NOVEL WEB Chapter 105: Terrible Spot
"That was excellent work back there in Ohio," Grey said, with genuine appreciation, as Quinn stood before his desk.
"Thank you, sir. I made arrangements with the mayor, and it's safe to say our tracks are completely covered," Quinn replied, sounding rather confident.
Grey nodded slowly, leaning back in his chair. "I understand why you had to stay behind, good call on that. Once again, outstanding job, and welcome back to base."
Quinn acknowledged the praise with a brief nod, then her expression shifted slightly. "I heard Dorian Graves is back."
Grey sighed deeply, shaking his head as the weight of it settled on his shoulders. "Yeah…"
"Alright," Quinn said simply, not pushing for details or offering unsolicited advice.
As she turned to leave, Grey found himself genuinely surprised. "You won't say anything more about the situation?" he asked, expecting some kind of input from someone who'd been part of the combined efforts against Graves' faction three years ago.
Quinn paused, turning back to face him. "No, sir. I believe whatever decision you make will be right or for a reason, and I'll leave it at that."
Grey nodded at her response, watching as she gave a slight bow. "Sir," she said formally before turning and walking out of the room.
Once alone, Grey spun his chair around to face the large office window, with his gaze drifting through the glass as he got stuck in thoughts.
...
A sleek black Bentley sedan drove through the gates of the USOV premises, coming to a smooth stop near the main entrance. From the driver's seat stepped Ayan Dan, with her presence immediately commanding attention.
She wore an elegant corporate dress, and had her dark hair cascading over her shoulders while designer sunglasses concealed her eyes as she strode toward the building.
Inside the lobby, heads turned and conversations quieted as she stepped in. She paused near the entrance, her hidden gaze sweeping the area methodically, searching for someone specific.
Kent descended the stairs from the upper level, approaching her with some form of courtesy he reserved for high-ranking visitors, "Mrs. Ayan..." he began, but she cut him off before he could finish his greeting.
"Where is he?" she asked, still scanning the lobby without looking at Kent directly.
"Where is who?" Kent replied, genuinely confused by her abrupt question.
"The agent, Liam," she said, finally turning her attention to him when her visual search proved fruitless.
Kent's expression brightened as he tried to maintain a cheerful tone. "Ah, well, Liam hasn't clocked in today. Is there a particular reason you're looking for him, Vice President Ayan?"
Ayan glanced at her wrist watch, then looked back at Kent without acknowledging his question. "I see. So when will he be in?"
"Well, he isn't like the regular agents," Kent explained. "There's no set schedule for him unless he's actually needed for something specific. But please, come with me to the Director's office—you can wait there if you'd like." he said whilst gesturing toward the upper floors.
"No, don't worry. I'll be back," she said curtly, turning away and heading back toward the exit.
Just as Ayan opened her car door to leave, a figure descended from the sky, landing gracefully within the compound's perimeter. That was Liam, just the right person she was looking for.
Ayan closed her car door and walked toward him, her expression unreadable behind the dark glasses, though her next words made her mood crystal clear. "I nearly had that delivery company destroyed this morning until they showed me you'd signed off on it. I promised I'd be back if you said otherwise when I got here."
"What the—" Liam began, visibly shocked by both her presence and her words. Before he could fully process what was happening, Ayan interrupted him. "Did you get my invitation?"
Liam extended his right palm slightly to the side, and what appeared to be thin air suddenly produced a small brown box, though in reality, he was retrieving it from his inventory storage system.
"I was going to return it…" he said, his voice trailing off awkwardly.
Ayan stared at the seemingly impossible display for a moment before her anger flared again. "So you did get my invitation and decided to stand me up?"
"I wanted to—" Liam began, sweat beginning to form on his forehead as he struggled to find the right words.
"People have suffered much worse consequences for far less," Ayan snapped, cutting him off mid-sentence.
"No, I… uhm…" Liam fumbled for an explanation, but his thoughts scattered under her intense scrutiny.
Ayan pulled off her sunglasses with her left hand, revealing eyes blazing with fury, and jabbed her right index finger into his chest. "You may be very powerful, Agent Liam, but you're also arrogant and rude!"
Without another word, she spun on her heel and marched back to her car, with this radiating annoyance. The Bentley's engine roared to life as she reversed out of the parking area and sped through the compound gates, leaving a cloud of dust in her wake.
Liam stood there holding the gift box, watching helplessly as the woman he'd apparently deeply offended disappeared into the distance, taking with her any chance he might have had to explain himself or make things right.
For a moment he tried to process what had just happened, then shook his head with a heavy sigh. He'd never found himself in a situation quite like this before, especially as the only woman who had ever raised her voice at him was his sister, and even then it had been over trivial things.
With a mental command, he dismissed the delivery box back to his inventory and walked toward the building's entrance.
Grey had been watching the entire scene unfold from his office window on the upper floor, and now he positioned himself in the corridor, waiting. The moment Liam stepped through the doors, Grey's voice cut through the silence. "Whatever that was, kid, try not to make an enemy of Ayan Dan."
Grey shook his head with a weary sigh before turning back toward his office.
Liam let out another long breath, muttering "Man…" under his breath as he shook his head and shifted his attention toward the lobby, wondering how his day had began with such an unexpected turn.