PRETTY Little LOVE (emison fanfic)

Chapter 33: #thirddegree

(present day)

Emily's pov

A little too welcoming.

You know when a person throws you the biggest smile that doesn't reach the eyes, laughs too much when you don't even mean to joke, shows you around in every corner of her house, offers a whole lot of foods and drinks...

Yeah... too welcoming...

Something about the senator that seems motherly, but at the same time, something is totally off about her. She told me tales about my parents, childhood stories with her daughter Spencer, summers and slumber parties spent in that very large lake house that she's taking residence at the moment. Whether it may all be true or not, the thing is, something about Senator Hastings that makes me feel wary in the most uncomfortable way.

After our meeting, I am fairly sure that there is more to what the senator is letting on. I just don't know what. I must have missed something, some detail, to point out what exactly it is. If so,  I'm gonna need to review our entire conversation before I surrender the recording device, the size of a button that was meticulously and very carefully hidden in my possession.

I remember somebody told me that the little things are the actual things that really matter. Menial seemingly unimportant details but in fact are the most crucial ones. Things that can be construed as tiny puzzle pieces hidden in a haystack that I must to find and put together just to see the bigger picture.

I just need to pay attention, and not just try to remember it all...

_______________

Alison's pov

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Spencer's got that face again to go with her noticeable silence. That puzzled face she's always got when she's deep in her thoughts is full on. We were at Aria's putting up a Christmas tree, hanging colorful Christmas balls and whatnots. Though it's only days, but it's never too late to put up a festive tree on her studio. Besides I really need the diversion right now since Emily's been invading my thoughts constantly like a conquistador on a mission.

I might just go crazy.

"Emily met with my mom today... And mom, didn't tell me the entire story of what it was all about," Spencer blurted out with a slight whiny tone in her voice.

Darn it!!

Just as I was thinking I could hear something else from Spencer, she drops that name on me like a bomb. Little did she know how loud that name echoes in my head every single time. Now, just what exactly does Emily want to do with Senator Hastings?

"Doesn't your mom tell you all of her affairs?" I spoke flatly.

"Yeah... But when I asked her about it she said it's confidential, and then just deliberately asked for some contracts and some other files to be sent in her home office at the lake house even though she's supposed to have a fun time. I would've pressed her if she didn't mention a few things about Emily,"

"What did she say?" I casually asked, trying to low key my eagerness to find out what it was.

"Apparently, Emily works for an international science research hub called Allegiance Laboratories Inc. as some sort of a consultant, whatever I'm not really sure, mom's being very vague about it... but the point is Emily travels a lot working for some research lab," Spencer said and continued, "I did a little digging about Allegiance Laboratories and I found out it's in fact a pharmaceutical research institution based in Vancouver, though the company has a number of facilities all over Europe, Middle East and Australia as well. Until recently, the company began to venture a research here in the U.S. and South America, they primarily make studies about new marketable medicines, but at the top of their list is a cure for a certain type of cancer. Allegiance also has a subsidiary company called Atticus Industries that manufactures medical equipments, ambulances and medical paraphernalias,"