The Fears Of A Billionaire

Chapter 165: Chapter 166: The Fallout

Alyssa paced the sterile interrogation room, her boots clacking against the cold concrete floor. Outside, the hum of the precinct was muffled, but she could hear the faint shuffling of officers and the occasional murmur of voices. Volkov sat calmly at the metal table, handcuffed but completely unbothered, as if he were the one holding the cards.

And maybe he still was for hours, they had been locked in this silent battle. Volkov's expression remained as impassive as ever, though Alyssa could tell he was watching her carefully, analyzing every movement, every breath. He was still dangerous, even in chains.

Eleanor and Marcus had checked in briefly. Marcus was being treated for minor injuries from the explosion, and Eleanor was overseeing the cleanup at the docks. The ship's destruction had left little evidence to sift through, and the buyers had melted away into the night like ghosts. They were too fast, too well-coordinated. Just like Volkov had predicted.

"Still nothing?" Eleanor asked quietly as she entered the room, her eyes flicking from Volkov to Alyssa.

Alyssa shook her head. "He's not giving up anything. He's content to sit there and let the world burn." n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Eleanor crossed her arms, staring at Volkov with a mixture of frustration and contempt. "We need to find out who his buyers are. If we don't, we're just waiting for the next shoe to drop. We need leverage."

Volkov glanced up at them, a faint smirk curling at the corner of his mouth. "You talk like I'm not even here. I appreciate the confidence, but you won't get anything out of me."

Alyssa leaned forward, her hands pressing into the table. "Maybe not. But you're not going anywhere. And eventually, you'll slip."

Volkov's smile widened. "Slip? No, no, you misunderstand. I've already succeeded. The game isn't about control, remember? It's about chaos. And I've done my part."

Alyssa's fists clenched. "What did you do, Volkov? What's your endgame here?"

He chuckled softly. "You still don't get it. It's not about me. I was just the spark. The real fire has already started, and there's nothing you or anyone else can do to stop it. You should be looking beyond me, beyond the buyers. Think bigger, Alyssa. Think about the ripples."

Eleanor cut in, her voice sharp. "What ripples? You think your little explosion at the docks is going to cause global chaos? You're delusional."

Volkov met her gaze, unflinching. "Not the explosion. The distrust. The fear. Do you think those buyers will simply go back to their corners and forget about the weapons they were promised? No, they'll search for them. They'll fight over them. And when they don't find them, they'll turn on each other."

He leaned forward slightly, his voice dropping to a low murmur. "It's already begun. I don't need to lift another finger."

Alyssa felt the pit in her stomach grow heavier. He was right. The explosion hadn't just destroyed the weapons it had destroyed the fragile alliances between the buyers. They wouldn't trust each other now. They'd assume someone had betrayed them, and that mistrust would fester into violence.

"You sold them chaos," Alyssa whispered, her eyes narrowing.

Volkov smiled. "Exactly."

Eleanor exhaled slowly, her mind racing as she processed the implications. "Then we need to be ahead of the curve. We need to anticipate where the first strike will be."

Volkov chuckled again, leaning back in his chair. "Ah, but that's the beauty of it. You can't predict chaos. It's like trying to catch smoke. By the time you react, it's already spread."

Alyssa turned to Eleanor, a fire igniting in her eyes. "We don't have to predict it. We just have to contain it. We have contacts. We'll reach out to every government, every agency, and every ally we've got. We need to get ahead of this before it turns into a global conflict."

Eleanor nodded, her expression grim. "I'll start making the calls. But we need to keep him here, under watch."

As Eleanor left the room, Alyssa turned back to Volkov. His smile was still there, infuriatingly calm. She knew he thought he had already won. But Alyssa wasn't about to give up that easily.

"We'll stop it," she said quietly, her voice full of steely determination. "I don't care how long it takes or how far I have to go. I will stop this."

Volkov's eyes gleamed with amusement. "Good luck, Alyssa. You're going to need it."

She didn't respond. Instead, she left the room, her mind already racing with plans. There was still time barely. The fires of mistrust were smoldering, but they hadn't yet erupted into full-blown war. If she could act fast enough, find the right pressure points, she could extinguish them before they spread.

But she knew it wouldn't be easy. Volkov had planned this too well, and even from behind bars, he was still pulling strings.

As she stepped out into the precinct, Marcus approached, his arm bandaged but his expression resolute.

"What's our next move?" he asked.

Alyssa took a deep breath, steeling herself. "We need to track down every one of Volkov's buyers. We need to figure out what they know, what they're planning, and how to stop them before they turn on each other. We have to stop this before it becomes something we can't control."

Marcus nodded, his eyes dark with determination. "And Volkov?"

Alyssa glanced back toward the interrogation room. "He's staying here, under constant surveillance. He may have lit the fuse, but we're going to make sure he doesn't get the satisfaction of watching the world burn."

As they walked toward the operations center, Alyssa couldn't shake the feeling that they were already running out of time. The world was on the edge of a precipice, and it would only take one wrong move to send everything spiraling into chaos.

But she wouldn't let that happen. Not on her watch.

No matter how deep the shadows ran, she would find a way to bring them into the light.