Chapter 5 Project E

Lauren's POV.

“You can sit on the bed or the couch, whichever you please."

Zarek Whitmore was nothing more than everything I repelled to.

Proud, spontaneous, effortlessly charming and rich.

So fucking rich.

Faking a relationship with him was the last thing I imagined myself engaging in.

Well...

Also having my real name written across a locker was also amongst the last things I wanted.

I sucked in my breath as I closed the door to his dorm room behind me, basking myself in the scent of his room.

Like this musky yet expensive scent.

Clean grey walls, clean floorings and a well laid bed I was sure he had taken plenty of girls to.

I sat on the edge of the couch, noticing a framed picture of Serena sitting on the table and the faint scar on arm from his rolled up sleeve.

I looked away, watching him pull out the chair in front of his desk.

“We should start from how you found her, you know, the top" He said, interrupting my thoughts.

Times like this, I wondered if actually had sympathy for anyone.

"I um.” My hands clasped together as I tried to visualize her, her dark hair sprawled across the floor, her grey eyes looking soulless, then the blood.... “I just, she was laying on the floor, the knife was beside her…” I looked up at him, his eyes on me as realization hit me. "Yes. If she killed herself, the knife wouldn't be beside her, it would be in her hand.”

Zarek's jaw clenched slightly. "Makes sense, I could find out who owns the knife, like I said it's a lock-back and it's rare, whoever owns it…”

"Must be someone with knowledge of it." I Interrupted.

Zarek smirked. “I was going to say influential."

I almost scoffed. "Eitherways. Why would they want your sister dead in the first place.."

Why did they know my name?

Zarek leaned back slightly. "If I'm correct then she might've gotten herself into something.” He narrowed his gaze towards the flash. "If we find out what...

"We can find out who.” I interrupted subconsciously but the room went quiet almost immediately and Zarek had this calm gaze on me that suddenly made my heart skip a beat, the feeling I got from when he held my hand.

"What? Did I like, say something wrong?”

Then he smiled, the kind that probably got him all the girls he ever wanted.

“i don't know, It just makes sense now why she'd leave you with a clue.”

I opened my mouth to answer but he turned back to the computer.

"Now let's see if what she left for you is exactly useful?”

The flash drive sat on the table between us then he took it and plugged the flashdrive into the laptop and seconds later after Loading, the screen was filled with folders.

He clicked on the first one and there were what seemed like financial records and transaction receipts.

Dates that corresponded with the fact she was working on this, months ago.

Transfers of huge amounts into accounts that had absurd code names like.

NORTH.

ORCHID.

RAVEN.

A-17.

PROJECT E.

Zarek scrolled.

Who knew Serena Whitmore was an arrogant sassy girl by day and a detective by night.

“Any idea what your sister uses transaction receipts for?"

"She's student council.” He shrugged. "She could have done a bunch of things.” he scrolled and clicked out of that folder to open another one. "Do you think all these are connected to Ashford in any way?”

"It's ridiculous to gather information like this if it isn't related to Ashford," I put in. “Though I can't tell if this is normal school funding."

Zarek let out a small breath. "If it was, it wouldn't bring code names like this.”

He moved to the last folder named ‘project E’

He clicked on another folder and a single name appeared..

MARA ELLIS.

Zarek opened it and a student photograph appeared on the screen.

A girl with brown hair and a nervous smile, she had cute freckles and below it were her student records.

“She was a student here?" I stared at the screen.

"Looks like it.” He moved the arrow and clicked on another file. "But she died three years ago. Funny how she could have been in my class but I never knew her."

Me neither.

I didn't want to think this was what Serena meant by Ashford not being a place we thought it was.

“You think she died and they covered it up?" I asked." Just like how they might do to your sister.”

Zarek turned around to face me on his swivel chair, "No one is doing anything to my sister, Wren. But yes, that could be the case."

The way my name rolled off his tongue.

I averted my gaze back towards the monitor. “Did they say how she died?”

"Nope." He replied.

“Peharps Serena wanted to gather enough…

“How does a dead girl have a hand in my sister's death?”

I cocked my head to the side, crossing my arms. “Haven’t you heard of Sherlock Holmes? everything leads to something.”

“And the transactions, do they lead to something?"

I rolled my eyes lightly and was about to answer when a knock suddenly sounded against the door and all the muscles in my body stiffened.

The thought of someone actually seeing me alone in his room.

Zarek casually closed the file as another knock came at the door again.

"Zarek?”

“Who is that?!" I turned to him, my heart already beating faster than usual.

"Probably Lucien.” He casually said.

Oh I knew Lucien Ardent, the quiet guy from my science club who was also an elite student and famously, Zarek's best friend.

I watched his eyes flickered toward the door, then back to me.

“We need to put on a show."

I stared at him. “Right now?”

Zarek shrugged, “He can't see us sitting here looking like we're planning a murder investigation.”

“Oh, yeah right." I straightened, smoothening my skirt.

When there was Zarek Whitmore who was a notorious playboy, there was me, completely unaware of what to do in this situation.

"Zarek, open the damn door." Another knocks “I know you're in there."

My heart skipped a beat. "I can sit on your legs…”

He raised an eyebrow. "You could.”

I hesitated for a fraction of a second, my pulse hammered under my skin, lowering myself onto his lap felt like crossing a line I knew was there.

My hand hovered awkwardly for a moment before I carefully settled my weight against him, the solid warmth of his thighs beneath me made my breath catch.

Then his arms came around my waist almost immediately, I could feel his hand resting low on my side as he shifted in his posture, adjusting to my weight.

“I'm coming in, Z." He said before the door handle moved.

That was the last thing I heard before he leaned in towards me and I felt his mouth on mine.