Xavier carried Victoria back to the 69th floor, and Viola followed him. They had to make sure Ethan doesn't regain consciousness and escape somewhere.

Viola glanced at Xavier, then at the trembling girl in front of them, and for a moment, she just stood there, thinking. Then, in that dry, careless tone of hers, she said, "So… you're gonna rape her now, right? Let me watch."

Victoria's eyes widened in horror. She backed away fast, her back hitting the wall as she shook her head, terrified.

Xavier turned sharply toward Viola, snapping, "What the hell is wrong with you? Of course not! Why would you even ask that?"

Viola just shrugged, unfazed. "Relax. It's just a question. It's also a form of assault, and it happens a lot out there in space. If you get caught, that's the first thing they do. Power play, that kind of shit. Goes both ways too."

Xavier exhaled, jaw tight. "Yeah, well, I'm not one of those people. I'm not gonna do anything to her. I just want to talk."

Then he turned toward Victoria, voice calmer now. "Victoria, right? I'm not here to hurt you. I just need some answers."

Xavier folded his arms, studying her. "Alright then. How'd you even end up here? What were you doing sneaking around a place like this?"

Victoria sniffed, her voice trembling. "I… I heard Ethan talking to someone on the phone. He sounded angry—desperate. Said something about coming here, about a deal or… or an experiment, I don't know. So I hid in the back of his car before he left."

Viola tilted her head, looking mildly impressed. "You followed him all the way here? Damn, that's brave or dumb—can't tell which."

Victoria ignored her and kept going. "When they arrived, I stayed quiet until they both went inside. Then I got out and just… hid. I didn't know where else to go."

Xavier frowned. "And no alarms? No sensors, cameras, anything?"

She shook her head. "Everyone in our family has access clearance. IDs, biometrics, all of it. I guess the system still recognizes me as part of the Sterling family."

"Obviously." He sighed. "So, lemme get this straight—you followed your psychotic brother into a restricted facility because you wanted to know what he was up to?"

"I had to," she said quickly, voice cracking. "I found out he sold Sterling Corporation. Everything my father built—gone. And that wasn't even the worst part. I overheard him talking about 'calling in old favours' and using the money to fund something called Project Ascendancy. I wanted to know who he was working with. What he was planning."

Xavier narrowed his eyes. "Project Ascendancy…? What is it and what have you heard anything else about it?"

Victoria shook her head. "Just that it had something to do with the serum. The one he used on himself… and others. He said something about creating a 'new human order,' where emotions and weakness would be erased."

Viola raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like your brother had a god complex."

"He wasn't always like this," Victoria said softly. "He changed after our father died. Started talking about destiny, about cleansing the system. He said Xavier was the catalyst for all of it."

Xavier's expression darkened. "Of course he did." He stepped closer, lowering his voice. "You said 'others.' Who are these others?"

Victoria hesitated, then whispered, "People who volunteered… or were taken. He said some survived the first phase, but the second one—he called it purification—none made it through. Except a few"

Xavier's eyes flicked toward the broken syringe still lying nearby, the words "Phase II" barely visible under the dried blood. He looked back at her. "And he injected himself with that crap willingly?"

Victoria nodded. "He said he wanted to become what humans were meant to be."

Xavier's voice dropped, calm but sharp. "Alright, fine. You followed Ethan here, risked your life sneaking into a classified facility. What then? What was the grand plan after that? You think you could just waltz out after seeing all this?"

Victoria stayed silent, her hands trembling. Viola crossed her arms. "He's got a point. You're lucky you didn't get vaporized by one of my men, sweetheart. Or worse, seen by one of Ethan's goons. You don't survive long in a den like this by just hiding and hoping. Well, looks like you have a talent for hiding, I will give you that."

"I didn't know what else to do," Victoria muttered, voice shaky. "I thought I could gather proof or something. Anything to expose what he was doing."

Xavier gave a dry laugh, half disbelief, half pity. "Proof? You're standing in the middle of a blood-soaked building, surrounded by corpses and a man who turned into… that."

Victoria's eyes drifted toward Maximillian's body—or what was left of it. The remains were barely human anymore, a grotesque puddle of dissolving flesh. Her stomach twisted, and she looked away—straight at Ethan's unconscious body lying in a heap near the floor.

She hesitated. "Is he… dead?"

Xavier looked at her, expression unreadable. "Not yet. But soon."

Viola frowned. "You sure it's smart to tell her that? She could run her mouth to the wrong people."

Xavier turned toward Victoria, his gaze steady, almost cold. "You're not gonna tell anyone about this, are you?"

Victoria's head snapped side to side in panic. "N-no! I swear I won't say anything! I just want to go home!"

Viola snorted. "Everyone says that when they're scared. But give her one clean exit and she'll call the cops the first chance she gets."

"She won't," Xavier said firmly.

Viola arched a brow. "And how the hell do you know that?"

Xavier's tone darkened. "Because she hates him as much as I do."

Victoria froze, her eyes widening, while Viola looked between them. "What do you mean?"

"She has suffered more as Ethan's sister from Ethan than any other person. Do you think he was a good brother or someone who was soft on the family?" Xavier looked at Victoria and uttered, "Why don't you tell some of the things Ethan did?"

"..." But Victoria stayed silent.

"Guess I will do it myself."

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