Project Details

Natalie's pov

The shelf at the Dean's office was filled with awards and plaques… all in shades of brown and grey.

I looked at the door, sighing inwardly to myself. My mind was already made up as to what to ask the dean.

Where might he-

“Quit acting like a trapped squirrel.” A voice snapped beside me.

I clenched my jaw before turning to look at him.

Kian was already looking at me, with a lazy smile on his face.

“Ignore me, please,” I answered, rolling my eyes at him.

An emotion flitted through his face, before it disappeared.

“Trust me, I'd pay you to not breathe 5 feet close to me if I can,” he said, that aggravating smile still on his face.

Before I could respond, the door swung open and in walked the associate Dean. His head was down, as he read a file he held.

“Miss Mayers, Mr Lawley. Thank you for honouring my call,” he regarded us when he got to his desk,before sinking slowly into his chair.

I decided to take my chances immediately with my request.

“Can I change my partner?”

Kian scoffed, but I didn't grace him with even a glance.

“Do you realize that changing partners means changing the corporation you're going to be working with?” The Dean asked, clearing his throat at the end of his question.

I nodded.

I could neither explain the reason for my decision.

I wasn't even sure the reason was… well, reasonable to anyone but myself.

The Dean narrowed his eyes at me, his measuring gaze searching mine. He glanced at Kian, then his eyes fell back on me.

“Why would you want that, Miss Mayers? Most students would give anything to be affiliated with Law's Pharmaceuticals. It would be impressive on your resume as well.” He reasoned, still regarding me with squinted eyes.

“I understand that sir, but it's a chance I'm willing to take.”

His eyes turned to Kian now.

“And you, Mr Lawley? Is this also what you want?”

I smiled, already knowing his response.

“Yes he would also-”

“No.”

I almost choked on my words. I spluttered and looked at Kian.

He had this triumphant grin on his face like he relished the fact that he just made me speechless.

“No??” I echoed, my eyes wide.

Kian leaned back in his chair, his grin widening, his eyes glinting with mischievous glee.

“No. I think we'd make really good partners, sir,” he said to the Dean, who looked slightly confused as his eyes moved from Kian's face to mine.

“Well, that's settled then. You both are going to be partners.”

“No.” I said before I caught myself.

“Excuse me?” The Dean spoke.

“No, sir. I do not want to be partners with Mr Lawley here.”

“Miss Mayers -”

“I'm sorry sir, but I really do not want to partner with him. Give me another person, another corporation. Give me the student with the lowest grade, I don't care. Anyone but him, please,” my voice trembled.

The Dean only sighed and took off his glasses.

“Miss Mayers, the decision is above me,”he began.

Above him? What does that even mean?

“...and this decision is final.” The firmness of his voice ended the discussion before I could even say another word.

He bent over his desk to rummage his drawers.

In a few seconds, he whipped out a folder and dropped it on the table.

“Your project begins today.”

“Inside are the guidelines, evaluation criteria, and preliminary documents provided by Law's Pharmaceutical.”

My stomach twisted.

The folder was enormous.

Kian reached for it, but Dean's hand landed on top first, stopping him.

For the first time, something changed.

A strange tension occupied the room.

“Mr Lawley.”

Kian's smile faded slightly.

“Yes sir?” He answered tentatively.

The Dean hesitated, only for a second.

But I noticed.

“Your father specifically requested that both students have equal access to all materials.”

The silence that followed felt strange.

Kian's jaw tightened.

“Okay? What does that mean?”

“Which means Miss Mayers receives her own copy. Inside that folder are two files. One for you and the other for the lady. Study them, and note… maximum cooperation is required of the both of you.”

Kian's gaze met mine, heavy, and full of hidden messages. A muscle in his jaw tickled.

“Sure, whatever.” He said and opened the folder, pulling out one file.

The Dean cleared his throat.

“Good. You both are dismissed.”

I grabbed the folder and headed for the door.

The moment we stepped into the hallway, Kian spoke.

“Give it to me.”

I stopped walking.

“What?”

“The folder, give it to me.” He said slowly, enunciating his words like he was talking to a slow child.

I laughed. “Are you insane?”

“Probably.” His face was set in a cold glare, his hand still outstretched.

“Then we're in agreement.” I continued walking.

His footsteps followed.

“Natalie.”

“No.”

“Natalie.”

“No.”

“Just give me the damn folder.”

That made me stop. I turned slowly.

The irritation on his face looked genuine now.

“Why should I give it to you? You had the chance to avoid all these yet you chose it.”

He huffed, rubbing the bridge of his nose, in obvious exasperation.

“Listen, just give me the files. They contain financial reports. It's not for the public eye.”

“Well good thing I'm not the public,” I started walking away again, then I paused, “you know, if I didn't know any better I'd have said you looked terrified a bit.”

“Nothing terrifies me, Mayers. Do not say nonsense.”

I stared at him for another second before turning away. This conversation was ridiculous.

By the time I finished my afternoon lecture, I had almost forgotten about it.

Almost.

The folder sat inside my backpack for the entire class, flitting through my mind, flirting with my curiosity, until eventually curiosity won.

The moment the professor left the class, I carefully slipped the folder from my bag.

I opened it.

Most of it was exactly what you'd expect.

Company history, revenue reports, research programs, manufacturing statistics.

Boring.

I sighed, although my eyes lingered a moment longer in the research programs, reading through a few paragraphs… until-

Something slipped out.

A single folded page.

It drifted to the floor beside my desk. I quickly bent down and picked it up. It wasn't attached to the rest of the documents.

There was no logo, no heading and no explanations.

Just a table with rows and columns that recorded dates, shipments and locations.

Most of them were crossed out. A few weren't.

My eyes skimmed the final entry, and froze.

Because beside the latest shipment was a location circled with a red pen.

My pulse quickened, I swallowed heavily, as I opened my phone and took a quick picture of the paper.

At the very bottom of the page, someone had scribbled three handwritten words with a red pen as well.

As though they were never meant to be seen.

“DO NOT AUDIT.”

And just then, my phone vibrated in my hand.

A text message from an unknown number.

I opened it.

There was only one sentence.

“If you value your scholarship, stop reading that file.”