Chapter 357: A Sudden Encounter With a Snake
Fiona reached up and touched her earring with a frown and she asked Pat if he could see fine.
[The images are clear. Try not to touch it too much so it doesn't get smudged.]
Fiona clicked her tongue. She wasn't used to wearing such shabby earrings, but for the sake of the mission, she decided to just go ahead with it for now. Jeanne was also wearing the same pair of earrings as her and all four pieces were transmitting a clear image of everything the women were seeing back to Pat.
The two women discreetly nodded to each other before they moved towards the building.
"Oh, Madam Jeanne, Madam Fiona! It's a pleasure to see you."
Immediately after they entered the building, it didn't take long before someone recognized them and greeted them enthusiastically. Jeanne waved to the person calmly while Fiona completely ignored them as they moved towards the elevator.
Ding!
The elevator opened and the women stopped in their tracks as they saw another woman come out. It was Salazar's secretary, Milicent. She was wearing a short skirt that barely reached her lower thigh and a suit jacket over a white top while carrying a stack of papers in her hands.
As she came out of the elevator, Milicent had a blush on her face as she hastily pulled down her skirt and organized her shirt properly. Fiona frowned in disgust while looking her over. It was obvious that Milicent just finished doing something sexual. Did she masturbate in the elevator?
"Oh, if it isn't Jeanne. I didn't think I would see you here so soon. And is that the leader of the Artemis guild herself? Fiona, it's been too long."
A smooth voice glided through the air and right into the ears of the two women, and they both blinked in surprise as Salazar appeared from behind Milicent like a phantom. They hadn't even noticed that he was there. Salazar smiled at them and Fiona felt a shiver go down her spine as she suddenly saw the image of a snake overlapping over Salazar's face.
Fiona has never liked Salazar, but she never focused on her dislike for him since she didn't like a lot of people. She thought that he was just one of those people that she could never get along with.
But after hearing everything that Pat and Jeanne said about Salazar as well as seeing the grotesque anima that Jeanne said was made from humans, Fiona's dislike for Salazar was suddenly like an open wound that itched and wouldn't let her forget about it. It made everything Salazar did even more despicable in her eyes.
And right now, Fiona couldn't help but think of a snake once she saw Salazar.
"I told your secretary that we would have the meeting today, didn't I? You're the one that wanted to have one with me."
Jeanne managed to keep her cool even in the sudden situation and Salazar's attention was drawn towards her as she spoke up. Salazar hummed while turning to his secretary curiously and Milicent nodded while bringing out Salazar's schedule.
"Yes sir, you have an appointment with Madam Jeanne for one-thirty. That is in ten minutes."
Salazar nodded in acceptance as he thanked Milicent for her input, but his eyes then went to Fiona and he asked what she was doing there.
"Is that any of your business, Salazar?"
Fiona was not backing down a bit as she gave Salazar a hard look and Pat quickly spoke up and told Fiona to relax a bit. If she was this hostile, Salazar would definitely suspect something from her. Fiona wanted to tell Pat to shut up, but she knew that he was not wrong and she finally relaxed her glare.
Salazar was not put off by Fiona's glare and he just thought that it was a byproduct of Fiona's difficult attitude.
"Well, I am the chairman of this building. It is only right I know of the things happening within it. Especially when it involves the leader of an A-rank guild, Madam Fiona."
Fiona said nothing as she and Salazar were engaged in a heated stare-down, and in that small moment, Fiona knew that Patrick was right. If Fiona had simply confronted Salazar and tried to take over his mind, then it would have most likely failed. Fiona could feel the same restriction that she always felt in the minds of those that she couldn't control in Salazar's mind as well.
Her blessing could not work on him.
Fiona wondered right then just how powerful Salazar really was. Fiona's blessing could work on even low-level S ranks, but it was the high-level ones that she had a problem with. Was Salazar really that close to becoming a Sovereign, or was it some sort of destructive interference from his blessing that made it difficult to control him?
When Jeanne realized that Fiona was not going to say anything to Salazar, she decided to speak up instead.
"She has an appointment with me. I'm not going to tell you the specifics, but Fiona came here today to meet with me. I hope the chairman doesn't mind if she waits for me in my office while I speak with you."
Salazar's snake-like eyes drifted smoothly from Fiona back to Jeanne as he heard her talk and he smiled again.
"Of course not. You're free to take on any patient you wish to after all. Just try not to carry out your personal business in the NSA building next time without telling me beforehand. I was on the way to assess the progress of the research facility, but I suppose that can wait a few more minutes. Fiona, would you like someone to accompany you to Jeanne's office?"
Fiona's frown never left her face as she refused while folding her hands across her chest.
"I think I'll be fine on my own."
Salazar hummed before he finally nodded.
"Very well, then. Please, Jeanne, come along."
Salazar entered the elevator with Milicent and Jeanne gave Fiona a discrete look before entering the elevator with them. Fiona's hard gaze stayed on Salazar for a long time and he stared right back at her with a snake-like smile until the elevator door closed with another ding.
Fiona felt her skin crawl. There was definitely something wrong with that man.
Pat's hard tone came through the comms.
[We need to move. Their meeting won't last long.]
"You don't need to tell me that. Guide me."
Fiona started to walk toward another elevator on the other side of the building while following Pat's instructions. Fiona could have used the elevator that Salazar just used but she couldn't risk using that elevator since she knew that Salazar would be watching it now.
[Go down the hallway and turn left at the next corner. There is an elevator there fitted between two offices on the right side of the hallway. Wait, don't use that one. I just saw that there's a camera inside it. Instead, follow the narrow hallway on the left of the next corridor.]
Fiona followed Pat's instructions perfectly as she passed the elevator that Pat told her not to use. She went down the narrow corridor and finally saw another elevator on the opposite side of the hallway. There were two men in suits standing in front of the elevator and Fiona snapped her finger with a smirk while watching in satisfaction as their eyes glazed over.
Fiona started moving towards the elevator but stopped as Pat's voice came through the comms.
[Wait. I just caught something in your peripheral. You're being followed.]