"Wait." Oliver sighed, stopping me in my tracks. "I could threaten you, but I think that would be counterproductive right now. I'm sorry if I was rude, but this is too important to me." His voice turned pleasant, and I knew he was faking for my benefit. "What are you planning to do?"
"I'll go to the press conference and do whatever our father asks me to," I said, biting my lip. "He won't harm me because he needs me, so everything will be fine. The next day, I'm either going alone to Father's office or with Adrian. I'll disarm the security and you'll come to the rescue."
"I'll go with you," Adrian said. "He wants me for something, and I'd like to find out what."
"You will have to be armed. I don't want either of you to die and give Richard time to escape," Oliver said. "He might have an element-blocking device in his office."
"Could be. He tested whether I still had an element in another room," I said, trying to remember if I had felt strange in the office, but the whole situation had been stressful, so I wasn't quite sure.
"We'll sneak into the building so no one can search us for weapons," Adrian said to me. "You'll tell your father that my condition to come is that I choose the time and how I'll enter the building."
"Should I say I'm pretending we are back together to get you to agree?" I hoped I'd have enough time tomorrow to find out whether my father was working with magic disease carriers.
"No, but I can think of a way or two to make your father's head explode from rage." Adrian tipped my chin and kissed me.
"Right," I said, slightly breathless. "Now I have to find a hotel for myself because Father will no doubt check where I went. He's probably sent someone after me and is trying to track me."
"Great. The van will block any tracking devices, but you mustn't disappear off his radar or he'll become suspicious. Let him think you went to the subway. We'll drop you off somewhere near the exit," Oliver said, pressing a button on his walkie-talkie to call in the others. I settled myself back in the seat, leaning my head on Adrian's shoulder. Deep inside of me, I hoped my mother would come to the conference too.
The sun shone straight into my eyes, making me squint. I had to stifle a yawn because at least a hundred of cameras were pointed at me as my father spoke about some nonsense. A broad smile plastered on my face didn't convince the press everything was normal because they kept asking me about Michael and my absence from the university. I'd managed to avoid the questions since my father's guards followed my every step, keeping the persistent press at bay. Unfortunately for me, my father had promised I'd give an interview to the Element Daily.
My mother placed her hand around my waist as we stood behind my father on the stage. Her hair was much shorter than usual, but what surprised me the most was that she had dyed her hair into fiery dark red. I wouldn't have recognized her if she didn't have the same vivid brown eyes. Since we had to pretend we'd been in contact the whole time, we both had to hide our emotions provoked by this little reunion. She didn't look angry or disappointed, but that didn't mean she wasn't feeling that way.
I smoothed the black cocktail dress that I was wearing, wishing I could pull my black tweed coat tighter around me. My father hadn't wanted to give me the exact location of the press conference until the last moment for fear I'd tell Adrian and he'd find a way to sabotage it. Of course, that was why I had to dress without knowing I'd be standing on a stage in the open air. My father must have picked this location having in mind the sheer number of reporters who wanted to get a glimpse of me.
"Where is Michael?" a blond woman asked me as soon as we stepped off the stage when my father was done with his speech.
"Visiting his family," I lied, giving the woman a curt smile. The guards shoved away anyone else who tried to get in our way as we strode into the hotel. I appreciated the warmth that hit me as we entered the lobby. Too bad the control of my elements around so many people wasn't the best, or I'd have already warmed myself a bit with my fire. A brunette and a cameraman waited for us in the sitting area, and the woman jumped to her feet as soon as she saw me.
"I'll see you after the interview. Watch your tongue," my father hissed into my ear before he and Mom went in the direction of the restaurant, probably to get some breakfast. I'd have appreciated breakfast too, but maybe it was better I hadn't eaten anything. My father made sure I didn't have to answer to any uncomfortable questions, but I was sure the reporter would try to slip in a question that would make me sick.
"Miss Milanez!" the woman greeted me, extending her hand. "I'm Aurora Williams. Thank you so much for accepting to answer a few questions. It won't take long."
"Nice to meet you." I shook her hand, and we both sat down on the big cream couch. The cameraman nodded at me and went to set up the camera.
"We will cut out anything you don't want us to show," Aurora said, noticing my queasiness. "Are you ready?"
"Yeah," I said, mentally preparing myself for an assault.
"We haven't seen you for a while. Where have you been?" Aurora pulled out a notepad and a pen, her green eyes warm and friendly.
"I've been traveling around the world with my boyfriend." It was getting warmer and warmer, so I shrugged out of my coat. Aurora didn't seem to mind the hot air because she still had a black jacket over her green sweater. Her dark brown hair was tied in a ponytail, which hopped slightly as she wrote rapidly into her notepad.
"Which places did you visit? It's impressive the international press didn't catch you." Aurora looked me up and down. "You clearly hadn't been to any warm countries because I don't see you have a tan."
Well, damn, I was too pale to pull off that I'd been in some exotic country. "Europe mostly." At least it was winter there too.
"Was your boyfriend with you all the time?" she inquired, leaning forward. "If you don't mind me asking, are you two still together?"
"Yes, we were together and we're still dating." I thought of Adrian as I said it.
"Are you planning to return to the university?"
"Yes, but not immediately."
"What about Adrian Liandre? Do you know where he is?" Aurora's green eyes sparkled with an emotion I couldn't identify. I opened my mouth in surprise, unsure whether I'd imagined her mentioning Adrian because I was thinking about him or she'd really asked me about him.
"I'm sorry. I don't think I..." I squirmed in my seat, trying to put some space between us because I could feel Aurora's element on the tip of my tongue. It tasted different, light and watery, but it wasn't quite like water. Could this reporter have a sub-element?
"He dated your best friend," Aurora persisted. "The rumor has it you all went out together a few times. Some even claim you and Liandre were much closer."
"Well, yeah, he dated my friend and we've seen each other at the university, but that doesn't mean every rumor is true." I took a deep, slow breath, but the elements of the people in the hotel only became stronger. Great, now the stupid reporter would think I was lying about Adrian. Ok, I was, but I was usually better at it.
"What do you think about people with magic disease?" She stared intently into my eyes, succeeding in fueling my nervousness even more.
"The same thing I think about people with weaker elements," I said, and Aurora had the grace to flinch, but she kept her cool.
"And what would that be?" A ghost of a smile appeared on her lips.
"I believe that those people are very unfortunate, so I hope my father will find a way to eradicate magic disease." If I didn't get out of the hotel soon, I was going to go for someone's throat.
"Of course," Aurora said, and a frown appeared on her brow. "Are you ok, Miss? You look a bit pale."
"I'm fine." Oh, goodie. Now she would think I was pregnant. Her logic probably went with the idea that a girl who spent a lot of time with her boyfriend and felt sick in the morning had to be expecting a baby.
"Do you want to freshen up? We can continue later."
"Yes, thanks." I shot up to my feet without thinking. "I'll be right back." With a smile, I hurried in the direction
of the bathroom, scanning the hall for possible exits. I wouldn't come back to that interview even if my father grew a second head and started spitting fire at me. Cursing myself for leaving my coat on the couch, I went down the hall in the direction of an emergency exit. Luckily, the door wasn't under an alarm, so I slipped through it before anyone could see me.
My father and mother were still in the restaurant, which meant I had time to snoop around the office. Warming the air around me, I ignored the curious looks of passersby on the street and headed to the main building. It was unlikely that I would be able to enter my father's office, but, like he had mentioned, his project hadn't been created overnight, so there had to be some clues about it in the old files.
The annoying secretary with her fake, broad smile was taken aback when she fastened her eyes on me, but except for a greeting, she didn't really say anything. Or I hadn't given her enough time to say anything because I stormed down the hall and into the small room my father had led me to yesterday. Locking the door behind me, I picked up the nearest folder and started flipping through the papers.
I found fading sketches of the devices my father had shown me and decided to keep them, but my dress and my tiny, fancy purse didn't allow me to carry a bunch of papers with me. After I neatly folded every paper that looked interesting, I placed them one by one behind the biggest iron shelf so I'd know where they were once Oliver's team took over the building. Maybe I was simply being paranoid, but I didn't want my father to hide those files at the last moment.
Grabbing an empty piece of paper, I took one of the pens from the shelf and scribbled a message for my father which said that I'd be doing what he asked... under one condition. Adrian wanted to come with me and see what my father had in mind, but after a whole night of tossing and turning in bed while thinking about it, I'd decided that I wouldn't risk Adrian's life like that. I knew my father, and if someone could find a way to get away with a murder when it looked impossible, it was him.
Pasting my note on the door of my father's office, I prayed he'd accept my condition. Oliver wouldn't mind my new and improved plan, but Adrian would. I just hoped Adrian could forgive me for not asking him first. As I walked out of the building, I figured it was the perfect time to go shopping for a new coat.
Chapter 10
My old phone, which someone had found just so my father could contact me, vibrated and a message flashed on the screen, informing me that my father agreed to my terms. Smiling to myself, I entered the shop where Oliver's friend was waiting for me to tell him my decision so he could inform the team about it. I had scribbled a note for my brother in the middle of the street because I was sure no one could see me in the mass of people who were rushing to school or work. My palm was getting sweaty around the crumpled piece of paper, but I hoped I could deliver it soon and be done with it.
An image of a frozen lake appeared in my mind before I reached the end of the isle where a girl with short, spikey black hair stood, a box of cereal in her hand. A pin in the shape of a lily was attached to the sleeve of her red jacket, which meant the girl was the one I was looking for.
"Hey," I called to her, pointing at a random box of chocolates on the shelf right above her head. "Can you pass me those chocolates?"
"Sure." She took the box and handed it to me. "This one?"
"Yeah, thanks." I slipped the note into her hand while taking the box. Ok, one problem less. The girl gave me a reassuring look before she headed to the counter. I stared at the box of chocolates and wondered what to do with it. The shop had cameras, so I didn't want any suspicious soul to think something strange was going on, which meant I had to buy it. Huh. How smart was to drown in chocolate before the attack? I guessed I was going to find out.
"Honey, are you sure he's coming?" My father asked as I entered his office later that afternoon. My heart was stuck somewhere in my throat, but I tried really hard to dissimulate my fears. Adrian thought the two of us would be going together to see my father this evening, so I hoped he stayed at a safe distance from the building.
"He'll come when I text him," I said, taking a seat. "You don't have to worry about it."
"I don't trust you, Ria." His eyes hardened. "You better tell me how you convinced him to come here and it better be believable because if you and that boy are planning something..."
"Planning what?" I said, my tone light. "If I'd stayed with him, I wouldn't have set my foot here. I don't have a death wish."
"Good." He ran a hand through his hair, shifting in his chair. "Then tell me what you told him."
"I told him you didn't forgive me and that I want you to pay for that, so I need someone to help me break into your office." I made up the story as I talked, hoping I sounded convincing. "I also told him you have things about magic disease carriers in here and that we could forge your signature and steal the stamp to sign a document which would allow him to get out of the country. He thought it was a trap at first, but I told him that if I wanted revenge for his cheating, I'd have revealed his location when we met yesterday."
My father remained quiet, and I could almost hear the tiny wheels spinning in his head as he tried to determine whether to trust me or not. "Alright," he said almost a minute later.
I wanted to jump up and down from happiness, but I had to remain calm. What bothered me the most was that I could clearly tell there were fifty-two people in the building. Their elements weren't stronger than usual, but my control was slipping from all the stress and constant exposure to the elemental energy.
"Why don't you tell me about magic disease carriers now?" I said as I repositioned my purse on my lap, glad that the desk hid it from my father's eyes. Now I only had to keep my face straight and my movements quiet.
"And why don't you tell me why you ran from the hotel before the interview was over?" The corners of my father's lips went up, an amused glint in his eyes.
Great. He was changing the subject. "I answered enough of questions. The reporter kept nagging me about Adrian. You don't want anyone to suspect the rumors are true, right?"
"Right." His smile faded, and he leaned back in his chair.
"Will you tell me about the carriers or not?" I pressed on, tugging at the zipper on my purse.
"Fine. I've made a deal with a group of magic disease carriers. They will stage various terrorist attacks in the city and kill a couple of people to get across the point that magic disease is dangerous. They will be joined by some people with weak elements, who will fake they have the disease too. The public will start to panic, our scientists will report that the disease now affects people with weak elements too and everyone will want to make sure their children have pure elements. We could get funding help from big corporations and such."
A wave of dizziness swept over me, making me glad that I was sitting and not standing.
"A brilliant plan, isn't it? Magic disease carriers who help us won't be persecuted and we will fake their deaths in the attack to appease the public," he said, his eyes never leaving my face. I must have looked as pale as a ghost.
"How could you?" I had to direct my anger at something, or the desk in front of me could go up in flames. "How can you make deals with magic disease carriers? That's... unacceptable."
"You loved one." His voice was harsh and accusatory.
"Yeah, but he had me fooled! I'm not trusting a single one of those people ever again." And you'll never trust me again after I press the button. I tightened my grip on Oliver's round device, suddenly calmer than ever.
"Well, sometimes you have to let a couple of those bastards to pass through your fingers, or you'll never achieve what you want."
I couldn't help but wonder who these magic disease carriers were. Could there really be that many of us? What if someone from Oliver's group was a mole working for my father? Pushing away the worst scenario where my father knew all about Lily, my brother and our plans, I pressed the button and invited Oliver to the party.
"Where is he?" My father was getting impatient and kept
cracking his knuckles.
"He'll be here. What's the rush?" Honestly, I was starting to worry too because Oliver should have been here by now. It would be awesome if the device had stopped working properly right at the moment I decided to press the button. I'd been so close to pressing it many times, so it might have gotten stuck or disconnected.
"I don't like waiting." I could swear I saw my father pout slightly.
"Neither do I," I said more to myself than to him. Where the fuck was Oliver? It wasn't the time to get stuck in the traffic or lose your followers in the big city. Hell, people from Oliver's group hadn't been in a city for months. For all I knew, they were still shopping, drinking or staring at the lights.
"I need to use the restroom. I'll be right back." I got up, straightening my dress. My father nodded, and I went for the door. Silence greeted me in the hall, and for a second I wondered if something had gone wrong. I checked the walls for any cameras I'd failed to see the last time I was here, but I couldn't see anything. It didn't surprise me though; my father would prefer not to have any evidence of who was coming to his office, especially not when alarms were all over the place to stop any unwanted visitors.
Of course, if Oliver's device worked, then the alarms were no longer functional. The sound of my heels hitting the tiles was incredibly loud, so I slowed down my steps. According to our plan, I was supposed to stay near Father and prevent him from escaping. And if I went to check where everyone was, I'd give him an opportunity to leave if one of his guards informed him about suspicious activity, but I had to see what was going on. I could still feel various elements, although there weren't as many as before.
Something rustled around the corner and I froze, my breath getting caught in my chest. Inching closer, I was just about to peek around the corner when someone grabbed me from behind, putting a hand over my mouth to stop me from screaming.
"Shh," Adrian whispered into my ear, slowly taking his hand off my mouth. We were pressed against the wall, our bodies almost melting into each other. The world of elements went quiet, and I exhaled in relief.
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