Velika: The story of a lover

"Are you disappointed that I showed up instead of Dean O'Sullivan?" Daniel Heinrich asked abruptly.

"No." She answered firmly, "He is my husband because we haven't gotten a chance to divorce yet, that doesn't mean I still want to have anything to do with him."

She then sighed for the great change of time and the feeling that she was no longer that young woman with naive dreams of world and love, she then said mildly: "But you know, I can't believe I found this place, well, I presume my subconscious guided me, I did have some joyful memories here, memories that have to go back to a long time ago."

"Sometimes you better lock those memories up," Daniel Heinrich sipped his coffee. The sentiment, that was what he felt now, and it was the last thing he wanted to talk about, he changed the topic immediately, "So I guess you read the news."

"Yes, I did." She took over the coffee from the owner, nodded at him with a smile, "I could care less about Braddock's death, he's a pest anyway. But it was weird when I saw my face in the newspaper."

"I thought you couldn't even make it through the custom, how did you get on the flight?" Daniel Heinrich asked he leaned forward a little.

"You should be aware that I have multiple passports," She shrugged, "I'm glad I can pass."

"Alright, let's get to business," Daniel Heinrich frowned, "I'm just going to be straightforward. Do you know when will Leontes send Clarabelle to blow up The Sinking Boat?"

"No," Velika O'Sullivan shook her head, "She didn't tell me, clearly she doesn't want me to know the details, I'm concern that she is planning on something else. I'm not her most trusted agent anymore."

"Dean O'Sullivan is." Daniel Heinrich rose his eyebrow, "Leontes seems to trust him."

"I hope she does," She took another sip of the coffee, "So Dean can have an effective role inside Natural and we don't have to risk our lives for a mendacious woman."

"Don't you worried Leontes will ask O'Sullivan to join Clarabelle since he took over Romeo Leontes' position and also trained to be a field agent?" He squinted his eyes, "To test his loyalty?"

"Perhaps," Velika O'Sullivan seemed absentminded, "Dean can handle it himself."

"Why would Dean O'Sullivan risk himself that much?" He lifted his coffee cup, "He pretends to be loyal to Leontes, collaborates with me, what does he want?"

"Heinrich, you have too many questions that I cannot answer. But I do know, he would never, ever put himself in any sort of danger and he would do anything to stay in the safe zone." Velika O'Sullivan said in a harsh voice and Daniel Heinrich knew she was serious, "He would expose me if my existence affects his advantage in this game, regardless of what past we shared."

The most messed up couple he had ever seen in his life, Daniel Heinrich thought. Their feelings for each other had already faded away in time, but they had an extremely tight bond that Daniel Heinrich couldn't comprehend. They were both perceptive, reserved secrets from others, and they seek benefits from each other. Daniel Heinrich, as a wise man who sadly lost his right to choose a path for his life, had to stand in between them and fight himself through whatever they were going to put him into. Sometimes he wondered maybe from the very beginning when he was recruited into this industry, everything was already set up, he was nothing but a tool involuntarily got involved in the plan.

Daniel Heinrich returned to Natural, he needed to investigate when the Clarabelle Lewis would launch the attack, when, where, and how. He couldn't just ask Astoria Leontes, as she never offered him to get involved though she told him some irrelevant points, if he went straight to her, she would suspect him. That woman was unpredictable, despite the fact she didn't trust him at all, she was at two extreme ends, her weak end was the weakest of all. And Daniel Heinrich knew and her strong side was much tougher than anybody could ever think of, he couldn't imagine what she would do when her suspicions on him reached to the highest level.

But there was someone named Dean O'Sullivan, who successfully won the trusts from both sides. Daniel Heinrich understood Velika O'Sullivan might trust him because he was her husband, and still, he doubted the level of her trusting him. However, he couldn't think of any reason that Astoria Leontes would believe his lies.

He walked into Dean O'Sullivan's office, knocked on the door symbolically, and found Dean O'Sullivan sitting at the table, rubbing his temples. It reminded Daniel Heinrich of Velika O'Sullivan, who used to do that when she was anxious or facing a dilemma, he guessed Dean O'Sullivan affected her unintendedly, or vice versa. Dean O'Sullivan heard someone came in, he looked up and saw Daniel Heinrich who had an insouciant look on his angular face.

"Heinrich, I was expecting you." Dean O'Sullivan pointed at the seat, but Daniel Heinrich chose to stand, "I guess you met Velika."

"I did." Daniel Heinrich said, he scanned around to check any surveillance device.

"Don't worry, it's all clean here." Dean O'Sullivan smiled, "Just say what you want to say."

"Fine," Daniel Heinrich frowned, he knew he would get some information from Velika O'Sullivan's husband, "Did Leontes ask you to go on the mission with Clarabelle?"

"Yes, and I'm not surprised you figured it out," Said Dean O'Sullivan It didn't matter what topic he was talking about, there was this scorn in his tone, "She asked me to blow up the operation center of The Sinking Boat, with Lewis."

"And you are going." It wasn't a question, the operation center, no wonder, the main area of the agency, Daniel Heinrich folded his arms, "When?"

"She wouldn't tell me that." Dean O'Sullivan bit his lips, similar to Velika O'Sullivan as well, "She said she'll tell me when it's time."

"I thought she trusts you." Daniel Heinrich sneered.

"Now that Velika is back, of course, Leontes is going to keep an eye out for me," Dean O'Sullivan curled his lips, "For some odd reasons, I believe she worries that I'm going to contact Velika personally, for which part I already did. She wants us all to work for her collectively."

"I know." Daniel Heinrich nodded, "But we need to be prepared so that we can avoid potential life-threatening hazards. Any idea how to figure out the attack?"

The mission of the operation center was a very difficult job, a normal step was to get into the vents and place explosions on the wall after the agents evacuated safely, they would start the timer on the bombs. This was the easiest way to complete the job, but also, needed to do some research on the structure of the building, which meant technological staffs were needed. Astoria Leontes wasn't a high-tech geek, she had to get help from people that she trusted, now Dean O'Sullivan had someone on his mind, the man that he knocked into and 'exchanged' file with, Nicholas Watson.

"Yes." Dean O'Sullivan smiled, "Ever heard of Nicholas Watson?"

Dean O'Sullivan and Nicholas Watson had had conversations about Velika O'Sullivan a few times, he knew that Nicholas Watson had fancied Velika O'Sullivan from the way he talked about her, he had pity expression on his face. Nicholas Watson never believed she betrayed Natural, but he had to work for Astoria Leontes as this was the job for a living, even what he did was against his faith, he had to do it. Dean O'Sullivan wasn't sure if he could rely on Nicholas Watson, but he decided to give that British thirty percent faith as his wife was their mutual friend.

"Hey, Watson." Dean O'Sullivan greeted Nicholas Watson when he knocked on the door, along with Daniel Heinrich.

"What brings the dominatrix's favorite boy toys here?" Nicholas Watson smiled when he found it was them. Somehow the connections between Velika O'Sullivan and all of them linked these men together.

"He is, I'm not." Daniel Heinrich pointed at Dean O'Sullivan, and both of him and Nicholas Watson laughed, "The most popular man in Natural."

"Really, Heinrich?" Dean O'Sullivan gave Daniel Heinrich an eye.

"Anyway," Nicholas Watson shrugged, "Clearly you are not here to hang out, so, let's talk."

Nicholas Watson swallowed and stood up, closed the door behind him, he then shut down the surveillance camera in his office, Daniel Heinrich knew he must try to discuss something serious. Dean O'Sullivan, on the other side, was a bit nervous as he had no clue that Nicholas Watson was a friend or an enemy.

"Listen," Nicholas Watson lowered his voice, looked into Dean O'Sullivan's green eyes, "I know you knocked into me last time on purpose, you took the file, and yes, I know you went to Velika as well."

No doubt he went to his wife before me, thought Daniel Heinrich bitterly, otherwise why would she suddenly tell me the truth?

Dean O'Sullivan frowned: "How?"

"I checked the paper after you handed them to me," Nicholas Watson smiled sneakily "Then I suspected you so I hacked into your network, I know where you are going, then things are much clear, only a simple deduction will explain everything."

"You are good." Dean O'Sullivan rose his eyebrow and looked right into Nicholas Watson's eyes, tried to figure out what he was up to.

"Are you threatening me?" Dean O'Sullivan turned his head away a bit.

"Is Velika coming back?" Nicholas Watson questioned back.

"Yes," Dean O'Sullivan nodded, and phrased his sentence carefully, "I thought you know that already."

"I do," Nicholas Watson laughed triumphantly, he then locked his sight on Daniel Heinrich, "And you are going to get involved too, correct?"

"True." Daniel Heinrich said bitterly, "That's why I came to you, I need your help, we need your help."

"Indeed." Nicholas Watson laughed, "Indeed."

Astoria Leontes had been considering herself as an intelligent woman for all her life, she firmly believed in this material world, human relationships worth nothing. She sugar-coated everything, knitted lies together, formed the illusion that Romeo Leontes indirectly killed Velika O'Sullivan, and framed Velika O'Sullivan as a rogue agent. With faith in her intelligence and arrogance, Astoria Leontes never expected anyone besides that small group of people could dig out the truth. But Nicholas Watson, the tall, freckled, ginger British did.