Lester Factsman, the so-called “People’s Watchdog.” And of course, there was Sally Straight, the investigative reporter who wouldn’t stop digging until Victor had buried her, too—along with her exposes on corporate corruption. There was even Dwayne “Truth” Teller, a man who had lived up to his name right up until the moment he mysteriously disappeared.
Victor relished the memories of all the people who had tried—and failed—to expose him. But this time, Izzy had gone too far. She was smarter than the rest. She was irritatingly… competent.
Victor wiped his face, muttering to himself. He grabbed his coat. The next move was clear. Izzy had to be silenced, and she had to be silenced now. He wasn’t going to wait for her article to post, exposing everything he’d worked for. If she thought she could play the hero, he’d show her just how dangerous a villain he could be.
Without thinking it through fully, his rage carried him directly to Izzy’s apartment.
Izzy’s Apartment
Izzy-O paced nervously in her living room. She was wondering if she overdid it with the pizza rolls she made in case this whole “exposing evil” thing didn’t pan out.
The plan was set, and every angle had been thought through. Get Victor to confess, capture it on tape, then hopefully live long enough to eat the pizza rolls. Simple.
What if Victor saw through the trap? What if he didn’t take the bait? Or worse, what if he didn’t even like the smell of pizza rolls and then he’d be really mad.
She steeled herself. Leo and Jane had been clear: Victor’s pride would be his downfall. If she pushed just the right buttons, his ego would lead him straight into their setup. The cameras hidden around her apartment were ready, and backup was nearby. She just needed to play her part convincingly.
A knock came at the door—heavy, impatient. Her stomach did a weird little flip, kind of like the time she tried eating leftover sushi after midnight.
Izzy’s heart raced, but she forced a steady breath.
Showtime.
Victor stormed through the door the moment she opened it. His eyes, wild and filled with fury, bore into her as he shoved his way inside.
“You think you can mess with me, Izzy?” he growled. “Expose Weekly? Really? Do you know how humiliating it is to be taken down by a magazine that’s 50% horoscopes?”
Izzy took a calculated step back, holding her hands up in mock surrender. “I’m just a reporter doing my job, Victor. “What are you going to do? Threaten me with bad Yelp reviews?”
His lips twisted into a sneer. “Don’t play innocent. You fed that story about the mole to them. You think I don’t know? But you’re wrong. I don’t just have one mole—I have an entire network of rats to deal with, and you’re the one who started this.”
Izzy’s eyes widened, as if in shock. “More than one mole? Well look on the bright side, I’m sure you still have more marriages than moles.” She let the pause hang in the air, allowing the implication to sink in. “What else have you done, Victor? How far have you gone to protect your empire?”
Victor’s sneer faltered, just for a moment. Then his anger flared again, overriding any caution. “You have no idea what I’ve done! You think you’re smart, playing your little journalist games? I’ve buried people who got in my way. You think you’re the first?”
His voice rose, his fury giving way to the need to gloat. He couldn’t stop now, not when he was so close to silencing her once and for all. “You have no idea the lengths I’ve gone to, the people I’ve paid off, the reporters I’ve silenced. And where are they now? Probably eating pizza rolls in some parallel universe.”
Izzy couldn’t help herself. “Pizza rolls, huh? That’s funny. I made some myself, just in case you wanted a snack before you got arrested.”
Victor faltered for a moment, glancing at the plate of pizza rolls on the table. For a split second, he almost looked tempted. But no, there was evil to be done. “Enough games, Izzy!”
Izzy swallowed the bile rising in her throat, staying in character.
Victor stepped closer, his voice dropping to a sinister whisper. “I’ve taken care of everyone who stood in my way. No one crosses Victor Van Spin and walks away. You should have known better.”
Unbeknownst to him, every word was being recorded. Leo and Jane, watching from their hidden van nearby, exchanged satisfied glances. They had him. The recordings would be enough to bring Victor down, expose his corruption, and dismantle his empire.
Izzy, meanwhile, played the role to perfection. “Victor, you don’t have to do this. We can still—”
“Do what? Spare you? No. I’m done with the games. Do you think Tommy Trueman was the only one? How about Gloria Factright, Vicky Veritas, or Patrick Candor? They all thought they could take me down, and they’re all gone. I buried them just like I’m going to bury you.”
He took a menacing step forward, his hand twitching toward his jacket.
Just then, Leo’s voice crackled over the tiny earpiece in Izzy’s ear. “We’ve got what we need. Time to get out.”
Izzy acted quickly, her voice steady as she bought herself a few more seconds. “Victor, please, just try one pizza roll and then I’ll disappear. You’ll never hear from me again.”
But Victor was too far gone. His rage had completely taken over, and he reached for the weapon inside his coat. Before he could pull it out, though, the door burst open, and the backup team, led by Jane and Leo, rushed in.
Victor froze, his eyes wide with shock and disbelief as the cuffs were snapped onto his wrists. His empire crumbled in that moment, not with a grand explosion, but with the quiet click of handcuffs and the realization that he had been outplayed.
Unseen Eyes
Somewhere, not too far away, a laptop screen glowed dimly in the dark. The figure on the other side smiled faintly, watching as the tracking device marked Victor’s location on a small map. A dot on the screen blinked as he was transported to Noble headquarters.
The figure’s fingers hovered over the keyboard for a second before tapping a single key, turning the screen black. No words were spoken, no sign of satisfaction or concern—just a simple click.
The device shut down, and the room plunged into silence.