The Breaking Point

Chapter 15: The Breaking Point

As Selena quietly returned the recording device to her pocket, the air in the room suddenly grew heavy. It was as if all the oxygen in the room had concentrated around her wrists and forehead. Magnus’s voice still echoed in her ears, each word pounding into her mind like a hammer: "We could make a significant breakthrough in the immortality project… Observe the new kid. There's something strange about them..."

Months ago, Luca and Camille had anticipated this moment. But Selena, despite everything happening so quickly and decisively, still held onto a glimmer of hope. She still thought that something could change, that maybe Magnus might make a mistake. But now, all possibilities had become reality one by one. Magnus intended to break nature's taboos. This wasn’t just a scientific experiment; it was an attack on nature itself. Selena, as a mortal human, could feel deep in her heart just how great this threat was.

Camille narrowed her eyes, leaning thoughtfully against the table. Her words cut through the dense silence of the room like a sharp sword. "This could be part of something bigger than we predicted. The situation we're in is becoming far more dangerous than we expected. Luca and Selena, your lives are truly at risk. I'm his daughter, but even I doubt he'll show mercy."

Luca clenched his teeth and slowly shook his head. He knew Magnus had begun to suspect him. But he hadn’t expected to be noticed so quickly. "Him ordering them to watch me is not a good sign. If I don’t completely erase his suspicions, I can't follow through with my plan to keep him under surveillance. I need to be seen as a good guy in his eyes. If he’s going to watch me, I need to make him admire me. If I bring big results to the company, the doubts will disappear. Right?" he muttered, but the uncertainty in his voice revealed the worry behind his thoughts.

Selena shook her head lightly, adding her thoughts. "This recording could be an important card, but we need to be careful. If Magnus realizes that someone is listening in on him, he won't just target me, but all of us. One of us should go get the device when Magnus isn’t home, or we won’t get out of this cleanly."

A moment of silence passed. Camille, deep in thought, finally spoke with determination. "If he’s really working on immortality, we need to find out where this project is being carried out. Everything can’t be done openly in the lab. There must be a secret facility or some other research area. Someone needs to go investigate the place Selena mentioned."

Luca suddenly added, excited as though he’d found a solution, “Sarah. She’s Magnus’s agent, but she’s also working alongside Camille. We could talk to her.”

"Yes," Selena said with a brief smile. "We have a recording. If we can make Magnus suspicious of her true nature, maybe we can get her on our side."

Camille hesitated before speaking, "I'm not sure about Sarah. Is she loyal to Magnus, or is she betraying the whole company? We saw her talking to Krane. We can’t trust her."

In an instant, all their hopes had been shattered. They needed to think of another solution, but it was getting late, and they had no choice but to sleep.

Luca, breaking the mood with optimism, spoke up, "I can act like a student intern. No one will be surprised if I use school as an excuse. If I gain their trust over the next few days, I can use my excuses to investigate the place. I’m pretty good at sneaky jobs, and this task suits me perfectly."

Camille scanned Luca with her eyes for a moment before saying, “Yes, you're right.” But the anxiety on her face hadn’t disappeared. “But Magnus always has his eye on you. I don’t want to put you at risk. If we’re going to do this, Luca will need to endure some intense work for a while. And on some days, you’ll have to take a leave under the pretext of school to prepare the workers and Magnus for this lie. Meanwhile, Selena and I will quietly observe the warehouse from a distance. That way, when you go, we can take precautions.”

The plan began to take shape in everyone’s minds, and after a while, they retired to their rooms, tense but determined. At least some of them could sleep. Camille was still internally opposed to Luca being involved in such a risky mission. Even though she had managed to fix things with him, she didn’t want to lose him again. But there was nothing else they could do. A feeling of fear filled her, and with a quiet swallow, she drifted into a deep sleep.

By morning, everything was set to begin. Luca was ready for his second day at work. He had taken all the precautions and was fully committed to the plan. The uncertainty within him had lightened. He woke up early, made breakfast for Camille, and headed off to work. When Camille woke up, she found Luca’s romantic note and read it with a moment of peace:

My Dearest Camille,

As you open your eyes to the day, remember there’s someone thinking of you with love. This journey may be difficult and dangerous, but knowing you’re by my side makes it all worth it. When the first light of morning touches your face, I’ll imagine that you’re smiling for me too. Take care of yourself, and never forget how much I love you.

Forever yours, Luca.

Selena burst into laughter after reading the note. “Wow, looks like someone can still be romantic even on a secret mission. You finally got the love you deserved, Camille.”

As the day progressed, Selena, Magnus, Sarah, Camille, and Luca entered the laboratory. When they saw Luca arrive in the early hours, a mixture of surprise and suspicion appeared on Magnus’s face.

"So, Camille’s little talk had an effect, Luca," Magnus said mockingly, but with an underlying threat. "Keep this up, and you might get a promotion soon."

Luca nodded respectfully, "Thank you, sir. I’ll prove I deserve to be here," he said. But the hateful smile in his eyes was something Magnus couldn’t detect. He was already aware of everything.

After the note, Camille went to Luca, embarrassed, and teasingly said, “You’re early. I guess working alone with me excites you.”

Meanwhile, Selena noticed Sarah watching Luca and Camille with great seriousness. “Seems like you’re interested, Sarah,” she said, not realizing the sharpness in her voice.

Sarah, feeling caught in an instant, tensed up and began to sweat. She had lost her professionalism. "Yes, I’m surprised the new intern is this hardworking. It’s a bit strange, him working alone with Camille," she said, but no one believed her. "Anyway, let’s get to work, shall we?" she quickly added, walking away.

Selena and Camille exchanged silent looks filled with the same suspicion. Luca was aware of everything, and so, without wasting more time, he focused on his work.

Shortly after, Aldric Veil called Luca over. "Kid, you seem to be drawing too much attention. What’s your goal? Someone like you, skilled in secrecy, shouldn’t be so obvious," Aldric said, looking at him in surprise.

Luca, forming a plan in his mind, replied, “They’re starting to suspect me. We planted a listening device, and that’s how I figured out that he knows. If I try to hide it, it will draw even more attention. So I need to be open with him. If I succeed and make a major contribution to the company, he won’t have any reason to doubt me," he said, his eyes gleaming with confidence.

Aldric nodded, “Not a bad plan, but remember, one wrong move could end it all. And if that device is discovered, things will go badly for whoever installed it. Magnus’s instincts are very strong. You’d better take care of it quickly,” he said before walking away.

Luca rushed to find Camille and quickly said, “I think we don’t have much time to remove the listening device. Magnus might have already noticed it.”

When they returned home that evening and rushed to retrieve the device, they realized something was wrong. Selena was missing. They couldn’t reach her by phone, and all their fears were realized—Magnus might have learned everything and was now planning to kill her.