225 Incentive

When Liz saw Christoff cower in his seat like a baby that had grown too big, she almost felt like laughing out, yet she maintained the cold demeanor as she knew that it would have the most impact.

Over the course of her life, she had seen many people like these, who had fragile egos that could be broken easily if she managed to find an opening.

Oftentimes, all it needed was for them to be shown that they were gravely wrong. Although additional work might be required in some cases, most times, this was enough to ensure that their attitudes would take a 180-degree turn.

Only, although she had known this, she had never acted to do anything of this sort, as she had never had the necessary backing or confidence to pull it off without worrying about the consequences.

Yet, now, she was a goddamn Director of the largest tech company in the world.

'Dorothy, you're a long way from Kansas.'

As she got this classic dialogue in her mind, that cold smile unconsciously broadened, which made Christoff cower even further as he started to worry about what she might be planning.

Demon. This woman was a goddamn demon.

Liz saw that thought in his eyes clearly, which brought her back to her senses.

Well, she couldn't say that she wasn't happy with that.

After all, demons had the knack of getting what they wanted.

As Christoff opened his mouth to begin telling her everything, Liz raised a hand to stop him, before asking the chauffeur to drop them off in the nearest café.

She didn't want to risk further details being exposed. Already, she was running a risk by letting this guy know that Christoff would now be in cahoots with her. She hated leaving loose ends, yet she had had no option as no other type of entrance would have been as grand, and effective.

So, she took out a fat wad of cash which she had prepared beforehand, and handed it to the chauffeur, making him promise that he wouldn't breathe a word of this to anyone.

She had actually left the government building before to obtain this bribe, which had nicely worked out as Christoff had believed that she had left for good.

Of course, Liz wouldn't trust the appeal of money either. Someone who could be bought, wouldn't hesitate to change allegiance when a higher amount was offered.

So, she also placed a tracking chip on his phone while he was excitedly counting the cash.

For someone who had been an expert in covertly stealing stuff along with Luke, doing something like this was a piece of cake. His phone was back in its place before he knew it, and she was off with Christoff.

In the café, he detailed all the instructions he had received from Jonathan.

When he was done, she had to at least admit that that man was smart, even though he had taken the bait dangled by her and Will before.

He had ordered Christoff to hold them off for a short while, after which they would be given access.

This made sense because if there was too much of a delay, people would start to get suspicious.

After that, he had apparently said that he was working on something, himself, which would make sure that Liz would fail.

What could this be?

The reason she thought that this was smart was that just using Christoff would never have worked, and Jonathan had understood that and planned ahead.

Right now, unlike so far, she was dealing with someone who had years of experience, and who wouldn't hesitate to do almost anything to get what he wanted.

She would have to be careful. Yet…she would also have to be bold.

So, ordering Christoff sternly and reminding him of the threat looming over his head which she had found out about using that same kid who had helped her and Luke before, she gave him an untraceable cellphone which he could use to contact her in case he found out more of the plan.

With this matter settled, Liz reached her room, and wasn't surprised to find that Will was still busy.

Yet, to her surprise, there was actually a…letter, beside her bed.

Hmm? Had he sneaked in here, or had he charged the staff to put it at the bedside?

The first thought made her blush slightly, as she imagined coming to the room to find him waiting for her.

Who wouldn't want to be greeted by such a scene?

Still, keeping her fantasies aside, she opened the letter, and read aloud.

"Dear Ms. Director, great work today. I'm honestly surprised that you made the First Lady move. You're pushing all the right buttons- the number of those who are impressed by you grows day by day. And here's another incentive to push you. After we're done here, we will be having a couple of days that we can spend doing whatever you want. I'm really, REALLY looking forward to it, so just go out there and get everything done.

-From the one who often smiles randomly, throughout the day, thinking about you."

A-A vacation?!

As if she needed another incentive to get this done in the fastest, and most efficient way possible.

Still, she had to admit that it definitely…pushed her even further.

Smelling the letter repeatedly, as it reminded her of Will, Liz fell asleep, and headed to the office early next morning, which meant that she missed her boyfriend.

Yet, he was the one who had incentivized her further.

Along with the team, Liz worked tirelessly, using Happle's software to accurately map as many people as possible, before using advanced analytical tools to find housing and employment options.

It was very fulfilling work, and it drove everything else out of Liz's mind.

Only, another day later, her phone rang, and she was startled when she saw that it was Christoff, who had been acting as if he was avoiding her so that no one would know that they were now working together.

His message made her drop everything she was doing.

"Jonathan called me up. Somehow, he knows that I'm working with you. He asked me to tell you to come to the restaurant three blocks from here, as he wants to talk to you about something."