Geline Langdon watches quietly as her pissed off brother gazes silently at the sprawled landscape of the Langdon estate. After the humiliating act of Lucy Woods and the series of infuriating videos and pictures of him covered in mud that went viral, Gray went home with a vendetta she's never seen before. Now, as she sits on the cold floor on the rooftop, she listens to the conversation between him and his Scare Crew.
"I've just erased the last traces of the videos from the internet. I've also inserted a virus that would automatically destroy the data once a user uploads anything related to the videos, the pictures, and the Gray Langdon tags. It also has a face recognition feature that would prevent any file containing your face from being uploaded in the net in case they don't use your name in the code. Don't worry, boss. Everything related to you is blocked even in the deepest parts of the web." Travis leans against the wall and flexes his hands, probably tired from typing so fast on his laptop half an hour ago.
Geline couldn't believe what she'd just heard. Did he just hack the entire internet?
"Thank you, Travis." Gray is seated across his friend, his elbows resting on his lap and his slender fingers massaging his temples.
"Just give me the green, Leylouch. I can hack all of Lucy Woods's social media accounts." Travis looks up from his laptop and grins devilishly. Despite his albino appearance, Geline finds him easy to get along with.
"I think we need more than a simple social media suicide, Trav. Lucy Woods is indeed formidable, and she has earned our more serious attention," Jacob interjects, his muscles rippling beneath the khaki shirt. He leans against the sturdy marble railing and glances over at Gray.
"That's true. Our usual methods will not work on her. We need to devise an ingenious plan to ultimately destroy her." Gray rests his chin under his right knuckles, his eyes narrowing in slits as his mind wanders someplace else.
"You don't have to hear the crew discuss," Marcus tells Geline quietly. She blushes unexplainably as she remembers that she discreetly took the closest position to him. She looks at him intently, studying his handsome features as he focuses on the book he is reading. His black hair falls over his forehead, obscuring his captivating deep-set eyes. His long, bony hands graze gently over the pages of Dan Brown's Inferno and his lanky body is relaxed against the closed red door that leads below.
"I really have nowhere else to go right now," she says timidly. "Besides, I like hanging out with you guys."
"I hope we don't influence you," Marcus murmurs, still not looking up from his book.
"I don't mind. It's cool, really. It makes me feel like I'm a character of a book. A part of an adventure."
To her surprise, Marcus looks up. Her breathing stops as she gets dazzled by those striking blue eyes. "Do you read?"
"A lot," Geline answers.
"What kind?"
"The romantic ones. I have a particular author I like to read. She's Jasmina Reamer. Her stories are almost too real." Geline smiles inwardly. Reading is something they have in common.
"I see. Does crime and thriller interest you?"
Geline is unsure how to answer. Morbid genres scare her. "Maybe, as long as they're not too frightening."
She hears Marcus smirk. "They are always brutal one way or another. Try reading Preston and Child books, especially those that feature Agent Aloysius Pendergast. You'll love him."
"You think so?"
At this, Marcus closes his book and looks directly at her. "Books deserve to be loved, no matter what genre they are. Inside each of them is a story waiting to be discovered by a hungry mind. And there are always those stories waiting for worthy eyes. I think yours are."
Geline blushes fiercely and looks away, embarrassed. She mutters a small "thanks" and clears her throat. Why is she so jittery around Marcus's presence? From the very first day, she was already enticed by his hooded eyes. She was drawn by his peculiarity and mysteriousness. The way he speaks compels her to listen intently. "Have you ever read any romantic novel?" Geline asks when silence grows between them.
It takes Marcus a long time before he finally answers. "Love always puzzles me. I cannot place whether it's real or not. Fiction always depicts it as wonderful, powerful, and magical yet the world doesn't show it. I'd rather read something which is real."
"Love isn't real for you?" Geline was dumbstruck. She's never met anybody with such perspective.
"Love is a feeling, an invisible force. Something which cannot be seen is logically not real."
"Air is invisible yet considered real."
"Indeed," Marcus smiles, his eyes glittering. "Science has proven it because it consists of oxygen and hydrogen. But love has no particle to be explained by science, therefore deeming it unreal."
Geline has no more answers for his logic. She shrugs and leans back, listening to his steady breathing. "You'll believe someday."
But Marcus only smiles, an unknown thought playing in his beautiful eyes.
"Finished, fellow philosophers?" Jacob asks them when they fall silent. Geline realizes the group has been listening to their conversation. She feels heat creep up her spine as Gray gives her an amused look.
"I never saw Marcus argue with anyone except you, Geline. You should be special." Gray flits to her side and sits down. "I'm very sorry you had to see me disgraced by the Black Witch."
"I told you she's formidable. No one ever wins against her evil schemes."
"I doubt that," Gray grins. Deep inside, Geline has the tiniest speck of idea how capable her brother's team is. She could sense precision and intelligence emanate from their presence. There's a sort of a dark aura surrounding them—a shadow of malice and threat.
She reminds herself to do some research tonight regarding the status of Scare Crew in New Orleans before they went to New York.
After a couple of minutes, a shrill of phone breaks the restlessness of the group. Geline watches as Gray fishes out his phone from his pocket.
"Yes, father?" The smooth forehead of her brother creases as he listens to their father intently. Suddenly his face lights up, his intense brown eyes glittering in new excitement.
"That would be perfect for me, yes. I shall drive there myself."
When Gray shuts the phone off, a glint of anticipation fills his expression. "I may have found us a prelude to our ultimate revenge."
"What is it?" Jacob asks eagerly, striding closer. Now everyone is leaning over, even Geline.
Gray turns to Travis. "I want you to hack all of Lucy Woods's social media accounts. Change all her profile pictures to our Scare Crew logo. Lock her out for three days."
Travis grins wickedly, his eyes glinting. "I'm on it."
"Tonight, I shall see to it that we will redeem ourselves after our downfall. You can trust me to do my work as the Alpha." Gray chuckles now. The three guys join in laughter with him without knowing the plan. This only proves their trust in him and as Geline watches them connect without words, she knows that they are back in the game.