"Fuck him!" Delores blurted her thoughts out aloud in panic before shoving Ace away from her—almost sending him flying across the room.
Luckily, Lola caught him just in time, using her dinosaur-like strength to cushion his fall with her plush costume.
"Great-grandma?!" Ace exclaimed in disbelief, his face twisted in an exaggerated expression of betrayal.
"Great-grandma?" Elinor repeated in horror, her gaze darting between Delores and Ace before she hesitantly asked, "Auntie, what kind of sick roles are you two playing?"
The entire lobby fell into dead silence. Only then did everyone start eyeing Delores suspiciously. But Janice? Her eyes were locked onto Ace.
"You lot are a disgrace to the family name," Barton scoffed in disgust, shaking his head as he turned to leave.
But before he could step away, Janice called out sharply, "Bart, wait!"
"What is it now—ahh!" As Barton turned around, Janice tapped his shoulder—her emerald ring glinting ominously. A sudden spark of energy shot from the gem into his body, and his legs instantly gave out beneath him. He collapsed to his knees, his face a mask of shock and disbelief, just in time to hear Janice say coldly, "You're lucky you have a good mother. Otherwise, this wouldn't have ended so easily."
Though Janice seemed satisfied, Elinor clearly wasn't done. With a mischievous glint in her eyes, she strolled up next to Barton—and without hesitation, drove her foot straight into his crotch. Barton let out a choked wheeze, curling forward in agony.
"Your father's an asshole—just like you," she said with a smug grin, stepping back as he writhed on the floor.
Meanwhile, Janice closed the distance between herself and Ace, her expression darkening. She leaned in, her voice low and dangerous.
"If you even think about taking advantage of her gratitude for saving her life, I will personally cut off your balls," She paused, letting the threat sink in before adding, "Mandy will understand."
Ace swallowed hard trying to make an excuse, "I was just kidding around—"
Janice didn't miss a beat and told him off as it was, "That wasn't a joke, you pervert."
"Hey, she isn't easy to read, alright?" Ace defended himself, his voice laced with frustration. "I had to do something drastic—shock her—just to get her out of that indifferent shell she likes to hide behind."
He ran a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply, he swore to prove his innocence, "I swear on myself, it wasn't about anything else."
Deep down, Ace knew what he did was morally questionable, but people like Delores? Once you got past their defenses, they were easy to influence. And right now, he needed a powerful and trustworthy watchdog for his family. So, given the chance? He didn't think twice about exploiting her sense of gratitude.
Janice's expression darkened, her voice sharp with accusation, "You're a damn wolf."
Her eyes bored into him, and Ace knew—she had seen right through him. She had been right about him from the start, and now she was kicking herself for giving him a second chance because of Mandy. She wouldn't make that mistake again.
"Cus, why are you freaking out so much?" Elinor cut in, completely unfazed. "It's about time Auntie found someone and settled down." Then, flashing Ace an encouraging grin, she gave him a thumbs-up, "Senior, I'm rooting for you!"
Silence filled the lobby. Everyone turned to her like she had just grown a second head.
Meanwhile, Delores let out a deep sigh, dragging a hand down her face in a mix of exasperation and sheer embarrassment, "Someone get her some tea." Her voice appeared tired as she added, "She has no idea what she's talking about."
Elinor blinked, confused by the sudden shifts in mood. Genuinely puzzled, she asked, "What? Did I say something wrong?"
Evil Eyes narrowed his gaze at her, sensing she had misunderstood something, so he asked, "How old do you think Ace is?"
Elinor shrugged, answering without hesitation, "I don't know… a few centuries old, maybe?"
A heavy silence settled over the room as realization dawned on everyone at once.
Janice snorted, shaking her head as she swept her gaze up and down Elinor in sheer disbelief, "Girl, you suck at your job. You might as well work at my resort and save yourself the embarrassment."
"If someone like her made it into the C.I.B., I'm starting to wonder if the boot camp is even worth stressing over," Sonia muttered, eyeing Elinor with obvious disdain.
Evil Eyes let out a sigh, rolling his eyes at her informing, "She's a nepo baby. Considering your redacted family info, I'd advise you to tread carefully—unless you're the president's bastard."
"Hey! I can hear you, asshole!" Elinor snapped, throwing her hands up. She wasn't even surprised anymore—just annoyed that people she didn't care for kept taking shots at her.
Before she could say anything else, an alluring voice cut through the chatter, instantly drawing everyone's attention, "Why the hell is the lobby so damn noisy?"
A hush fell over the room.
All eyes turned to the newcomer, but hers were fixed on Bart—who was still sprawled out on the floor like a discarded ragdoll.
She arched a brow at him and ordered, "Agent Flux Eyes, I don't think we're paying you to lie on your back. Get on your feet—even if your spine is broken."
Bart scrambled up so fast that it was almost embarrassing. In a panic, he adjusted his pants, trying to discreetly hide the very obvious bulge he was sporting.
"Senior Agent Man Hunter!" he greeted stiffly, snapping into a rigid stance. But she barely spared him a glance. Instead, she walked straight toward Ace.
Ace's expression immediately hardened. "What the fuck do you want?" he asked bluntly, narrowing his eyes as she closed in. He didn't trust her.
He didn't think she'd be stupid enough to attack him openly in public, but still—this was C.I.B. territory. He wasn't about to take any chances. With a flicker of intent, he had Doctor Druid share his senses again, just in case.
But before Agent Man Hunter could respond, a sharp warning cut through the tension.
"Stay ten feet away from him, or I will attack you," Delores' voice was low and firm, laced with an unmistakable threat.
She knew exactly who Man Hunter was—the fixer for Matthews. If something needed to be done quietly, efficiently, and without a trace, Matthews handed it off to Man Hunter. And she had never failed him.
Now, it all made sense to her why Ace had rushed to her side earlier, exhausted and drained, and she hadn't fully understood—until now.
Her eyes darkened in warning, "Don't test me."
"You McSuiles are getting bolder by the day." Man Hunter's voice was sharp, laced with irritation.
"To think you'd have the audacity to threaten a senior agent—inside the damn C.I.B. headquarters, no less." She took a step forward, her piercing gaze locking onto Delores. "Have you lost your damn mind?"
Most people would've backed down, but Delores stood her ground, her eyes burning with defiance. For a moment, the tension between them was grew, thick enough to choke the air out of the room.
But Man Hunter wasn't impressed. She let her gaze drift over Delores, head to toe, then scoffed, "Yeah. That's what I thought."
Satisfied with Delores' silence, she finally turned to Ace. "Trainee Ace," she said, her voice taking on a clipped, businesslike tone, "I'm here to collect your employment contract."