Chapter 69 Different Paths, One Truth
Chapter 69 Different Paths, One Truth
Raven's POV
I couldn't help but remember the ring I had found in the safe alongside those Aster reports.
I pulled it out and held it up toward Drew.
“Was this one of the valuable things my mother stole?”
I watched Drew tense up as he sat upright.
“Where did you get that?” he asked urgently, reaching toward my hand.
This was the first time I had ever seen Drew this frightened.
“Keep that out of sight, and don't show it to anyone else—not even Dael. Got it?”
I nodded quickly. “But why?” I couldn't stop myself from asking.
“Because that wasn't merely a ring. It was an access key, and it was assigned only to the people closest to the owner of Noctrix.”
“His family.”
“His family?” I asked, shocked. “My mother was related to the owner of Noctrix?”
Drew looked away.
“Like I said earlier, Raven, it's not my place to tell you everything. Some things are better told by the people who need to tell them.”
“Then tell me where I can find my mother. If you won't tell me everything, she will,” I pushed.
But Drew simply stood up, pacing slowly around the room.
“All I can tell you is this, Raven. Whatever that Noctrix key keeps locked away shouldn't be allowed into the world.”
“Well, if that's the case, and this ring was assigned to her, then what did she steal from them? What did she take that was so important that they kept chasing her until she had no choice but to fake her death?”
Drew stopped what he was doing and squatted beside me.
“You never knew because your mother was an incredibly brilliant woman who loved you endlessly. She loved you to the extent that she was willing to isolate herself from everything and everyone just to keep you safe.”
His words made my eyes fill with tears.
I quickly wiped them away as I cleared my throat.
“What did my mother take from Aster, Drew? Tell me.”
I could tell he was dodging the question, but there was no way I was letting up. He was going to give me the answers I needed.
Drew stood up, picking up a gun. He took a napkin and began wiping it.
“Your mother took something Noctrix couldn't afford to lose. Something that could bring their entire organization down in a heartbeat.”
“The original Aster records,” Drew said.
“The ones about us?” I questioned, but Drew shook his head.
“The ones about something much more dangerous and inhumane.”
“What was it?” I asked, but Drew stood up and moved to stand farther away from me.
“Drew, please. You have to tell me. If there's something my mother might have hidden—something that could make them come after me—then I need to know.”
“Raven, this is dangerous. Talking about this is dangerous. Don't you get it?”
“No, I don't!” I said sternly. “I'm sorry, Drew, but I don't get it. Make me understand.”
Drew sighed, tilting his head back. I could hear him mutter something under his breath, but I had no idea what.
Then his eyes focused on me again. They were sharp and determined.
“All right, listen carefully to everything I'm about to say, because I won't repeat myself.”
I nodded quickly.
“Like I've said before, Aster was only a branch of Noctrix. Its primary purpose wasn't simply to find out whether brains could be manipulated. No.”
“That was more of a cover-up to get Daniel Monroe to agree to be the face of the organization.”
“Then what was its main purpose?” I asked softly, in order to avoid Dael hearing. I still didn't know how much he knew.
Drew took a deep breath.
“The main purpose of Aster's creation was to create people whose minds could be manipulated, controlled, and reconstructed to believe that Noctrix was their maker, their creator. They wanted to use these people's minds as access points to information hidden within the human brain that an ordinary mind couldn't access.”
“And for this purpose, they killed, butchered, and drove innocent people insane in their pursuit of this goal. But during my time in Aster, I heard rumors that those weren't the only things Noctrix was hiding. There was something worse. Something I know nothing about.”
At this point, I didn't even realize I was shaking in my seat. My mind had gone blank with fear from the things I was hearing.
“And my mother was... a part of this?” I forced the words out.
“At first, yes. But with time, she couldn't take it anymore. Especially when you were taken as a test subject and she discovered that they wanted to reproduce the bond you and Adrian had.”
I frowned.
“Reproduce the bond? With other people?”
Drew shook his head. I could see his hands trembling slightly.
“No. They wanted to reproduce the bond using your DNA and Adrian's. Create a— a doppelgänger. One they could actually control.”
“What?” I gasped in shock.
He nodded.
“They wanted to replace you and Adrian's existence and, I don't know, probably kill you two or something.”
“That's terrible,” I muttered.
He nodded again.
“They were terrible people, Raven. Which was why your mother stole those documents. They contain all of this and more—like their names, records, and documents. Things that could seriously implicate Noctrix. She became a liability to them.”
I brought the ring out of my pocket, turning it in my hand.
“So, this ring was just an access key?”
I mean, how could something so beautiful be just an access key?
“Not just an access key,” Drew corrected. “It was also a symbol of power and authority. Only those at the highest level of authority in Noctrix had one.”
“But why did she have such high authority to begin with?” I couldn't help but wonder.
I noticed Drew tense up immediately, but he relaxed just as quickly.
“Drew?” I called.
“I—I have no idea,” he replied quickly.
But I could tell he was lying through his eyes.
I didn't push.
This was enough information for one day, even for me.
\---
Adrian's POV
I rushed into the hospital, stopping at the reception desk.
“Hey, someone just stole something from my car, and I need to check your security cameras,” I hurriedly explained.
“Whoa, sir. Can you calm down?”
“No. I kept important files in my car, and now they're gone. Where is your security room?” I shouted.
The nurse cowered in fear as she gestured toward one of the security guards outside.
The security guard approached me.
“Sir, I need to ask you to calm down. We'll find whoever stole from you, but you need to—”
“Just take me to the goddamn security room,” I said impatiently.
By now, the head doctor had heard the commotion and had come to find out what was happening.
“Sir, I can't just—” the guard started.
“I'll take him to the security room. You all can get back to work.”
The head doctor gestured for me to follow him, and I immediately did.
He took me to the security room.
“What time did you get here, sir?” he asked.
“Around noon,” I told him.
He nodded, ordering the person who managed the security cameras to play the events that had occurred around that time.
I focused on every little detail until I noticed a stranger standing beside my car.
I narrowed my eyes.
Something about the stranger looked familiar.
I watched him press something that looked like a coin against my car, and it suddenly opened.
He picked up the files and rushed off.
“What the—” I exclaimed.
“Do we call the police, sir?” the doctor asked, concerned.
I slowly shook my head.
“I can handle this, doctor. Thank you,” I muttered before rushing out of the security room.
Why did the way he walked feel so familiar?
I couldn't shake the feeling.
I rushed to Styles' room, only to find the police in there.
“Adrian, I thought you had spoken to them.” Styles looked at me bewildered.
I couldn't help but curse myself internally. I completely forgot I was supposed to talk to the cops.
I cleared my throat, deciding to play it cool.
“I, um... forgot. Sorry.”
“Hello, officers,” I greeted.
They grunted in return. They didn't seem too happy with me, which could have been because of how long I had made them wait.
“We would like to ask you a few questions, Mr. Adrian, if you will.”
“Of course.” I nodded.
“This way, please.”
They gestured toward the chair in Styles' room, but all I could think about was how much I wished they would hurry the fuck up.
“So... Mr. Adrian—”
An ear-piercing scream from the top floor cut off whatever the officer was about to say, putting us all on alert.
“What the hell was that?”