Chapter Ten: Victor Sylas

The rain tapped the roof of the Peters estate like a whisper from fate.
Inside, Isabella sat beside her father in the study, her face lit only by the glow of a laptop screen. Sir Mark’s message replayed in her head like a drumbeat.
Victor Sylas. International financier. Known for trafficking identities, laundering stolen assets, and orchestrating disappearances. 
Charles Peters lit a cigar. “Sylas… That name sounds familiar.”
“You may know him from your military days,” Isabella said, eyes sharp. “Sir Mark said Sylas once tried to invest in a weapons firm the navy blacklisted.”
Charles’s brows tightened. “He was denied for suspicious funding. Rumors said he worked with warlords in Sierra Leone.”
“And now he’s tied to Pikolo and… possibly Esther.”
The name sent a chill through the room.
An Unexpected Source
That night, Isabella met privately with Tosky, her old classmate and one-time rival in marketing class. They hadn’t spoken in months, but rumors spread quickly around Bright Mind University.
Tosky arrived at a café wearing dark glasses and a hoodie.
“I shouldn’t be here,” he said, glancing around nervously.
“Relax,” Isabella said. “You said you had something about Sylas?”
Tosky nodded. “He was a ghost sponsor of our Innovation Expo last year. He came under the name Mr. V.S. Holdings—no one met him face-to-face, but his assistant dropped a check for $100,000. And get this…”
He slid over a photo on his phone.
Isabella leaned in.
Esther.
Smiling. Standing beside a tall man with jet-black sunglasses and a ring shaped like a snake.
“Where was this taken?” Isabella asked.
“Backstage. At the expo. Your sister was working as an usher.”
Her breath caught.
Esther met Sylas in person.Maybe even worked for him.And then vanished.
Victor Emerges
Meanwhile, in a sleek penthouse across the sea in Port Mason, a tall man stared at multiple screens.
Victor Sylas.
Impeccably dressed. Calm. Calculated. Dangerous.
Pikolo’s face appeared on the center monitor. Victor scowled.
“You’ve made a mess,” he said aloud to the image. “Bringing the girl into this… that wasn’t part of the plan.”
He tapped a button. A voice crackled through.
“Sir?”
“Relocate Pikolo to Safehouse Delta. The Peters girl is getting closer than I like.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And get me the files on Bright Mind University. Especially that girl... Isabella.”
A Father’s Warning
Back in Hano Chi, Charles Peters called a private meeting with Major Uma and Colonel Anthony.
“I don’t like this Sylas man sniffing around my daughter,” Charles said. “He’s not just a criminal. He’s a strategist. A snake in a suit.”
Major Uma frowned. “If he’s involved, it means Pikolo wasn’t working alone from the start.”
Colonel Anthony leaned forward. “We need to dig up Victor’s old trail. Find out who he's paying and why.”
Charles glanced at his daughter.
“Isabella, this has gone beyond you and your sister. Sylas is an enemy of the state. If you pursue this, you could be marked.”
Isabella stood tall.
“I’m already marked, Daddy. Esther’s blood is in this.”
A Message from the Shadows
The following morning, Isabella received a plain white envelope under her office door.
No stamp. No name.
Inside was a single sentence typed on ivory paper:
Stop digging or you’ll join your sister.
And underneath it, a small sticker… the snake-shaped ring.
Victor Sylas had spoken.