She seemed agitated, as though she were anxious about something, and Alex immediately felt worried about whatever had upset her.
After parking his car in the spot where he usually parked and shutting the engine off, Alex turned to look at his sister. “What’s wrong, sis?” he inquired, frowning as she shook her head.
Maggie sighed, running a hand over her face. When she looked over at Alex again, she offered him a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Nothing” she reassured him before getting out of the car. She held the door open for him, motioning for him to get out.
He smiled at her. “Okay then,” he answered, following her into the building.
Maggie and Alex stood side by side in front of the store that housed their favorite sandwich shop, waiting for Alex’s sister to decide what to order. After ordering her usual peanut butter and jelly sandwich, Alex ordered himself a turkey bacon cheeseburger and a strawberry milkshake. Neither of them had been in the mood for anything more than fast food since the day before.
Once his sister had paid for both sandwiches and returned the change to the cashier, Alex waited until they were back outside before speaking again. “Sooo… You said you had something important to tell me, right?” he asked, glancing sideways at his sister.
Maggie sighed. “Yeah,” she agreed. She pulled out her phone. “Here. Look.”
Alex scooted closer to her and peered over her shoulder at the screen. He read what she was looking at and then looked up at her with wide eyes. “A picture of Jake Joseph?”
“It looks a little strange, doesn’t it?” Maggie agreed.
“Why are you using his picture as your wallpaper??”
“Not really…” she muttered. “That my Fiance I told you about”
Alex nodded slowly, mulling over her words. He couldn't believe his sister is in love with his enemy, Jake Joseph the billionaire whose only goal in life is to make him assassinated.
He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the fact. "But," he began hesitantly. "But aren’t you supposed to hate him?” He hesitated for another moment, trying to find the best way to phrase his question.
“What do you mean?” she asked Alex who sighed, trying not to reveal his assassination attempt by Jake.
“You love him?” he clarified, staring at the ground beneath his feet.
“Well, yeah,” Maggie responded casually.
“It’s not like I could love someone else. We’re engaged to each other.”
Alex swallowed nervously. “So, you’re… not in love with Jake?”
“Of course I am,” she answered firmly. “I’m not marrying anyone else.”
Alex sighed again. He knew that he shouldn’t have been surprised to hear that Maggie loved Jake, but it still came as a surprise to him when she said it with such certainty. His heart warmed at the thought. “I’m glad,” he murmured.
They stood silently for a few minutes, simply enjoying the silence between them. Alex glanced over at his sister several times, taking in her appearance.
which made him realize how short she was compared to everyone else. He wondered how she managed to be so tall. He figured that it was probably because of all the time she spent working out with his sister.
Ariadne walked into a warehouse
on the outskirts of the city. It was dark inside, save for the faint glow of the moonlight that came from the large glass windows that lined the walls.
Ariadne moved cautiously through the darkened space, looking around for any sign that might give away her presence. Once her eyes adjusted to the darkness she noticed that there was indeed someone there; a man crouched by the far end of the room, seemingly unaware of her presence. She moved towards him, not wanting to alert him of her position.
As she got closer, she noticed that he was hunched over, resting against the wall with his back facing her. He wore all black clothes, but unlike the men she normally saw dressed in leather jackets, these were plain white shirts and dark trousers. There were numerous knives strapped on his person, and it occurred to her that he must not only be a highly trained professional, but an extremely skilled one.
The man shifted slightly when he heard her approach, but didn’t move otherwise. He remained exactly where he was, as though he had fallen asleep.
Ariadne knelt next to the man and reached a hand out to touch him gently on the arm. Immediately, he jumped to his feet, grabbing a knife in a flash and turning around to face her. Seeing her, however, caused him to stop
.
“You did a nice Job, but your effort isn't enough to pull Jake down.”
Ariadne nodded to his statement, “Remember our deal, no harm should befall Jake ,” she reminded him.
“I do remember,” the man assured her with a smirk before sheathing his knife again. “Are you ready to leave?”
Ariadne nodded, watching the man carefully to make sure that he wasn't planning to attack her while she was distracted.
“Very well. Follow me,” he commanded, turning and walking toward the other end of the warehouse without waiting for her response.
Ariadne followed closely behind, her mind racing with thoughts and questions as she trailed after her target. She couldn't help but wonder about this entire situation.