SHE (Book #1)

Chapter 23

***FLASHBACK SCENE FROM THE NIGHT AFTER OLIVIA'S PARTY***
***TEMPEST POV***

Malachi dropped me off, telling me to think about everything that had happened.
The back and forth argument between what I am and what I am not, the comparison of him and I, the relation between him and I, the possibility of him and I, and all of it being sealed with a kiss full of... full of... well we cannot call it love after three days of back forth between hate and mere infatuation, can we? No, we cannot.
So I smiled and told him I will think about it all.
And, that is precisely what I did.
All night.
No, quite literally all night. I came in took a seat on the couch, still in my clothes from the party, and completely lost myself in my head.
It wasn't until Frank arrived from the long-deserved break I gave him after my grandpa had left for Italy, that I realized it was morning already. I have been sitting on the couch absolutely out of it all night. About 10 hours have passed.

"Miss Moore? What are you doing up so early?" he had asked. He wasn't dressed in his usual uniform, and he looked normal for once.

"I have been up all night, sadly, Frank," I sighed, rubbing my tired eyes, "We have a predicament we need to discuss,"

He settled his bag on the ground, "What happened? Are you alright?"

I nodded but then shhook my head, "Not entirely. Mentally I am shaken up,"

He made us coffee and we both headed into the study room. I tell him. Everything. Well Leave out the part where Malachi kissed me, but I tell him the rest of the unexpected events that took place.

"Do you actually... like the boy?" he asked.

"I do, Frank. Weirdly, I do. But not a whole lot, just a smidge. a twinkle." I was feeling extremely sleep-deprived, "There is something about him, something that reminds me of myself. Which is why I need you to help me?"

"With what?"

"Get me all the information you have on Mr. and Mrs. Stone, individually. Every record you have, every gossip and rumor that was spread, absolutely everything you can manage to find," I was hungry for knowledge. I need to know how he and I related. If he was lying. I had to start with his parents. What were they like? What kind of life did they provide for him? How is it similar to mine?

"I can do that for you, but it will take time. The things you studied were general information that everyone can access, if you are looking for more personal information, that will take some time," he answered.

"How much time?" I tapped my fingers on the table.

"Maybe three to four days,"

That isn't long.

**END OF FLASHBACK***

Jacob and Emelia Stone.
A verbally and physically abusive father.
An ill and weak mother.

Well, that's a turn of events. 
Their wealth was built off tax invasion for the rich until they started losing money very quickly for reasons unknown. I need to look into this missing information. Emelia got sick soon after giving birth to Malachi, clinically stated to be Coronary artery disease, due to a family hereditary case.  She struggles with it even to the present day, constantly getting check-ups.

Jacob Stone.
For an abusive father, he seems to be a loving husband. Frank tells me he joined the mafia because his wife needs to undergo a procedure that he cannot afford at the time. With his business struggling and loads of money being transferred out of his account for unknown reasons, he didn't have enough to help his wife. 
He was given a loan directly from my grandfather. After Emelia's recovery, he began to pay back the debt for doing tax invasion for my grandfather's casinos, which are taxed heavily.