Interstellar: Return of the Villain
Chapter 192: Marriage

Chapter 192: Marriage

Thinking about the cash Kail had left behind, Lyra exhaled sharply, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Deposit the money into the company account."

After a brief pause, she hit the speed dial for the tech team. "Send Rajan up."

Rajan didn’t take long to arrive. As he walked in, Lyra was still focused on the sleek black device sitting on her desk. She didn’t even bother turning around. "Is it fixed?" she asked without looking up.

"I’ve run a full diagnostic on all the components, and everything’s functioning perfectly," Rajan replied with a calm, professional air. "But as for why it’s not doing what you wanted, there’s only one possible reason—it was never designed to extract Crystal Core energy."

From a technical standpoint, it made no sense. Machines that dealt with advanced processes, like healing, worked because they had energy stones to fuel them. But this? It was just a hollow shell.

Lyra’s eyes narrowed, a sharp glint cutting through the coldness in her gaze. So, the power Kail tapped into that day didn’t come from the machine at all—it came from the masked man. He’d been right there during the attack, and somehow, she hadn’t pieced it together until now.

Her thoughts grew darker, and before she could stop herself, her hand tightened around the machine. In one swift motion, the device crumpled under her grip, metal screeching as it gave way.

"You can go," she said, her voice eerily calm.

Rajan didn’t leave immediately though. He lingered, looking torn, his face a mix of hesitation and determination. After a beat, he finally met her gaze. "Boss, I’ve decided to resign."

Morrison, who had been silent in the background, raised an eyebrow in surprise, but Lyra’s expression stayed flat, like she’d seen this coming. "You’re joining the Rymes family’s Legion Glorious, aren’t you?"

She wasn’t guessing. She’d put the pieces together after overhearing a tipsy confession at a dinner party.

Rajan rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Yeah, I proposed to Zinnia, and she said yes. You know how she is—she acts before thinking, and I’ve gotta be there to protect her."

His face was a mix of guilt and resolve as he continued, "Because of the twenty-year confidentiality agreement, I’ll pay the exit penalty. I’m even willing to get my memory wiped if I have to."

Lyra blinked, slightly surprised. "You know that if you go through with that, you’ll forget her, right?"

Modern brainwashing tech was pretty advanced—he could have entire segments of his memory erased, which included all the time he spent with Zinnia. They’d be strangers.

"I know," Rajan said, his voice steady. "But I’m sure Zinnia would make me fall in love with her all over again."

There was something about the certainty in his eyes that made Lyra pause, and for a brief moment, she seemed genuinely impressed.

After a beat, she responded, "No need for the memory wipe. I’ll implant a psychokinesis seed. It’ll release you from the agreement when the time is right."

She hesitated briefly, then added, "And don’t worry about the penalty. Consider it my wedding gift. I probably won’t be able to attend the ceremony, anyway."

Morrison audibly sucked in a breath. Lyra wasn’t just being lenient—she was being incredibly generous. Looked like Zinnia’s bubbly charm had finally paid off.

Rajan stood there, dumbfounded, his face lighting up with excitement. "Thank you, boss!" he practically shouted, almost bouncing out of the room to tell Zinnia the good news.

Later, as Lyra was getting ready to leave the office, Zinnia showed up, waiting right by the door.

Before Lyra could react, Zinnia launched herself forward, wrapping her arms around Lyra in an overwhelming hug that almost knocked her off her feet.

"Lyra, I’m so moved! You’re always so good to me! First, you introduce me to Raj, then you save my life... I’m a total wreck! Why don’t YOU just marry me instead?" Zinnia’s voice wavered, eyes brimming with emotion.

Just then, Rajan stepped into view, looking utterly bewildered. "Uh..."

Lyra, no longer fazed by Zinnia’s height or her usual chaos, gently peeled her off. "Take her home," she sighed, gesturing toward Rajan.

With some gentle coaxing, Rajan managed to steer his fiancée out of the office, but the thought of meeting Zinnia’s influential family—the Rymes—left him feeling uneasy.

As they disappeared down the hall, Lyra let out a deep breath, her expression hardening again. "Let’s go," she said, her voice settling back into its cold, collected tone.

Crag followed the GPS into a gated, upscale residential complex. He pulled up to park in front of a sleek apartment building.

The Shedd family had gone to great lengths to hide Frenna, but Lyra’s relentless pursuit—plus her knack for capturing people with just the right intel—had led them here.

The guards had already been handled discreetly. Morrison knocked on the door, but there was no response.

He turned toward Lyra, waiting for her next move.

Without wasting time, Lyra used a quick flick of her psychokinesis, sending a ripple of energy through the apartment.

Immediately, frantic noises erupted—furniture toppling, hurried footsteps echoing from inside.

The door swung open with a crash. Frenna stood there, her eyes wild and desperate. "Enough!" she shrieked.

She was a mere shadow of her former self, far from the glamorous, composed woman she once was. She looked worn down, like someone who had spent days out in the scorching sun without rest.

In reality, it had only been a day since Lyra’s curse had begun to backfire, but the mental and physical pain was unbearable, making her feel as if her skull was splitting apart. She was trapped, with no way to escape the torment.

Lyra stepped inside with a calm, measured grace, pulling out a chair and sitting down at the dining table like she owned the place. "If you’re at your limit, you might as well start talking," she said coolly.

Morrison stood behind her, tablet in hand, while Crag shut the door, keeping an eye on their surroundings.

Lyra didn’t waste time with small talk. "Why were my parents really executed all those years ago?" Her voice was sharp, cutting straight to the point.

Frenna met her gaze, her face showing a bitter, almost mocking look, like the answer should’ve been obvious. "For treason. They were aiding the enemy."

But Lyra wasn’t buying it. That didn’t match what Oleg, now dead, had told her before. According to him, her parents had been involved in dangerous experiments—something far more sinister than mere treason. Still, the full story remained elusive.

Lyra knew she’d have to dig deeper, either by gaining more power or prying the truth out of Ansel directly.

Narrowing her eyes, she pressed on. "Where’s the man with the superpower transplant tech?"

Frenna slumped onto the sofa, her hands covering her face as she mumbled, "I don’t know. Only my father has that contact."

Lyra studied her closely, searching for any sign of deceit, but Frenna’s misery seemed genuine. The weight of her despair hung heavy in the air. "Then give me Dr. Brian’s family information. Where are they?"

Lyra wasn’t fooled. Frenna might not know everything, but Brian had been a key player—a doctor with access to critical secrets.

His records had conveniently vanished after his death, and the best bet was that his daughter had them.

However, the Shedd family kept such a tight grip on information that even basic details about Brian’s daughter were impossible to track down.

Frenna squirmed, clearly uncomfortable, but she eventually gave in. "I have some basic information on his wife and daughter," she admitted, knowing she couldn’t stall any longer.

Lyra tilted her head toward Morrison, signaling for him to step forward with the tablet.

Frenna hesitated, fear flickering across her face. "If I send this, Father will know... and I’ll be dead."

She was already in hot water after the military court incident, and now she hadn’t even had a chance to seek help.

"Don’t make me ask again," Lyra warned, her tone colder than ice.

Under the weight of Lyra’s gaze, Frenna caved and sent the data.

Morrison received the file, but as soon as he glanced at it, his face drained of color. Before he could speak, Frenna let out a bloodcurdling scream.

Her body convulsed violently, veins bulging grotesquely beneath her skin as her eyes rolled back.

With a final gasp, she collapsed lifelessly to the floor, her psychokinesis completely shattered.

Lyra rose from her chair, her expression calm and unaffected, as if this were just another routine meeting. Inside, though, she felt a quiet satisfaction.

Frenna had been the Shedd family’s ace, silently doing their dirty work for years. With her gone, the balance of power would shift.

The curses she’d held over so many people were now lifted. The chaos that would ensue might just be the beginning of the Shedds’ downfall.

"Let’s go," she said, turning toward the door without a second glance.

As they were leaving, Lyra caught a glimpse of Morrison’s face—there was something different in his eyes, a look that stirred her curiosity. But she said nothing and left the apartment in silence.

Once they were back in the car, Morrison finally spoke, his voice low, almost hesitant. "Boss, I have a request," he said, the same nervousness in his tone that he’d had years ago when he first joined Lyra’s side.

It wasn’t like Morrison to be this unsure. Something was bothering him—something big.

Lyra’s gaze shifted from the blur of buildings outside the window to Morrison’s face.

"Speak," she said quietly, her tone calm but expectant. "This is about Brian’s daughter, isn’t it?"

Morrison’s usually stoic expression softened, something almost vulnerable crossing his face—a flicker of nostalgia that Lyra hadn’t seen in him for a long time.

"Yeah," he admitted, his voice quieter than usual. "Her name’s Chloe. She’s the one I’ve been searching for all these years. She was... my first love."

The car seemed to grow even more silent in the wake of that confession.

"I only have one request, boss," he finally said, his voice carrying a deeper seriousness now. "When this is all over, after we’ve found the truth about what happened—please spare her life."