v"Who found you?" She asked in a shaking voice.
"Dean O'Sullivan." He said, didn't look at her in the eyes.
"Of course, it was Dean, of course." Velika O'Sullivan laughed bitterly, then she suddenly turned serious, "Does he know about Laken?'
"No." Said Landon Hetherington with a frown, "He's our son, and I would do whatever I can to protect him."
"I love you," Velika O'Sullivan said in a soft, loving tone that Daniel Heinrich had never heard of, "You have no idea how much I love you."
"I love you too, that's why I married you." Said Landon Hetherington with a gaunt smile, trying to cheer his wife up a little, Velika O'Sullivan gave him a pale smile.
"Hey, Heinrich," Said Velika O'Sullivan, she seemed to not pay any attention for what they were talking about, "Do you remember Blake?"
"Blake?" He asked, trying to search the name in his memory.
"Blake Konigsberg." She asked, in a dry, monotone voice.
"I think I've heard of her." Said Daniel Heinrich slowly, this was a familiar name. he never met her in person before, but he was sure that people had mentioned it to him countless times, "The lost agent of Natural?"
"She wasn't lost," Said her with slight sorrow, "I killed her. Simply because she couldn't let go of her husband. They killed him, and she went mental, so I was ordered to kill her. Now they are doing this to me."
Daniel Heinrich lost his words. He had no idea why she suddenly told him something she shouldn't be talking about. The disappearance of Blake Konigsberg was a taboo event back then, but people in the business were all discussing where she could have gone to. Most said she left with her husband, the other said she retired, but Daniel Heinrich believed either. Even back then he thoroughly believed that she was murdered, Natural could never keep anyone with so much secret of the division got by that easily, well, except the legendary Miss Ade. Blake Konigsberg was the star before Velika O'Sullivan gained her fame in the industry, Daniel Heinrich had always been wanting to meet her, but he didn't have any major in the industry during the time of hers, so he never got the chance to be introduced to her.
"And she was my best friend in Natural, it was her who trained me, helped me through those difficult days," She continued, "I could never forget the look in her eyes when I pulled the trigger, even she was mentally disturbed, but I knew precisely at that very moment, she was in her right mind. And she was the one who gave me my gun."
Daniel Heinrich remained silent, waiting for her to finish her short story.
'Never fall in love again,' Blake Konigsberg words were still echoing in Velika O'Sullivan's ears, 'It can make you tough, but it can also kill you'
"Dean needs to go, they all need to go." She murmured, but Daniel Heinrich heard it. This time they touched Velika O'Sullivan's borderline, he could tell that she was furious ad full of rage, she then turned to him, "Hey Heinrich, can you promise me if I died here, you are going to make sure Landon stays safe?"
Daniel Heinrich didn't answer. He was processing her words, the way how she said it was like she was almost a hundred percent sure she was going to die, or she didn't care about her life anymore, she was determined to fight and take down those who were trying to manipulate them.
"Why would you say things like that?" Asked Landon Hetherington, he had his arm around her, shaking her like he was trying hard to get her back to her right mind.
"Promise me, Heinrich," She ignored her friend, "I'll make sure you survive and have control over Natural. But you must keep Landon safe. He's the guardian of our son, he needs to be there for Laken."
"I promise." Said Daniel Heinrich, he had no choice but said yes. He had never seen her like this before, as part of her was lost, she simply did not care anymore.
"Landon," She then turned to her husband, "I owe you my life, I cannot say how grateful I am to you. Tell Laken I love him more than anything else in this world. I know you will take good care of our son, that's why I'm asking you now, no matter what happens, you are going to try to protect yourself, not me."
"But Velika---"
"Hush." She put her finger over his lips, "Someone is coming."
Landon Hetherington swallowed his words back, and Daniel Heinrich could not wrap his brain around the fact that Velika O'Sullivan had a son with a mysterious man. They all heard the footsteps, the rest of the strangers in the room were all just as alert like them. To a certain extent, Daniel Heinrich was quite certain who he was going to see once the door was open, he was also certain that Velika O'Sullivan was expecting the same person.
The rotting wooden door was opened, and a man appeared in their sights. He was tall, slender, he has this neat, expensive suit on that fitted him perfectly. He seemed well-mannered, wore square-shaped glasses, behind those heavy lenses were a pair of beautiful hazel colored eyes. His skin was ridiculously pale like he hadn't seen the sun for ages, it was not the healthy type of pale, it was more grey, gaunt pale, Daniel Heinrich could see the veins of his arms as he rolled up his sleeves. It was him, it would always be him. From time to time Daniel Heinrich had thought he got rid of this man and had the hope that they would never see each other again. But it was not true, it would all end at where it all started, so as they said.
Velika O'Sullivan held her breath. She knew Daniel Heinrich probably had the same thought going on in his mind as she did. They both knew this man, knew who he was. But the difference between Velika O'Sullivan and Daniel Heinrich was, Daniel Heinrich knew clearly that this man wanted him dead. And for Velika O'Sullivan, a mixed feeling arose in her already tangled heart and she had no clue how to sort it out.
But she was even more worried for her husband, how would he react to this? How would he take something that would normally show in the movies happen right in front of his pretty eyes?
"My name is Dr. Aaron Carling," Said the man with a strong northern European accent, "and I welcome all of you to Valentine."
###
Four years ago.
Twenty-three-year-old Velika O'Sullivan was at a critical point in her life. Not like a normal 23-year-old trying to find a job or getting a master's degree or start a family, she was at the point trying to decide where she should stand and how to not live her life on the blade, being in lethal danger at every single second of the day.
She thought she already pulled her broken self back together after joining Natural, but she was once again in fragile pieces. Blake Konigsberg was gone, she killed her best friend as a mission. In exchange, she was promoted as the Chair Field Agent, being paid with unimaginable high wages and give a three months' vacation. These were all luxuries she could have never thought of, but she did kill her friend, the only one was on her side, helped her, trained her, and cared for her. She wondered what she had become after her two short years as an agent of Natural, did she becomes a ruthless assassin like her bosses wanted to be? Was this the reason she could coldly murder her friend barely with any onsite mercy? Although she had empathy, she certainly did, she knew perfectly that it was wrong to kill Blake Konigsberg's husband, that kind man did nothing wrong to anybody, she also knew Blake Konigsberg deserved to be alive.
But she killed her friend, a fact, guilt hanging in her heart and now she had no idea what would happen next. Would she be the next target? Astoria Leontes used to love Blake Konigsberg, after all, she was the star in Natural after Miss Ade, the Leontes gave the most classified missions to Blake Konigsberg, trusted her, yet ordered Velika O'Sullivan, who by all means, could not compare to her, to terminate her life. Velika O'Sullivan knew she had no choice but to gain the Leontes' trust, both of their trusts.
"I know you still doubt my story," Said Astoria Leontes, "I don't blame you. But Velika, I truly want to collaborate with you, we all have one enemy in mind, and that's Romeo."
"And?" Asked Velika O'Sullivan. Indeed, she was dubious after Astoria Leontes told her about her tragic past and how Romeo Leontes was behind the disappearance of Dean O'Sullivan.
"I'm sending you to where it all started," Said the northern European lady with a smirk, "I'm sending you to Valentine to see the truth yourself."
"Valentine?" Velika O'Sullivan squinted her eyes, "The psychiatric hospital?"
"Yes." Nodded Astoria Leontes, "You probably forget, my brother, Aaron Carling, is a psychiatrist who works there."
"Did you just decided to risk my life without my permission?" Sneered Velika O'Sullivan, "If he was crazy like you described, there's a great chance I will be killed."
"That's why you need to make him love you," She smiled again, "Don't let me think I promoted the wrong person to be my Chair Field Agent."
This woman was a poison, thought Velika O'Sullivan, she played fire in between her pale, slender fingers.
She was sent to Valentine as a patient diagnosed schizophrenia, under the name Logan Klein, after her friend Blake Logan Konigsberg's maiden name. Astoria Leontes sneered when she heard the name Velika O'Sullivan chose, but she still approved it and provided her with documents. By assuring Velika O'Sullivan that she would get her out after around one month, by which the agent should've already figured everything out herself, or perhaps, she could discover more dark secrets, Astoria Leontes said her goodbye to her new best field agent of Natural, who she tied the hope of taking down her brother-in-law to.