Spin | A FORTY ONE

A/N: I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Taevia0 and also Jk_personal_toilet! Thank you for all your comments and votes!

I'd never broken my standard six o'clock curfew before and I wasn't going to start now. Even if some mysterious, powerful mastermind was calling me out.

I was the good kid in the family. Granted, I was the only kid as we didn't have an extended family.

So I went out on a limb with my good kid pass, claiming to uncle Louie I had a late extracurricular class. Always trustful of my words, he obliged and reminded me to bundle up. Even if summer was approaching, England's night air was an unpredictable force not to be reckoned with.

I wrapped up in my red duffel coat, concealing my neck in my old wool scarf and started out of the hotel by quarter past eight.

I'd never even heard of Fraiser Palace place before and for good reason too, it was a quaint district far out of town and would incline a long train ride. When I reached the train, I couldn't help but feel this gnawing suspicion eyes were on me. I discreetly scoured the area, nothing more than late office workers and drinkers made up the mass, but none appeared to pay me any mind.

I tried to shrug off the feeling as I boarded. The cars were mostly empty, just a few souls lingering. None of which were friends, family or held any sort of relation judging by the gaps in their spots despite the vacancy. People funnily enough feared strangers more than sitting in a high paced metal box slithering through tunnels made by another stranger. If one mere compartment was on the kinks, we'd be burrowing to our very painful deaths.

The nighttime made me pessimistic on occasions.

I was quite fond of the late hours, truthfully. It was like the usual surrounding became a different place, an interesting metamorphosis I could never explore as my parents would want me indoors since the neighbourhood was prone to dangers then.

Looking at this trip as an exploration helped calm my nerves if only slightly. Fraiser Palace place was an entire shopping centre, gym, spa and studio rolled into one vivacious skyscraper. Ironically so sight attracting despite the elusive individual lurking in its quarters.

I entered to the front, the door man passing me a snooty glance as I past by him. I received the same from the two security guards stood at posts. The middle aged employee behind the desk at least pushed on a smile for me as I approached.

"Hello, young lady. What can I do for you?"

"I'm here for Russell." I replied.

There was a shift in the man's gaze as his smile faltered and he looked me over carefully. A furrow in his brow and what seemed to be pity before leaning over the polished alabaster surface. "Enter the lift. Twelfth floor, first door on your right. Knock only twice."

I nodded, steering my course in track with the instructions. In the whole journey there, I was at the pique of my curiosity and anxiety on what I was walking into. It was a whole world of unknown and surprises, which was what I found thrilling at the same time.

When nearing the door, my ears pricked to the sound of instruments. Violin, piano and just about every other instrument belonging to an orchestra. I tapped my knuckles on the door twice. There was no answer.

Had I gotten the wrong room? It didn't feel that way though and there was definitely somebody behind the door. Heeding the receptionist's words to only knock twice, I made the decision to turn the knob.

It yielded, parting open to reveal the spacious studio before me. Straight ahead was a vast frameless glass view of the district with a figure having his back facing me, lounged on a chair. An arm draped out with fingers drumming to the melody booming out of the speakers.

I was ambivalent on what move to make if I really had made a mistake and walked into a very personal space.

Then I decided, to hell with that, and made my presence known. "Um, it's me. Stevie Powell."

The drumming fingers stopped. The dark crown of a head I could make out pivoted to me and I was met with beady sable eyes saddled with crows feet.

He shot a finger to his left where a chair lay and I quickly gathered to occupy it. I took my time to cushion my bottom, soaking in the suited Asian man who kept his gaze trained on the view in front. Chinese- that had been the accent I'd picked up over the phone. He resumed his drumming, seeming to make no start on a conversation so I attempted to strike it up myself. As I parted my lips, he raised a hand. "After the piece is finished."

I sealed my lips and seeing as watching the man peacefully humming to the music wasn't getting me anywhere, I decided to angle my head to the view. It was beautiful, to say the least. The architectural shape and arrangements of the buildings and crossroad below, lambent by the starry sky and lights. It was just barely enough to keep me on steady while nervously waiting for the piece to cease- it thankfully reached the final movement and digressed into the bleak silence of the room in gradual time.

I held my breath.

"Your request is in operation."

I turned to find a stoic expression casted my way, hinting nothing of how he felt to it. I certainly knew how I felt and it was impossible to mask it, smile beaming. "Seriously?"

"As of now, any virtual footprint of your parent's business and existence has been camouflaged to every mainstream site of access to all civilians in the country and across international waters. Federal agencies or above ranks are the only ones to screen the data records currently."

"What, is that- are you for real? It's no longer open to the public eye?"

"Miss Powell, I have a limit with redundant questions."

"Sorry." I apologised, absentmindedly flattening out the creases in my coat hem. "I just can't believe it. Your people work pretty fast."

"It wasn't exactly like they were covering a missile casualty. Your family line hasn't really done much to leave an impact in society, they were pretty invisible to begin with. My people can't take all the credit."

I briskly brushed of the crudely laid out insults by counting to five and balling my hands into fist to the extent of my knuckles blanching. Then I nodded. "Right. I'll see myself out."

"We are not done here. Sit back down, miss Powell." Tone as sleek and whisk as a whip.

I did as told, panicking if he somehow possessed a mind reading chip and heard the sea of profanities I'd uttered in my head at him.

"You're aware of my technically 'illegal' obtainment of classified information and asked to shield your tiny family which is admiral." He stated.

I blinked, taken aback by the abrupt appraisal. Not that I liked it. "Family comes first." I shrugged. "For me, at least."

He nodded and I noted the faint streaks of grey in his sideburns. He may have been older than his strong facial structure presented. "I believe principles like that are worthy as an asset."

"Asset? For what?"

"Building the future." He proclaimed. "And to achieve a desired future, you need to produce to work in the present. There needs to be a starting line before a finish, see."

"Okay..."

"Your academy's headmaster is posing a hazard to my vision. Now even with this global warming thing causing circumstances too." He muttered. "I'm guessing the vixen has deemed me as something of a threat in her own eyes, yes?"

I nodded and for the first time, I saw actual emotion in his eyes. Scorn. A sudden query crossed my mind at that. "Do you hold some personal grudge against Ms. Shepherd?"

"Who doesn't?"

"I don't." The response slipped out without my comprehension.

I was regarded with a long stare, then there was an eruption of that stomach churning chuckle again. More raw now that it was in person. "You don't hold a grudge on the woman who exploited you, threatened your family and has you tracked like a dolphin?"

"No." This time, there was confidence and awareness evident in my answer. "I'm pissed off and bloody disturbed but I can't really say she's fully earned a spot on my black list."

I wasn't sure at what point, I'd grown a little lenient to the chaotic turnouts in my life recently. The insights I'd grasped, friendships budded and fears eradicated were all connected to the same line; Ms. Shepherd. Some parts in me were grateful to the mad woman. Not that I'd ever, ever confess that out loud.

"I think you've undergone some brainwashing in that place, Miss Powell. That school has grown into more of a tyrant than I imagined." A sigh escaping as his gaze hardened. "Do yourself a favour and transfer from there. It'd be a shame after all the effort your folks went through to get you out here. That school will soon be seeing its last days in this world."

Bemusement and confusion flared on the statement. St. Sinclair was seeing its last days? Before I could ask for a clarification, a resonating voice called my name.

"Stevie."

I already recognised the voice before I turned my head, but it didn't dampen the shock in finding Garren Adler at the door. Garren Adler with his ominous grey eyes zeroed in on me.

I could barely put two words together in the stun as he got closer and closer, confirming this was no illusion.

"Mr. Adler." uttered X, who he hadn't seemed to even acknowledge until now. "Long time no see."

Garren scoffed. "Clearly not long enough. You still haven't learned your lesson and dared to step back in this country. You abducting children now?"

"Garren!" I hissed. He seemed to shamelessly talk how ever he wanted but this differed; in no remark did the foreign man sat calmly before us look like someone to snap at.

"Miss Powell came of her own free will."

"Oh then she's allowed to leave right now, isn't she?"

"Of course."

"What? Wait!"

"Come on, Stevie. I'm taking you home." He sought to grab my hand and I dodged it, glowering.

"Excuse me, but where the hell did you even come from?"

"Stevie you can scream at me in a minute. Just come. Please."

"Garren if you try to touch me again I will kick you. Explain yourself."

"I will. But," He spared a glance to X. "Not here."

I squinted my eyes, noting his short of breath. "Why are you panting? Were you running here?"

"Oh my god, Stevie is that seriously something to be asking right now?"

"Yes."

"If you don't get your arse out of that seat in the next ten seconds, I will drag you out of here. This is me, being nice. Quit pushing it."

There was an undeniably lethality in his voice, eyes narrowing as he stared me down intensely and I stared back. I tilted my head, he mirrored the action. Six seconds passed. Eventually, I broke contact to glance to the man who'd quietly been observing us. "I'll be calling it a night from here. Goodbye."

There was a nod and I took that as an concurrence, rising to my feet. I began exiting the Fraiser Palace with the dark haired stalker trailing closely in my footfalls. Until his ego and impatience wouldn't let him stick behind, he hurried in front. "Care to explain why you were coming here to meet that cunt?"

"You were following me from back at the train station, weren't you?"

"No." He instantly denied.

"Then how did you know where I was?"

"I was chatting with an old friend at a restaurant near the area and saw you crossing the street on avenue."

"And then you started following me."

"I wasn't following you. I was just keeping tabs on you to see where you were wandering off to past your curfew."

"How do you know I have a curfew?"

"I didn't." He smirked.

I rolled my eyes, refraining from kicking him regardless. Then I recalled another irregularity as we stepped out of the entrance, his hands kept tautly in his pockets. The only thing on his shoulders was a dress shirt and as lovely as it was, the material was rather light. "Why aren't you wearing a jacket or anything? Aren't you cold?"

"If you weren't aware, most establishments prefer you remove your outdoor apparel before you eat."

I furrowed my brows, joining the dots together. "You left your coat to come after me?"

"Left? Those idiotic waiters were refusing to return it until I paid, as if I was trying to make a dine and dash. Can you believe that? Me? With my Oxfords that cost more than their pay cheques- yeah, right. They don't even have the excuse of being immigrants to warrant that level of ignorance. Well, one of them did look a little too pasty so he could've been Romanian or..." He trailed from his rant when focusing his eyes back to me. "What? What are you smiling about?"

Before I could talk myself out of it, I leaned forward to press my lips against his cheek. His skin was ice cold from the chilly air, but it didn't lessen the gratifying sensation at just the brush.

Running out in this unkind weather just on a whim- for me. My insides were gushing. It took all restraint not to lean in more, an unfamiliar urge to be closer overwhelmed me but I managed to will myself to pull away. Any trace of regret was washed away at witnessing the expression Garren wore.

He stared at me with a blank look, eyes blinking in a mazed manner as if my act had defied all logic.

"I'm sorry for worrying you." I solemnly said. "And I'm sorry for shutting you out the other day. I didn't mean it. What I said about IAO too..."

"I know."

No two words had never struck me harder. Even compared to hearing the great news my family protection was made, there was still this feeling knotting inside. This incompleteness despite conquering the hurdle. It was the prick standing beside me with a warm, unfiltered smile that made everything feel okay.

It skewered to a grimace when a light breeze swept and he howled curses. "Jesus bloody Christ, are those so-called experts sure about that global warming bull? Freezing my arse off out here."

Giggles submerged from my mouth and I unwrapped my scarf from my neck. "Here."

His grimace deepened. "You expect me to wear that?"

"That's one idea, yes."

"I'm not wearing some old, raggy cloth that was probably found at a flea market."

"I got it from Tescos."

"That's what I just said, genius."

The urge to kick grew stronger than the picking wind. I hassled him until he eventually conceded and we barricaded by a retro teashop while awaiting for his ride to arrive. We passed the time with me spilling everything I was hiding these past few days.

"Russell Fu. That's his name." stated Garren.

I didn't need a second opinion. R. F.- it fit the initials on the messages. "How do you know him?"

"He's one of the people I suspected when you asked me who could be behind the X situation."

"The one who's meant to be in prison?"

"Yeah, he was the chairman of an internationally acclaimed boarding school in Beijing that received recognition across Asia and Europe. Before that, I'm not exactly sure what line of work he contributed to but he has connections with foreign and national government personnel. His last legal business on the record was investing in students who were promising entrepreneurs.

He was on his way to co-funding a law school with a graduate back in 2000 but then he was charged on framing an old colleague for an embezzlement case half a decade earlier. A new witness appeared and provided evidence. Guess he must've pulled some strings to get an early release."

"Okay, and what does this Mr. Fu have against Ms. Shepherd to qualify him as an enemy?"

"Basically everything."

"Specifics, please."

"There are no specifics." He denied, that oddly callous tone is voice like back at the studio. This unidentified grievance.

"Garren," I said tentatively, "Is something wrong?"

"No." He blatantly avoided my gaze. Almost like he was saying 'Don't read me'.

I didn't want to step on any toes, especially after the trouble he went through for me. "Maybe we should drop this." I suggested. "If it's a touchy subject or something, let's not." I'd gotten what I'd taken a big leap in, I was on his side all the way.

Garren was silent for a moment. "... Do you recall hearing how I supposedly drove out six former members of Coeus?"

"Didn't you?"

"No. It was only two, the other four had been done in by Russell," Garren declared.

My brows knitted at that. "Done in?"

"He's resented the existence of St. Sinclair, since the institution was originally meant to be under his name and co-founders if not for the scandal. Coeus being it's crown and glory, he found a means to persuade three of the members to resign right before the IAO tournament, which caused quite a lot of problems. Later, I heard they all got high paying jobs in law firms and hospitals after university that were to subcontractors in Beijing."

"He paid them off," I summarised, earning a nod.

"My nan was absolutely furious that time, I was pretty sure she was going to hire someone to kill them. But, what he'd done back then wasn't enough to do real damage and now I believe that was just to warm up."

"And you think Ms. Shepherd realised that when he got released?"

"Exactly. And I'm sure if we check the dates, the time will align with when you were coerced to join Coeus."

"How do I fit in this?"

"Think it over, Powell."

I leant back on my barstool, Garren offering me a spin as I racked my thoughts through possible leads. I gripped the table edge to stagger the momentum. "I came from a poor family background, I got into the school with my IQ alone but didn't join the club, which was suspicious."

"Which is likely why she first put you there to see if you'd get up to anything and prove you were working for Russell. That's probably why she wiretapped your hotel suite."

The fact that it wasn't sounding so insane, was insane in it's own new way. Then suddenly, Garren cursed.

"What is it?"

"Don't get pissed." Too bad that it instantly did the opposite to hear that. "But she probably only got so desperate to go that far because of me."

"You? How could you cause that?"

"Because after that day we played Hangman, I went to the office to ask her about you."

"Why?"

"Well, wouldn't you? If you were in my position..." His gaze averted to the floors. "I know my nan tends to cut corners for me but I suspected she was finally looking for a way to keep me on I guess, a leash you could call it."

My brows furrowed, not following. "... You thought she put me there to restrain you? How does that make sense?"

"Well, when you want a pet to behave, it's not only punishments that effect behaviour. Rewards are a powerful incentive too. People aren't too different. We conduct ourselves in return for money, attention, sex-"

"Love."

His eyes found mine again. "Love can't be rewarded."

"People still try in hopes of it though," I argued. "Which one of those was I meant to be then?"

Garren leant back with a sigh. "I thought attention at first. Just to distract me, but then, you didn't seem to even like being near me. So I started considering that maybe there was something more. Since it wasn't targeted at me, I planned to ignore you..."

"But?"

"I didn't say but."

"You were going to." There had to be a but. Otherwise, we wouldn't be here now in this place together. I'd probably be watching a late night movie with Ashton and Liam instead. I knew we shouldn't have strayed from the topic, but I couldn't stop myself. My desire to know all I could about Garren Adler; his thoughts, his past, his emotions- they captivated me.

Garren inched closer, those stormy eyes more open and intense than I'd ever seen them. "I couldn't ignore you," he spoke in a whisper, like he didn't want any other person to hear it. Not out of embarrassment or shame, but because it was for me and me alone.

He knew even before I did that I wanted to be something different to him. Something exceptional and exclusive to only him.

If that sentiment was something shared it felt far too beyond my imagination to even humour.

A silence I didn't register fell and then Garren spoke again.

"The biggest reason Russell has it out for my nan," he started, "is that she deserted him after the arrest."

"They were close?"

"They were married."

My mouth hung. "They, they were married?"

"Yep. But for her 'til death do us part implied getting scorched by the tabloids. She saw the case as a sinking boat and didn't twice about jumping overboard to save her own skin."

"Oh my god that's... He seriously went out with your nan?"

"The only one who came out alive. Or still loaded."

"Wait, if they were married since 2000 doesn't that mean Mr. Fu is your...?"

"Biologically, yes. That makes him my grandfather but my nan was serious about cutting every thing that connected her to him in order to survive so, all records and data of even our relation is erased from paper," said Garren. "Only my father had known the truth and in order to retain it's confidentiality, it became a mandate for all Adler affairs to be strictly private. Understandably, it did cause a lot of criticism and stupid beliefs to spread about us but nothing we couldn't live with."

At that mention, it all was clicking now. The stories Amina shared with me on the Adler's morbid secrecy on family matters that led to rumours of inbreeding. The clinics for donating blood too probably was actually related to that.

"Then who does it say is your grandfather on paper?" I questioned.

"Some veteran from the Marines, Allister Hertford. His documents are all faked and the supposed body they cremated in our family's morgue is just some unidentified corpse flown in from a war zone of a British soldier from Afghanistan."

"Sheperd told you all that?"

"Of course not, she'd die before breaking a pact made with my father. On my tenth birthday, my parents were overseas on a business trip and Fu sent a letter holding a DNA analysis. Not sure when he managed to get ahold of my DNA though."

"He... He just sent that to you? Why?"

"... I don't really know. Maybe he was bored or something. It's not important." He claimed, but he fell heavily silent after that.

It was suddenly hard to go on in topic, now that I had learnt of something possibly only a handful of people knew. I might've not believed it myself when Garren didn't seem to bear any features to an Asian decent but with how much I looked into those dark eyes, they seemed to harbour twisted horrors to outlive a lifetime.

"You're staring." Garren notified me.

"Does it bother you?"

"No, but people usually tend to be discreet about it with me."

"That's not what I'm talking about."

His lips fell to a flat line, bravado demeanor faltering and I could've sworn I was about to learn a deep, dark secret if there wasn't an interrupting buzz from his phone, indicating the car had arrived.

**

"When Russell said to you Sinclair would see its last days, he means in ranking." Garren informed me. "The academy is my nan's top priority and if it lost its elite status, it would be the stake to her heart. Ultimate revenge plan."

"You think he could accomplish that?"

"Nope." Garren flippantly replied, but I wasn't too sure how true that confidence was. "What, you scared?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Cause if that happens, Ms. Shepherd won't have any reason to keep the deal. And I won't be able to stay in St. Sinclair then I'd have to leave you and the guys."

I'd said it. My current biggest fear to the person I feared the most and he was only staring at me, unresponsive.

"Sorry, the nighttime makes me pessimistic. Forget I just said that."

"Stevie-"

"You remind me of my grandpa."

"I, what?"

"On my dad's side. Practically everybody on my mum's is dead or something. Details are blurry. Anyway, my dad says I got my brains from him. That he was really smart. Except, the difference was his madness was diagnosed as dementia."

"I'll allow that."

"Sure. So, I was only alive to know him when he was ill but I never saw anything wrong with him. We'd play card and board games all the time. I could never remember who would win, it was so much fun."

"When did he pass away?"

"When I turned eight." I fiddled with my jacket buttons. "I'd only known him for two years but I never wondered what everybody else my age did with their time. I didn't care, because I had him and felt happy."

They said confession was good for the soul, helped to get weight off your chest but my chest had never felt more burdened with constricting tightness. That was when a hand clasped over mine, seaming their slender fingers through the gaps and it spoke reassurance to me better than any words could express.

The drive back felt fleeting in comparison to going and I wasn't yet done spilling everything buried I wanted dug out. By daybreak, I wasn't so certain I'd still be up for it. That considered, as the vehicle reached the Grandeur entrance, I decided that if he followed to walk me in to the hotel, I'd hold nothing back.

I took the first steps out, glancing to Garren who gave a kind smile and he stayed seated. That was that then. I returned with with a tight lipped one, waving back. In a paced gait, keeping my head lowered and snug to re-adapt to the outside air I moved to the doors.

"Wait, Stevie."

I snapped my eyes to Garren, no longer behind the glass and jogging over. "Your scarf."

"Oh, right." I'd somehow grown used to it fitted around him and forgotten. He presumed I was drawing nearer to collect it until I'd completely closed the space between our bodies and hooked my arms over his shoulders.

Stone. Garren's body had seemed as hard as stone with how severely he'd tensed up. I would've feared he had just dropped dead if not for the perceivable beating of his heart. Or whatever was thumping consistently inside his chest.

In my probing, arms circled my torso and the stony figure encasing me softened, pulling me closer. An involuntary shiver ran down my spine when he hovered his lips to my ear, breath tickling my skin. "This feels weird." He murmured.

"It does?"

"Yeah, usually I'm undressing by now if I'm doing this with a girl."

I chuckled. "Good thing I'm not one of them then."

He abruptly drew back, frowning. "I thought you hated me singling you out like that."

"I do, but it's different if I'm saying it."

"How is it different?"

"Because I just said it is."

"That argument has absolutely zero ground."

"Slander is only a verbal attack when done in regards to someone else. Not themselves."

Garren scoffed, shaking his head. "Hypocrisy at its finest."

"Watch your words there, Adler."

"Or what?"

"Or I'll be a worst sight to face than Andrew's neck fat the next time you roll in."

"Yeah, well I..." The comeback he had had equipped derailed when soaking in my response. "Wait, what?"

"I applied for the advance classes."

Garren did a double take. "What? When?"

"Few days ago. I dropped my slip at the office but I didn't circle chemistry cause I still wanna keep that with Will."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Because I wanted to make sure I actually got in first and-" I was abruptly embraced, this was even tighter than the first.

Before I could reciprocate, my feet were lifted off the pavement and a yelp escaped my lips when Garren raised me. "Oh my god, Garren put me down!" I was far from serious, more overwhelmed than anything at the unexpected lift.

I'd underestimated how happy he'd get at hearing it, too lost in the fit of giggles I fell into when he spun me. I wasn't sure what the reaction would be if I shared I wouldn't be changing classes until after the summer holidays.