Chapter 33: Convincing The crew

Ember shook off the thought and focused on what was to come. She didn’t want to sit here wallowing in self-pity.

A little before 12 pm, Adrienne and her husband arrived.

“Mr Montclaire, this is my husband Alex. We’re here as you requested.” Adrienne was professional as always.

Adrienne’s husband, Alex Ward, was a tall, lanky man. When seeing the two together, no one would expect them to be husband and wife. The curvaceous, bold woman who could command a room, and the man who looked like he would shut down if you shouted too loudly.

Their relationship dynamics didn’t matter right now. What mattered was getting them both to acknowledge and agree about becoming a part of their team during doomsday.

Aiden nodded, shaking Alex’s hand, ” Nice to meet you Mr Ward. There are a few things we’ll need to talk about. But let’s have lunch first.”

Alex shook Aiden’s hand, “It’s nice to finally meet the boss Ran has been raving about.”

Aiden saw Alex place a hand on Adrienne’s lower back. He did it so naturally that Aiden knew that although Alex seemed simple, he was dominant, at least in his relationship with Adrienne.

The four people walked into the dining room.

Ivan was already seated, texting someone on his phone and grinning the same stupid grin that had been on his face all day.

“Sexy secretary, you’re here too. Who’s the guy?” Ivan said, looking up from his phone.

“My husband,” Adrienne said, her voice even.

Ivan looked at the man who walked in. When he met the man’s eyes, a small smile of appreciation crossed his face.

“Nice to meet you. You’ve got a hot wife,” Ivan said nonchalantly.

“I know,” Alex said.

Aiden looked between the two men, noticing something like appreciation flicker between them. He shook his head; it was just one animal acknowledging another. He looked at Ember, thinking she was right about inviting the husband.

The biggest problem might be convincing them about doomsday. The part about a base needing them to have sex to keep it running might be the easiest thing.

Everyone sat at the table. They made small talk about things at the office. Alex talked about his job as an engineer.

By the time lunch was over, things felt less tense.

Aiden ushered everyone over to the living room, where they could talk.

He took a deep breath before starting. “First, I know what I am about to say is unbelievable. But I need you all to understand that everything I’m about to say is true.”

He turned to Ember. They had agreed that she would show them the space just to get the ball rolling.

Ember stretched out her hand. “This is only the first thing we need to say. Don’t go crazy when you see it,” Ember said teasingly.

A phone appeared in her hand. She held it up and threw it to Ivan, just to prove that it’s real. She then got up, went directly to Ivan, who was holding the phone in amazement, and put it back in the space.

Ivan looked at his hand, then back to Ember.

“That’s the first time. The second thing,” Aiden didn’t wait for them to recover. The expressions on their faces showed both their shock and apprehension. “Doomsday is coming. I know it sounds stupid, but I want to show you something.”

He took out the video of Valentina talking to her father. The mention of them stockpiling and preparing for doomsday was as clear as day. There was no way to deny what the conversation meant.

“Now, I want to know what you think,” Aiden said.

“You haven’t told me the third thing,” Ivan chimed in.

“You don’t need to know the third thing,” Ember quipped. “That’s for them.” She motioned to Adrienne and Alex.

“Little sister, this is discrimination,” Ivan said as he rolled his eyes.

“Definitely. I won’t tell you what the third thing is,” Ember crossed her arms over her chest.

Adrienne and Alex hadn’t said a word since everything started.

And although Ivan was joking with Ember, he, too, was shaken by the news.

“I know this sounds crazy. I wouldn’t want to believe it. But I trust Ember.” Aiden put his hand on Ember’s knee. “There are still about three weeks left, so we don’t have much time. Whatever you want to ask, ask now.”

Ivan was silent for a moment before he spoke, “Is this why you were weird about the volcano thing?”

Aiden nodded, “Ember mentioned it before. We didn’t know it was Viktor’s island. We haven’t really paid close attention to it since things were a bit hectic these days.”

“Well, shit. And the sex thing. Is that true?”

Ember rolled her eyes, “Of course you would think about that.”

“Hey, a man has needs.”

To stop another squabble, Aiden answered, “There are no women. At least, none of been recruited yet. But we do have a base. And as crazy as it sounds, to operate it, you need to have sex.”

Aiden’s eyes swept over the couple as he said this. He noticed Adrienne gripping her husband’s hand when he mentioned the base. He didn’t dwell on it. Whatever was going on with them was none of his concern.

As long as they were loyal, that was all he needed.

“Damn! Sounds like my kind of base. If this doomsday thing is true, I have a few ladies I wouldn’t mind bringing with me,” Ivan rubbed his chin as he spoke.

Aiden narrowed his eyes, “If you’re thinking about those women who cry as soon as they break a nail, don’t think about it. We need useful people.”

“Useful, sexy, and ready to fuck at a moment’s notice? I could think of a few people.”

Aiden ignored Ivan’s comments, focusing on Adrienne and Alex.

“If you need some time, it’s understandable. The reason I am telling you this, Adrienne, is because I trust you. And according to Ember, you did pretty well for yourself in doomsday.”

Aiden made the comment only to arouse interest. Although he didn’t intend to keep it a secret.

He needed something that would have them questioning. Something they couldn’t turn away from easily.

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