The elevator ascended in complete silence, the soft hum barely noticeable as the glowing walls reflected faintly in Ivy’s eyes. Her hand tightened, then loosened again, fingers twitching like she was trying to steady herself but couldn’t quite manage it.
Redy noticed imdiately. She didn’t look at her right away, but the shift in her breathing, the tension in her shoulders, it was obvious. "Don’t worry," she said calmly. "Everything’s going to work out fine."
Ivy nodded, but the movent lacked conviction. "I know," she replied, her voice low and tight. "I’m just... worried I’ll ss this up. Maybe you should go alone. I can wait outside." Her gaze dropped, avoiding hers.
Redy fully turned to her, studying the pink-haired artisan for a mont. This isn’t her. The confident edge she once carried was gone, replaced by hesitation. It’ll take ti... but I’ll bring her back. For now, though, this wasn’t the place.
What she was currently about to do required presence and certainty. Any crack would be noticed, and in a place like this, weakness wasn’t tolerated. Bringing Ivy along in her current state for this part of the mission would only drag them both down.
"Alright," Redy said after a brief pause. "You’ll wait in the waiting room. I’ll handle the rest." She extended her hand slightly. "Just give the flash drive."
Ivy hesitated for half a second, then reached into her pocket and placed the flash drive into her palm. Their fingers brushed briefly before she pulled back, as if unsure whether to say anything else.
Before either of them could continue, the elevator gave a soft chi. The doors slid open smoothly, revealing a floor far brighter than the rest of the building. Light pooled across the space, leaving no shadows to hide in.
This was it, the highest floor.
Where the manager of DD Enterprises waited.
Redy stepped forward without hesitation, the flash drive secure in her grip. Behind her, Ivy followed a few steps back.
Despite leading the Eden Group, Redy knew her influence here ant almost nothing. Gridlock was an upper-tier sector, and Eden’s reach barely extended this far. Their na had opened the building, but not this floor.
Getting here had required sothing else entirely.
Hacking.
Even in her current state, Ivy hadn’t failed. Her fingers had moved without hesitation earlier, breaking through layers of security like it was routine. Dejected or not, her talent hadn’t dulled. This had been effortless for her.
And now, they were standing where they weren’t supposed to be.
They stepped out together, their footsteps muted by the sa sound-absorbing flooring as below. Ivy slowed slightly, drifting behind Redy, letting her take the lead without needing to be told.
The entire floor was open and intentionally empty. Light filled every corner, leaving no shadows behind. Directly ahead sat the reception area, the only path forward before reaching the manager’s private office beyond.
There were no guards or visible security.
But that only made it worse.
Behind the desk sat the secretary. Her presence stood out imdiately. Her body was humanoid, but her head resembled that of a reptile, an alligator, or maybe a crocodile. Redy didn’t care enough to tell the difference.
What mattered were the eyes.
They narrowed the mont Redy approached.
Without breaking stride, Redy raised a hand slightly and pointed toward the waiting area. "Sit," she said quietly, not even turning her head. Ivy didn’t argue. She moved imdiately and took one of the empty seats.
The vacant chairs confird the fact that there was no appointnt or scheduled visitors for this ti.
Which ant their presence here wasn’t just unexpected, it was impossible.
By the ti Redy reached the desk, the secretary hadn’t spoken a single word. Her slit pupils remained locked on Redy, trying to understand how this breach had happened.
Redy t her gaze without hesitation.
"Tell your boss," she said flatly, her voice steady and controlled, "I’d like to see them."
The words landed hard.
For a second, the secretary didn’t react.
"What?"
The secretary’s reaction didn’t end with that single word. Her eyes sharpened as she leaned forward slightly, finally taking Redy in fully. Black power suit, fitted clean. Heels aligned perfectly. Hair tied into a precise bun. Nothing out of place.
Her gaze flicked briefly to Ivy in the waiting area. Sa story. Corporate attire. Composed posture. No obvious signs of intrusion. Which only made things worse. People who didn’t belong here weren’t supposed to look like they did.
She had seen this before.
Not the breach, but the attitude.
People who believed they deserved access. Investors chasing influence. Visionaries with unstable ideas. Desperate scamrs spinning lies they thought sounded convincing. It always ca down to one thing, her judgnt. She decided who wasted her boss’s ti.
Her eyes narrowed slightly as she leaned back into her chair.
"And why," she began slowly, voice sharpening with authority, "would the boss—"
"It’s about Project Orion."
Redy cut her off cleanly and the effect was imdiate.
The secretary’s pupils snapped tighter, her entire body going still for a fraction of a second. Then it happened. Her aura surged outward in a sudden wave, heavy and suffocating, filling the reception area without warning.
A Heavenly Lord.
The pressure hit fast, pressing down on the air itself.
Redy didn’t move.
She didn’t flinch. Didn’t step back. Her eyes remained locked forward on the secretary. Then, without urgency, she summoned her rapier, the weapon forming cleanly into her grip as if it had always been there.
"I guess," she said lightly, tilting her head a fraction, "it’s that ti of the month."
The insult landed.
Hard.
The secretary’s restraint snapped instantly. No warning this ti. No words. She lunged forward with explosive speed, her figure blurring as she closed the distance in a single, decisive strike.
****
Ivy hadn’t expected this.
She had taken her seat thinking Redy would talk her way through, find an opening and create an opportunity like she always did. Not this. Not a direct clash. Her fingers tightened against her knees as her eyes widened.
Rem... what are you planning?
The answer ca instantly.
The secretary closed the distance in a blur, her movent sharp and explosive, carrying the full weight of a Heavenly Lord. Her arm lashed forward with lethal precision, aiming to end the confrontation in a single strike.
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