"I hired a private investigator to look into your sister."
Adriel blinked once. Twice. Three times.
When what Secoiya had said finally registered in his mind, his face contorted to one of anger and he rose from the stool at the kitchen island with a threatening screech. Secoiya's face remained unmoved and Yanire had started to awkwardly choke on the lunch they'd made together only a few moments before.
Adriel moved directly over to where the woman sat, arms crossed in front of him as though he was refraining himself from harming her. Knowing Adriel, he probably was.
"You fucking what? Why the hell would you do that?"
Secoiya remained calm, shovelling the hash browns and egg into her mouth as she waited. Yanire had gotten up and exited the room like a fire was following behind her, pretty skirt flicking about as she went. Judging by the tension in the room, she had no desire to be a part of whatever discussion they meant to have.
"Do you have any idea how fucking intrusive that is? Asia would be mortified if she knew that I let-"
Secoiya interjected sharply, deciding he'd been allotted a fair enough amount of time to be angry and it was time to return to a more practical conversation.
"I know what Melkior has on her."
For a brief moment, Adriel's mouth twitched and then his brows furrowed again. He didn't doubt that Secoiya had discovered very important information that would help piece together what was going on within the family. Still, as an older brother he couldn't accept the idea that someone close to him had done such a thing.
"Secoiya- you had someone stalk her. You paid someone to stalk my sister."
The woman nodded, dark brown eyes locking onto his very calmly. She was aware of his anger, acknowledging it openly. She was aware what she had done was not morally acceptable in a conventional sense either.
"I did, Adriel. I had someone go to her home and download all of the files from her computer and then I hired someone else to hack the file when we found that it was locked."
The vein on his forehead popped dangerously and his cheeks started to redden as he froze. Adriel Alvarsson had been trained to kill since he started going through puberty and it was taking all of the strength in his body not to attack Secoiya Polson. He loved the woman, really, he loved her like his own grandmother.
But then, nobody can piss you off like your family will.
__________________________________________________________
"Adriel."
The gentle tone of her voice briefly allowed him to take in a deep breath and he nodded at her with his lips clamped tightly shut. Angry as he was at the principle of the matter, if he knew what Melkior had on Asia, they might be able to help her.
"Your sister is engaged."
Adriel's eyes widened in shock and the anger dissipated in him. He scratched his head, trying to recall anytime Asia had mentioned a lover only to come up empty. She'd never even had a silly playground crush that you share your lunch with and let hold your hand on the playground. Nothing of the sort, not even when they were kids.
"What? Engaged to who? For how long?"
Secoiya had finished her food and moved to the sink now, rinsing hers and Adriel's dishes with her back to the man. She didn't want to have to deal with the backlash of shock that Adriel was about to have to swallow.
"A woman named Ivanna, pretty Hispanic girl in academy, wants to be an astronaut or something. They've been together for several years now."
Adriel tugged at his locks painfully as he fought the internal urge to fight his sister next time he saw her. Why hadn't she mentioned something as large and important as her damned marriage? Sure, his sister had always been the quiet kind and she'd always been reserved but he found himself to be rather hurt by it. He sighed and nodded, letting the reality of it all sink in.
Then a piece of the puzzle didn't fit and he furrowed his brows, eyes shooting back to Secoiya with questions swirling.
"Wait, how does that allow Melkior to blackmail her?"
Secoiya turned to him with sad eyes and dried her hands on the decorative hand towel they kept on the stove bar.
"Ivanna Vayas went missing three weeks ago."
_____________________________________________________________
Adriel Alvarsson was every bit as calm as a parasailing boat on Seneca Lake. As the tide shifted this way in his mind, he pulled the dark hoodie over his head, securing his blonde locks beneath its edge. As the water shifted again to the other direction, he too shifted, lacing up the boots so they were firm and tight about the ankles. When everything was perfectly in order, he nodded to himself.
Whether Melkior was ready for it or not, he was about to be struck with a very rude awakening. He had designed his son to be the perfect weapon: one of the very sharpest weapons in his own arsenal. Afterall, why would Adriel ever have a reason to turn against him? It was a blind spot in Melkior's otherwise spotless planning.
The plan was already concrete in his unit's mind. Every person who was to be involved knew exactly what they were to do and how they were to do it. It all came down to one person now: Asia Alvarsson.