Chapter 11 WARNING FROM THE PAST

ADRIAN POV

The first thing I saw when I woke up that morning was a number I hadn’t expected to see.

TRANSFER RECEIVED: 250,000 CREDITS.

For a few seconds, I stared at the screen. Then I turned toward the other side of the room.

The second bed was unmade, and the space was empty. I let out a short, quiet sigh while opening the screen completely to see the transaction details.

TRANSFER: 250,000 CREDITS.

SOURCE: ROOK REED.

At least the man had finally remembered he owed me money. I slipped the device into my pocket, feeling the familiar weight of the Apex core, and walked out of the room.

The downstairs smelled of coffee and burnt grease. I found him there, sitting at a small table near the window with a plate of pastries in front of him.

He looked up immediately when he saw me. 

“You paid me.” I said, stopping at the edge of the table. 

Rook glanced at his plate, unbothered and took a deliberate bite before answering. “Good morning to you too.”

I didn’t care. I pulled out the metal chair opposite him, and sat down.

“And before you ask, no, I’m not giving you the rest.” he said, still focused on his food. 

I stared at him in utter confusion. “I don’t understand. Why?” 

“Did we finish the job? No. So we didn’t get the  complete money.”

I didn’t bother questioning him further. He was right and it was better than getting nothing. 

“You spent yours?” I asked. 

“I invested it.” he answered almost immediately. 

“In what?”

“My continued survival.” Rook shrugged, wiping his hand in a rough paper napkin. 

“You didn’t even care to get me food..” 

He didn't answer.

There was a short silence as I watched him eat. 

The two hundred and fifty thousand credit wouldn’t solve my long-term problems, but it gave me breathing room. Since entering the Lower Wards, I’d learned that money disappeared faster than it arrived. Food, equipment, even a safe place to sleep—everything came with a price.

And if I intended to investigate Project Apex properly, I couldn’t keep relying on whatever scrap I managed to find. 

Rook picked up his drink, taking a slow sip. “Oh, there’s something else.”

I looked back at him, my eyes narrowing. “What?”

“Vivian asked for your number.”

My expression hardened instantly. “You gave it to her?”

“Yeah.”

“Without asking me?”

Rook slowly lowered his cup to the scraped wood. “You weren’t exactly around for me to ask.”

“You were right beside me yesterday, Rook." I burst out. 

“But you were busy glaring at everyone at the club.” 

“I wasn’t glaring.”

“You were,” he countered effortlessly. 

I ignored the jab, cutting straight to the topic. "Why did she want it?”

“To talk about your proposal.”

That caught my attention. “Has she accepted?”

“No,” he said, with his mouth full. 

Well, I hadn’t expected her to agree so easily. Vivian had her own agenda, and her brother’s disappearance mattered more to her than anything else.

Before I could say anything else, my phone vibrated.

An unfamiliar number appeared on the screen. I tapped on it and brought the receiver to my ear.

“Hello?”

“You’re difficult to reach, Kane.” The voice came out calm and laced with authority that I recognized it instantly.

"Vivian.”

I could sense the faint smile in her voice over the phone. "So you do remember me.”

“You have my private number.” I said, my voice tightening.

“Yes! Rook gave it to me.”

I turned my head, and looked directly at Rook. He suddenly became very interested in scraping the last piece of food off his plate with his fork.

“And he gave it to you without my approval,” I added into the mic.

“You seem too concerned about that.”she noted smoothly. 

“I don’t like people sharing my information.”

There was a brief silence. The background sound of a crowded room filled on her end - clinking glass and low voices before her tone became more serious.

“I’ve thought about your proposal.”

“And?”

“I haven’t accepted it.”

“I assumed as much.” I said, but deep down I was pained. I had thought she was about to say; she has accepted it. 

“I need something first,” her voice cut into my thought. 

I leaned forward, resting my forearms on the metal table. "What kind?”

“I have a restricted Project Apex file connected to Julian’s transfer log," Vivian said, her voice dropping low. "I can’t open it because the corporate encryption is double-blinded."

“Ok. So what do you want me to do?” 

“Open it.” She said sharply. 

I was quiet for a moment, processing her request. She was obviously asking me to prove myself before anything. Anyway, that was fair. 

“And if I can?” I asked. 

“Then we discuss terms for working together.”

“And if I can’t?”

“You’ll know I’ve moved on before I even tell you.”

I smiled. She really had a talent for making simple statements sound like threats. “So when and where will we meet?” I asked. 

“I’ll send the location when I’m ready.” She said flatly. 

She ended the call before I could respond.

I lowered my phone, laying it flat on the table. Rook was already staring at me over the edge of his glass, his thick eyebrows raised in a question signal. 

“What?” I demanded. 

“What did she say?”

"She said.." Before I could answer, my phone vibrated again.

I glanced down, expecting another call from Vivian. Instead, the caller ID displayed a name I hadn't seen on my screen since the night the Apex core went bad. 

Ethan Cole.

I stared at his name for a moment before I swiped the screen to answer.

His voice came through, clear. It sounded almost untouched by everything that had happened. "How are you?” 

“Alive.” My words came out so fast. 

A short, dry laugh echoed from his line. "That’s good to hear.”

“Why are you calling, Ethan?” 

“I wanted to check on you.” he said softly.

I looked around the dining room. The cracked  walls peeling with decay. The cheap damaged furniture. The damaged Apex core sitting inside my bag. This wasn't the life I had planned. 

“They’re still talking about you up here, Adrian.” Ethan continued, cutting my thought.

“About what?”

“That you escaped with part of Apex. They are telling the board… that you’re dangerous. That anyone helping you could be considered involved.”

There was a pause on the line, the sound of paper crackle in the background. Then he lowered his voice. “You should be careful, Adrian.”

“Of what?”

“Everyone. The company isn’t giving up. They have sent trackers everywhere, secretly spying and looking for you wherever you are.” 

I went still. “Trackers?”

“Yes! And they aren’t the obvious kind,” Ethan said. “They’ve learned from your escape.”

I glanced toward the windows. For the first time that morning, the room didn’t feel as safe as it had ten minutes ago.

“How do you know this?”

Ethan was silent for a moment. 

“Hellooo?” I repeated. 

Suddenly… the call ended.

I slowly lowered the phone, staring toward the door entrance.. 

Rook straightened up. “What happened?”

“We may have a problem.”

His expression changed. “What kind?”

“The kind that means they may already know where I’m.