"Humph, drama queen," Sonia snorted, rolling her eyes at Ace. She knew he was putting on an act, but to everyone else, she was the villain for calling him out.
Ignoring her, Janice dropped to her knees beside Ace and grabbed his shoulders. "Ace, get a grip!" she barked. When he finally lifted his face, eyes filled with despair, she softened, locking eyes with him. In a gentle but firm voice, she said, "Look at me, Ace. This is serious—more serious than being enlisted in the army or the Marine Corps. Matthews has the power to do exactly what she says. Crying and throwing tantrums won't change that. You need to be honest with me so I can help you while I still can."
Janice was genuinely worried about her best friend's nephew. As a mortal, Maddy couldn't be there for him, so Janice took it upon herself to step in. The gravity of the situation weighed on her, and as Lola watched Ace unravel, a pang of guilt hit her. She had been so caught up in her own excitement, cheering as Matthews forced Ace into the C.I.B., that she only thought about what it meant for her and hadn't stopped to think what it meant for him. Seeing him , she realized how childish and selfish she had been. She had seen firsthand the dangers C.I.B. held—Ace didn't belong there, not as a mortal.
"Ma'am, you can't force him to join the C.I.B. if he doesn't want to," Lola suddenly spoke up, standing by her friend despite the risk of losing the godsend opportunity to bring her family out of poverty. "If that's how this works, then I don't think the C.I.B. is the right place for me either."
Sonia scoffed. "Cough—entitled," she fake-coughed into her fist, yelling a snide comment, and throwing a pointed look at Lola. Watching her so readily throw away an opportunity better than the one her father had sacrificed so much for to get her one, Sonia just couldn't help herself.
"That's it. I've had it with you," Ace yelled, eyes locked on Sonia, his anger flaring as she mocked Lola. In the heat of the moment, he realized just how much he hated her. Aside from the S.S.S., she was the second person to truly earn his ire in the 'World of Curses.' And now, he regretted not gathering the scattered remains of berserk Sonia earlier this afternoon and sealing them in Emi's talisman. He hadn't wanted to be that cruel—especially since he hadn't known who she really was at the time—but now? Now, he wished he had.
"What? You wanna take a swing, liar? I'm game. Bring it—" Sonia jumped on her feet, fists raised in a boxing stance, motioning for Ace to come at her.
Before she could do anything else, Matthews smacked her hard on the back of her head, sending her crashing to the floor with the sheer force of it.
Without missing a beat, Matthews turned and delivered a much lighter slap to the back of Lola's head, adding, "You no longer have a say in this. Your guardians have already given their consent to enlist you in our secret government agency."
"They only gave it because I wanted to join your 'Secret Agency!' Now that I don't, you don't have their consent," Lola argued, attempting to apply mortal-world logic to the 'World of Curses.'
Matthews and Delores exchanged amused glances, chuckling at her naivety. Shaking her head, Matthews said, "It doesn't work like that, sweetheart. You don't get to change your mind now. I'm willing to overlook your insubordination this one time but don't push it. Lose the favor of the higher-ups, and your career in the C.I.B. will be hell."
Lola opened her mouth to protest, but before she could get a word out, Janice cut in, her voice urgent, "Lola, don't." She shook her head solemnly, almost pleading, silently urging Lola not to test Matthews any further.
Meanwhile, Ace could practically see his freedom waving goodbye. It had already been hard enough keeping his activities hidden from his parents—now he'd have to dodge the C.I.B. too? He felt like he was doing just fine on his own, and joining the agency would only weigh him down, just like how the once-great Crimson Eyes had been reduced to nothing more than an errand boy under Mrs. Martins's control.
As he brooded, his gaze drifted to Sonia, still on the floor, glaring at him with a deep grudge in her eyes like he was the one who had smacked her. Then, he noticed her mouthing something: I will expose you, dipshit!
Her eyes burned with determination as if exposing him had just become her life's mission. Black lines formed on Ace's forehead. Seriously? If he ever got the chance, he'd make sure to teach her a lesson.
"Get up and stop intimidating your fellow trainees," Matthews ordered, punctuating her words with a light kick to Sonia's side—fully aware of what she was up to.
Sonia scrambled to her feet, brushing herself off, but Matthews wasn't done. "Keep this up, and you'll find it very difficult to climb the ranks in the C.I.B.," she warned.
Then, turning her attention to Ace, she said, "If you care about your family, don't struggle—just follow my arrangements. I'll make sure they're proud of their son and his achievements. Otherwise…"
The threat hung in the air.
Ace's expression morphed into indifference as he silently stared at Matthews with a cold, eerily calm gaze. The room seemed to chill.
Matthews lifted an eyebrow, clearly amused. "There it is," she mused. "That's the look I was talking about. Tell me—there's nothing off about that boy?"
Delores sighed. "Well, you did just threaten his family," she pointed out, feeling like Matthews was going too far just to recruit Ace. It was clear to both her and Janice—Matthews had already decided to use him as a pawn in whatever scheme she was hatching, and escaping her clutches was going to be nearly impossible. Delores sighed knowing Ace's fate was sealed.
Just then, a voice echoed through the villa—a soft yet commanding tone that sent a shiver down their spines, "Warning. Enemy attack! I repeat—enemy attack!" It was Evil Eyes. His voice was loud enough to make everyone stop everything they were doing and pay their full attention.
AN: Fan give-back gift!
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