Chapter Two :When the World Turned Its Back (Part four)
856 Words
The afternoon sun hung low over Evergreen University as students drifted out of their lecture halls.
Most of them were discussing quizzes, assignments, and the upcoming Innovation Challenge.
Only a few noticed the black SUV parked across the road from the Faculty of Engineering.
Inside the vehicle, a man wearing dark sunglasses watched the entrance through a pair of binoculars.
He wasn't a student.
He wasn't a lecturer.
He had been there since morning.
His phone vibrated.
"Have you found the girl?" the voice on the other end asked.
"Yes."
"What is she doing?"
"She's walking toward the library."
There was a brief silence.
"Don't make a move on campus."
"We don't need unnecessary attention."
The call ended.
The man started the engine and drove away slowly.
Unaware that someone had been watching her, Liana walked into the library carrying a stack of books.
---
Inside the library, Kane and Ethan occupied a quiet study room.
Several documents were spread across the table.
Ethan adjusted his glasses as he examined the project submission records.
"Look at this."
Kane leaned closer.
"What did you find?"
"The submission time."
Kane frowned.
"What about it?"
"It was uploaded at 11:43 p.m."
Kane's eyes widened.
"I was already asleep by then."
"Exactly."
Ethan tapped the paper.
"And according to the laboratory attendance register..."
"...your access card wasn't used that night."
Kane stared at him.
"So someone else submitted it."
Ethan smiled.
"Now we're thinking like investigators."
He reached for another document.
"This is only the beginning."
---
Meanwhile, Liana sat alone between the engineering reference shelves.
She carefully organized every piece of evidence she had collected over the past month.
Photographs.
Handwritten notes.
Screenshots.
Time stamps.
She planned to give everything to Professor Okafor the following morning.
As she slipped the papers back into the brown envelope, a shadow fell across the table.
She looked up.
Brandon.
He smiled politely.
"Mind if we talk?"
Liana closed the envelope immediately.
"I don't think we have anything to discuss."
"Oh, I think we do."
He pulled out the chair opposite her and sat down without permission.
"You've been very busy lately."
"I don't know what you mean."
"You've been taking photographs."
"You've been asking questions."
"You've been following us."
Liana met his gaze without flinching.
"I've been looking for the truth."
Brandon's smile disappeared.
"The truth?"
"Yes."
"You stole Kane's work."
"You framed him."
"And now you're pretending to be the victim."
For several seconds Brandon simply stared at her.
Then he laughed.
A slow...
Cold...
Unsettling laugh.
"You really are brave."
"I don't need bravery to tell the truth."
"No."
"You need wisdom."
He leaned closer.
"Tell me..."
"Do you know what happens to people who interfere in other people's business?"
Liana didn't answer.
"They get hurt."
She stood, picked up her envelope, and looked directly into his eyes.
"I've already been hurt."
"And I'm still standing."
For the first time, Brandon realized something.
Liana wasn't afraid of him.
She walked away, leaving him sitting alone at the table.
His jaw tightened.
"This girl..."
"...is becoming a serious problem."
---
That evening, Kane decided to visit Liana's apartment.
He had never been there before.
After asking Sophia for directions, he arrived carrying a small paper bag.
When Liana opened the door, surprise filled her face.
"Kane?"
"I hope I'm not disturbing you."
She smiled warmly.
"Not at all."
"Come in."
The apartment was simple but welcoming.
Books covered one wall.
A small piano stood near the window.
Several framed family photographs decorated the shelves.
Kane noticed one of them.
A younger Liana stood beside an older man wearing military uniform.
"My father."
She noticed him looking.
"He retired as a Colonel two years ago."
"He looks proud."
"He is."
"Especially when he pretends not to be."
Both of them laughed.
Kane handed her the paper bag.
"I brought something."
She opened it.
Inside were her favorite chocolate biscuits and a novel by her favorite author.
Her eyes widened.
"How did you know?"
Kane smiled.
"Sophia."
Liana laughed.
"I should have guessed."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Kane became serious.
"I came here for another reason."
"What is it?"
He looked into her eyes.
"I wanted to thank you."
"You've risked your reputation..."
"...your safety..."
"...and your time..."
"...for someone who didn't even believe you."
Liana smiled gently.
"I never regretted helping you."
Kane shook his head.
"I don't deserve a friend like you."
She looked at him quietly before answering.
"Maybe not."
He blinked in surprise.
Then she smiled.
"But you're becoming someone who does."
They both laughed.
Outside the apartment building, hidden beneath a streetlight across the road, the same black SUV from earlier that day rolled to a stop.
The driver looked toward Liana's apartment window.
He reached for his phone.
"They're together."
The voice on the other end responded calmly.
"Keep watching."
"But don't act yet."
The line went dead.
The driver remained in the darkness, his eyes fixed on the apartment.
Someone had begun watching Kane and Liana.
And whoever it was...
...was far more dangerous than Brandon had ever imagined.
To be continued...
- Writer
