Page 74 of Broken Obsession

Eden frowned, reading between the lines.

One of them was in there, and Ares had led him straight to them.

“Play it smart,” Ares finished, releasing him and stepping back.

He thought there’d be some hesitation, but Eden found himself going for the door without so much as a pause. He pushed it open and stepped into a large lecture hall, leveled rows of seats forming a partial semi-circle with steps leading down to a stage-like front of the room. A few students turned their heads to look back at him, but Eden paid them no mind.

It wasn’t hard to find the person he was looking for. Though it’d been a while since the last time they’d met, the man currently conducting the lecture was unmistakable.

Inzer Yezaers.

The professor had his back turned and was flicking through a series of slides on a projection screen. He was dressed nicely, in pressed khaki pants, brown loafers, and a white shirt. Inzer even had on a pair of wire-rimmed glasses, which he adjusted with his right hand.

Was that the same hand that held the gun that killed Ella?

Ares had rehashed his conversation with Zonnie before Eden’s arrival. The guy had given up everything, including sharing details of his friends' parts in the crime. According to him, he’d lost his cool first. Beating Eden’s mom had been an “accident”, but afterward, he’d been too afraid the family would press charges and news would leak to the public, smearing the Dephik name and costing him his position as heir.

Sedos and Zonnie had both taken part in beating Eden’s father before the first had shot him. Inzer supposedly tried to stay out of it, only reacting at the end, when Ella had appeared and seen their faces.

Years of hopeless wondering, of replaying different scenarios of what could have happened in his head, and just like that, he’d gotten answers to it all.

Thanks to Ares.

Slipping into an empty seat in the top row, he sat patiently for the rest of the lecture, listening to his ex-friend talk about the discovery of the latest wormhole and how scientists believed it was a chance to finally make a breakthrough in the parallel universe theory.

A female student up front commented on how sad it was they’d yet to prove it after thousands of years, and Inzer agreed and laughed.

Like he had no care in the world.

Like he hadn’t helped destroy an entire family and steal four lives.

Once class finally ended, Eden remained in his seat, waiting for most of the crowd to disperse. When it was just the two of them and the three students who lingered, discussing something with Inzer, Eden stood and slowly descended the steps, sure to smile broadly when the professor’s gaze lifted and caught sight of him.

Inzer’s eyes widened, but there wasn’t even a flicker of worry or guilt. He excused himself from the small group and moved off the platform. “Is that Eden Baldur? Or should I call you Ransom?”

Eden chuckled like he was meant to and accepted the brief hug. “Eden is fine. How’ve you been?”

“Good, good. I’d ask about you, but according to Vanity’s popularity, I don’t think I have to.” Inzer kept a friendly smile on his face. “What brings you here?”

“Funny story, we’re co-workers now.”

“Really?” Still nothing. He was the picture of an old friend running into someone they were fond of and had lost touch with. “That’s fantastic! Let me guess, you’re filling Merit’s position?”

“That depends. Was he the old classical music professor?”

“That would be him. Terrible what happened to him.”

Eden quirked a brow. “I heard he transferred to a school off planet.”

“Yes, well.” Inzer tossed an arm around his shoulders and pulled him in conspiratorially. “Friendly word of advice? This place is great, so long as you steer clear of the Black Harts. People tend to disappear whenever they’ve crossed one of them.”

“You’re saying a student is responsible for a staff member's disappearance?” Eden feigned concern. “Surely you’re not suggesting the man was murdered?”

“Murdered, blackmailed into running,” he shrugged, “who knows. There’s no evidence, there never is.”

“Right. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Please do. I would hate it if anything happened to you.” Inzer patted him on the back. “Wow, how long has it been? It’s so nice seeing a friendly face.”