I'm feeling uneasy as I let myself into my apartment, filled with an urgency to check the contents of the USB drive. There are answers on this little stick and I need them.My mind is a jumbled mess as it tries to process what Alice told me. It wasn't anything particularly new, nothing that I don't already know. Just more d*mn whispers and rumours, overheard conversations. The sort of things that won't prove anything.Instead of helping, her words had only made me feel more annoyed. Frustrated that it's taken us months to find out this much and yet we still know practically nothing.I stop on the doorstop, the door wide open as I stare into the apartment. The sight before me is a bit on the bizarre side. Noah and Martin are both sitting in my living room drinking tea."Eden!" Noah's eyes dart to me. "Where have you been?"I'm surprised to see how worried they book look as I close the door behind me."Why are you both here?" I ask, although I'm not particularly displeased at their
Noah's POV:Eden barely sleeps, tossing and turning all through the night and I wonder if there's more to what happened yesterday than she has told me. We get ready for work quietly, neither of us feeling particularly chatty after not getting any sleep.I'm not even sure that I shouldn't be trying to convince her not to go in. It's the weekend after all, but we both have too much to do, not to go in, especially now that she has that USB drive.I'd have gotten more sleep at home in my own bed, except that's not strictly true. At home, I'd have spent the night worrying about Eden and so I'd probably be just as tired as I am now.The car journey to the office is quiet too and it's only when we should say goodbye, each going to our own offices that the silence is broken."I'll see you," Eden begins but I cut her off."I'll walk you to your office."My fists are clenched and maybe it's just the lack of sleep but I feel like I need to protect her, though I'm not at all sure who from.
I do as Martin says, taking a seat as my entire body tenses at the idea of what he is about to say. I wish I could just run from the room and pretend that he didn't suggest I should sit down. It's what I used to do when I was a child and grandma wanted to tell me off.It probably wouldn't work now though… Plus, I'm supposed to be a grownup. I'm supposed to be all about handling the difficult stuff.Martin pulls out the seat at the table next to mine, turning it so he's facing me as he sits down. His expression is haunted and his eyes are sad. I'm not going to like what he's going to say. That one look is enough to make me not just want to run from the room, but maybe the country.Ear plugs could work… I just need to make sure I don't hear what he's about to say. If I don't hear it, it's not real, right?"Your grandma and I have known for quite some time that your parents; deaths were not accidental."I guess there's no avoiding that."Grandma knew?"I'm completely flabbergasted.
Noah's POV:When I enter Eden's office to learn that she's told Martin about the email, I'm pretty surprised. I can't believe she'd just outright tell him like that. Alone too.What if he actually was her parents' killer?Then what would she have done? Just sit back in her chair while he kills her? She could have waited and we could have done it together. But then she wouldn't be the super independent woman I know and love.It's difficult though because I spend the next hour or so trying to work out exactly how much she has told him. Like does he know that technically he's a suspect? That someone has accused him of committing the crime?The first chance I get, when Martin leaves the room briefly to collect some documents from his desk, I close the distance between me and Eden, so I can whisper in her ear."How much does he know?" I ask her."What do you mean?" she responds, feigning innocence. She knows I'm not happy about this. Unlike her, I don't trust Martin."Eden, you know
Martin holds the door open for me when we enter the restaurant. "Sorry, it's not nicer," he says apologetically. "But no reservation and we're in a rush, right?""Nicer?" I ask, looking around. It looks nice enough to me. I'm not the biggest fan of fancy restaurants.Noah actually laughs. "Eden would happily eat food off a food stall."He's not exactly wrong… I'm definitely not a fussy eater. It's hard to be fussy when you can't cook to save your life.A waitress leads us to a table in the centre of the bustling restaurant. Noah, always the gentleman, holds out my chair for me before sitting down next to me. He takes my hand in his as the waitress gives us each a menu.I'm not really hungry so I skim the menu without really seeing it. It seems strange to even think about eating when things are such a mess."What can I get you?" the waitress asks and the guys both wait for me to place my order first."Can I have some sparkling water please?" I ask, still unsure what I should ask
After lunch we return to the company. I'm a little distracted and not really paying attention to what the guys are saying. And not because we just had a run in with Mason.That whole conversation is like a nonentity. It seems irrelevant compared to everything else that has been happening recently."Eden what do you think?" Noah asks, pulling me from my thoughts.I stand still and blink up at them both. I haven't got a clue what they want to know. What do I think about what?"Er… I'm not sure. I'm going to go to the loo."They nod before returning to their conversation. Leaving the office, I make my way across the lobby and down one corridor, heading in the direction of the toilets.The idea that my grandma has known about my parents' murder for years and has done nothing about it is really bothering me. I just can't grapple with it. It doesn't make sense. Even if she wanted to protect me, she wouldn't just allow someone to get away with killing my parents. Would she?Surely, she
"Just how much did you tell her?" Lewis shouts as he enters the room. I'm not sure who he is talking to. Perhaps his uncle?"Lewis, shut up," James retorts angrily as the door slams shut behind them. "You know full well that Eden Clancy is in the building. The last thing we need is for her to overhear you.""It's not me that told her…""No. But it is you that got caught stealing intellectual property not just once but countless times. So stop shouting at Alice.""She told…""No. She didn't. From what Alice is saying, it was actually your assistant that gave Eden the details of your indiscretion.""My indiscretion? It was your idea! I never even wanted this job and now thanks to you, Uncle James, I'm probably going to end up in prison.""Don't be such a big baby and shut the hell up. Taking a little responsibility won't do you any harm."The room falls silent and I pray to whoever might be listening that no one will come around this side of the desk. "Alice tell me everything,
Noah's POV:When Eden doesn't hurry back from the loos, I don't immediately panic. It's understandable that she might need a few minutes alone after everything that we've discussed today. It feels like every day we learn something new that has the power to destroy her and yet she faces it with a strength that is beyond belief.I'm in awe of her.I don't think I've have handled all this anywhere near as well as she has if it were my parents that were murdered. In fact, I know that I wouldn't. And it's not because I'm a weak man, but rather because she is something else entirely. She has a quiet resilience, a fire that keeps her moving towards her goal, though I'm not completely sure what that is.Is she trying to save the company or discover her parents' murderer? It's hard to say and I don't think it really matters either way. One will no doubt lead to the other and vice versa.Ten minutes turn to twenty and twenty soon becomes thirty. I find myself checking the clock frequently,