Chapter 79 : Lady Eiden
Miss Mika looked down at the mouse on her office desk, her gaze narrowing. A faint smudge glinted under the reflection of the light. She reached for her handkerchief and gently wiped the surface. Fingerprints.
Her brows furrowed. Why would Sasha use it? she thought, her hand halting midair. She hadn't noticed anything missing or moved out of place. Out of curiosity, she inspected the PC thoroughly, checking for tampered files or recent activity. Nothing stood out no new folders, no recently edited documents. Just the same clean, sterile system as always.
Puzzled, Mika leaned back slightly, her lips tightening as she pondered. A sudden knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. She turned. Standing by the door was Madam Sherly. Miss Mika straightened and walked over. "You need anything?" she asked with her usual composed tone.
Sherly smiled warmly. "I thought of reminding you the meeting that was supposed to be held tomorrow has been postponed. It will be shifted to the day after." Mika nodded, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "I see," she said. "Thank you for letting me know."
Sherly turned to leave but then stopped mid-step, as if remembering something. She glanced over her shoulder with a teasing glint in her eyes. "You can be a bit forgetful sometimes. If I hadn't been there, that poor student would have kept standing outside your door."
Miss Mika blinked, confused. "Student?" she echoed. Sherly chuckled. "You really should be careful. If you keep forgetting these things, random rumors might start floating around. Kids these days are surprisingly creative when it comes to spreading stories."
Mika's expression shifted subtly. "You opened the door for her?" "Yes," Sherly replied casually. "Is that a problem?" Mika shook her head quickly. "No, no problem. Thank you for helping out." Sherly smiled again. "No problem at all." She turned once more to leave but paused again, a faint wrinkle forming between her brows. "Wait... Her?"
Miss Mika tilted her head. "What do you mean?" "You just said 'her' right now," Sherly pointed out.
Mika blinked. "Yes. I did." Sherly's eyes widened in amusement. "Oh my. I could've sworn it was a male. The voice, the physique... everything gave off that impression. These days, it's hard to tell. Boys and girls look so similar, you know? I think the term they use is... transgender?"
Mika blinked, the word slipping over her like mist. She stared at Sherly, confused. "What do you mean?" she asked again, clearly missing the point. Sherly placed a hand on her hip, thinking. "That person had a tall frame. That's what made me assume it was a boy.and she looked like a boy in any angle even her voice , But now you say it was a her ? Hmm. Very strange."
Miss Mika's eyes flickered in confusion. Sasha? she thought. She's clearly a girl feminine, delicate, even beautiful in a classic way. How could Madam Sherly mistake her for a boy? She tilted her head, thinking hard.
"Was her hair pink?" Mika asked suddenly, a strange sense of unease curling in her stomach. Sherly looked thoughtful. "No, definitely not pink. It was a dark shade, maybe black or brown. Short hair. And she or he was rather tall. Good looking face too, if I may add. But very much seemed like a male to me."
"I think you saw someone else," Mika said slowly. "The papers were handed to a girl named Sasha, so whoever you saw couldn't have been her." Sherly raised her brows, then let out a chuckle. "Ahh, we almost made a guy into a girl. What a misunderstanding! I suppose I don't know her well. Maybe it was my first time seeing him."
Mika quietly processed this new information. If Sherly hadn't seen Sasha before, and mistook someone else for her… then who exactly had been outside her office?
She opened her mouth to ask for a name but stopped herself. Of course Sherly wouldn't know she hadn't recognized the person, and had assumed he was someone else entirely. Mika exhaled through her nose and offered a slight smile. "Thank you again for telling me about the meeting," she said softly. "I'll see you there." Sherly waved her hand casually. "It's nothing. Take care," she said, walking off.
Miss Mika turned, stepping back into her office, but halted at the threshold. Something didn't sit right. Her eyes slowly shifted toward the upper corner of the room, narrowing as she squinted. A black security camera blinked softly in the shadows.
Her mind raced. If the student outside wasn't Sasha, and Sherly mistook someone else for her... then who accessed my computer? She stood frozen, staring at the lens, thoughts spinning in every direction.
Meanwhile, in his room, Eiden lay flat on his bed, arms folded under his head as he stared blankly at the ceiling. His brain was a storm of thoughts. Puzzle pieces fitting together not neatly, but forcefully, jagged edges pressing against one another.
Miss Mika .He let out a breath. So it really was her... He closed his eyes briefly, then reopened them. The discovery on her computer the project in his name, his data, his work, tweaked and polished and submitted pointed squarely toward her. Somehow, she'd found it. Not only that, but she had improved it. Enhanced it. And likely submitted it to the professor on his behalf.
Why? He exhaled slowly. If she submitted it, she could have done it secretly. If she gave it to professor directly, He would definitely ask why she is the one submitting the project for Eiden's group a d after checking the project itself ,it would be a dead give away that Miss Mika might have done it instead, So she either let someone submit the project or she did it secretly before Professor could catch on . Hmm it seems she the culprit in afterall but how does that even harm me ?
That's when it hit him. Maybe she wasn't the culprit after all. Maybe she was a... benefactor. The word felt strange in his mind. But it fit. She had helped him. The project was accepted. His grade had gone up. Whatever she did whether out of guilt, kindness, or something else he had undeniably benefited from it.
Still, his stomach twisted with uncertainty.
"Would've been easier," he muttered, "if she was just trying to get revenge." His eyes darkened slightly. That possibility still lingered. His father Algir.
Eiden had barely started understanding the hidden threads of his family's past. But if Miss Mika was the same woman involved with his dad years ago... if she was his dad's ex-lover the one who nearly broke apart his parents' marriage then maybe, just maybe, this had something to do with that.
"Could it be guilt?" he murmured. "Guilt for what happened between them? Trying to make it up to his son?" He rolled to his side, a frown pressing deeper into his features. Or is it something else?
That uncertainty lingered. If her motive was different if it wasn't guilt or kindness then what?
What could Miss Mika possibly want from him? Eiden stared ahead, his thoughts clouding and unraveling all at once. For now, he had no answers. Just questions. So he exhaled, closing his eyes again. "Whatever it is," he muttered under his breath, "I just hope it's not something bad..."
And with that last thought, he let himself drift. The weight of confusion still hung in the room but at least for tonight, he hoped for rest.