CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY – A SATISFYING SEND-OFF

Some last-minute wheedling and sly prodding about potential destinations initially yielded zero intel on her part. Until at last, Lance gave an exaggerated pout and surrendered to trusting her lead, however blindly. The makeshift interrogation room deep inside Storm Enterprises HQ felt bare and cold. Just a plain table, a couple rickety chairs, and a harsh overhead light. Valeria Vega stared defiantly across the table, her perfect face emotionless. Not even the zipties tightly binding her wrists could diminish her unwavering composure she projected like an invisible force field. "I won't offer you any refreshments," Lance said as he sat in the opposite chair with a creak of old metal. "Given the situation, I think we can skip the usual polite greetings between us." A cold smile twisted Valeria's mouth. "Ever the polite corporate host until the end, Mr. Storm. It's one of the things I've always respected about you - that rigidly upheld sense of propriety no matter the chaos around y