Supervillain Idol System: My Sidekick Is A Yandere-Chapter 580: Not As It Seems (Part 5)

The following night—

The Citadel’s main control room remained dim.

The only real light came from the projections hovering above the long conference table. Blue-white holograms floated in layered stacks, rotating slowly, data streaming across their surfaces in quiet cycles.

At the head of the table stood Gary.

Hands clasped behind his back.

Posture straight.

Several screens hovered directly in front of him—financial records, surveillance stills, movement logs, timestamps. His eyes moved from one to another without hurry.

Across from him sat Elle.

She sat properly—back aligned with the chair, one leg crossed neatly over the other. Her elbow rested against the armrest, fingers supporting her chin as she studied the projections before her.

Multiple windows overlapped in her field of view.

Property transfers.

Offshore account trails.

Old passport scans.

She narrowed her eyes slightly and adjusted one of the panels with a subtle swipe of her fingers.

Beside her—

Trixie lounged sideways in her chair, one leg dangling over the armrest, the other swinging idly. Her pink hair spilled loosely over one shoulder. She barely faced her assigned screens, glancing at them only from the corner of her eye.

After several minutes of quiet review, she groaned.

"Argh... how long are you guys gonna go through all this boring work?"

Gary did not look at her.

"This is a necessary step of intelligence gathering, Miss Trixie."

Trixie tilted her head back against the chair and stared at the ceiling.

"Isn’t that what Winter is for?"

"In an era of technological superiority," Gary replied evenly, "it is wise not to neglect tried and tested methods."

Trixie let her arm fall over her face dramatically.

"That’s still boring."

"Shhh," Elle said softly without looking away from her display. "I’m trying to concentrate."

Of the three, she appeared the most invested.

Her focus was so intense that the primary screen she had directly in front of her was completely obscured by overlapping data panels.

What neither Gary nor Trixie paid attention to—

Was that the minimized window tucked slightly behind the others wasn’t financial data at all.

It was a slideshow.

Images of Don.

Different angles. Different outfits. Public appearances. Surveillance captures. A candid from a school event. A formal shot from a gala.

The slideshow shifted automatically every few seconds—tick—

Elle’s eyes drifted toward it briefly before snapping back to the financial logs as though she hadn’t.

Minutes passed.

Then—

The spherical emitter at the center of the table glowed brighter. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

A new projection formed above it.

**Incoming Video Call — Don**

Almost instantly—

Elle flicked her fingers across her screens.

Every panel minimized in one swift motion.

The slideshow vanished.

A faint blush colored her cheeks before she lowered her gaze slightly, adjusting her posture.

Gary simply lifted his head.

Trixie jerked upright.

"Huh? Wha?"

Gary extended a hand toward the central projection.

"Accept."

The incoming screen expanded outward—shhhk—

The hologram widened into a large rectangular display.

The image stabilized.

Don appeared.

He stood inside what looked like a spacious, well-decorated mansion. Marble flooring visible behind him. High ceilings. Warm interior lighting reflecting off polished surfaces.

He was dressed casually—but smartly.

A polo shirt beneath a white sweater with red striping along the collar and cuffs. Brown pants. Aviators hooked at the edge of his collar.

The camera angle shifted slightly as he adjusted his phone.

"Good evening, sir," Gary greeted smoothly. "How are you this evening?"

"Evening Gary," Don replied.

The feed tilted a little, revealing part of a wide hallway behind him.

"It’s going alright."

He shifted his stance slightly.

"Miss Claire is giving Amanda and Samantha a tour. Summer’s in Sylvia’s room."

His tone remained relaxed.

"Just thought I’d check in. See if you made any progress."

Gary inclined his head slightly.

"We have been reviewing the data."

Don’s gaze shifted toward the right side of his screen.

"Hey, Elle. You look good this evening."

Elle’s blush deepened instantly.

She lowered her head a fraction.

"Thanks," she replied. "You too. I mean—" She paused, fingers tightening briefly against the edge of the table. "You always look good."

Her voice softened at the end.

Trixie slowly turned her head toward Elle.

"Smooth," she said in a drawn-out, mocking tone.

Elle shot her a glare.

Trixie raised both hands.

"Kidding... kidding."

Gary cleared his throat gently.

"As for Director Graham," he began, returning the focus, "we have made very little progress."

Don’s expression didn’t change.

Gary continued.

"From what we’ve gathered, his recent volatility may be attributed to personal stressors rather than external interference."

He brought up a financial chart.

"The divorce proceedings appear contentious. Asset distribution is restricted due to trusts established in his children’s names."

Another screen shifted.

"Additionally, his eldest daughter, Casandra, left the country shortly after gaining access to her trust fund upon graduation."

Don’s gaze sharpened slightly.

"She has not maintained regular contact with him," Gary said. "At least not through conventional channels."

A map projection appeared.

"We attempted to trace the transfer of funds tied to her account. However, the trail becomes fragmented after several international conversions."

He folded his hands again.

"Beyond her, we have no substantial leads. Surveillance of the other two children yielded nothing of interest. Nor did observation of the soon-to-be ex-wife."

A brief pause.

"This may simply be a dead end."

Don nodded once.

"I see."

He shifted his weight slightly, one hand resting in his pocket.

"If you feel it won’t get anywhere," he said, "just end it. No point pumping more resources into this than we have to."

"My thoughts exactly," Gary replied.

He adjusted a projection with a small motion of his hand.

"Now then, about the contractor matter—"

"Let’s talk about that later," Don cut in calmly. "I think I have to go."

He glanced briefly off-screen.

"But I’ve already decided I want Elle to be my operator."

Elle’s breath caught faintly.

"No need to look into that part of it."

For a moment, her eyes seemed brighter than usual. She straightened in her seat instinctively.

Gary inclined his head.

"Wonderful. Then we shall proceed accordingly."

Don gave a small nod.

"Alright. Talk soon, guys."

The projection flickered.

click~

The image dissolved back into a floating sphere.

The room returned to its dim glow.

Trixie leaned sideways again, smirking.

"Well," she muttered, glancing at Elle. "Guess you’re getting more alone time with Don, hehe."

Elle tried to remain composed.

But the faint curve at the corner of her lips betrayed her.

Gary, meanwhile, returned his attention to the remaining projections.

One by one—

They powered down.

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