𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐅𝐈𝐒𝐇 | 𝐀. 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐃𝐄𝐑 [𝟏]

➛⠀𝟮𝟭 | 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗙𝗨𝗟 𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗔

"My mom is coming."

You lost your focus and quickly caught the pen before it could fall on the ground. Alex broke his gaze on his laptop and turned to Nico. "I don't hear anything." He stated with his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Nico tapped you and Alex, showing her phone with Gert's text to you.

Gert:
Your mom is coming.

You realized it was too late when you heard the elevator doors open. "Hide behind the desk." You gave Alex and Nico instructions. The two complied, and you swiftly conjured up an illusion that would convince Tina that her office was vacant and that the three of you were not present. Even if Alex and Nico and yourself crouched behind the desk, Tina would still be able to see you three. Therefore you needed to create an illusion.

As Tina opened the door to her office, you silently crouched alongside Alex and maintained your gaze. The three of you watched Tina sit down by her window, and her blank expression crumbled. She began crying, much to Nico's sadness and shock.

Alex kept Nico back by grasping her hand and shaking his head as she was about to emerge from the hiding area and break your illusion. You threw a glimpse to Alex's hand, which was clutching Nico's, but you averted your gaze to maintain the illusion. Nico sighed in defeat, her mother sobbing even more. Nico's tear ran down her cheek from her eye.

Tina had finished crying and exited her office, much to your relief. You eventually let go of the illusion, and you felt a little dizzy. You lost your footing as your eyelids fluttered shut, but Alex grabbed you right away. "Woah, easy there," Alex whispered as he let your head lean on his shoulder. "You okay? You didn't have to cast an illusion."

"Mhm..." You mumbled tiredly, not having enough energy to give him a proper response.

Nico quickly wiped her tears away and placed the back of her hand on your forehead. "Well, luckily, she's not sick."

"Can you walk?" Alex asked worriedly.

You opened your eyes and nodded. "Yeah, just... give me a second." You tore yourself away from Alex, but he kept his arms around you so you wouldn't fall again. You shook your head to bring yourself back. "Y-Yeah, I think I'm good."

Nico nodded. "Come on." The three of you hurriedly left Tina's office and rushed into the elevator. Nico quickly hugged you for comfort when Alex brought you to him. Knowing how distraught she was when she saw Tina crying, you hugged her back.

You have never seen Tina cry, and you didn't expect her to bawl her eyes out. You knew that something must have happened back at the party that made her extremely upset and caused her to hide in her office to cry, not knowing that you, Nico, and Alex witnessed the whole thing.

Two men were playing an arcade video game when the elevator doors opened, and Gert stood by them. Gert simply nodded with her head for you three to leave immediately while you cocked an eyebrow at her.

You and Nico clung to each other while Alex followed after, strangely staring at the two men. You, Alex, and Nico went outside to get some fresh air.

"God, you know, I feel strange," Alex said to you and Nico. "Up until now, it's been all theories and hunches, right, but as soon as I decrypt that data, we'll have that tape, undeniable proof that
our parents are killers."

Alex glanced at you as you tiredly rubbed your eyes. "Maybe you can help me decrypt that data, (Y/n)." He suggested. "Since you've been to a science high school, I figured..."

"Oh, you heard that?" You stifled a laugh, recalling the conversation between you and Adam earlier. "Trust me, Wilder, I'm not smart."

Alex shrugged. "You helped me earlier back at the server room. I think you're pretty smart." You looked at him for a moment and saw him look worriedly at Nico, who was silent since the three of you left Tina's office. "You having regrets?" He asked the raven-haired girl.

"I-It just doesn't make sense," Nico admitted to Alex, her eyes glassy as tears filled up in her eyes. "Do killers really bawl their eyes out like my mom just did?" Nico shakily sighed before changing the subject when she remembered what happened earlier back at Tina's office. "The code you used to get into my mom's office... what was it?" She asked Alex.

Alex fixed his glasses as he smiled. "Password." He replied. "Your mom's a really busy lady. I figured she'd use something simple. You know, something that she could actually remember."

You softly chuckled, glancing up at the sky. "She has a highly advanced company and the most hacker-resistant network on the planet, but her password is 'Password'?"

Alex chuckled as well. "I know, right? Who would ever think that the tech titan Tina Minoru's password was 'Password'?"

"You did," Nico told Alex, still looking suspiciously at him.

Alex smiled down at her. "I got lucky, I guess." He shrugged.

Nico leaned back in slight shock. "Really lucky." She muttered skeptically. Soon, you turned to Chase, who approached the three of you. "How'd it go?" Chase questioned.

"Mission successful," Alex answered, adjusting the strap of his bag as he glanced at Nico. "How was the party?" He asked Chase.

Chase gave him a small smile. "Great. Fine." He answered. "Saved Karolina's life. Well, tried to, but, hey, luckily, she can fly."

Chase's comment, as well as how calm and collected he sounded, raised your eyebrows in surprise. Nico looked stunned and shook her head. "Big night."

"That's an understatement," Chase told Nico. "You hear about our parents?" He saw Nico shool her head. "They're having an affair."

Nico narrowed her eyes and cocked an eyebrow in disbelief. "What?" She questioned. "My mom and... your dad?"

Chase shook his head. "No, my mom and..."

Nico gasped, interrupting Chase's sentence. "Oh, my God, and my mom?"

"No, my mom, your dad."

Nico scoffed at Chase's words at first, unable to believe them, while you looked down to comprehend what he said. Nico's small smile vanished. "My dad..." Alex remained silent as Nico spaced out, trying to explain why her father might have an affair. Nico leaned her head on the side of your head as you slid your arm over her arms to pull her close.