One point seven billion dollars.

Holy shit.

"So what exactly..?" I asked.

"I'll give you and Isaac the specifics later. But there's another reason to stay, for you. I'm a billionaire. I don't need all of it. About fifty percent is more than enough."

"So..?"

"It's still an insane amount of money. I don't want the Abandonatos and Castellinos to get their hands on even twenty-five million. Besides paying off your debts, I'll also offer you guys a cut."

"Sounds too good to be true." I stated. Even though I'm sure I had dollar signs dancing in my eyes. I was one for material pleasures. Sue me. I don't care as long as I can stuff my ears with cash. Money was power. That was reality, don't let anyone tell you different. I could easily pay off my student loans and live comfortably.

"Clever girl." Adrian smirked. "I'll tell you with the rest of the crew."

One point seven billion. Adrian takes half of it. And four..I guess was the size of the crew. 85 million dollars. What the heck!? No, the Professor was also there. His share would be more. So about 21 million? Ah, that sounded more believable.

He stopped outside an exclusive looking casino slash hotel and stepped out, handing his keys to the valet who came running to assist him. The place looked like it was made of freaking gold. Grandeur as far as you could see.

Adrian's demeanor had changed. He actually looked like a Mafia Boss and I was scared of him for a minute. He carried himself with such power. He was in his element, I was out of it.

And I was dressed in a purple hoodie and jeans. Oh, and I had no shoes on. Don't blame me. My grand escape played out that way.

I saw Antonio and Damien hurry towards Adrian with bags in their hands. Damien said something to him and Adrian barked out some orders. He then looked behind at me and his eyes widened. The blood from my cut on my knee had soaked into my jeans, making it stick to my skin.

I winced at the thought of peeling it off. This was not going to be pleasant. I walked ahead, my legs were wobbly. Like Jell-O. Antonio came and helped me.

Till now, I had either been fueled by adrenaline or sitting. I hadn't noticed how bad it had gotten.

Antonio supported my entire weight as I walked towards the others.

"Let's go up to my suite. We need to get her stitched up first."

I barely noticed anything as we crossed indoor fountains and carpeted corridors, glowing in the golden lighting.

We got into an elevator and Adrian used a key card to get us to his suite. Spoiler alert: it was the penthouse suite.

Antonio practically carried me to the bed and dumped me on it. I had started to bleed like crazy now. Adrian looked at Damien and Antonio.

"Go check the security cameras, find Hale."

Damien and Antonio scurried outside the door like puppies.

When I looked at Adrian, he was holding a syringe big enough for a horse. The needle looked longer than my essays when I was desperate for marks.

"What are you doing?"

"Preparing anesthesia. Unless you want me to stitch the wound without it."

"You're going to stitch it!?"

"I went to medical school for a while."

"Before they kicked you out?"

"Before I graduated."

"Is there anything you haven't done?"

"Loads, my interest was mostly held by psychology and bit of medicine. But I've also gone to business school." Be said approaching me with the needle.

He caught my hand and injected the anaesthesia with practiced ease. I winced at the prick of the needle on my knee. Soon the whole area was numb and Adrian stitched it up using a curved needle. I didn't feel anything.

Suddenly I remembered something.

"You could have just walked out of Dylan's house. You didn't have to confront him. Just like you didn't have to confront me when you kidnapped me. You did it to get a read of us, didn't you? See what kind of people we were, what makes us tick." It wasn't entirely a question.

Adrian's lips curved in a serpentine smile.

"You're far too smart for your own good, Chevron. Try to lay it low. Your intelligence is your best weapon, and it can be quite dangerous, I would know. Its the one reason I value your opinions. Don't let the enemy know all your secrets. Keep this one and my advice to yourself."

"My enemy already knows."

"True." He said, not even making an effort to deny it. There was no point anyways.

"So you can tell what people think, right?"

"More or less." Adrian replied.

"So what did you figure out about Dylan and me?"

"Dylan is eager to prove himself. He's naïve. And he lied to you-"

"Big surprise." I muttered.

"-about not having the blueprints. He was telling the truth about Roy though. He doesn't know where he is. And he's the kind who would act before thinking. Basically, the Abandonatos have the blueprints. That's settled. "

"And me?"

"You rarely think."

Rude.

"So was he kidnapped by the Castellinos or did he run away?" I asked.

"Why don't you tell me, little girl."

"I'm three years younger. Hardly little."

"Mentally, I'm about thirty years older."

"Three. You forgot the decimal point."

"Sure." He said taping the last of the gauze into place.

I thought for a minute. "He ran."

"Correct."

Roy's place was a mess. And yet it didn't feel like he'd been taken by force. Secondly, if the Abandonatos and the DeLucas didn't have him, it meant the Castellinos did. But if they were in the college that night, they would have stolen the blueprints too. Or the Abandonatos would have at least noticed something was wrong.

"Dress up. The bathroom is there and you stink." He said before picking up a suit on a hangar and disappearing into the closet.

I noticed that there was a dress kept on the bed. A lavender number embellished with tiny stones. I looked at the price tag. Ten thousand dollars. Why would anyone even need a ten thousand dollar dress!?

Nevertheless I changed into the dress and tamed my hair as well as I could (not that great. I had a rough day.) and washed my face. I looked presentable.

When I walked out, Adrian was already dressed in an immaculate black suit and a blue tie.

"Let's go."