Ferd don’t admit it

So, it turns out the place was not as lame as I had thought it was.

Knowing the Dubois though, I should've known better. They never do anything that is lesser than immaculate.

Behind the bookshelf we had walked through were a bunch of steps that descended to a section of the building that was completely underground.

There was a reinforced door with a man standing guard in front of it that we had to pass by after he confirmed our identities.

I'd been here for over an hour now, so the initial shock had worn off a bit. The place was way bigger than I'd anticipated, the walls were made of pristine steel and the hallways we're lit by white fluorescent bulbs.

I'm not gonna lie, it was kinda creepy, but I was holding in all of my thoughts until somebody explains to me just what was happening.

Celeste seemed to know the place pretty well though as she leads me to the room I will be staying in while I am here. The room wasn't too big, nor did it have an en-suite bathroom, but I could survive without that for a couple days.

While Victor and Jason had left me to get some rest until my father arrived Celeste had other ideas.

The room had carpeted floors, a single bed, a table, and chair with a desktop computer. There was a small dresser and cupboard also but that was pretty much it.

"I'm so glad that you're back and we can finally be together again".

My head snapped up to meet her. I did not try to hide my distraught.

Celeste had been talking nonstop for the past ten minutes and I've been trying to tune her out for just as long when she had said those words that so happen to gain my full attention.

What!

"Uh", I couldn't seem to string together the right set of words to show my discontentment.

"I know, you missed me too. I can tell you're speechless".

How she gets all of that from the downright look of panic on my face or the continuous shaking of my head and trying to edge as far away from her as possible? I don't know.

I needed to end this once and for all.

I quickly stood up on my feet the moment she reached for my hands, "Celeste you and I are not going to be together".

Her entire body stilled, and her eyebrows furrowed together in confusion as if she couldn't understand a single word I was saying.

I gulped as her expression changed from confused to panic then to bloody murder.

"What?", she spat as she rose to her feet and stomped over to me.

My eyes diverted to everywhere else but her face which was getting pretty red from anger.

Where the hell were my bloody bodyguards?

Her eyes narrowed at mine and forced me to look at her. By now I was practically pressed up against the door with a lethal, French teenager seconds away from castrating me.

She began taking deep breaths as if to calm herself, a decision I totally agreed with. "Why?", she finally asked.

Good question... but did she want the full list or should I just talk from off the top of my head.

Deciding that approach would probably not be the safest I went for, "I have a girlfriend".

Everything went calm for a few seconds until the words sunk in and she began to pull away from me.

"You do?", She asked after a while.

Just as I was about to answer her there was a knock at the door before it was pushed open, and Jason came into view.

"Julian your dad is here", he said with a serious expression, "come with me. There's a lot to discuss".

Jumping at the opportunity of escape, I practically dived through the door to get away from Celeste. But I was still just as interested to learn why I had to fly all the way here to France in the first place.

We walked down the short hall and turned a corner. The air in this area was a bit cooler, I noticed the ventilation system installed within the walls. That was probably because we were moving further underground.

Finally, Jason stopped before a medium sized steel door and he opened it so I could go inside.

The room appeared to be some sort of lounge. There were two large couches inside and three smaller ones. My dad was sitting on one of the smaller ones and I took a seat across from him.

We didn't greet each other with as much enthusiasm as we did the last time I saw him. Truthfully I was still angry with him but judging by the expression on his face right now I decided to hear him out instead of stirring up old squabbles, he had gone through all his trouble after all, so it must've been important.

He didn't look at me, his eyes were glued to the laptop screen in his hands when he told me to, "Sit down".

I complied easily and waited for him to continue.

Nothing was said though until the door opened again and Victor walked in behind Mr. Esteban Dubois. Dad's best mate and Celeste's father.

"Great everyone is here", dad finally looked up. I tried to catch his eyes, but he never looked at me.

"Three days ago, there was a break in at one of our oil plants. Two people got critically injured and seventy thousand pounds worth of machinery was destroyed. This may not seem relevant, it didn't at the time to me either. Except I found out only the next day that it was a rouse, one of our servers was hacked at the very same day and time. I didn't figure out what was taken until it was too late. A personal file was stolen from my office computer".

For the first time he looked up at me.

"They took the file on Julian Descartes", he exhaled loudly. The cogs in my head began to turn as this all started making sense. "In under twelve hours of taking the file Rajaun Sumatra who has been living under the pretense of being Julian was assassinated".

My breath hitched in my throat as all eyes in the room turned to me.

To get a file from dads personal computer meant that they had to break through his firewall.

I had so many questions, I was shocked down to my last bodily cell. But even as I opened my mouth no words would come out.

No one else said anything either. An ominous feeling of dread settled into the room right then before my dad spoke again.

"Julian, I think it's time I tell you the truth about why I sent you away to live in America for the past two years".