Secrets

‘Forgive and forget.’

It was not something Eric could easily do. Not after that tragic incident twenty years ago that changed his life forever.

He stared at his phone, unable to remove his guilt. He was thinking about Corinne, the only person he held dear.

‘I’m sorry,’ he thought, mumbling a curse afterwards. It was timely for a voice to cackle from the earpiece he wore on his left ear just then. ‘Maybe one day, I can tell you everything. But for now, you are better off not knowing.’

“Eric,” Vincent, their chief-in-command, called, pulling the man out of his thoughts. Three pairs of curious eyes looked at him in the backseat of the black van they were in. The vehicle sat in the parking lot. It was a safe corner for them to be at, considering the cameras were all facing the other direction.

“Can I trust that you will do this according to plan and the rules?”

Eric snorted. He exchanged glances with the three people with him. Their faces were illuminated by the glowing syringe sitting inside the opened case between them. He extracted one, carefully hiding it inside his vest. Eric then tied the intricate mask over his face, internally hoping he wouldn’t cross paths with his roommate and dear friend.

“Have I ever failed you?” Eric’s tone was calm, almost too serene for anyone’s liking. He sounded dangerous and arrogant but was confident and one hundred percent sure about his actions.

Vincent took a deep breath, unable to respond immediately to Eric’s daring answer.

“We expect more hybrids in attendance. The purebloods wouldn’t be caught dead among them. However, the Prince would be an entirely different story. If he appears tonight, it only means the troublemaker has reached the limit, and it’s time for retreat.”

Eric pursed his lips. He wanted to argue but decided it was best he played by the rules instead of creating a fuss before they could even get inside.

“Well,” Adrien, the only female member attending tonight’s mission, smiled warmly at their little crew. “Let’s hope the Prince doesn’t get involved. I never want to have any encounters with him. He’s…”

She didn’t finish the thought and instead hugged herself, shaking her head as if she remembered some distant memory. There was a brief pause before Vincent took over once more, the silence forcing the comrades to look at each other warily.

“Follow the rules, and you’ll be fine. As always, no one dies on my watch. If there are no further objections, go.”

Eric was the first to hop out from the back of the van. He immediately checked the perimeter before letting everyone else come out.

Adrien gave Eric a gentle shoulder nudge. She linked arms with him, adjusting the wrinkles in her black satin dress. She made sure to stand on his right side to lean in and whisper.

“Don’t tell anyone,” she hummed. “But I’m actually looking forward to seeing the Prince in action.”

She giggled, like this truly excited her. Eric gently pulled his arm away, annoyed as he pressed a button on the device by his left ear to mute himself.

He pocketed his hands instead, leaving Adrien to walk beside him, looking dejected.

“I don’t share your enthusiasm. But if we ever encounter him tonight, I won’t watch and let him interfere with our week’s worth of work.”

Adrien followed his example, muting herself to keep the conversation exclusively between them. She scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief.

“You don’t stand a chance even if you try. You will only get killed by his assistant or the Prince himself.”

It was Eric’s turn to scoff.

“He may be powerful,” he answered. “But I have something that he doesn’t.”

His companion paused, grabbing Eric’s arm. The latter turned to her, unfazed by the curious and worried expression on her face.

Two of their company walked on ahead. It was no secret that Eric and Adrien had a thing in the past. It was shortly after Eric joined the secret organization when they started secretly dating. However, it only lasted for a month before Eric broke it off.

Looking at her bewildered and inquisitive eyes, Eric knew Adrien was not over him yet. She never seemed to have been.

“Did you…?” Adrien trailed off for the second time, her emerald eyes opening wide as the realization dawned on her. Without asking for his permission, she reached inside Eric’s vest pockets, searching for a valid proof of her theory.

Successfully finding the remains of the booster, Adrien’s worry turned into anger.

“Eric!” she hissed, hoping it won’t draw any attention despite the parking lot being empty. “What the hell were you thinking? You stole a booster and injected yourself! If Vincent finds out—”

“If,” Eric interrupted, cutting her off. “If he finds out. That solely depends on you now. But I reckon you will tell him anyway. But you know what? I don’t give a damn. You know my past, and you know why I really joined the organization. It’s why we broke up, remember?”

Adrien took a step back, wanting to run her hands over her hair. But she stopped herself, not wanting to ruin her neat braid. Hence, she resorted to pinching the bridge of her nose and sighing.

She took her time to get over the fact that Eric was high from the booster. It was a shot intended for emergency and authorized use only.

The booster lets the individual borrow strength from the hybrids. Eric would be able to withstand the Prince if they were to engage in a fight. But considering he was still human, there were drawbacks. Additionally, the booster will only last for an hour.

The side effect would leave him weak overnight. But in Eric’s experience, he would only need a few hours to recover.

“You better hope that we don’t have any mishaps. If we fail tonight, Vincent will have a fit.”

Eric nodded, knowing how grave the situation was.

“In either case, I’m the only one to blame. I’ll take full responsibility of my actions,” Eric paused and stared at Adrien closely. “I feel that you’ll get what you want tonight. Are you ready to face the Prince? Again?”

A tense silence followed Eric’s remark. They stood face to face, each breathing heavily. Despite her confident claim that she wanted to see the Prince, Eric knew that Adrien would hardly be able to do anything when that happens.

“Oy!” one of their companions called out to them. “The clock is ticking.”

Adrien blew out a long sigh, refusing to make eye contact with Eric as she began walking ahead. Though he felt bad for almost picking a fight, Eric was glad that they were moving again. He wasn’t good at handling Adrien.

Even when they were together, Eric had to admit he was not the perfect boyfriend and had disappointed Adrien more than his fingers could count. But they were good friends.

The latter may have lingering feelings for him, but she seemed to have no trouble handling it and finally responding to their chief’s advances on her.

Eric was somewhat relieved that Adrien decided to date someone else. But he couldn’t help feeling bad for Vincent.

As they approached their destination, Eric cleared his mind before stepping inside the elevator to get to the third floor, where the grand ballroom was located. Hybrids may not be as strong and gifted as the purebloods, but they can pick up on thoughts without reading them.

‘Ding!’

The company of four exchanged knowing glances before walking out of the elevator, pairing up as planned and readied their invitation cards to gain entrance.

The event was already in full swing when they stepped through. Eric immediately noticed the temperature, his eyes scanning every corner of the venue.

“Negative,” Adrien confirmed his suspicion. “Let’s split up.”

Without another word, the four of them blended with the crowd. Identifying a hybrid and a pureblood was tricky. Picking them out from the mortals was easy. If someone knew what to look for, they wouldn't be fooled.

Eric craned his neck and searched for the table with drinks. He feigned, grabbing a glass for himself and Adrien.

Once locking in his target, he carefully made his way, checking every person he passed by.

“East, black tux,” Adrien’s voice rang in the earpiece. “Currently talking to a woman in red. That’s him. I’m sure.”

Eric followed the direction, and he started to approach. But noticing the woman he was with, his breath hitched and he halted, completely frozen in his spot. He watched her standing there, seemingly mesmerized by the man before her.

By the stiffness of her posture and the vacant gaze on her eyes, he was sure that something was wrong with that picture. Finding himself taking a step toward her, Eric came to a pause a second time, his earpiece crackling to life.

“Holy crap!” one of their comrades expressed. “The Prince is here!”

Eric was suddenly jerked out of his reverie. His surroundings came into focus all at once. He balled his hands into fists, determined to keep her safe even if that meant dissenting from the plan and disobeying the rules.

However, before he could take another step, the scene abruptly changed. The man they were after had completely disappeared, leaving no trace of his existence. And in his stead, the most dangerous creature to have walked the earth stood before his dear friend.

“The Prince is here,” Adrien repeated, sounding defeated rather than thrilled, contradicting her previous enthusiasm about running into him.

“And it appears, he had found a donor.”