When Love is a Question Mark
Chapter 154: Under Pressure

Chapter 154: Under Pressure

Taking a deep breath, Victoria scrolled through her contacts until she found his name. Her thumb hovered over the call button. It wasn’t the first time she had to deal with him, but every interaction came with its own layer of tension. Samuel wasn’t exactly the most forthcoming person, but he was efficient.

"The fastest way is to just ask him," she muttered under her breath. Without giving herself time to hesitate, she pressed the button.

The phone rang, each tone louder than the last. Victoria began pacing, clutching the phone tighter with every step. Just as she was about to give up, his voice came through—calm and steady.

"Victoria," he said, his tone neutral but with an edge of curiosity. "What’s this about?"

Victoria stopped pacing and straightened her back. "Good evening, Samuel. I hope I’m not interrupting anything, but I need to talk to you about the incident the other day."

There was a pause on his end, the silence pressing against her ears. When he spoke again, his voice had dropped slightly. "The bomb threat," he said, his words more of a statement than a question.

"Yes, about that," Victoria said, gripping the phone tightly. "My boss is asking who was behind it. She wants to know everything."

Another pause followed, and Victoria could almost hear him weighing his words. "It was Walter Cain," Samuel finally said, his voice sharp.

Victoria froze. "Walter Cain?" she repeated, the name tasting bitter on her tongue.

Samuel’s tone grew colder. "He called me directly from prison. Somehow, he managed to figure out the IMO number of the ship Zinnia was on. He claimed to have planted bombs aboard, and while I doubted his capability, I couldn’t take the risk."

Victoria’s breath hitched. "But Cain is in prison. How would he know about the ship?"

Samuel exhaled, frustration seeping through the line. "I’ve been asking myself the same question. My best guess is that he learned about it when the movie studio publicly announced the start of filming. That would have given him the opportunity to dig deeper."

Victoria nodded to herself, her thoughts racing. She had been there during the rescue operation, watching as Samuel’s team worked tirelessly to evacuate everyone while she boarded one of the two helicopters from Lily Oceanic Industries. The chaos was still fresh in her mind.

"And the threat?" she asked, though she already knew the answer.

"It was a lie," Samuel admitted, his voice hard. "There were no bombs, but Cain knew just enough to make me act. I wasn’t going to gamble with Zinnia’s safety or the crew’s lives."

---

Victoria’s mind raced, replaying the events in vivid detail. She could still hear the deafening roar of the helicopter blades, the shouts of the crew, and the palpable tension that gripped everyone until the bomb squad cleared the ship. It all made sense now—Cain had exploited the public announcement to incite fear.

"That explains everything," she said softly, trying to process it all.

Samuel’s voice interrupted her thoughts. "Make sure your boss knows this wasn’t negligence. I handled it the only way I could."

Victoria nodded again, though he couldn’t see her. "I will, Samuel. Thank you for explaining."

"Good," he said curtly. "And Victoria?"

"Yes?"

"Cain won’t get away with this. I’ll make sure of it."

The line went dead before she could respond, leaving Victoria staring at her phone. Samuel’s words lingered, a promise of retribution.

---

Victoria sank into her chair, her fingers gripping the armrests. Walter Cain, even from prison, remained a threat.

She thought back to the public announcement about the movie shoot. The studio had been eager to drum up excitement, sharing details about the filming location and even giving glimpses of the ship. At the time, it seemed harmless—great publicity for the film.

Now, it felt like a mistake. Cain must have seen that announcement and pieced everything together. He couldn’t have physically planted a bomb, but he didn’t need to. His words alone had been enough to disrupt everything.

Victoria clenched her fists. She would make sure Ms. Aquila understood the gravity of the situation. This wasn’t just about a false alarm—it was about how far someone was willing to go to hurt their team.

After a moment to gather herself, Victoria picked up her phone again. Scrolling through her contacts, she found Ms. Aquila’s name. Her thumb hovered over the call button, just as it had with Samuel.

The phone rang, each tone dragging her nerves tighter. She tapped her fingers against the desk, glancing at the clock as she waited.

Finally, the ringing stopped. "Victoria," Ms. Aquila’s voice came through, calm but laced with authority. "I assume you have an update."

Victoria straightened in her chair. "Good evening, Ms. Aquila. I’m sorry for calling so late, but yes, I do. I just spoke with Samuel Lucas, and he explained everything."

There was a brief pause. "Go on," Ms. Aquila said, her tone unreadable.

Victoria took a deep breath. "The threat came from Walter Cain. He called Samuel directly from prison, claiming he’d planted bombs on the ship where the crew was filming."

"Cain?" Ms. Aquila’s voice sharpened. "How did he even know about the ship?"

Victoria hesitated, then explained, "He likely saw the public announcement about the start of filming. It included details about the location and the ship. That must have been enough for him to piece it together."

"I’m sorry, Ms. Aquila. It was our negligence," Victoria apologized.

There was silence on the other end, and Victoria felt a knot form in her stomach. She knew Ms. Aquila well enough to sense her displeasure.

When Ms. Aquila finally again spoke, her voice was cold. "Cain may be behind bars, but that doesn’t excuse this. He disrupted our work, endangered our people, and caused unnecessary panic. He must face consequences."

"Of course," Victoria said hurriedly. "Samuel assured me he’s handling it. He won’t let Cain get away with this."

"Good," Ms. Aquila said sharply. "Make sure he keeps me updated. And Victoria?"

"Yes, ma’am?"

"Next time, ensure our team isn’t vulnerable to this kind of threat. Public announcements are no excuse for carelessness."

"I understand," Victoria said, her voice barely above a whisper.