"Noah…" Weston called out.
He was currently eating his lunch and was still in Noah's office.
He had been there all morning and he would not leave Noah's side.
That's how scared he was.
He had actually moved into Noah's apartment as well and was living on his couch. It's not like Noah could kick him out, anyway. Not only are they friends, but Noah needs him right now.
"Yes?" Noah didn't lift his head and continued working.
"Aren't you going to eat lunch?" He asked.
"Not hungry," Noah replied.
Chris who was also inside fell into a long silence.
"Are you two married or what?" He asked.
"We might as well be." Weston shrugged.
Noah: "..."
Suddenly the door burst open.
"He- Whoa, was there a meeting today?" TJ entered the room all confused.
"Did you guys set up a meeting without informing me? Wow, you guys are so mean." He snorted.
"What are you all doing here?" Simon walked up behind him.
Noah: "..."
"Weston and Noah are married," Chris mumbled.
TJ: "Huh?"
Weston: "..."
Noah: "..."
Simon: "..."
"He's living with Noah and also asking him when he's going to eat lunch. He sticks to him all day like glue too." Chris backed up his statement.
"What are you all doing here?" Noah asked, changing the topic.
"I came to deliver some news!" TJ replied.
"So did I!" Simon added.
Sighing, Noah asked Chris and Weston to leave.
"Why can't I stay here?" Weston asked.
"Noah, let me stay here please," he begged.
"Whoa, they really are married," Simon whispered.
TJ arched an eyebrow.
"Weston," Noah warned.
With a deep sigh, Weston followed Chriss outside.
"Go on," Noah told them as soon as TJ and Simon took their seats.
"We have a problem. One of our investors got bribed," TJ informed, with his serious expression.
Simon still held his playful expression, it was something he never failed to keep by his side.
TJ was colder and way more serious. Even more serious than Noah.
TJ aka the 'party popper' of the friend group handed Noah a file with the information about the investor he spoke of.
"Okay, keep a close eye on him and report anything that happens," Noah told him.
Then it was Simon's turn to say his piece.
After that, both of them left Noah alone in his office.
When they were all gone, Noah lowered his head and took a deep breath in.
He had been acting calm, but honestly, he was extremely frustrated with this situation.
He knew bits and pieces, but not as much as he thought he did. Adriana's plans were too big for him to see with his limited information.
-----
When Noah and Weston got to the apartment, they both went their separate ways.
While Noah showers, Weston continues to dig up on Adriana.
"Holy-" He closed his laptop and paced around the room, waiting for Noah to leave the shower.
When Noah finally exited, he rushed towards him.
"It looks like you're going to have to do some fieldwork. I checked up on the orphanage records and indeed the little girl 'Aria' was adopted by your ex-wife for two years. The backstory is completely true but if she really is the biological mother only the former director will know how Aria ended there."
"It so happens that the previous director of the Orphanage retired only a day after Aria arrived. He then packed his bags and left the country. He only returned recently and has been living a very low profile. I also searched up the hospital records around the country and a mysterious woman matching your ex-wife's description was-"
"Whoa there, breathe." Noah furrowed his eyebrows.
Gasping for air, Weston continued. "She was rescued only 3 hours away from the place she supposedly died. She was admitted to the hospital and treated for amnesia. They admitted no records of birth BUT only a few hours after she to that hospital, they left a baby in the arms of a worker at the orphanage. She mentioned she didn't see the face of the person but she gave her a name and the name is 'Aria,' the end." Weston then rushed into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of cold water.
He needed lots to process this. He himself was trying to understand the situation.
Noah froze in his spot.
He didn't let his face show his expressions or thoughts, but he was trying to come up with explanations. This was all too fishy.
"I did the same thing and none of this information ever came up," Noah told him.
"Ah! That's because it's hidden deep. SOMEONE worked very hard to keep it a secret. Either your ex-wife already had such good connections back then or-"
"Someone else did it." Noah finished his sentence.
"Someone that didn't want you to find her," Weston added and gulped down another cup of water.
"Ah! This is going to drive me nuts." He complained.
"Now, your ex-wife couldn't have been the one if everything here matches up she was pregnant at the time and with amnesia. She couldn't possibly have the time to hide her tracks. This woman disappeared from her ward and was never heard of again. Coincidentally, there are no camera records or any records at all."
"Continue," Noah told him, taking his seat and drying his hair with a towel.
"At that exact time, the Bryan guy was present at the surgery for his mother. Even a day before your ex-wife's so-called death, he was still at the hospital with his mother. The only time he and your ex-wife came into contact was when you two divorced. It was as if after your divorce he had played his part and disappeared as well."
"Now since they both disappeared, it was easy to say they eloped or whatever. BUT he had been too busy with his mother in the hospital, so it's simply not possible."
Noah nodded.
Hiring Weston was the right decision after all. In such a short time, he dug up things he could not find during these 7 years.
Unfortunately, 7 years ago Weston was not here so he couldn't ask for his help. Weston had his own problems during that time.
It was only recently that Weston reappeared and had been more carefree with visiting his friends.
Weston then paused.
"Wait- doesn't this mean…." Weston stared at Noah in disbelief.
"Dude, you might as well be the father."
____
"Okay, what's the plan?" Liddy asked after looking over the plans of the vacation houses.
She was an agent and right now she was on a mission with Simon.
"You will pass as the person in the neighboring vacation house who accidentally heard Mr. Brooklyn speaking of killing a politician with someone from the underworld. When you receive a text from this number, you will run to the police station and hand them the recording you took. Give everyone a big show. Enough for the matter will escalate and they will call me in to handle the situation."
"Yes, sir." Liddy nodded and adjusted her hair.
She was dressed in clothes other than her military uniform.
There was a special part of their military hidden from the public. A group of agents that would complete missions and turn in people from the underworld. They would go under disguises and such.
Liddy had also been admitted to this special team, and since Simon was second in command, and Sanders was first in command, they could give her any orders.
Here Adriana, their top agent, had given Simon the order and Simon had given the mission to Liddy just as they ordered him. Liddy was one of their most talented, and her acting skills served as the greatest method.
This is exactly why Adriana wanted her for this mission.
After all, she wanted Liddy to put on a splendid show.
After making sure things went perfectly and Liddy had recorded the conversation from the backyard of her 'vacation' house, Simon reported Adriana went on about his day.
A wall separated the two vacation houses, but they would meet at the garden.
Already having another agent inside to work as a maid and suggest Mr. Brooklyn and his guest eat and discuss their matters in the garden, things went smoothly.
Liddy was 'gardening' when she overheard this and made the recording with her phone. She even caught a few photos and videos.
The coincidences that led to this situation included Mr. Brooklyn's isolated vacation house having a power outage and leaving this one with a coincidental garden connection to its neighbor.
The other set of coincidences was his guest having one of Adriana's men posing as his assistant and keeping everything to correct timing.
Among these people, there were many others. Every single person, no matter how small their role was, had helped this situation happen.
That's exactly how perfectly Adriana had planned.