Contract Marriage with My Secret Partner in Crime
Chapter 127: Beneath the Experiment - Part 2

Chapter 127: Beneath the Experiment - Part 2

As they moved past an old nurse’s station, Reynold noticed a door at the end of the hall that was slightly ajar. A soft hum was coming from within.

He held up a hand to stop Jeric. "You hear that?"

Jeric nodded, his body tensing.

They approached cautiously. Reynold pushed the door open gently. Inside was a former supply room, but someone had recently been using it. On the far wall, a generator hummed quietly next to a table with what looked like newer equipment: a laptop, some files, and a small refrigeration unit—the kind used for biological samples.

Reynold blinked. "What the hell is this..."

Jeric stepped in and walked toward the table. He opened the laptop. The screen lit up, but it was locked with a password. "This isn’t abandoned. Someone’s been using this place."

"And not just squatting," Reynold added, pointing at the refrigeration unit. He opened it and found it empty except for a few labeled vials. "Helix."

Jeric’s eyes narrowed. "You think Brent’s operating from here?"

"Or at least storing data here," Reynold muttered. "But the question is... why here? An old hospital? Why not somewhere less risky?"

Jeric glanced around. "Because no one would look here."

Reynold’s jaw tensed. "Or because this place used to be connected to Helix."

Jeric looked at him sharply. "What do you mean?"

Reynold ran his hand along the top of the generator, then looked around the room again. "I remember something about this place. Years ago, during the early Helix experiments, there were rumors that a hospital was used for clinical trials before the operation went underground."

Jeric’s face darkened. "You think this is the one?"

Reynold nodded slowly. "And Brent’s reusing it."

Jeric looked back at the laptop, then the refrigeration unit. "He’s covering tracks. That lab from the Ted Frin case... the stolen files... this all lines up."

Reynold clenched his fists. "And we’ve been two steps behind."

For a moment, both of them stood in silence, the weight of realization pressing down hard.

Then Jeric turned. "We need to report this."

"Not yet," Reynold said, his voice firm. "Not until we get something solid. If we spook him, he’ll vanish again."

"Then what’s the plan?"

Reynold stared around the room, his gaze landing on a dusty cabinet in the corner. "We set up surveillance. We’ll find out exactly what Brent’s doing here. And if he’s connected to those missing files... we’ll catch him red-handed."

Jeric nodded once. "Then let’s move."

And so they began their silent work, unaware that they were being watched—just as Brent had been watching them all along.

---

Cassius leaned back in his chair, eyes fixed on the ceiling as if the answers he was searching for might be carved into the wooden beams. The office around him remained dim, save for the low, warm glow of the desk lamp beside him. Shadows curved along the walls, stretching just like the silence in the room.

Sophia stood near the window, tablet in hand, her posture as precise as ever. She didn’t speak until Cassius finally broke the stillness.

"How’s Kendrick doing?"

Her gaze didn’t move from the half-closed blinds. "Still pushing through his investigation," she replied. "You know him. He will never give up."

Cassius nodded slightly, almost to himself. His fingers began tapping against the wood of his desk, a slow, thoughtful rhythm. The tapping stopped briefly, then resumed, this time softer.

"That’s what I’m afraid of," he muttered.

Sophia turned to face him at that. "Afraid he won’t stop? Or afraid of what he might find?"

He looked at her, a half-smile playing at the corner of his lips. "Both."

Sophia said nothing, but she raised an eyebrow in subtle amusement, walking toward the desk. She placed the tablet down gently and folded her arms.

Cassius continued tapping for a few more seconds, then let out a quiet sigh. "How did he react when you gave him the files?"

Sophia gave a short breath, something like a chuckle, though dry. "He thought I gave him the wrong ones. Said they didn’t match anything in his case."

Cassius leaned forward, steepling his fingers beneath his chin. "And?"

"I told him it was the right one. Because that’s where everything started. The condition, the treatments, the test subjects... it’s all tied together."

He studied her closely. "And he believed you?"

She gave a small shake of her head. "Not right away. You know how he is. But he’s not ignoring it either. He’s starting to dig."

Cassius nodded slowly, his gaze drifting to the glass of untouched water beside his lamp. He reached for it absently but didn’t drink.

Then Sophia said what had clearly been sitting on her mind since she entered.

"Why don’t you just tell him directly? About his condition. About the diagnosis. This whole breadcrumb approach—it’s roundabout. Risky."

Cassius paused.

He placed the glass back down without taking a sip. "Do you think he’ll just believe it if I tell him he only has less than a year left to live?"

Sophia didn’t answer.

He continued. "He’ll demand evidence. He’ll double-check every test, every record. He’ll bury himself in it so deep he might not come back up. But if he finds the pieces on his own... if he realizes the truth in his own time, at his own pace, then maybe he’ll accept it."

"That’s still a gamble," she said plainly.

"Everything is," he replied. "But the files aren’t just about his condition. They’re about where the entire trail begins. The missing data, Helix’s abandoned trials, Soren’s involvement—it’s all there, if he puts it together."

Sophia narrowed her eyes. "So this is more than just telling him about the disease. You want him to trace it back to Helix. To Soren and Reynold."

Cassius offered her a half smile. "I want him to realize he’s been chasing symptoms instead of the root. That he’s a part of something larger than he thought."

Sophia looked at him for a long time before finally turning toward the window again. "Up to you then," she said. Her voice was quiet but firm. "I just hope everything works out for the best."

Cassius didn’t respond. Not right away.

He watched her silhouette in the window’s reflection, her face unreadable even in the glass.

"So do I," he finally murmured.

A long silence stretched between them before Sophia spoke again.

"You know, he’s still holding onto hope. I see it in his eyes. He’s working day and night trying to find answers not just for himself but for others, too. He doesn’t know that the answer is inside him. That his body is already fighting a battle he can’t win."

Cassius rubbed the bridge of his nose. "That’s exactly why I can’t tell him outright. You think I haven’t considered it? Every day. But if he knows everything now, what do you think he’ll do? Shut down? Give up? Throw himself into danger just to find a shortcut?"

Sophia sat down in the chair across from him, finally lowering her voice. "You’re worried he’ll burn out."

Cassius met her eyes. "I’m worried he’ll disappear. He’s already kept this from his sister, from his mom. The more weight we put on his shoulders, the more likely he’ll just walk straight into a storm and never look back."

She studied him. "Is that what you did? When you learned the truth?"

A shadow flickered across Cassius’s face. He didn’t answer.

Instead, he shifted topics. "Has he asked about Eclipse?"

Sophia blinked, caught off guard by the sudden change. "No. You really think they don’t know about each other?" she asked.

"They don’t," Cassius replied simply. "And that’s what makes it all more fragile."

Sophia leaned back in the chair. Her voice lost its edge, softening just slightly. "Sometimes I wonder if it’s even fair, what we’re doing. Keeping all this from him. From her."

"Fairness doesn’t factor into it anymore," Cassius said quietly. "Survival does. Timing does. And choices. If we give them everything now, they’ll destroy themselves before they ever uncover the truth."

Sophia crossed one leg over the other. Her eyes drifted toward the low light coming from the hallway beyond the office.

"Cassius... what if he finds out we’ve been watching him? All this time."

Cassius’s smile faded.

"Then I’ll deal with that when it comes. He’ll hate me for a while. But I’d rather he hate me and live than be grateful and gone."

Sophia fell silent again. The room was still except for the soft hum of the air vent overhead. The air felt heavier now. Like something unspoken had finally settled into the space between them.

Finally, Cassius leaned forward, his voice low.

"Keep watching him. Let me know if anything changes. Especially his health. He’s going to hit a point where he won’t be able to ignore the symptoms. And when that happens, I want to be ready."

Sophia rose from the chair, tablet in hand once more. "And Zephany? What do we do if she starts connecting things too?"

Cassius’s eyes flicked to a folder on his desk. "If she finds out... then maybe it’s time we let them find out together."

Sophia didn’t reply. She turned and walked toward the door.

"Sophia."

She stopped.

"Thank you," Cassius said. "For still helping me do this the hard way."

She turned her head slightly. A quiet smirk touched her lips. "You’re welcome. But don’t make a habit of it."