"Why were you eavesdropping on me?" I repeated when she didn't answer the first time.
Something flickered in her eyes.
Fear?
Or maybe guilt.
"I just w-wanted to deliver the layout drafts for next month's issue." She finally cooked up what to say.
"Really? And you were doing that standing in front of the door without stepping in?" I questioned.
I watched her open and close her mouth with it being able to form words.
I took a step towards her and she instinctively took one back until her back hit the wall.
I commented.
"You're a terrible liar."
"I-I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to overhear anything." She stopped denying it and instead took the initiative to apologize.
So she did hear something.
"What exactly did you hear?" I asked, trying to find out how much she now knew.
"N-nothing much."
"That means you've been out here for quite a long whi-." I said, more to myself than her.
"No!" She said before I could even finish my statement.
That was suspicious.
I looked down at her hand and her previous words replayed in my head.
"I just w-wanted to deliver the layout drafts for next month's issue."
But her hands were empty.
"Where's the draft?" I asked, eyeing her suspiciously.
"Which draft?" She asked, looking confused, confirming my suspicions.
Something was definitely wrong.
I decided to play along and not alert her.
"Nothing. Get back to work." I said and continued in the direction of the elevator.
The whole way down from the 6th floor to the ground floor I remained rooted in confusion.
Scout was the one who saved me back then.
So why would she be working for this Rocco man?
Or what if she had just mistakenly overheard my conversation earlier in the office and she wasn't up to anything.
But I couldn't just ignore the fact that she had lied about the layout draft.
And one thing I hated the most was lies.
But she could have just forgotten to bring it along.
But if that was really why she was by the door, why would she be confused about the draft I was asking
If she was really lying, this would be her second time lying to me.
Just as I got out of the elevator I saw Adrian talking to the manager.
They spotted me and moved apart.
Adrian walking away and the manager approaching me.
"Get back here." I said to Adrian.
He turned to face me before reluctantly approaching me.
"Are the layout drafts ready?" I asked the manager.
"Not that I know of." He responded, seeming rather confused about where the question was coming from.
So she had lied.
Scout was anything but forgetful.
If there really was no drafts it meant she was there for another purpose.
'To spy' my inner voice said to me.
"You can leave." I said to the manager who leaves without a second thought.
"What do you want from me now?" Adrian asked after the manager left.
"You're coming with me to my villa." I answered.
"Are you sure you want to sit in the same car with someone who remi-."
I cut him off.
"Take this card, get yourself anything you want."
He eyed me.
"I won't let myself get pacified by an object of vanity."
"Then I guess you don't want to go get your own limited edition Russo Vendetta." I said, about to shove the card back into my blazer pocket.
As expected, he snatches the card from me before I could act on my thoughts.
"You know I've been eyeing that car for such a long time, I guess I just have to accept your apology this time." Adrian said, smiling to himself.
Wait.
Was I actually trying to apologize?
I cringed at the thought and shook my head slightly.
"What's wrong? Let's go." Adrian said to me.
I didn't respond to his question and just started walking away.
Such a hypocrite.
Wasn't he just saying he wouldn't let himself get pacified by an object of vanity.
"Slow down Vincé." my nickname slipped from his mouth.
I paused before turning to face him.
"My bad." He apologized, smiling.
I turned around and just continued walking.
When we got to the underground parking lot where the driver had kept the car, I saw that the driver was already waiting for me.
"Where to sir?" The driver asked.
"My villa."
The car ride was silent.
Something I secretly loathed.
Whenever there was too much silence, it gave my inner voices, my thoughts and damned hyperthymesia the opportunity to act up.
"What does it feel like?" Adrian's voice disrupted my thoughts.
"Uhn." I couldnt grasp what he was trying to ask.
"Hyperthymesia. What does it feel like?" He asked again.
Was he able to read my thoughts or something?
I looked out the window.
"It's like a double-edged sword." I said, simply.
"Can't you just answer my questions without speaking in parables for once." Adrian hissed in dissatisfaction.
I retorted.
"I won't have to do that if you could raise your IQ a little."
He threatened outrightly.
"I'll tell grandma you're treating me badly, you know what she's going to do if I tell her."
Like I had said before, my Grandmother was never really part of my childhood or my life in general but there were sometimes when it'd be just me, grandma and Adrian at home.
During such times, Grandma had one rule she used to prevent us from fighting.
Slowly, details from about 11 years ago flooded my head.
"You two are brothers, you shouldn't argue like that." Grandma said.
"He's no brother of mine." I screamed.
"It wasn't his fault, I started the argument." Adrian backed me up.
I stayed silent in guilt, knowing fully well that I was the one who had started the argument.
"Fine. From now on, whenever you two argue you will both cut each others toe nail." My grandma announced.
"What!" I exclaimed.
"You wouldnt dare." I threatened.
Adrian smirked.
A smirk that clearly said Try me.
I sighed and turned back to look out the window.
By the time we reached my villa, the gates opened slowly, almost like it were welcoming me back.
I stepped out of the car and went straight inside with Adrian following after me.
"Back so soon?" Daniel asked.
"Dan." I called out.
"What's wrong? You look like youre about to kill someone." Daniel smiles.
"I am." I murmured to myself.
Just then, Adrian finally entered.
"Oh, I see why." Daniel teased.
"I have nothing to do with his looks, he invited me here." Adrian backed himself up.
"This should be good." Daniel commented.
"Let's go to the study." I said.
When we got to my study, I sat on my desk.
"Any feedback?" I asked Daniel.
I knew he knew I was talking about the tap.
I was sure he and the team had already done a full sweep of my office.
Telling the manager to do a full sweep of the office was just me following procedure.
After all, there was nothing they could find that my team wouldn't be able to.
"Not yet. We started tracing the tap but whoever did this surely knows what they're doing." Daniel reported.
"Am I allowed to hear all this?" Adrian asked, looking confused.
"Yes, I want you to join my investigation team, that is if you want t-."
He didn't even let me land.
"Of course I want to, why wouldn't?."
"Welcome on board then." Daniel stretched out his hand for an handshake and Adrian took it.
Daniel wasn't surprised, after all he already agreed to this.
In fact, it had been Daniel who brought it up.
He just hadn't been sure if I was going to do it.
"Can I say something?" Adrian asked.
"Hmm."
"Did you find any weird item in Vincents office?" Adrian asked Daniel.
"No." Daniel answers.
"This is simple, whoever tapped your phone must have an informant who can place and remove the device used to tap the phone at will." Adrian said staring straight at me.
"So the fingerprints we got must belong to the perpetrator." Daniel linked.
"Gather a medical team, there will be a free blood test for employees at Alans magazine tomorrow." I instructed.
Whoever the spy was, I was going to find by out tomorrow.