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Kaden stands tall in the center of the lavish penthouse, his commanding presence filling the room. The space is bathed in soft, golden light that spills through the floor-to-ceiling windows, offering a breathtaking view of the city, covered in a thin layer of snow, below.
He is dressed in charcoal grey pants that exude a sense of sophisticated elegance but in contrast, his white shirt is buttoned open, his sleeves rolled up, showing the Rolex, casually sitting on his arm. His arm flexes as he leans over the large table, and his focused gaze hones in on the thousands of pictures and documents I cannot make out clearly from how far I am standing away.
His tousled dark hair falls effortlessly across his forehead, adding a touch of casual charm to his otherwise poised appearance. There's a hint of a five o'clock shadow, which only serves to enhance his rugged handsomeness, giving him an air of both maturity and a hint of mystery.
His eyebrows are tightly pulled together, his teeth nibbling on his bottom lip as he studies a paper carefully.
The subtle smile that occasionally tugs at the corners of his mouth reveals a glimmer of confidence, hinting at the assurance he carries in whatever he is up to.
I walk closer, not wanting to disturb his presence but as always he already noticed me before I even stepped into the room.
He looks up from the table through a strand hanging over his forehead, both of his arms pressed onto the wood.
"What is this?" I ask curiously studying the ridiculously overwhelming mix of documents in front of me.
"Take a seat, Aleandra. You have a lot to catch up on."
He clears his throat, then he walks in front of the wooden table, leaning against it. I am sitting down on a chair in front of it, my knees almost brushing against his legs. He looks down at me and without taking his gaze off me, he grabs a file from next to him and hands it to me.
"Oh, and there might be a little problem, so let's put it to the test if you are as smart as you look."
*****
"Let me get this straight," I say finally standing up from my seat and taking a step forward. I lay my palm flat on the table, next to his.
"You were awake the entire night, called a private investigator, got all those files and documents on this married couple and there is literal proof that there is something seriously wrong with this family but we can not go to the police? We cannot do nothing." I say, my voice getting a little louder.
"That's the part I was coming to. The investigator I hired doesn't... well, he works differently."
"His work is illegal," I say, putting my other hand on the other side of him. I cage him in and he gulps, his arms crossed. I raise my brows to get his focus on my question.
"It's effective. Nobody could've given us this amount of information this fast."
"Yeah, but we cannot go to the police. Do you know what lies there? Years of abuse. Years of children going into this house with hope and coming out with parts of their souls being left there."
"I know but even with the influence of my family, this will take years to go to court. We have to work, faster. There are other ways, people like my family work. We get what we want because we know other people."
"Well, then call them."
"It's not any less illegal than what the investigator did." He looks into my eyes, studying me for any hesitation. He won't find any. I have been here for hours, I made phone calls. I pretended to be other people. I tried to make connections that would work in court. I always thought about them.
"What are you waiting for?"
"I could call those people. I could drop my name and they would do anything in their power to lock them away. Maybe for months or years. It would go, let's call it smooth."
"Or...?" I frown at him.
"Or we fight dirty. Find out what is going on. Find all responsible parties of what's going on."
"Because you think there is much more behind it?"
"You think it too."
"I saw the same pictures. I read the same messages."
"Well, then we fight dirty but there is one little thing. The person who is the best at that job. His name is Dorian Crawford."
"What?" I take a step back, but he gently takes my wrist in his hand. He pulls me closer, his minty breath hitting my face. A shudder runs through my body.
"What do you say? I want you to be ok with this decision." Kaden breathes out.
"Well, what do I say? I say he would be furious if he could see me standing between your legs, you touching me."
He leans closer in, his breath tickling my ear.
"I don't know what you mean, Aleandra. This is all in your head." He whispers, letting me go and brushing past me.
"Call him," I speak up.
"Are you sure?"
"I said, call him."
And he does, Kaden lifts his phone to his ear, his eyes, staring into mine. My throat goes dry, while my palms start to sweat against the wooden surface of the table.
"Yes, it's Kaden. I've got a deal for you. You will be thrilled."
Kaden is keeping his eyes on me, his voice constantly calm, even though I can hear my brother's angry voice through the phone.
It feels like hours, but he cannot be longer on the phone than ten minutes until he is filled in on the most important stuff and he is informed that Kaden sends him the rest.
"I understand. Trust me, brother. I would never come close to her. Not in that way. I respect her too much." He explains at the end of the conversation, the right corner of his mouth twitching upwards in a sinister smirk.
I let out a scoff, to hide the fact that I can barely breathe. My labored breathing only worsens when he slowly walks up to me. He looks down and takes my hand, laying the phone on top of it. He closes my fingers around it, his touch sending goosebumps through my body.
"He wants to talk to you." He just says and then turns around, sitting himself down on the couch, pulling out his phone.
"Yes? Hello?"
"Aleandra, I think we must have another important conversation because of him."
"What? Don't worry I know about the birds and bees. And I am an expert in putting on condoms." I reply, acting as childish as he is.
I hear Kaden standing up from his seat behind me, obviously irritated by my suggestion.
I lay the phone on the table and tap the speaker so he can hear the entire conversation.
"That is not funny. He is not good for you. You could really-"
"Relax. We are just friends and I am not a child. There are far more important matters, don't you get it?" I turn around, looking at Kaden, who is a few feet in front of me.
"Yes, and I am handling it. You don't have to worry about it. Those kids will be safe and those bastards will regret whatever they let them endure. But as I have already told Kaden, you two will walk away from that topic."
"What?" I raise my voice.
"Yes, do something you enjoy. Something that will distract you. Take a flight to another country or read one of your thousand books. But don't think about this.
And you Kaden, I know you are listening. You cannot let this disturb you, either. You have to concentrate on the next fi..." He stops himself.
I let out a scoff while Dorian lets out a frustrated sigh.
"The next fight? You are unbelievable. There are children in danger. Valeria and Elias are suffering. I don't know what's going on but I won't just stand there doing nothing. I am not-" I try to calm down as I notice how loud my voice gets.
"Dorian, this is important. Your sister and I-"
"No, not your sister and I. Fuck, you two don't have to do anything together anymore. The project is obviously over."
"No." We both yell at the same time.
"The kids need us. Together." I make clear.
"I mean it. I am not doing anything. I will bring the responsible people behind bars. You just have to let me work. I would never let innocent kids get abused and look away. Never. You can't do anything for them. You should meet with them once in the next couple of weeks so the couple doesn't suspect something to be up and you can comfort them but nothing more. I mean it."
"Ok. I get it." I agree reluctantly.
"Great, I think it would be a good idea if you fly home to your pare-"
"No, definitely not." I interrupt my brother.
"You haven't seen them in almost four months and you only called once."
"I'm sorry but it's really none of your business Dorian."
He lets out a sigh through the speaker and I press my eyes shut.
"We will talk about it when we see each other personally, I'm still in Brussels for business. Aleandra, try not to think about what is happening in that house and Kaden, remember what I told you." Then he hangs up, making the last sentence a threat.
I cross my arms over my chest.
"Sometimes I hate him." I groan out, feeling bad for saying such nonsense out loud.
"Can I ask you a question?" He asks after a moment of silence between us.
"That already was a question." I tease him, trying to lift the tension.
"Don't be smart with me."
I roll my eyes. "Of course. Ask."
"Why did he say your parents? He is your brother."
"Attentive Kaden." I tilt my head, a smile on my lips.
"He didn't tell you?" I add, frowning a little.
"The topic never came up."
I nod my head.
"Biologically he is my cousin, my father's brother's son. But they became parents very young and both weren't ready, so my parents had to do all the work. He was living with them, but in the same street and so, we grew up as siblings but the connection was never that great, because he is almost 6 years older. When I was eight the genius left the house, made money and never really looked back. And that's it." I force a smile on my face.
"Thank you for telling me."
"It's not a secret, otherwise I wouldn't have shared it without asking him first."
"So, what are you gonna do now?" He suddenly asks and my brain has to register the meaning first before giving a real answer.
"I don't know. Go home and sleep." I shrug.
"It hurts that I can't do more." I then add, sadness and anger touching my voice.
"You are doing enough. Only because Kaden is taking over for a moment doesn't mean it's not your work. We will keep our eyes open, ok? And we will make sure Valeria and Elias get everything. But he is right. We need a little distraction otherwise our head isn't in the right place. So I ask again. What do you want to do?"
"Really?"
He nods.
"Really."
"I would want to fly to Adaeze. I haven't seen her in so long. Em and I miss her a lot. You know the girl who-"
"The 1 third of the trio who is studying in her hometown."
I smile because as always he remembered the details.
"Yup, her."
"Well then do it."
"Ehm, well I don't have the money for a flight and I know Dorian would give it to me but then he would want me to visit my parents, too. And I don't want that..." I let out a sigh, rubbing my hand over my forehead.
I am relieved that he doesn't ask why I don't want to see them.
I groan. "I am gonna go now. Thank you for letting me stay the night." I push myself up from the table.
I walk towards the door but before I open it I turn around a last time.
"And if you ever want to talk about what happened yesterday, you can always come to me. Always." I say, and then give him a slight smile.
"I know, thank you. For everything." He smiles back.
I nod awkwardly and turn around again to head out.
I push down the door handle but my name sounds behind me, his deep voice combined with it sending a shudder down my body.
"Yes?"
"I would lend you the private jet but last time I talked about it you lectured me on how flying on a private plane emits 10 to 20 times as much carbon pollution as a commercial airline passenger and I thought about it. I did my research, and you are right. So, how about I buy you the ticket?"
I let out a laugh at the reminder of our last discussion.
"Kaden, that's not necessary."
"Well, you wouldn't want the ticket to go to waste, would you?" His smile widens.
"What?"
He pulls out his phone and turns it around so I can look at it.
It's a message, stating that he needs two first-class tickets to the closest airport to my home town as soon as possible.
"Two tickets?"
"Of course, cannot let Em be left behind. I think the three of you need some alone time. The little witch gets grumpier every day. Don't worry, it's already paid for both of you. I will send you the details of the flight. I would drive you home, but even though I look as fresh as a baby I cannot step behind a wheel. Someone will wait for you downstairs." He explains.
My mouth drops open and I can't stop the smile pulling on my lips.
"Thank you."
He clears his throat.
"No, need to thank me, only the best for Dorian's sister. Have a safe flight. And call me when you land."
What will happen during that trip...?