"I'm so close." Weston's hands trembled.
Yes, he had been like this for the past few days. Every time he got his hands on some useful information, he would start shaking.
It was no simple thing to dig up all the things of an important person being protected by the government alright?
This woman is no joke!
Once again, when he was so close to transfer all files, he had to back out because of how risky it was. He wanted to come up with a way that he could go in and out of their database without getting detected. But it seems such a thing won't happen soon.
Walking out of what he considered his room now, he reached the living room. Noah was on the couch, laying down as he faced the view of the city below him through the glass windows.
He shook his head, watching him dip the glass and move onto the wine bottle itself instead. Not that he blamed him, he would probably do the same if we were in the same situation.
But would wine solve the problem?
No!
"Are you going to open it?" He asked, pointing at the tightly sealed rectangular box in the other end of the couch. It was from Justine, or that's what he heard from a secretary who delivered it in Angel's place since he was busy handling the in-person stuff Noah was ignoring.
Noah's schedule included work from home, asking him to report what he found, and then liquor, beer, wine, anything he could get his hands on.
"Not in the mood," Noah replied.
He would have probably opened the present and prepared another petty comeback for their little 'war' but whatever. He was not in the mood at all.
"Why?" He had asked, gripping her wrist, stopping her from leaving the matrimonial office where they had just signed the divorce papers.
'You know why.'
'I don't believe you. The truth will be less hurtful, I promise, please tell me."
'I don't love you anymore.' She answered and walked away.
This scene had replayed in his mind countless times, among others. His thoughts are always the same.
If he had done things differently. If he had said something different. If he had held on for a little longer. If—
Would it have made a difference?
"Did you find anything else?" Noah snapped out of his daze.
"I did. Something interesting is happening regarding the Brooklyn's."
"Continue."
"I think it's better if you see it for yourself." Weston sighed and picked up his iPad, which was connected to his laptop. Showing him what he had found regarding the Brooklyn's and he waited for Noah's order.
"Continue to monitor them and report to me if anything about Mr. Brooklyn leaks. Once that happens we will know for sure who is after them."
"Will you let her do it?" Weston asked.
"I will not stop her, but I won't let her lose herself either. For now, I'll watch on the sidelines and wait."
"Really?"
"I'll get involved in things I must get involved in. For example, if this matter gets out, I must act like I usually would. It doesn't matter how close Brooklyn's are to my family. After all, anyone can assume we had a hand n this assassination attempt, all the places and events match."
Noah was talking about all the times Mr. Brooklyn he and his father had met at banquets and such occasions. Each and one of those Mr. Brooklyn had met with another person after to talk about the third of five families connected. The Preston's and the Brooklyn's are famous for their closeness but it was not a secret that the Preston's had ties with five other families. The third family that falls after the Brooklyn's is the Orchard's.
Mr. Brooklyn was scheming to get the Orchard's out and their strongest pillar killed. Did he think he would have a strong foot on the Preston's if he did that? He was either underestimating Noah way too much or he was delusional!
Because of this, the Preston's might get dragged through the mud, and he had to stop that for the sake of his family, of course. And even if he had an 'engagement' with the man's daughter, he had to settle his priorities.
This was the perfect way to cut ties with Brooklyn's though. As soon as the Brooklyn's were exposed, the Preston's could only cut them off and push them deeper down the hole they dug for themselves.
"... Ah!" Noah placed the wine bottle down in realization.
"So this is what she's been doing." He shook his head and crossed his arms, still staring out at the view.
"Weston." He called.
"Huh?"
"I should play my role well, just in case. I will send Miss Brooklyn a few words of encouragement during these harsh times."
"Why would you? To that snake?" Weston scowled.
Yes, he dug up what he did not have a good impression on Briana at all. He groaned, frustrated at all of Noah's riddles.
How the hell is he supposed to know? He's not the one who had married this woman. How could he figure out how her brain works?
Ugh!
"There was not always peace between the Brooklyn's and the Preston's," Noah explained, noticing his confusion.
"When Adriana supposedly died in the car crash of June 15th, I found out Mr. Brooklyn's brother was supervising an ongoing construction just at the end of the bridge. I found it coincidental that the cameras had been removed for construction just a day before and had put grave accusations against them. They had proved their innocence by showing many documents saying how they had been permitted to do such a thing way before."
"Anyway, the fact is Adriana gave birth on the 16th, which means they had to have seen or captured something from Adriana leaving the scene. She couldn't have teleported elsewhere, right? Which is why I think Adriana was not in that car crash at all."
Weston's headache worsened now. "But there is clear evidence she was in that car accident."
"Do you think a pregnant woman would survive that accident easily? And her body was apparently dragged away by a body of water. I'm sure she was in a car crash, but not the car crash I believed her to be in."
"Are you suggesting that was all a setup? Should I look into car crashes that happened around that time?"
"Yes, do that." Noah nodded, glad he finally caught on.
"But what if she wasn't in a car crash at all? And the evidence is all fake or at least manipulated." Weston stated a possibility.
"No, I'm sure she was," Noah replied, remembering the time he had seen her naked back.
It was a fact he could not deny, and it was killing him inside. God knows how well he was holding himself together despite all these revelations.
"Oh, and look for other events that she and Briana Brooklyn could have met. If it reveals the information about Mr. Brooklyn, we will know for sure Mrs. Brooklyn is not her target."
"Instead…. it would be Briana Brooklyn." Weston nodded and finished off what Noah was insinuating.
"Still, we mustn't rule out any possibilities. If my guess is correct that car crash on the bridge was a distraction so that someone could get rid of Adriana while I was searching in the wrong places. There are too many versions and loopholes in this story, it's not safe to say we know enough.
"I see, don't worry. I'll be in every nook and cranny until I give you the full truth." Weston assured him.
Great, now he was more interested in this than he initially wanted. At first, this was just something he would do to keep himself off Adriana's radar, but it had become something else. Now he was his friend's only hope at finding out the truth of what had been torturing him for seven whole years.
****
"What is it you needed to discuss with me?" Chris took his seat in front of Kimberly, for once bothering to mask all the emotions swirling through him.
Kimberly differed from how he had last seen her.
Actually, physically she appeared fine, if not excellent. She was as beautiful as always and held the same warm, approachable vibe around her. He would always notice the difference between her and her brother.
But she looked conflicted in some sort of way.
Kimberly lifted her eyes, removing them from the brown cup tightly held captive by her hands.
"Oh... You're here." She dragged her gaze to his eyes and then looked behind her.
Clearing her throat, she got straight to the point or at least attempted it.
"I want to talk."
"Yes, I suppose you didn't invite me here to just share a cup of coffee in silence." He humored. She noticed a tug at his lips. It was as if he had held himself back from smiling at his not so funny joke.
"Hmm, about your recent engagement." This time she looked at him with a serious expression.
He knew her well; she was using whatever bit of strength she had to hold that facade in front of him.
After all, her behavior around him consisted of her ignoring his flirting or joining in the fun at parties or events with him. On rare occasions they would even take a stroll around any garden they came across or they would discuss topics that interested them. While she did this, she, of course, ignored all the things that made them compatible and all the likes and dislikes they had in common.
Chris was fine with that, he was fine with it because he had the hope that one day he would win her heart. But when he found out she already had another man, to hold her, comfort her, kiss her, and hug her and to—
It hurt him. He felt played.
That is until he had found out the truth...
To be honest, when he agreed to his adoptive parent's desire to engage him for convenience to the family, he had no reason to deny, at least not any longer. He wasn't sure he could lay his eyes on another woman; he wanted her. He wanted to freely call her his. He wanted her to know that if she's his; he is hers.
No!
She knew that already.
Instead, he wanted her to acknowledge it!
Something that would probably never happen.
Shaking his thoughts away, he responded, "Is there something you would like to add?"
"Ah... never mind. I will expect the invitation. Excuse me."
"Invitation to what?" He asked through gritted teeth, his words holding a tinge of bitterness to them.
"Your wedding, of course. I'll see you around."
That was it. He had enough.
Sitting up, he caught her wrist tightly and pulled her back before she could run away from him like she always did.
"You expect me to believe that's the only reason you invited me here? If you would like to speak, say it now."
"I... I just wanted to apologize. You should have heard the truth from my mouth and not someone else's."
"That was it?" Chris pulled back his hand, speechless.
"That was all you wanted to tell me? Kim, did your heart feel heavy with guilt?" He felt a pang to his heart when he nodded slowly.
Again, he felt played.
"I see, at least try to look for a better actor to pass as your fake boyfriend, won't you? I wonder how he got the roles of all those movies…." He pulled out a bill from his wallet and left it on the table, walking past her.
He just wanted to know how she would react, but once again, he felt played. Did she find him so annoying that she even had someone be her fake boyfriend?
Had he been inconsiderate of her feelings? Well, he would no longer bother to care. This was him giving up on her. Or at least trying to give up. He wasn't sure which path he would take.
At least now he knew he had no place in her heart.
…
Once he was gone, Kimberly dropped on the chair with a frustrating groan.
She facepalmed many times, scolding herself.
"That is not even what I meant to say. Fuck!"
Her brother's scolding was already fresh on her mind again. Should she seek advice from him again?
She immediately decided against it. Noah is the worst person she can ask for advice from!
She glanced at the fifty-dollar bill on the table and her eyes lit up.
Why did he have to pay? She was the one who invited him to coffee; it made no sense for him to pay.
Anyway, it's fine because…
... an excuse to see him again!