Austin stood before the detective board, eyes fixed on the web of photos and notes, when a knock echoed on his office door. Without turning, he strode gallantly to his chair, lowered himself into it, and called out,
"Come in."
The door opened, and Adrien stepped inside, taking a seat across from him.
"You sent for me," he said, crossing his legs. His gaze flicked to the board behind Austin, pausing on the photos of the Williams and Hart families.
"Don't tell me it has something to do with them," Adrien said, his eyes fixed on his father.
Austin picked up his cup and took a slow sip.
"It does," he replied, setting the cup back down.
Adrien stood abruptly and headed for the door.
A shot rang out.
The bullet struck the wall just above his head. Frozen in place, Adrien slowly turned back to face his father.
Austin calmly placed the pistol on the desk and took another sip from his cup.
"Remember your place, young man. You know better than to go against me. Get your ass back in the chair!" Austin ordered.
Adrien, clearly reluctant, returned to his seat.
"But whatever you need me to do could've waited until after school," he muttered, his face tight with frustration.
"No, it can't wait. I have somewhere to go."
Adrien rolled his eyes.
"I'll pretend I didn't see that," Austin said coldly. "You've made things easier for me by falling for that Mia of a girl."
"What exactly do you want, oldie?" Adrien asked, his tone sharp.
Austin shot him a glare. "I need you to get close to her—especially now that things have gone bad between her and Shawn."
Adrien let out a sigh. "Really, Dad?"
"No questions. So shut up and listen," Austin snapped, then laid out his entire plan.
When he was done, Adrien left for school.
In the Car
I was able to record the conversation I had with my dad. I'll send it to you now, Adrien texted.
Okay, sure, Detective Sam replied.
I know this won't be enough, but hold on to it for now. I'll try to get solid evidence when I get the chance.
It's okay. Just be careful not to get caught.
I will. Chat you later.
"Sure, bye," Adrien texted before turning off his phone. He stared out the car window, his mind clouded with thoughts of betrayal. Betraying the Williams and Hart families wasn't what he wanted—but being part of his father's dirty business was even worse. Still, he didn't want to die. He had no choice but to play along.
By the time Adrien arrived at school, it was already last period. Mr. Ben, the biology teacher, was deep into the lesson. Adrien walked past him, heading for his seat, when Mr. Ben's voice stopped him.
"You can't join my class whenever you please, Mr. Daniels."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Ben, but it's beyond me."
"Look, I don't care who the hell your father is. He can't behave as he pleases just because of the position he holds in this school."
"I'd rather you take those words back and apologize right now, Mr. Ben," Adrien replied.
The entire class fell into a stunned silence. Murmurs rippled through the room, and some students reached for their phones, quickly hitting record. Only Diego saw through Adrien's words. He knew Adrien wasn't threatening Mr. Ben—he was trying to protect him.
"So, you're threatening me now?" Mr. Ben said, his voice rising. "How dare you—"
"I'm sorry, but you have to apologize for what you said," Adrien said coldly, "or else… you won't live to see another day."
The class erupted. Students gasped, shouted, and grabbed their phones. The commotion spilled into the hallway, drawing more students and staff to the doorway of Grade Twelve's class.
"Get out of my class now!" Mr. Ben barked. "You're a spoiled brat who needs his father to cover up for your unacceptable behavior. Both you and your father need to be put in your place!"
Adrien stared at him, expression unreadable.
"I'll leave your class, Mr. Ben. But just make sure you make today your best day ever. Repent, or do whatever you've always wanted—'cause this is definitely your last day on earth."
Without another word, Adrien turned and walked out.
Needing to clear his head, he made his way to the basketball court. There, he spotted Shawn and decided to join him.
"Do you mind if I join you?" Adrien asked.
Shawn looked back to see who was speaking. "No, I don't," he replied, tossing the ball to Adrien.
"Thanks, man," Adrien said with a smile.
They played a one-on-one match, each move intense but friendly. By the time the school bell rang, the game was over—Adrien had lost to Shawn, 4 to 10.
"That was a good game, Shawn," Adrien said, catching his breath and smiling. "I'd like to play with you again."
"Same here," Shawn replied, smiling back.
"Shawn, Jimmy's waiting for you," Jaden called out as Diego arrived.
"My dad's here, Adrien," Diego said, holding Adrien's backpack.
"Okay, let's go," Adrien said, nodding at Shawn and Jaden before walking off with Diego.
Jaden and Shawn also left the court.
"Mia?" Shawn asked.
"Livy came to pick her up," Jaden replied.
"Okay."
"So, who won the game?"
"I did," Shawn said with a grin. "But he's a tough one though."
"Will you play him again?"
"Yup, definitely."
*****
Hart was about to leave his office when a masked man in a black suit stepped inside.
"Excuse me, who are you?" Hart asked, visibly annoyed.
The masked man said nothing. He calmly walked over to Hart's chair, sat down, and slowly removed his face mask.
"Hello, Hart. We finally meet," Austin said with a smirk.
Hart froze. Staggering slightly, he reached for a bottle of water by the dispenser, hands trembling.
"Andrew? But... you're dead."
Austin chuckled. "I'm not Andrew. I'm Austin—Andrew's twin brother."
"What?" Hart muttered, eyes wide. He collapsed to the ground, shocked, fumbling to loosen his tie so he could breathe.
"I don't understand… Andrew was the mastermind, so… what…" Hart trailed off, panic creeping into his voice. Then, suddenly alert, he grabbed his phone to call George.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Austin said coolly, holding out his phone.
The screen lit up with a video—Shawn and Jimmy, unconscious in a car. Two men in black hovered nearby, guns aimed at their heads.