"Whoa, isn't this a little too high-profile for a secret government agency?" Ace muttered, staring up in awe at the tallest building in the city.
"That's nothing compared to the other branch headquarters," Matthews replied, barely sparing the structure a glance as she strode toward the entrance. She was in a hurry and had no patience for protocol, so she forced security to skip the usual due diligence and waved Ace and the others inside.
Once in the lobby, she snapped her fingers at a nearby agent—a tall, lean woman standing at attention—asking, "Agent Big B, where is Agent Hundred Eyes?"
"Ma'am, she took a break—oh, there she is," Big B said, nodding toward a figure hurrying over the moment she spotted Matthews.
"Ma'am," Hundred Eyes saluted sharply as she stopped in front of them, standing at rigid attention.
Matthews narrowed her eyes at her, and with an intimidating voice, she questioned, "Be honest. Did you take a break to fool around with your cousin?"
Hundred Eyes flinched slightly but kept her posture straight and answered her honestly, "Yes, Ma'am." She knew she was in trouble—getting caught slacking off while serving disciplinary duty was bad enough, but lying about it? That would only make things worse.
After her best friend had ratted her out to the higher-ups—a.k.a. EAD Matthews—Hundred Eyes had been stripped of her previous duties and privileges. Until she earned back their trust, she was stuck serving as doorwoman for the branch headquarters.
As for Agent Big B, as the senior agent in charge, she had taken responsibility for Hundred Eyes' betrayal, shouldering the blame to prevent a complete overhaul of the surveillance department. Now, she too was stuck playing doorwoman. The only difference? Unlike Hundred Eyes, her pay and privileges remained untouched.
Honestly, they were both lucky they hadn't been imprisoned and still had their jobs, even if their titles had changed. Agent Big B figured they got off with nothing more than a slap on the wrist, mostly because Hundred Eyes was the little cousin of Crimson Eyes—not to mention her very influential family.
Matthews gave a curt nod before asking, "Who gave you permission to leave your post?"
Hundred Eyes felt the heat creeping up her neck. She was already sweating bullets, knowing she had gotten Agent Big B in trouble again. So, she did the only thing she could—she lied, "No one, ma'am."
Agent Big B's frown deepened. She stepped forward, ready to take responsibility, but before she could speak, a lazy voice cut through the tension, "Mrs. Martins, leave her alone."
EAD Matthews' eyes narrowed as she turned to face the speaker. Ace stood there, completely unfazed by her glare.
"This doesn't concern you," she warned.
Hundred Eyes' breath hitched when she saw him. Him. The reason for all of this. The boy who was the spark that lit fire in her heart and mind that made her betray the C.I.B.'s trust, the catalyst for her fall from grace. She never thought she'd see him again, let alone standing here in the lobby of their headquarters—and daring to give their boss orders.
Ace ignored Matthews completely and strolled toward Hundred Eyes, his expression unreadable. He extended a hand with a sincere smile as he introduced himself to her, "Hi, I'm Ace Lander. It's good to finally meet you in person."
Hundred Eyes hesitated. She shouldn't, but something about the way he looked at her made it impossible to refuse. Slowly, she reached out and shook his hand, locking eyes with him.
"Hi," she said, the words slipping out before she could think twice. "I'm Elinor McSuile. Are you here to register?"
She froze the moment she said it. Elinor McSuile. She never gave her birth name or surname to anyone. But for some reason, staring into his eyes, it had come out on its own.
Hearing her ask him to register with the government, a subtle smile tugged at Ace's lips. Holding her hand in both of his, he shook it gently and said, "It's gonna be fun working with you, Eli."
Then, letting her hand go he turned to Matthews suggesting, "Mrs. Martins, why don't you go ahead and draw up the contract? Agent Elinor here will lead us to the auction hall."
Matthews' face twisted with barely restrained rage. 'This brat…' He had just undermined her in front of her own agents, but she wasn't stupid—his words carried a clear message. He still hasn't signed the employment contract. It was up to her to make sure he didn't change his mind.
Trying to suppress her irritation, Matthews refused to even look at Ace. Instead, she glanced at Elinor and ordered, "Take them to the auction. And make sure he doesn't get himself into trouble. Can I trust you with this?"
"Yes, ma'am!" Elinor responded swiftly before saluting to excuse herself. She then gestured for Ace to follow, giving a nod to Delores and Evil Eyes as well.
As they neared the elevator—now out of Matthews' immediate line of fire—Elinor's demeanor shifted. She grew noticeably chipper and turned to Delores asking, "Auntie, are you here looking for Sister?"
Delores let out an exhausted sigh, 'Great. Just what I needed—another headache on top of Ace.' But since it had already come up, she might as well deal with it. She was the only one who dared to address her as aunt among the McSuile family's direct-line descendants earning the entire main family and core retainers' disatifaction including her own father. Delores had forgotten the number of times she had asked her to not address her as such but the latter did not listen saying, 'You are grandpa's eldest child, that makes you my aunt.' She was trouble.
"Yes," she admitted, rubbing her temples. "Tell us where she is, and we'll find her ourselves. You proceed to take him to the auction. Just focus on your duties—you're already in enough trouble as it is. You know your father's temper better than anyone."
Elinor grinned not taking offense to Delores's exaggerated reactions, "She's at the auction too. I'll lead you guys directly to her box. I am sure she would not mind an extra guest." She added the last sentence glancing at Ace.
However, to her astonishment, Ace's head snapped toward Delores, eyes narrowing. The latter, however, remained perfectly unbothered, offering a shrug as she said, "You never asked about Janice."
Elinor lifted an eyebrow in surprise, her gaze flicking between the two of them. Seeing how close they were left her momentarily stunned. Knowing Delores' personality, that was not something she expected to see. She could not help but grow more curious about him.