[A/N: Hey guys, because of the seemingly low interest in the novel, I'm going to scale the chapters down to one a day for a while as I work on my second novel idea.
Apologies to anyone who's enjoyed this work and hoped for my continued focus on it.]
Honestly, although the people gathered in this meeting room were surprised by Alita's vulgar words, they were so used to Alita being a slightly naive but kind girl that they didn't even consider the possibility she meant her words as a threat, instead of a warning.
Now, with Alita mentioning that Nova had already given permission for Ivar to stay, they all focussed on her to see what she had to say about that.
And they were once again dumbfounded when she nodded, "Alita is right. Since he beat me, he has the right to live in the penthouse."
Mara immediately jumped up, "That's ridiculous! It's a rule for members of Sanctuary, not random outsiders!"
Since the penthouse was a reward for beating Nova, something Mara had long since set as her goal, she always regarded the penthouse as her ultimate reward.
But all Mara received in response to her anger was a cold, withering stare from Nova as she spoke with a grave tone, one that very few people in Sanctuary had ever actually heard from her,
"Are you, perhaps, under the mistaken assumption that Sanctuary is a democracy, Mara? I'll remind you that the rules are what I say they are.
Now, you have three options: one, sit down, shut up, accept my decisions like a good girl and prepare to have a week's pay docked for talking back to me.
Two, finally complete your goal of defeating me, take control of Sanctuary and then get killed by Ivar."
Obviously, Nova had always been aware of Mara's goals, but despite the fact this muscled beauty was a pain in the ass, she was also extremely useful.
She continued, "Three, piss off, leave Sanctuary and don't come back."
Behind her back, Nova had strapped the sword she had used to survive the slums and protect her sister.
It was her primary tool of intimidation, as everyone knew how she had used this weapon to terrorise her surroundings and become the red-eyed devil.
She pulled it out and stabbed it into the table's surface. "You have five seconds to decide, Mara. Before I decide for you."
Mara stared at Nova, having forgotten how intimidating she could be. She briefly considered option two, but for some reason, she felt like this Nova was not the same as she had thought before. This Nova felt more dangerous, more primal.
So when the fourth second ticked, Mara closed her eyes and sat back down.
Nova nodded and sheathed her sword again, "Good. You should all remember that while I value your opinions, I expect them to be raised in a reasonable manner, not shouted at me in a rage. Not to mention that my decisions are always final."
Having regained control of the room, Nova continued, "In any case, since Ivar is now in the direct employ of Sanctuary, he can be considered the first male member and, having defeated me, may now live in the penthouse.
If there are no further complaints," she said while glaring at Mara, who wisely kept her mouth shut, "then I w-" but she stopped when she noticed Sabine wanted to say something, "Do you have anything more to say on the matter, Sabine?"
Sabine looked a little uncomfortable as she looked at Nova, "W- Well, you know how I respect you more than anyone, Nova, b- but are you sure this man did not orchestrate this entire thing so that he could end up here?"
She quickly turned to Alita, "I don't mean to insult you, Alita! Although I think you are acting a little weirdly, I doubt you would turn against Sanctuary. But, well, you wouldn't be the first to fall for someone who turned out to be an asshole…"
Sabine was one of the higher-educated women who had been stuck in an abusive marriage, only to be rescued and recruited into Sanctuary by Nova.
She still had some trauma from that life, causing her to become a little timid and highly reliant on her rescuer, Nova. Still, she was one of the most intelligent people in Sanctuary, which had allowed her to rise to her current position.
Alita smiled mysteriously, "Oh, I know exactly what he is like." She was perfectly aware Ivar was an asshole, but that was precisely why she felt so free, despite being completely and utterly dominated by him.
She returned to smiling cheerfully, "But thank you for the concern!" Then she leaned in closer to Sabine and whispered, "You know, I bet Ivar could completely make you forget about that ex-husband of yours. I'll put in a good word for you."
Unfortunately, rather than the embarrassed expression Alita was hoping for, Sabine instead seemed stricken with panic, "N- No! P- Please keep him away from me!"
Alita quickly threw up her hands, "Alright, alright! You have nothing to fear from him, I promise."
It seemed Sabine's traumas ran deeper than she thought. Still, Alita had confidence in her master's abilities to bring women to his side.
Bringing the focus back to herself, Nova answered Sabine's concern, "There is a possibility that is the case, but honestly, I don't see what someone of his skills and strength would want with a relatively minor criminal gang like ours.
Regardless, we will obviously keep a close eye on him."
Having recovered from Alita's remarks and appearing somewhat appeased, Sabine nodded but couldn't help but bring up another problem, "I guess that's fair, but what about the fact that he can easily walk from the penthouse into the apartments downstairs?"
Nova nodded in response, "I've thought of that; Ivar has agreed to wear a locater band to keep track of his movements inside the building. If he enters the living spaces, an alarm will go off."
That wasn't true, of course, but they didn't need to know that.
Then she shrugged, "And anyway, my opinion, which should still mean something around here, is that he won't stoop that low. That said, there's a good chance he will try to seduce some of you. If you want to take him up on that offer, please feel free.
Now, if no one has anything else regarding Ivar, I would like to address the Andra situation."
She once again pulled out her sword and laid it down on the table, with her hand over it, "Some or all of you should already be aware that it was Andra who conspired against Alita and, through her, against Sanctuary.
I would like to confirm the order of shoot-to-kill for everyone in Sanctuary. Andra is much more dangerous than she appeared while living with us, and trying to apprehend her would only lead to casualties.
Furthermore, during her attempt to murder Alita, she admitted to serving someone she only referred to as "Mistress". Obviously, Andra was never an actual member of Sanctuary, or she was turned against us at some later point.
Whatever the case, she may not be our only traitor, so for the foreseeable future, I will be keeping a much closer eye on everyone. I suggest you all stay on your toes.
I am currently working on a method to ensure the loyalty of the top members, meaning everyone in this room, and I will let you all know when it is ready."
Then she grabbed the sword and once again stabbed it into the table in an attempt to intimidate, "Now, if any of you have something to say regarding your loyalty to Sanctuary, I suggest you do it now, as I may still grant leniency.
But if I unmask you as a traitor later, I can only guarantee a quick death."
She slowly looked around the room to gauge their reaction to her words and was pleased when it seemed her attempt at intimidation appeared to have been successful, as most of them were afraid to meet her eyes.
They didn't mind Nova's harsh words, as they knew full well that it had not been more than a few days when Andra had stood among them as the captain-ranked head of security.
After a few more moments of silence, Nova nodded, "Very well then. If there is still a traitor in this room, I hope for your sake that you remain undiscovered. "
She addressed a still sour-looking Mara, "Mara, I expect you to appoint a new head of security in the next few days. And be careful; if one more person under you betrays us, it will be on your head.
Now, any questions about the Andra matter before I move on to the last point I wish to discuss with you all?"
Seeing no questions being raised, Nova nodded, "Good then. This matter concerns the payment requested by Ivar. He requires a very specific piece of technology, modified with some custom mods that I expect Sabine to work on herself."
Sabine nodded, "Sure, boss, but can you tell me what I'll be working with? Perhaps we have it in our stores."
Nova shook her head, "I doubt it. What Ivar wants is a pair of Nakhimov Corp bionic lenses."