Chapter 9 THE GHOST BROKER

ADRIAN POV

“Take a break,” Vivian said softly to the employees, her eyes never leaving mine.

“Of course, Boss,” one of them replied. They offered brief smiles before disappearing into the crowd.

Up close, she was even harder to read. Her dark eyes moved over me, as if she were comparing the man sitting in front of her to someone she already knew.

“You’re Adrian Kane.” Her voice was low enough to avoid being overheard. “Former Strategic Operations Director of Project Apex.”

I didn't answer, and she didn’t seem bothered by my silence. She stood beside our table, one hand resting loosely at her side. 

Rook shifted uncomfortably in his seat, clearing his throat. “Vivian,” he said, breaking the tension. “Been a while.”

Her eyes finally moved to him. “Rook Reed. Where have you been?” She asked. 

“I’ve been busy.” His face broke into a wide smile. 

“Running from people?” her voice sounded unimpressed. 

His smile disappeared immediately. 

“You still owe me, Rook.” 

Rook looked embarrassed. He cleared his throat.  “I will pay soon.”

I glanced between them, trying to understand them. “You two know each other.” I noted. 

Rook leaned back, tapping his knuckle against the table. “Know is a strong word.”

“We’ve done business,” Vivian corrected. Then her eyes returned to me, back with that piercing look. 

“You look different,” she said softly. 

I studied the fine line of her face. “Have you seen me before?”

“Not physically but I’ve seen pictures.” Her gaze remained steady. 

Now this was proof that she knew me before now because there was something personal about the way she had looked at me. 

Rook rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m getting tired.” 

“You can leave if you’re tired, Reed,” Vivian said, without missing a word. 

“I’m not leaving.”

“Then stop talking,” she cut in. 

Rook looked genuinely offended but I ignored their back and forth, still lost in deep thought. 

She immediately reached for the empty booth opposite me and sat. 

“So let's discuss, where did you get my picture?” I asked.

She let out a deep breath. “This isn’t a good place to discuss but anyways let’s start with something simple. You both were at Site V-17 tonight right?” 

I immediately dropped the glass I was holding on the table. Rook’s relaxed expression vanished immediately, as he straightened up. 

“How do you know that?” My voice dropped. 

“I have people.” She said softly.

“That isn’t an answer.” I frowned. 

“Well, It’s the only one you’re getting for free.”

“There it is. The information broker. Always spying on people.” Rook burst out angrily, probably because she had been annoying him.

Information Broker. Now my instinct was right when I said she looked like someone who gathers information for a living. 

“You’ve been investigating the site?” I asked. 

“I’ve been investigating Project Apex.” She answered me quickly. 

My eyes narrowed. “Why?”

For the first time, something shifted behind her eyes, a flicker of genuine pain. “My brother worked on it.”

“What was his name?” I was getting interested. 

“Julian Vance.”

I remembered him immediately. “Ooh… Julian. I know he worked on Project Apex during its first year.” 

“And?” She asked, wanting me to continue. 

“Well, I heard he ran away with the first created core.” 

She was silent for a moment, giving out a tired breath. “Most people actually think he died.”

“Do you?” Rook asked like he understood us. 

“No.” 

“Do you think he actually ran away with the core?” Rook asked her again. 

“My brother isn’t that selfish. He never does anything like that. So no, I don’t.” 

“So…”  Rook was about to ask another question when Vivan cut him short. 

“Since when did you start an investigating business?” 

He raised his hand in surrender. “So sorry ma’am just trying to contribute.” 

And for the first time, Vivan smiled. 

But during their discussion, I did something very smart. I brought out the core quietly so I could track Vivan’s rank. I tapped the side button, activating the scanning interface. The familiar display appeared.

[PROJECT APEX CORE — PARTIAL CONNECTION]

Then I angled the Core towards Vivan. The system flickered, but it wasn’t bright enough for them to notice.

For a second, nothing appeared. 

Then:

[IDENTITY: VIVIAN VANCE]

[RANK: UNAVAILABLE]

[INFLUENCE: PARTIAL DATA]

[CONNECTIONS: INCOMPLETE]

[DATA RELIABILITY: 31%]

My eyes squintted. The system had given me inaccurate rankings before but it had never struggled to give full information, especially with someone simply sitting beside me.

Vivian noticed my expression. “Any problem?” 

“No. Why?” I asked. 

“Because you’re looking at me like you just saw something."

I turned the core off, shoving it back into my pocket, but she noticed. 

“What’s that?” her eyes narrowing towards my pocket. 

“It’s nothing,” I said, pushing it deeper into my pocket.

She held my gaze, without blinking, watching me closely. 

For a second, none of us spoke a word. The music continued around us, but the table suddenly felt isolated from the rest of the club.

Finally, Vivian leaned closer, talking slowly. “I know someone used your credentials.”

My body went still. Rook stopped mid-sip, his glass freezing half way to his mouth.

“Who?” my heart pounding violently against my chest. 

“I don’t know yet.”

“But you just said you knew.” I replied disappointed.

“I said I know someone used and not I know who used. There is a difference.”

“Ok, tell us how the person use it.” Rook pushed in. 

She ignored rook. “Adrian, your credentials wasn't the only ones accessed before the disaster.”

I stared at her, processing the information at lightning speed. “What are you saying?”

“Someone was inside Project Apex before the launch. Someone high up.” 

Now, this information changed everything. I had suspected the sabotage was planned. But now...

“Who had access?” I demanded. 

Vivian shook her head. “That’s what I don’t know.” 

Disappointed, I looked down at the Core and an idea came in. "You want something from me right?” 

“Yes.” she replied.

“What is that?” 

“Access to information I can’t reach from the lower wards,” she said plainly without hiding her intentions. 

“And you think I can give it to you?” I asked confused. 

“I believe you can?” she said confidently. 

I looked between them. “I have an idea.”

“What’s that?” Both of them asked in chorus. 

“We all have a plan and somehow it all gets connected together to us.” 

“So?” Rook asked.

“Rook, you know the Lower Wards. Vivian has information. I know Project Apex.” I paused. 

“We can work together. What do you think?” 

There was a long silence.

I continued, turning to Rook. "So with your skill of understanding the Lower Wards and knowing how to solve problems outside official channels. You help us get access easily while studying the Site V-17.” 

“Noted!” he nodded immediately, without wasting a single time.

We both turned to Vivan. 

“What do you think, Vivan?” I asked. 

Vivian smoothly stood up from the table, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

“Come back tomorrow.”

“Why?”

“Because I have a condition before accepting.” she said, looking down at me as she turned on her heel, walking away. 

“I told you, she is hard to impress.” Rook said.

But then I was thinking, what was her condition?”