Bound by Deception

24.2 The James Mansion

"Madame is really going to kill us."

"I'm sure we'll survive."

~***~

Edward's office wasn't anything like his bedroom. The lock on the door took Aria less than a second to release, but for an amateur, it would be quite difficult, since it was made by the Shadow Police, a secret organization in Grandville similar to Hades.

The room itself was plain in a beautiful sort of way. A bright oak desk sat at the center surrounded by bookcases with crumpled sheets of paper stuffed in between pages. Surrounding Edward's desk were boxes of what Aria discovered were more files, all of them locked in a similar fashion as the door.

"Who knew the president solicited prostitutes," Sterling mused as he read one of the notes. "Apparently he has some illegitimate children too."

"There's no way we can possibly take everything," Aria sighed, ignoring his discovery. "And we don't have enough time to scan them."

"Actually, there is a way." Sterling handed her a paper. "Each sheet has a barcode, similar to the library. They're unique to each paper, and I'd bet that they would give us the information in a second if we scanned it."

"Did you bring the Scan-120?"

"Did I?" Sterling reached into his backpack and triumphantly pulled out the small, black invention looking similar to a disco ball. "Why, I'm offended that you would even doubt me!"

"Funny. Get to scanning."

"I already did."

"Really?" Aria peered over his shoulder at the laptop on his lap. She gave a low, impressed whistle. "Damn, you did. This is like a gold mine."

"Indeed." Sterling closed the lid and returned his gadgets to their places. "Do you think Edward would keep his files anywhere else?"

"I checked most of the first floor when I was doing my inspection. I didn't find anything there."

"Alright. Then I think we're good." Her partner pulled a lighter from his pocket. "Ready?"

Aria groaned. "I'm starting to reconsider that idea now. What if it blows beyond our control? Madame will have our heads."

"It won't. It's harmless."

"Really? Fire? Harmless? Sterling, do you hear yourself?"

"I do, and I assure you, it's fine." He took a small chip that looked similar to a hard drive and dropped it on the floor. "Like it? Yasmine made it for me."

"I have to talk with her." Aria rolled her eyes. "She's indulging you far too much than she should."

"You're just jealous that she loves me more." Sterling flicked the lighter on. "I already put the mat outside and moved some of the bushes. It's almost peak hour, so nobody will be focused on us since this part of the road is always empty during this time of the day."

"Wow. Somebody's done their share of research." Aria tapped a silver jewel on her belt and a pair of translucent strings popped from the belt, rising up and forming a parachute shape. "Sterling?"

"Yes?"

"I...did you hear everything that Edward told me?"

"Of course, I did." Sterling adjusted his parachute. "Why?"

"...Nothing." Aria knotted the ropes around her stomach. Curiosity simmered like a boiling pot in her mind but she resisted the temptation to ask. She didn't want to cross a line, especially when Sterling had never asked her anything personal.

"Everyone likes to think I killed my parents," Sterling spoke, eyeing her with a dangerous, humorous quirk on his lip. "What else would they have to believe? I was a wild teenager who was never home, and to the public, my parents were well-respected individuals."

"Sterling, you-!"

"Let me finish." He rose to his full height, and in the darkness that had begun to loom over the earth, he looked almost monstrous. "My parents were lunatics, Aria. They both had accidents when they were kids and...well, it was like a Jekyll and Hyde situation with them. They didn't know what they were doing half of the time. What choice did I have but to take care of myself?"

"I see..." Aria coaxed him gently, listening with intrigued silence. She knew Sterling had a dark history with his family, as he was known in Rouver as the disgraced Duke, but she never expected the story behind his downfall to be so...sad.

"They weren't abusive, just neglectful." He continued with a low, bitter growl. Playing with the lighter, he sat on the edge of the window, gazing in the direction the wind blew. "They were pretty careless too. They died when I was fourteen. Their experiments had gotten them in trouble with the government. I was blamed because I was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Oh...but how is that fair to you? They should have given you a chance to explain!" How could Rouver be that cruel to him?

"At the cost of their reputation?" Sterling sneered. "Nah, they don't give a fuck. I gotta admit..." he glanced at the hallway. "Eddie had the right idea. Grandville may be our enemy and cruel as shit, but they're loyal. Rouver, not so much." He shrugged. "Whatever. We fight for the people. I got disgraced and shit. I'm still a Duke, I guess."

"Living in a ratty home."

"It keeps suspicion away from me. I don't like it, but what else should I do?"

"Uh...move on and get a new home? Prove your innocence?"

"Like hell, I can do that. I don't know who killed my parents. If I did, I'd make them confess, but..." he shrugged carelessly. "It's in the past. I can only move forward."

"Aren't you curious about what happened to them?"

"No. They deserved their end. I don't know how Edward knows about them, but he's dead, so that's one liability out of the way." He grinned, punching Aria's shoulder gently. "What? Why are you so quiet?"

"I'm just...sorting everything out," she replied, her face twisted pensively. "Do you think the government had anything to do with your parents' deaths?"

"Maybe. I don't know. I don't care. My loyalty lies with Madame and the organization, as does yours." He brought the lighter to his lips and flicked the cap open. "Well? Shall we?"

Aria nodded and smiled. "Yeah," she said. "Let's burn this place to the ground."

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Nothing much but information gathering in this chapter, but Madame's reaction still looms on the horizon...

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