Strong For Too Long Trilogy ✔️

06. Finders, Keepers

CHAPTER 6: Finders, Keepers

Pierce stares into my eyes, "I'd like to know what you meant by saying he knows who worked at the Continuum? What information do you have to prove it?" He asks me after Celeste follows after Alexander straight down the hall. I watch them astutely, follow every movement like the beat of my heart.

"I accused him, but I was looking at her. Her Father, Soren Goldstein. He's who told Javier about Eight, correct?" I ask Pierce, he stiffens along with Fern, Aaron slides in close to me with a masculine hand reaching for my waist. I give him a raised eyebrow, he doesn't react to it.

"How do you know about Soren?" Aaron asks me, slowly.

I study him, "I'm a fast reader, and I know he's not dead, he's with your so-called board of Trustees. I had Eight do some digging for me too. According to Soren, he believed my death was real, these reports are from his office. His first failed mission, so we need answers and right now I need to lay low considering the flooding of Candidates after my billion dollar head. How do you think Soren will react when he believes he'll be talking to one of you, and he sees my gorgeous face once we get to the board? Afraid? Surprised, or ready to talk?" I ask all of them, leaning on the desk after handing the reports to Pierce.

Aaron reaches over me, "What do you mean he had these in his office? We searched that room top to bottom." He mutters in next to me, furrowing his eyebrows and even looking annoyed as he searches the papers.

I give him a look, "Oh, sweetheart, you have a lot to learn. He has one of those secret shelvings, separating another room of stacks of files on each Candidate he supplied to the Continuum and the transactions involved. I cross-checked the date I was supposedly killed, he didn't get any profits on it, the Continuum ripped him off by making him believe I was dead and the shooting failed. Which in tail, helped all of you believe I was dead to because he's a gullible liar, too impulsive that he needs financial evidence to record his involvement as insurance, but can bury it to claim plausible deniability. Which in turn, failed because the Continuum keeps everyone in their back pocket, the mother of the ship goes, she's sure as hell going to drown her assets with her. He believed I was dead and that's how it was possible to make all of you believe the same." I explain, gesturing to each of them.

Pierce looks pissed off while Fern leans his fists on the table and stares at the files, Aaron slaps the file on the table behind me, he stares into the distance in front of us. I silently wait as I study each of them, "We may be able to get answers from him, but whether he has them or not is the question." Pierce whispers, studying the notes in anger.

I stare into his caramel-grey eyes, "You look at me, differently." I murmur to him.

He snaps his eyes up to mine, he doesn't say anything, I continue when I know it's only the three of them standing the closest, "You three hover closest to me, ever since you figured out I was alive. Fern, you acted like a substitute teacher for economics at the academy, Pierce-a librarian. Aaron-another student. I didn't recognise you before, you were smart enough to blend in and would know that if I really remembered each of you, then I'd confront you. When I didn't, you changed tactics. Why are you three staying closer than the others? How did I know you three differently?" I ask them, softly.

Pierce stares at me, so does Fern, so does Aaron. All differently.

Pierce takes a deep breath, "I knew you before you got to the Academy, I was the one who gave you the new identity of Olivine Crane. Only because when you were born, I liked the name Olivine. I knew your Mother closely, just not your Dad. The first time you met me was at my office, you hacked into the school's network system in under ten minutes." He says, chuckling lightly as Fern smiles sadly under his breath.