A New Identity.

Japheth 

The flight took three hours. Three hours that felt like three years. I was anxious and nervous. One, I had never been in a plane before. Two, I had six months to apprehend the most dangerous tycoon's son and I have no idea what will happen to me if I get caught.

I tried not to think negatively but I couldn't help it. I wouldn't admit that I wasn't scared. The moment the plane touched the ground, my heart finally left my throat and returned to my chest. I walked into the airport, with no idea where I was going but when I saw someone holding a board with the name “Japheth” on it, I realized I was probably scared for nothing.

I wasn't alone.

“Mr Japheth Wilson?” The man holding the board asked when I walked up to him and I nodded slowly in response. “Nice to meet you, I'm Stephen. I'm also a police officer but I'm undercover like you.” He whispered and I nodded slowly, not knowing what to respond with.

“Your phone.” He asked and I raised a brow in confusion before handing it to him. He smiled at me before dropping it to the ground and stepping on it harshly.

“Hey! That's my phone! What did you do?” I asked in horror, picking up the now damaged phone, but he simply took out another from his pocket and gave it to me.

“My apologies. But that phone could get you in trouble since it still has everything from your past identity. Besides, this phone is better and more… sophisticated.” He replied with a smile as he grabbed my luggage and started to walk away.

The ride to my apartment was silent, and I could tell that he was staring at me, but I didn't care. It was already nighttime by the time the car finally came to a stop, and the moment I stepped out of the vehicle, my jaw dropped to the ground.

“This is your apartment. If you have any questions, you can call me, my contact is already saved in your phone. I have to run. Welcome to California, Japheth.” He said, dropping a key into my hand, and with that, he drove away.

I spotted the Mercedes AMG sitting by the garage and I let out a laugh of disbelief. Stepping inside the apartment was like stepping into paradise. It was big enough and beautiful. Nothing like the dull-looking walls I was used to.

For the first time in a long time, I laughed and ran around the house like I was a kid. I was finally living the life I've been dreaming of. The closet was fully packed with clothes that I would have never been able to afford. Everything felt so unreal.

Just then, my new phone dinged with a message and a shocked scream escaped my lips when I saw the notification. Five hundred thousand dollars. Credited to Japheth Wilson. The captain wasn't lying after all.

After that came a notification from my captain. “Good luck, Japheth. Make us proud.”

He already knew about the phone. This was the life I've always wanted to live… Away from my sick family, with enough money to live a comfortable life.

Collapsing onto the bed, I didn't bother to change my clothes or get something to eat. I wanted to finally sleep in a comfortable bed and man, the bed was bouncy. In no time, I had fallen asleep like I had no worries in the world.

************************

One week has passed since I arrived in California. I took my time and got used to how things worked here. I made sure to blend in and not raise any kind of suspicion. The captain had pulled his strings and gotten me a spot at SAU as a substitute professor. 

St. Aurelis University was a very prestigious university. Only the top kids with intelligent minds could attend that school. Captain warned me not to be deceived because the university wasn't as clean as it seemed. I had to keep my guard up.

My first day showing up at the college and I was nervous as fuck. My hands were clammy and I stumbled a couple of times while walking. I had to return to my car, slap myself a few times, give myself that pep talk, and then start over.

I made my way to the Dean's office and I couldn't ignore the stares I got as I walked by. Not stares of contempt. But of awe. Of surprise. Even seduction.

“Mr Japheth Wilson?” Dean Laurence asked and I nodded with a smile as I took his hand for a shake. “Welcome to SAU. Please read the rules and regulations before proceeding to the professor's hall.” He said sternly, his eyes watching me like a hawk stalking its prey and I gulped nervously.

My eyes skimmed through the paper containing the rules before finally dropping it in front of him.

“I understand the rules, Dean,” I said softly and he finally smiled at me, one that gave me chills, before taking my hand for a shake again.

“You're free to leave. Here's your staff ID card.” 

I took the card from him and left his office before letting out a breath I didn't realize that I was holding. I suddenly needed to find the restroom because I had been too nervous this morning, so I drank three bottles of water.

I was too nervous to ask any student who passed me by, so I simply tried to find it on my own. When I finally saw the sign “restroom”, I let out a sigh of relief and hurried in there to ease myself.

The moment I stepped out, I bumped into a tall figure and took a step backward immediately, but I ended up tripping over my leg, causing me to fall backward. To my surprise, someone grabbed me by my waist and pulled me back up, causing me to let out a sigh of relief.  

“You have such a small waist.” I heard him say and I froze, my head lifting slightly to look at who it was.

To say I froze was an understatement. My entire body stopped working when I met his eyes. Blue, cold, depthless. 

“Are you okay?” He asked, and I opened my mouth to say something, but my words got stuck in my throat. His voice was unlike anything I've heard before. Smooth as silk, but held depths of danger.

He still didn't let go of me, and I didn't try to push him away either. It was like I was under some kind of hypnotic spell that he placed on me. 

“You're a professor, right?” He asked again and since I couldn't speak, I simply nodded like a child. His eyes twinkled in amusement at my reaction and his lips curved into a slight smirk.

“Are you an impostor? What is a professor doing in the student's restroom?” He asked, this time his voice had taken a lower tone and his face contorted into a frown that made me scared instantly.

Fuck, it was him. Aaron. 

Aaron Martinez. The one I was sent to infiltrate, and now he had already seen me as an impostor.