Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Seven

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Seven
Lachlan

I have nothing to do in this office besides smoke all day and surf the internet on my laptop. It has gotten quite boring since I resumed work this new year. Now, I regret retrenching Dawn; she would have eased my boredom from underneath my desk.
Although I have acquired a new object of interest, it has its limitations. Information can only be gained from it within the walls of this building. I may have missed essential information about his dealings while he has been away from the company environment—most especially from his office.
I purposely arrive earlier than Aiden so as not to miss anything, even though anger ripples within me every time I reflect on the fact that he is now several rungs above me. All I need is one detail to discredit Father’s trust in him—just one blunder or any ambiguous statement that can be twisted to suit my agenda.
Aiden’s office has been bugged, following my instructions, since yesterday. The device, placed right underneath the far side of his desk, is close enough to pick up every detail of his conversations with clarity without him ever suspecting what will hit him until it does.
Then there is the drone tech stuff, which arrived the day after I left Ellie’s place. My eyes twitch as I recall with a sense of relief that, at least, she is gone with her reckless shenanigans. I hope she makes friends with people who share her interests during her travels—her reckless, dangerous, fiendish interests for a "fun time."
I ignore the memory of her mockery, focusing on the task at hand. I had embarrassingly passed out following the VR session with her, yet she stayed calm until I regained consciousness. It definitely wasn't her first time luring friends into that shitty simulation; no wonder nobody hangs around her.
I tap my hand against my chin, sitting relaxedly in my desk chair as I wait for the information I’m seeking. I don’t have to wait long. A few moments after Aiden arrives in his office and settles into his chair, he begins to play an audio file.
I sit up, startled as the audio begins to play, the realization dawning on me.
"Yes. I was there that night... I strangled her from behind with my drawstrings, suffocating..."
I bolt out of my seat in a fit of rage and panic, charging toward Aiden’s office. That was my voice. That was me admitting to a confession that ought to have stayed buried. As I charge forward, the weight of the situation hits me.
It had all been a snare. The VR. Her trip to God-knows-where. The simulation. I walked right into a trap, even though my instincts had warned me. It is no wonder I felt uncomfortable around her, despite her being the type of woman I would relish romping under the sheets with.
That audio file was definitely not retrieved from a conversation she overheard while using her drone on me. It was the simulation; it had dragged me into a hypnotized state. That explains why I felt so disoriented when I woke up later in that VR room. Ellie had played it off casually, saying I wasn't mentally strong, but she had been concealing an agenda all along.
As I move swiftly toward Aiden’s office, my legs switching into long strides, I wonder exactly how much I spilled into that audio file. Aiden will undoubtedly try to unearth those secrets, but he will be the last person to hear them. It is a secret that has been buried, and it shall remain that way.

Aiden

I ball my hands into fists over the table as I listen to Lachlan's confession. He killed my mother. Beatrice merely covered up his crime. Mrs. Alan was right; he was there that night.
The drawstrings—I recall how he feverishly shoved them into the trash can. He acted so suspiciously that night. I ought to have run back home and checked on my mother. However, from the moment she realized her sickness was worsening and she could no longer run her business effectively, she handed my guardianship over to my father. Since then, I haven't heard a word from her.
"Why should my mom cry over some average woman?" Lachlan demands spitefully in the audio. He murdered my mom to avenge his mother's dejection upon discovering Father's betrayal.
As I listen, a mental image plays out before me. I envision how the moment panned out. Mom accepted him into her home, believing whatever stories he concocted. While she took care of him with her usual hospitality, he crept up behind her and strangled her. At fifteen, Lachlan’s height already surpassed Mom's. With Mom’s failing health and weary bones from overworking to keep us afloat, there is no doubt that Lachlan easily subdued her.
Realizing what he had done, he called his mother for help. That same night, Beatrice arrived with her cohorts and smuggled Mom’s body out, erasing all traces of evidence. Then they drove to the Cave Creek Bridge, where they tossed her over to make it seem as though she committed suicide. Yet, the shaman was a witness. Lachlan's confession in the audio attests to all these details.
This is all I need. He is not escaping prison this time.
I prepare to forward the audio file to Jordan when Lachlan storms into my office, a dark expression on his face. Neil is right behind him, ranting about how he couldn't just barge inside. I lower my phone to the table; his eyes track my movement as I rise to my feet.
"Excuse us, Neil," I say calmly, my eyes fixed on Lachlan. I have a score to settle with the bastard before we go any further. It is only right that I deliver my own retribution here before I hand him over to the authorities.
Neil looks from me to Lachlan, hesitant to obey my order. "I don't think that's a good idea."
"Secretary Neil, do as I say," I command, my gaze never straying from Lachlan. Neil retreats, still glancing suspiciously between the two of us.
The moment he is out, Lachlan charges forward, barreling into me with the force of a bull. His target is my phone.
He knows about the audio file; I realize this as he reaches for it, intent on destroying it.
I wrestle with him for control of the device, exchanging brutal punches and kicks. He manages to grab hold of it after a massive headbutt leaves me momentarily disoriented.
My face is swollen and bloodied, and my head reels. My limbs react too slowly as he slams my phone furiously against the hard floor, smashing it with his feet until it is nothing but a mess of shattered glass mangled into its internal components.
I bark out a laugh as I watch him, his breath heaving stertorously. He is as terribly injured as I am.
"Do you think it's over just because you destroyed my phone?"
"You will be the last person to hear that audio file. You and that bitch, Ellie," he scoffs, jabbing a finger in my direction. "You will regret ever making an enemy of me." He says this, his words ringing with a feral threat, and storms back out of my office.
Neil enters the moment Lachlan leaves, exclaiming as he rushes over.
"I told you to stay away, Secretary Neil," I grit through clenched teeth, closing my eyes before a trickle of blood from my forehead can get in.
"Don't 'Secretary Neil' me," he chastises sharply, surveying the extent of the damage to the room and my face. "What has gotten into you two this time?"
"Is your phone on you?" I ask instead.
Neil fetches it from his pocket and hands it over. I type in Jordan's number and dial it, raising the phone to my ear.
Jordan answers promptly. "Hello, this is Detective..."
"Jordan," I cut in, recognizing his voice. "This is Aiden. I have evidence proving Lachlan murdered my mother."
Neil's eyes widen as I speak, his mouth forming an "O" as my gaze connects with his.