Operation: Saving Grayson Hoffman

Kendall was forty minutes late for work. She had never been late, or so she thought, until now. It was rather unfortunate for her to overlook the time today. Surely, the chief will go berserk because of this. Since she was young, her parents, especially her grandfather, always instilled in her to be punctual, whether it was required or not. After all, it was her grandfather who had inspired her to pursue law enforcement. When Cyrus found out about it, he was absolutely ecstatic that he was the one who insisted on letting her train at one of the finest and most prestigious police academies in the country, Milanon National Police Academy. Her persistence and passion for her work also gave her an opportunity to study and train in other countries that specialized in physical, technical, and intellectual skills. However, this didn’t stop Kendall from learning more. Despite her grandfather’s position and connection to the police force, she still believed that she has to work hard to attain her goals without the help of anyone. She knew that resiliency, diligence, and obedience are the key factors in reaching the top. Apparently, she also knew that she still has to go the extra mile compared to others. As soon as she reached the office, Kendall was immediately greeted by her colleagues, who were mostly men. It wasn’t a shock for her to be dominated by over-induced testosterone and unctuous machismo, as she already had a fair share of experiences when she was still studying at MNPA. A blonde blue-eyed man headed in her direction. His thick yet perfectly tapered eyebrow raised in amusement. “Ah, never thought I would have witnessed Janice-on-the-spot coming at fifty o’clock. What’s got you a day late and a dollar short?” Noah Green, one of her colleagues, who was part of the special intelligence division, welcomed her with a mockery. Unlike her other colleagues, who looked like they wore wearing the same clothes they had while sleeping, Green’s attire was something that came straight out of EZ magazine. “Still beat the clock, Inspector Green. Ya’ thought I’d chickened out?” Kendall rebutted, slightly lifting her brows. Lifting the cuff sleeves of Alberto Milano’s buttoned-up shirt onto his arms, Noah gave her a black coffee straight out of the vending machine. “Here you go. Anyway, the boss wants to see you ASAP.” Smelling the earthy-ground scent of the coffee, she smiled. 'Ah, finally. I can get my caffeine,' she thought. Coming back to her senses, her brows creased. “Yeah, he called me. Must have been one of the pending cases. That shit, Monroe is tough as a knuckle. He got me in snaps.” Noah laughed in hilarity. "Fucking tweeds! Those shitheads are a pain in the ass. I’ve once been hit in the face by a fucking vibrator. Didn’t know where it came from as it flew over me.” His face then morphed to utter bewilderment, as if he went back in the reel to when the event had happened. Kendall gagged with horrification. “That’s disgusting. I’d lose it if it happens to me.” Their other co-worker, Officer Jim Cuevas, joined in while carrying a box of fast food fries in his arms. He wore his blue-teal uniform beneath his stubby cheeks, smiling under the stash of a trimmed mustache. “Ah, here’s my favorite Janice! Where were you? I was surprised to see your desk vacant before the shift starts.” He combed his wet hair with his palms while tucking the box of fries into his other arm. Janice was the nickname given to her by her colleagues. It was actually penned by Chief Spencer because Kendall always arrived at the office even before their shift started. At first, Kendall was a bit awkward when she heard them calling her that. It felt weird and unnecessary. However, she had become accustomed to it as time passed by. “Yeah. I really tried to come late knowing you’ll ask me to do the stuff you should be working on,” she refuted while stealing some fries from Jim. Among her co-workers, Jim was the laziest. Kendall always saved his ass whenever he got stuck in a situation. Initially, she did it out of kindness, but he tolerated it so much that Kendall became annoyed. “Come on! Those are my good fries, Whitlock!” Jim contested disapprovingly as he looked dejectedly at the remaining sloppy fries. “Beat it, Cuevas. I’m just getting what you owed me. Besides, I’m doing you a favor in getting back to shape,” she chided lightly, teasing him. Noah chuckled while patting his back. “Damn, Cuevas! You got owned by Whitlock!” Meanwhile, Jim scoffed. “I still got my A-game, a’right.” Tapping his bulging stomach at them, he proudly added, “This labonza can still beat the shit out of anyone.” Kendall only rolled her eyes. Until now, she still didn’t get why men have always had to prove their masculinity when most of them get their balls in a twist during raids. “Jim’s a fucking nut.” Noah took a swig of his coffee while his eyes were fixated on Jim, who was marching back to his desk. She smirked, agreeing with his statement. “Tch, tell me about it. Catch up with you later. I’ll head up to Chief.” Noah retracted from the white walls he was leaning against. “Wanna grab some decker later at lunch?” He shouted across the room while watching her ambling towards the main door. Without looking back, Kendall responded. “Yeah, sure. As long as it’s your treat.” He only gave her a joshing smile while he stood beside her table, observing her from afar. ... When she opened the door of the meeting room, a tall, dark, sturdy man was already sitting at the head table. His face looked like he was about to dig a grave for her demise. With his arms crossed to his chest, he glared at her deplorably. “I’ve never been so disappointed with you before, Whitlock, until now. You were an hour late for the meeting. If you think this is fine since it’s your first time, then let me tell you that once you’re late again, there will be repercussions,” Spencer warned. Kendall gulped nervously as she stood behind the wall. “I apologize, sir. Gramps was sick this morning, leaving me with no choice but to attend to him since my mom wasn’t available at the moment. I did, however, drive here right away as soon as I realized you were calling. I promise it won’t happen again, chief.” She knew she had lied to Chief Spencer. However, it was all she could ever think of at the moment, knowing that he was close to her grandfather. “Close the lights and sit,” he briefly replied. Nodding, she quickly moved towards the switch and walked to the nearest seat in front of the chief. She then noticed the files that were placed on the table. 'Looks like a new case.' Spencer had given her cases before, but this was the first time she was brought to the meeting hall for a case. Usually, this happens when the cases are confidential or high-profile. Realizing it, she couldn’t control the excitement her nerves were feeling. “This is your new case, Whitlock.” He threw the documents in front of her as he opened the projector with the controller. 'Pirus Case?' Kendall asked herself. She began skimming through the pages, reading the important information regarding it. “You’re giving this to me, chief?” She inquired incredulously, as this was the first time Spencer had let her handle a high-profile case. His eyebrow lifted out of curiosity. “Want me to take it back, Janice?” Kendall chortled. “Course not. I can handle this, chief.” “Good. Going back, Pirus is one of the most notorious criminal organizations in the district. They’ve been involved in drug trafficking, possession of firearms, and kidnapping for over seven years. Two years ago, some of them were caught in a bank heist. No one confessed, and all were brought to jail.” She tried to listen to him, but her excitement surged that all her concentration on the assignment was dispelled. “Hmm, yes, I’ve heard that, chief. Good thing they got them.” “A year ago, an intel from the Milanon Precinct revealed that three of their men had been transacting drugs inside the cell. This made their network even larger, reaching to other countries,” Spencer continued. “Damn, those fuckers,” she commented again. Chief Spencer gave her a sigh. “You do realize that this is not like any case you have encountered. Pirus is very dangerous. Their connections expanded even to local and rural municipalities—” Kendall’s eyes shone with enthusiasm. “Oh, nice! Exciting!” He cocked his head, shaking it with exasperation. “Shut it, Whitlock. Would you like me to continue this—or should I let you do the talking?” “So, this is it, right? You’ll let me handle this?” Kendall asked again. Spencer stopped for a moment, pursing his lips with contemplation. Then, after a minute, he gave Kendall another file. “Technically, yes, on the whole scale, but this one will be your focus.” She grabbed the file from the table and opened it. Kendall saw a picture of an eighteen-year-old man who looked like a guy who never went out in the sun. In an instant, she recognized him as the guy she had helped a while ago. Who wouldn’t when he looked like someone who had been genetically altered to become the example of a perfect species of the male popula? Kendall noticed his hair differed from this photo. Recently, his hair was jet-black, short to the sides but longer at the top. Everything about him displayed aristocracy with his sharp-pointed nose and steel-grey eyes. Grunting from displeasure, she uttered, “Whoa! Seriously, chief? I know this guy. He’s the epitome of all jackasses.” “You’re complaining? If you don’t want to do it, then you can walk out of this damn office forever.” Spencer breathed out with contempt. “No, I do! This is great, chief! I can handle him. I just recognized him, that's all!” She feigned a smile. 'Ah shit, can I really?' she then thought to herself. Reading the file, she scanned through the details. Grayson Hoffman. Male, eighteen-year-old, five foot nine, heir to a billion-dollar company, studying at the University of Milanon. Hobbies are car racing, clubbing, and gaming. He also has a girlfriend named Abigail Vanderbilt, who was a popular supermodel. “Hey, I know this girl! Wow, so that means that he’s rich, handsome, and got a supermodel chick beside him?! Some kids have it easy!” Kendall remarked while looking through his profile. Shouting, Spencer's gaze flicked upward. “I said shut up and listen to me first, Whitlock!” Chief Spencer continued. “Your assignment is Grayson Hoffman. A college student who’s already in his sophomore year taking economics at the University of Milanon. The kid is also the sole heir to a multi-billion-dollar oil enterprise that was founded by his grandfather.” Pursing her lips, she asked, “So, how am I going to get close to him?” The chief then pulled out another file. He gave it to Kendall, and she grabbed the folder immediately. Looking through, another name was printed on the document next to her picture, and it was Hailey Madison. “You’ll be Hailey Madison. You’ll go undercover under that name as a college student at the University of Milanon. Your assignment is to get closer to him and gather information about him and the people around him. But above all, his safety is your main priority,” Spencer explained. Kendall was surprised when she heard Spencer's explanation. The University of Milanon was one of the most prestigious schools in the country that was exclusively for smart students. “Do I have to take an entrance exam? Will I be in the same year as this kid?” she asked again. He clasped his fingers together, perching them on top of the table. “Out of all the things I told you, that’s the lamest thing you could ask. Everything is prepared, so you don’t have to worry about that. As for your other question, yes, you will be in the same year and in the same classes. You have the same schedule, so make sure you follow him around. You were pitched out by the team to do this case, as you’re the youngest in our department. The higher-ups also chose you for this job as they have regarded your work highly." "But chief! I don't think I can... I mean, you're basically making me go back to my school years! Are there no other cases for me? I might blow this one when I open my mouth or take the exams! Only geniuses attend that school!" Spencer stared at her eyes directly with a stern gravity in his voice. “Inspector Whitlock, shut your mouth and take this seriously. Think of your grandfather. This might bolster your promotion.” Kendall pouted, hesitantly saying, “Fine, geez... I won’t let you down.” ... The night was young as the crowd of students filled the entire race track. With their arms in the air, and their bodies sweating against the loud banging of the music, growling and roaring cars were flexed as their tires grated against the newly painted asphalt. At this time, Grayson Hoffman was sitting on the hood of his parked car with a beer in his hand. As he took a swig of it, his friend, Chester, walked over. “Sup, Gray! You beat the shit out of my baby, dude.” Grayson only smirked as he raked his fingers through the locks of his hair. Chester then looped his arms over his shoulder. “I’ll make sure that I’ll win next time.” Batting his eyes in disbelief, Grayson chuckled. “I’d like to see you try, fucker.” Grayson has never lost before, not even once. For him, the racetrack is his road, his way, and the red carpet to his kingdom. After all, he has everything. “By the way, you look like shit, dude. Seems like you’re about to destroy anyone who tries to step on you, lest talk to you a while ago,” Chester suddenly commented. “The fucking dingos whom I beat yesterday attacked me earlier at Farforth Street. I was having fun letting them talk shit while I waited for my turn, but a fucking woman intervened us by taking what’s mine,” he sneered. It was supposed to be his victory if only that nosy woman with idiotic-heroesque tendencies hadn’t interfered with his plan. Then, all of a sudden, as he scanned the entire field, he saw a voluptuous, attractive woman coming toward him. His mood rose slightly when Sandra greeted him with a smooch. “Hey, Gray. You’ve crushed it!” “Wanna go with me for a ride?” Grayson slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. “If you're the one I'll be riding, sure..." She smiled languidly. "Cool," his deep voice echoed icily. Grayson opened the door of his car, with Sandra following him on the other side. As soon as he ignited the engine, he whirled his steering wheel, driving away from the racetrack. Chester and his other friends watched them leave as his car rocketed down the road. “Goddamn it, Grayson! I don’t know how he'd bag these girls so easily. Sometimes, I wanna beat the shit out of him because of that,” Chester commented while watching the two of them proudly displaying their obscenity. Will patted Chester’s shoulder and gestured with his palms below his chin, pointing at his face. “You gotta have this, bro, or that,” he suggested, pointing at the Porsche car beside his BMW. Anton, one of Grayson’s friends, added while walking toward him, “Brace yourselves, fuckers! Abigail will probably pester us with calls the entire night."

Under the sheets of the frowzy-rancid duvet, Sandra drew out her astraddle legs from his lower limbs. Licking her wet lips, she moved towards the vacant space beside him. While his arms were raised as a support to his head, she leaned back to meet his sweaty and firm chest. “Can I see you again tomorrow, babe?” she requested while tracing the hard planoconvex of his pecs. “Yeah, sure. Whatever,” he responded with aloofness. For Grayson, she was a decent fuck, but nonetheless, an empty slut whom he just used to indulge in his proclivities. It was actually a good thing he got to rut out tonight after all the shit that had happened today. And that’s what he really liked about her—She’s on the dole whenever he needed to get off. Thrilled, Sandra looped a smile. “Great. Same time tomorrow, babe.” She drifted to his face for a kiss. However, before her lips could meet his, he turned away to look at his watch. “Ah, fuck,” he grunted, realizing that he had to be somewhere tonight. Disappointed by his sudden aversion, she shrugged. “Why? What happened?” In a hurry, Grayson stood from the hotel’s bed and quickly grabbed his car keys, instantly dropping Sandra onto the cushion. “I have to go.” It startled her, which made her look up at him while he rummaged on the floor, picking up his clothes that were scattered. “Wait, fuck! What about me, Gray?” She pinned the duvet to her naked body. While slipping his foot inside his blucher mocs, he answered, “Can’t drive you home tonight, Sandra. I have something to do. You can hitch out another ride if you want.” Her fervent expression soon morphed into contempt. “Are you fucking serious? You’re going to leave me behind here after I fuck you?” Grayson ignored her remonstration. Instead, he fished out a wallet from his pockets. “Here.” Throwing the cash on the bed, he added, “Take a cab, a bus, or whatever. I don’t care. See you later.” Sandra’s eyes bristled with agitation. Moving her lips sideways, she parted them, trembling. “You fucking piece of—” Before Grayson could hear the last word of her anger, he shut the door close. Upon getting to his car, Grayson grabbed his phone that was settled in the coin’s drawer. Pushing its button, the screen lit up with Abigail’s handful of messages. Swiping those out of his notifications, Grayson ignored them like he didn’t give any concern at all. He then inserted his keys into the ignition, released the handbrake, and turned the stirring wheel. Pulling out of the parking space, he drove away back to their mansion in Caddel Subdivision. Caddel Subdivision was one of the exclusive subsidiaries in this city. Living there had its own perks for the owners. They are free to use the amenities and facilities like the golf course, clubhouse, and casinos. Only a few men of the higher classes can afford to own this kind of real estate. After a couple of minutes, Grayson arrived home. Stopping in front of the wide steel gutter, he pushed the button of the intercom on the bricked column. “Open the door.” He moved back to his seat as soon as he heard the alarm turn on. Automatically, the gates were opened, letting his car drive inside. When he got to the driveway, he left it there as one of his stewards offered him to valet his car back to the garage. “Thanks,” he said while throwing the keys at him. Ambling through the spacious trimmed-grass landscape, he was greeted by a huge cape-cod manor. From the outside, it looked like an imposing residence where only the hefty ones could live. It had white pane walls with over arching windows on both sides and the center. The roofs were made with solar panels, while its doors were made of Milanon sandalwood. A wood that was so rare to acquire by any supplier. With the stained-glass chandelier’s light burning across the windows of the foyer, Grayson’s eyes flinched. He thought that though the house looked majestic, as always. It was still empty and lifeless. As he went inside, a winding staircase stood in front of him, which was fully flourished and cleaned. He walked across the hall, going to the left side of the manor, where the kitchen was. When he got there, the lights were already shut off. Soon, he saw a petite old woman coming over. She greeted him as she paced around the kitchen counter. “You’re back, Sir Grayson.” Pulling out a chair from the minibar, he asked, “Can you get me some sparkling water?” The maid nodded. “Sure, right away, sir.” After a couple of seconds, the maid went back with two bottles of water that came right out of the fridge. “Thanks.” He grabbed it while facing the wide pool area near the dining area to get back to his room. As he sauntered to the elevator, which was a few feet away from the dining table, he went up to the fifth floor, where his room was located. While heading towards his room, dim-lit lights shone above and on the sides of the carpeted walls. As he went to the dark entryway in the right wing of the manor, Grayson noticed that the thick, soundproof door of the theatre was opened. He then immediately closed it with the aforethought that one of their servants must have been watching inside a while ago. “Sneaky bastards,” Sighing heavily, he went ahead to his room. ... Everyone who knew Grayson thought he had it all. Looks, brains, money, and even love. However, not everyone knew he became an orphan at a young age. It was unfortunate for an eight-year-old kid to witness both of his parent’s death with his mother dying from an acute illness, and his father from a shooting incident. From then on, his grandfather took him to his house and became his legal guardian. Grayson didn’t know if what happened to him actually brought him some luck. He didn’t want to think of that as his parent’s death left him with utter devastation. However, his grandfather, who’s his only family, spoiled him to death in spite of his busy life. He was given everything that he wanted, even if sometimes his requests were quite impossible. Because of this, he grew up to be a complaisant and obedient, yet irritable kid who was shockingly smart and responsible. However, despite all of what he had, he always felt alone. When he got to his room, he immediately went to the shower to cool off. After putting on his clothes, he grabbed his accounting book to study. Some people might think of him as a breezy, entitled guy who always got what he wanted, but actually, in reality, he was just a normal fellow who also strived to ace his studies. He knew he needed it, as someday he’d have to take over their business. ... The next morning, Kendall immediately dialed Charlotte’s number. Charlotte had been her friend way back in high school. Charlotte was the complete opposite of her. If Kendall’s the type of lady who doesn’t care about her appearance, Charlotte is the embodiment of beautification. However, despite that fact, she always got Kendall’s back whether it involved Kendall's eccentric work-life or not, Charlotte was there to help her. Now, this young woman manages a bakery. Pacing back and forth to her room, Kendall asked, “Hey, Char. I need a favor. Are you busy?” “Why? You need anything?” she countered in the line. Kendall bit her lips. “Well, yes. Anyway, can you bring some trendy or, I don’t know, fashionable clothes that young people frequently wear?” Charlotte chuckled. “What the fuck? What’s happening to you Kels? Am I still talking to my best friend whom I know never-ever took an interest in anything related to fashion?” “Please! Help me out here, Char. I need it,” Kendall pleaded. Charlotte asked inquisitively, “Why do you need it badly? Have you decided to join pageantry? You know, I’m telling you all over again that you should. So, why now?” “No, Char. I’m not joining any pageants or contests,” she groaned slightly. Kendall loved her best friend, but sometimes Charlotte can be a total cray cray. “Then, what?” Charlotte stingily queried. Her eyes rose to look at the ceiling. “I... I have... It’s for my job. Just go now!” Kendall heaved a sigh. “Okay! You know I’m not your slave that you can ask around anytime,” Charlotte reminded her. She groaned slightly. “God, I know. Promise, I’ll treat you to lunch or dinner.” “How about you help me market my cupcakes?” her friend offered. Kendall pursed her lips. Exhaling, she replied, “Yeah, sure. Of course.” She imagined her friend’s smile on the other side of the line. “Great! I’ll be there in a jiffy!” The call ended and Kendall went back to her cabinet to search for appropriate clothes to wear for her undercover assignment. Digging to every piece of clothing, all she could ever find are leather jackets, jeans, black tees, and boots to pair with. “Ugh... Why don't I have anything colorful?” She grabbed the only formal and decent attire she had. A button-up shirt and a pencil skirt that she wore when she had an interview back then. She tried to look at them in the mirror but was dejected by the thought of using them when she imagined herself wearing them inside the campus of UM. Her face instantly sank. “Argh, I definitely don’t look like a college student with this.” She threw them to the floor and slumped her back to the bed. “I’m definitely gonna ruin this.” All of a sudden, her door creaked open. It was Charlotte, carrying luggage full of clothes. She slapped Kendall’s legs lightly as she placed her luggage beside the bed. “Is this a house or a garbage dump? Seriously, Kendall! You need to learn how to clean by now!” Her friend opened with a bang. In an instant, her eyes shimmered with joy. “Help me dress up, please!” “Then get up, loser. I’m here. What do you need? I don’t know what you need specifically that's why I brought everything.” She opened her luggage and various dresses, tees, and clothes were neatly arranged inside the compartments. Kendall’s eyes went agape. “Wow, this is a lot, Char! Do you wear all of this?” “Some, I have worn once but I don’t feel like using them again. Others, I have worn twice or more. So, anyway, going back, what style do you prefer? Young people today wear clothes that manifest their personality. It’s all about being unique today,” Charlotte explained. The edge of Kendall's lip lifted like she wasn’t really sure how to respond. “I just needed something that will help me get into the zone with teens today. I don’t know, maybe a style that looks expensive? Is there such a thing like that?” Her friend snorted. “Ugh, okay. Let me look at you first. Will you stand up?” Kendall obeyed without complaining. Charlotte examined her clothes, and she was wearing an oversized shirt and loose sweatpants. 'Yeah, I look like a fucking hipster,' Kendall thought while picking on her nose. Charlotte shook her head disapprovingly. “God, I don’t know how we became friends because you’re totally helpless, Kel.” Kendall's mouth fell open. She clasped her palms together, pleading again for Charlotte to help her. “What? Come on! Please, Char... ” Charlotte then handed her a dark auburn tulle blouse that was loose in the arms but tight in the waist. “Alright, come here. Wear this.” “And this,” her friend added giving her a lush-pink tweed suit. Kendall raised her brows. “This is short. I can see my legs with this.” “What? You got nice legs! You should parade that. If I have legs like yours, I would use them to my advantage,” Charlotte rebutted. “But it’s too short…” she said, hesitatingly. Charlotte raised her arms wide open, resting them on her hips. “Do you want my help or not?” In resignation, Kendall backed down. “Okay. I’ll wear this.” She headed to the bathroom to put it on. After a couple of seconds, she went back to where Charlotte was. “I can feel the wind on my thighs with this!” she protested. However, Charlotte clapped her hands in excitement. “Perfect! It looks good on you!” Before Kendall could say anything, Charlotte pulled her towards the desk, where her make-up set was currently placed. Seizing the brush from her set, she said, “Now, we do your make-up.” “Can we make it super light? I can’t stand it. The last time I wore it was on graduation and it was frigging itchy,” Kendall requested while looking at herself in the mirror. Charlotte rolled her eyes. “God, you’re so fussy! Just let me do this, alright?” “Okay, take it away. I’m at your mercy, Char.” Charlotte laughed at her joke. After a couple of minutes, her friend had finished doing her make-up. Charlotte let Kendall stand from her seat and pushed her towards the mirror. “Here you go.” She smiled, tucking the curls of Kendall’s hair to frame her face. Kendall was shocked to see her face while putting on the spy earpiece. She never thought that her face could morph into someone who was totally unrecognizable. Her thick brows were trimmed neatly, her ordinary lips became plump, and her dead eyes looked like a mesmerizing reflection of perfection. “Whew! Damn girl, you're hot! Never thought my face can leap its limit of ordinariness.” Kendall gave herself a smug smirk while staring at her long, dainty legs and slender waist. Charlotte crossed her arms. “You owe me.” Kendall chortled at her response. “Yeah, I do. As long as it’s not attending to one of your blind dates.” Her friend laughed. “I won’t. Promise.” Meanwhile, Kendall spoke through the earpiece to get to the other line. Her colleague, Inspector Noah Green, answered. “Ready, Whitlock?” “Yup. I will be at the location at 9.” Noah Green was the chosen inspector to assist her throughout the case. He was tasked with aiding her in the process of her going as an undercover university student at UM. It was actually a good thing that he was the one who will be with her. As such, Green was one of her closest co-workers in the department. As soon as Kendall had finished packing, she called Charlotte again to drive her off to the university. “Char, can I have another favor?” Done fixing, she returned her question. “What again?” “Can you drop me off at UM?” Sheepishly, she smiled. Incredulously, she asked, “You’re studying again? Is that why you need my help in styling you?” “Kind of? Yeah. It's confidential.” Charlotte growled. “Ugh, fine! Whatever, I don't care. You owe me big time, Kendall.” “I know. I know. You're the best!” Kendall responded delightfully. ***** As soon as they reached the university, Kendall went out of her friend’s car and bid her goodbye. She then looked around and noticed the diverse group of people. What she thought about the university being an exclusive school soon vanished when she saw clusters of students that looked like they came from different countries and social classes. However, one thing is for sure, and that is all of these students are smart. With this, Kendall felt intimidated because she didn’t know how to fit in. She then walked around the campus with her schedule in hand. Her first subject was at the Alaric building and a few minutes away from the main building. When she got to the room, Kendall recognized that there were already twenty students waiting for the professor. Reaching the corner of the room, she located her target, Grayson Hoffman. "Target in sight," she whispered to the mic. "Copy, Inspector, be subtle with your approach," Noah replied. With no hesitation, she immediately went to him to introduce herself. “Hi! I’m Hailey!” She brightly greeted him, offering her hand to him while sitting at his side. Grayson turned to look at her but gave her a dead gaze, like he wasn’t interested in talking to her. He didn’t say anything and went back to focusing on the book he was reading. Kendall puckered with displeasure. “Hmm, okay. Nice to meet you.” She was about to turn away when a sturdy and warm palm contacted her skin. Averting her gaze back to Grayson, she was welcomed by his perplexed expression. “Wait! Aren’t you the nosy woman from the other day?!” he shrieked in astonishment. She was surprised that he remembered it. Kendall knew that her encounter with him before the case would pose a problem for her undercover. Faking a confused expression, she replied to him, “Um—” Grayson cut her off instantly. “You are, aren’t you?” Kendall didn’t know what to say. 'Ah, fuck it.' She cursed.

Bewilderment drew visibly in him as he gaped at the woman beside her. She might look different and wore rather a distinctive style, but her semblance with that annoying nitwit who helped him was clearly identical. Notably, as he eyed her from head to toe, he was stunned to see her wearing a genteel and lady-like two-piece suit, which was the complete opposite of her black leather jacket and tight pants. “So, are you?” He noticed the faint twitch in her eyes. “Whatever do you mean?” she awkwardly stuttered, like something had caught her off guard. 'She’s a student here? So, are we the same age? But didn’t she call me kid last time?!' Grayson thought while his eyes were transfixed on her. He never thought he’d see her again or even be in the same class with her. His eyes dropped ineluctably to her smooth, fine legs, making his thought process stop for a while. Grayson’s eyebrows raised in disbelief, batting his eyes for a clear vision. 'At least this hotch got some nice gams.' He pondered while he scrutinized her. To his surprise, and even though he couldn't admit it, the girl was a dime piece. Then, all of a sudden, his musings were cut off by her surprisingly direct and outspoken voice. “Well, you kind of look like you need help that day, but then you whacked me after like I was a swot getting in your way. Didn’t realize you don’t need one.” She shrugged as if it was not a big deal. 'Whatever, I don’t care.' Aggravated, he didn’t respond as he shifted his position away from her. 'Ah, shit. Where was I again?' Grayson asked himself while scanning the book he was reading. It was the first time for him to lose any focus, lest he be distracted by a woman who badgered him to death. He couldn’t explain this odd feeling, but it ticked him off. Meanwhile, another student came over to her. “Hi! You seem new here! I’m Nancy, by the way,” Nancy Mormount introduced herself. Kendall did the same, extending her arms to Nancy. “Err—yes. Hailey.” Grayson lightly gurgled as he heard her. 'She doesn’t look like a Hailey, more like a Schwab rather.' On the other hand, he continued listening to their conversation, while feignedly skimming through the paragraph of the page without comprehending any of it. Nancy grabbed Kendall's hand and shook it briefly. “You’re ready for the exam?” Her question made Grayson turn around. Kendall gasped lightly in shock, as though she didn’t know about it. Then, in an instant, her face changed back into an animated look. “Yeah, right! Completely forgot about it, but yeah, it’s all good, pfft. I studied last night—just so you know.” She attempted to laugh about it. Nancy gave her a weird look. She then sighed, ignoring Kendall’s peculiar response. “Hmm yeah. But you know, just in case something happened, you can ask Prof. Blint to excuse you from midterms, since you’re new.” “Really, can I do that?” Kendall’s eyes lit up. Nancy was about to answer when Grayson intervened. “No. He doesn’t care if you’re new or you came from another class. He’s never lenient and strict regarding exams, so if I were you, I’d better study while there’s still time.” The hope on her face plummeted rapidly like lightning. ***** 'Why the fuck they haven’t told me there is an exam? If I only knew about it, perhaps I would have even studied. But yeah, that won’t work because clearly, my relationship with any numbers is purely chaotic.' Kendall slumped her back to the stiff wooden seat and clamped her legs over the other. 'Whoa! I can feel the wind in my thigh. Why does this skirt have to be so short? I can literally feel like my butt is exposed.' She released her legs above her thighs and tried to sit properly. Meanwhile, Grayson, who was seated on her left side, stared at her with a conundrum. "Yes?" Her brows rose. Grayson shook his head, veering back in front. 'Ugh, how am I gonna pass this exam?' She didn’t know it was their midterm exam today and her being an idiot in accounting, she already surmised that she would fail. However, the good thing was that her partner, Inspector Green, was just an ear away from her. With that in mind, while playing it coolly like a normal college student, Kendall subtly coughed on the mic. “Ugh, God! This allergy is killing me.” Grayson just lifted his eyebrow as he took a glance at her. At once, Inspector Noah Green replied, “Got it. Check your bag. There’s a pen there that has a camera. Focus that on the exam questions.” Kendall crooked a sly smile. While sitting down beside Grayson, she delved through her bag to look for the said pen. After a couple of seconds of incessantly searching, she heaved a sigh of relief when she saw the pen lying in the back pocket of her bag. Just as the class started, Professor Blint greeted the entire class. Placing the books on the desk, he went to the board, scribbling the start and the end time of the exam. He then wiped the excess powder of chalk in his hand by rubbing them together. “Get your answering booklets and we’ll start in—” looking at his watch, he continued, “two minutes.” Kendall was surprised again that she instinctively hissed through her mic. “Booklet?!” She heard Noah scoffing from the line. “Ah, sorry, Whitlock! Forgot to mention it to you. It’s also in your bag beside the pen. Just find it there.” Immediately, she took it out and placed it on her desk. When two minutes had passed, the exam papers were distributed. Since Kendall was already seated at the front, she instantly grabbed it and scanned through the papers. She started to answer it with great difficulty, which was clearly reflected in her actions with the way she would swing her pen in a different direction just to capture the answers of her classmates. As for the other’s answers that she found hard to seize, Kendall had no choice but to read the questions slowly and loudly, like an elementary student so Noah could hear. “What happens to the balance sheet when a business earns $1500, of which $800 is paid in cash and $500 is sold on credit?” 'The fuck do I know?' She groaned inwardly. She read another question. “ABC Enterprise used $4,000 worth of supplies this fiscal year, but the expenses were not paid and are still on credit until the next term. What will be its effect on the business profit?” 'I have no fucking idea. And seriously, why would you loan when you know don’t have the means to pay? I mean, that’s why I don’t get these kinds of companies.' She thought while tapping her pen on the test paper. Meanwhile, the man who was sitting beside her was starting to get irritated by her constant state of irrelevant blabbering. He would shake his head occasionally when he saw her doing something bizarre. Out of desperation to finish the exam, Kendall turned her head sideways. She noticed everyone was on their paper looking like the exam was just a piece of the pie. On a side note, when she gazed back at Grayson, her eyes widened as she stared at him with awe. 'How did he answer it all in just thirty minutes?' She tried racking her brain to get some answers but was left with a dumbfounded thought. As soon as she saw him passing the papers and storming out of the room, Kendall panicked, as her real intention swept up into her mind immediately. She yanked her pen briskly and answered the papers as best as she could. Ten minutes later, she found herself simpering in victory as she stood up from her seat with the booklet in her hand. It was already hard for her to go back to college, lest to even answer an exam she completely had no idea of. Along with the other students who were already done, she scrambled out of the room to search for Grayson. However, Kendall didn’t think it would get her over thirty minutes to find him. The University of Milanon is big and spacious for him to be spotted easily. Disappointed, she raised her forearm to look at her watch. Kendall realized that it was already lunch and the man she had been searching for probably was at the food court or some food park, eating his lunch. She asked Noah. “Where does Grayson frequently go during lunch break?” A hazy background emerged from her earpiece. After a couple of seconds, Noah went back on the line. “He’s at Deli Lounge with some of his friends. It’s just three minutes away from the Alaric building. Head towards the north gate, then south, to your right.” “Copy that,” she muttered while walking to the campus field. Right away, Kendall bolted to the said canteen where a lot of students usually hang around. She examined the whole vicinity and located Grayson waiting in line. She friskily made her move to him as she took a tray from someone and stood beside him. “What the fuck?! That’s my tray!” the man complained. Kendall ignored him and focused on Grayson. “Hi!” Grayson didn’t respond and kept his deadpan face. Nonetheless, she was so persistent that she asked again. “Do you always have your lunch here?” Still, he ignored her as if she didn’t exist at all. On the other hand, they got to the counter in just a minute, and the lady asked them. “What for you two?” “Just the regular, thanks,” Grayson stingily replied while fishing out his wallet from the pockets. The lady nodded and averted her gaze back to Kendall. “What about you?” Kendall pointed at Grayson. “Same as what he is getting.” The lady didn’t respond as she went back inside the kitchen, shouting their orders to the cooks. As soon as it was done, Grayson immediately paid for his food, moving to an empty table far away from the counter. When Kendall noticed him walking away, she dropped her money on the counter. “Here’s the payment. Keep the change.” “Whew, Whitlock! When have you become so lavish?” Green teased her on the line. Kendall’s eyes flickered in annoyance. “Every time, except with you, Green. Anyway, not now. I’m chasing this git who’s always disappearing.” Noah didn’t answer, and Kendall got back on following Grayson. When she spotted him, she asked immediately, “Can I join you? There are no other empty tables available.” Grayson veered his eyes to an empty table beside him and went back to look at her with incredulity. Kendall laughed uncomfortably. “He-he-he...” Scratching the back of her nape, she added, “I’m not used to sitting alone.” Grayson’s jaw twitched. With his eyes dipped down in infuriation, he snapped. “Just because you saved me once doesn’t mean we can be friends. And please, stop following me. Are you a stalker?” Taken aback, Grayson’s arrogance rendered Kendall speechless, but she tried to compose herself by keeping in mind the reason she was here. Ignoring his unpleasant remark, she said. “You don’t owe me anything, and I won’t take it against you. If you want, we could forget that it ever happened. I apologize if you think I’m following you, but it’s just because I don’t know anyone here and you’re the only person I know.” Grayson taciturnly replied, “I don’t need friends like you.” Kendall was about to counter his denunciation when someone else arrived. She tilted her head, looking up at the guy besides Grayson. 'Looks like one of his friends.' She surmised. He was wearing a black shirt and washed-out jeans. His brown hair was a bit long at the branch of his neck and curly at the top. “Who’s this?” he asked as he sat beside Grayson. Grayson answered, “A nobody.” He then dropped his utensils, gazing back at Kendall, intending to drive her out of the table. “Miss, can you please go because this table is reserved for me and my friends?” Kendall poked her tongue lightly into the cheek and inhaled a long breath. Calming herself not to punch the git, she sweetly smiled and nodded. “See you later then.” Grabbing her tray, she turned around them. “Ugh, if you weren’t my mission, I had already punched your fucking gut!” she hissed while stopping across the hallway. Thankfully, she saw Nancy, the student she had just met from the previous class, waving at her. “Hey, Hailey! I just got a seat for you,” she offered while tapping the vacant space beside her. A smile was formed on Kendall’s face. Shaking her head to take off the anger seeping out of her, she heaved a sigh and ambled towards Nancy. Kendall expressed her gratitude to her as she drew down her tray. “Thank you so much, Nancy. Really appreciate this.” “Sure, no problem. So how was the exam? I was having a hard time with the problems, but thankfully I got it before the time ended,” she told her. Kendall slightly bobbed. “It was fine. I think I got half of it right.” Nancy’s eyes bulged in astonishment. “Oh my God, Hailey! The passing is eighty percent. More than half of the answers must be correct!” Her jaw dropped. “Ah, well... Better luck next time?” Kendall sheepishly chuckled. Nancy sighed in defeat. “I wish I were like you. You’re so cool about it. I can’t even let my guard down, as my tuition depends on my grades.” Kendall softly smiled in concern. “You’ll pass. I’m sure of it.” “Thanks.” Her lips curved upward. Nancy then curiously asked Kendall again, “Hailey, why are you following Grayson? Do you like him?” 'No way in hell! My god, he’s five years younger than me! He’s like a younger brother to me!' Kendall snorted. “God, no! I don’t like him and there’s no way I would like a guy like him. He’s an annoying git who thinks so much of himself,” Kendall said with a chuckle. Then, as Kendall turned her face to Nancy, she saw the latter's flustered cheeks. Furrowing her eyebrows, she questioned, "Wait, do you like him?” Nancy blushed again as she averted her gaze away from Kendall. She then tucked her upper lip before replying. “No... no!” she denied and continued, “And even if I like him, it’s highly impossible for him to like me. I’m—” She stopped and sighed. Kendall saw the pain of hopelessness in her eyes. She held her hand, brushing it slightly to console her. Before she could reply, Nancy turned her gaze toward her and added, "Grayson's type is rich and pretty girls like Abigail or you. I'm nowhere near you guys.” Kendall was astonished. "Me?" Nancy nodded. "Yes, you. You dress so well and so pretty. I saw Grayson staring at you in the class." She couldn't help but be flattered by Nancy's remark.'I guess Charlotte's work paid off.' Kendall reached her shoulders and gripped them tightly. “Look, you’re not ugly if that’s what you’re thinking. You’re much better than those pretty girls because you have this,” she declared while pointing at the temple of her face. Her disconcerting face suddenly morphed into a more pleasing one. "Thanks, Hailey." “No worries! Beauty is not in the eye of the beholder, but in the heart. Besides, you’re also pretty. So, stop pitying yourself for something that is not worth your time.” Grunting, Nancy answered. "Yeah, you're right. I wish I could be like you, who is so at ease with yourself." She only smirked at her response. 'Meh, not really. I’m even worse than you, kid.' Kendall commented to herself. Then, a thought suddenly appeared on Kendall. Dropping her arms, she asked, “How old are you?” Curiosity etched on Nancy’s face. “Eighteen?” Kendall’s mouth gaped open as if she had realized something. “See! You’re so young. You still have so much time to mature." 'You guys are lucky that you're still so young! God, sometimes I miss being at your age.' She said to herself wistfully. Meanwhile, Nancy chuckled at her response. “You’re talking as if we’re not the same age!" Kendall paused as she realized what she had just said. She then tried to play it cool by snickering. “Yeah! We are, pssh! That’s what I meant!” It was rather fortunate of her that Nancy just laughed it off. After finishing their meals, Kendall queried Nancy regarding her next class. “What’s your next class?” Looking at her phone, Nancy replied. “INTFILO at Busch Building. You?” Instantly, Kendall felt relieved that they had the same class. “Thank God! I’m also in that class.” Her new friend’s eyes glimmered with delight. “Great! I’ve just finished eating. ‘You're done with yours?” Grabbing her bag, Kendall stood up and said, “Same! Let’s go?” Nancy only nodded at her while inserting the straps of the bag into her arms. “Sure.” Then, both of them walked out of the food court, heading toward their next class.

Nothing noteworthy or extraordinarily significant happened during Kendall’s reconnoitering of Grayson’s whereabouts. To make it worst, she barely managed to get close to him as the young, obnoxious man was simply too elusive for her to get any information. Adding to that, Chief Spencer kept on pressing her relentlessly regarding her progress with the entitled, and insufferable swot, Grayson Hoffman. With that bug-bearing thought bothering her, Kendall knew that this would probably compromise her mission, or even worse, become the demise of her career. She couldn’t let that happen, whilst letting a young man be the reason for her career’s downfall. Kendall believed that if you couldn’t swing it in the most mundane and traditional way, then you would have to seize it by fair means or foul. So, she decided to come up with an idea to leverage Grayson’s pretensions toward her. By the time the weekend had arrived, she went to the nearest automobile repair shop across the street. Kendall knew the shop as they were known for servicing car modifications and alterations. She had already met the owner, Atlas Miller, when she had them clean the carburetor and repair the coolant on her Tarazon Harley-Davidson bike. Spotting Altas below the Hannasey pickup truck, she knocked on the hood of the car. “Sup, Atlas. You’ve been quite busy these days, eh?” A tan-skinned guy with disheveled black hair instantly rolled out from underneath the car. Daubing a quite charming smile, he removed the knitted gloves, wiping his greasy palms on his dark-green overalls. “Hey, Kels! Didn’t notice you there. So, you decided to beef up your baby?” Kendall bent her lips upward. Looking back at her black Davidson parked on the railings, she replied, “Nah, not now, Atlas. Got other things I have to attend to first.” She then turned back to him. “Anyway, I need your help with something.” His arms crossed over his chest, making the veins on his tattooed biceps pop out. “Sure, fire away, officer. What do you need?” “I need a car. Well, not just any car, Atlas.” She stopped to point at the Rimac Nevera wrapped around a silver car cover. “That car.” Following her index finger, Atlas crooked his head to the side. “For what? Are you planning to go dicing?” he asked while moving towards it. “You know this is my girl, Kendall. I don’t just let anyone take a ride on it.” She sighed with dejection as she walked toward him. “I know, Atlas. Just this once, please. I promise I’ll give your baby back once I’m done.” Atlas’s eyebrows dished down, raking a few strands of his hair falling over his eyes. “Is this another one of your confidential cases? Did you remember when you completely shattered the front-rear of Old Joe’s mustang? He was shitty for days, Kels.” In an instant, Kendall remembered that day when she used Officer Joe’s car amid a car chase. She did, not with any intention, crash the mustang with the suspects’ car along the intersection road. “Okay, that was an accident, Atlas. Besides, this case is different. I have to teach that git some lessons.” Shoving her hands into her back pockets, she added. “Can you please help me with this? I promise I’ll pay you for renting your baby.” Atlas breathed out with a slight restraint. There was a pregnant pause for a moment when he went back to his office. Kendall waited for a couple of minutes for him—and as soon as she saw him getting back to her, she noticed the keys in his hands. “Here.” He threw it at her with slight hesitation. “Just make sure she’ll be back with no scratches, Kels.” Kendall grinned ear to ear. “Perfect! Of course, Atlas! I promise. In the meantime, can my baby stay here for a while? You can use it whenever you want.” “Deal!” He agreed, with no objections. She went to the Nevara extracting the cover above it. Kendall walked around it, checking if it was in good condition for racing. Checking its tires, brakes, and steering wheel, she asked Atlas again, “Hey bro, Can I hit up your baby beyond the limit?” He scoffed while propping his arms against the car’s roof. “You shitting me, Kels? This baby is souped up with turbochargers, highflow filters, exhaust headers, a remapped ECU for an internal combustion engine, and a RE-71R tire for traction. This is a fucking greyhound. You will never go wrong with my baby, Kels.” Her lips went wide with glee. “Excellent! Can’t wait to drive this around.” “Oh, also, I upgraded the clutch to a short-throw shifter. It will be easier to shift the gear lever for a maximum rotational speed,” he explained while his arms were perched on the windowsill. “Got it. Anything else I have to remember?” Atlas’ molten honey-glazed eyes turned into admonition. “Bring back my baby in one piece.” ... Grayson Hoffman exited the Caesaere Restaurant with a lady hooking on his left side. Alongside him was his girlfriend for a year, Abigail Vanderbilt, who was famous for being the only Milanon model who’d worked together with international and luxurious brands. Like her boyfriend, Abigail was raised in a privileged society. Both of her parents also owned a multi-million dollar company that dealt with expensive and exclusive brands. It was also the reason why Abigail could easily get gigs or shows at the latest Milanon Fashion Week. “My driver won’t be able to fetch me, babe. Will you mind if I get a ride with you?” she requested as she gazed at him. Grayson responded to her with a faint beam. “Sure!” Looking at his watch, he added, “It’s five pm. Would you like to go back now?” Abigail pouted. “It’s too early. I thought we were still going to watch a movie? You said you’ll reserve some seats.” 'Fuck!' Grayson muttered as he grabbed her slender and smooth fingers to intertwine with him. “Crap, so sorry, babe! Totally slipped my mind as I was reviewing for the midterms.” She heaved a sigh. “It’s fine. I understand. Our finals are also coming up, but I still have a few weeks to do that.” Pulling him to her side, she continued, “Anyway, let’s just see if there are still available seats in the cinema. I’m pretty sure there are still vacant seats.” Same as Grayson, Abigail was also in her second year. Though, unlike him, she’s taking Mass Communications at Rydell University, which was a well-known private university for students who can afford expensive tuition fees. “I really can’t today. I gotta review for Econ. How about tomorrow, babe? I’ll pick you up in the afternoon.” Grayson frowned as he held tight to her hand. To be honest, he felt lucky to have her. The first time he met her was at one of his friend’s parties. He knew that the first time he laid his eyes on her, she was the perfect girl for her. She was beautiful, tall, understanding, and patient. Even his grandfather adored her very much because he was close to her father. “Really, Grayson? That is just so unfair! You barely have time with me! Also, you’re always out with your friends, and you don’t even respond to my calls or texts. Sometimes, I just think that you’re not really invested in our relationship like I am,” she burst out, having enough of Grayson’s excuses. “God, no Abigail! I-I'm... Shit! I want what we have.” He gulped as he started to feel the sweats on his forehead. “It’s just I’m so cramped up these past few days with requirements and deadlines.” His girlfriend bit her lips. “Tch, fine! But please promise you’ll make it up to me after your exams.” Delighted by her response, he smirked. “I swear, babe.” Abigail then tiptoed to reach him for a kiss. As she damped her full lips on his cheeks, she said, “I’ll keep that promise.” Meanwhile, Grayson was shocked by her action. Even though they were together for a year, they hadn’t done it yet. Abigail might seem liberated by the way she dressed, but she was still a conservative woman. She’d never given herself to Grayson fully. They had make-out sessions once in a while, but that was only that. “I will. Swear to God,” Grayson added as he nipped her lips, trying to appease his girlfriend’s sulkiness. It was a rare sight to witness him being mushy to anyone. People around Grayson knew him to be a bit aloof and standoffish. Nonetheless, it was different when he was with Abigail. With her, Grayson was more cordial and agreeable. He loved and respected his girlfriend. Even so, despite this fact, Grayson still would frequently sleep with another woman as his way of indulgence. In his defense, he wanted to enjoy his youth as early as possible. Live life the way he could before time ran out. As they walked out of the mall, Grayson told Abigail that he would drive her home. It was still early for them to go back, but Grayson still had some other things to do. “Let’s go. I’ll drive you home.” “Can we go back later? I still want to stroll around.” Abigail expressed dismay because she wanted to spend more time with him. He exhaled lightly. “I would love to, babe, but I still have to study for Monday.” Convinced by his explanation, her face went down in disappointment. “Pfft, fine. I guess we have to go back.” Grayson clutched her hand again, damping his lips to her warm, delicate skin. “Thank you for understanding, babe.” Abigail understood and knew how much Grayson cared about his studies. Knowing that he was the next in line to his grandfather’s position, Abigail fathomed that Grayson must be equipped to handle their business. Besides, a multi-billion-dollar company wasn’t like any other small enterprise. As soon as they were at her place, Abigail suddenly brought up something. Grabbing the car’s door handle, she asked, “Before I go, I just remembered... One of my friends saw you last time at the racetrack with another girl. Is that true?” Immediately, Grayson remembered that night when he had sex with Sandra. It was also the day when he ignored her texts and calls. He felt uncomfortable with her question, so he rubbed the back of his neck. “No, I was at home studying. Maybe she saw someone else.” He shrugged, sucking up to his lie. Abigail stared at him pensively. “Are you sure? She did say that it was really you.” “I promise, babe, that was not me. I was studying at that time for exams,” he explained, firmly denying it to his girlfriend. She huffed. "Okay, fine, I believe you. Just—Can you please tell me if you’ll go out somewhere with your friends so that I know where you are?” Trepid with hesitation, he replied, “O-of course! I will. Sure.” Abigail didn’t ask any questions after that. She went out of the car and walked towards her house. After reaching the place, he dropped her off, and she got inside. By the time she was out of his eyesight, Grayson released a heaving sigh of relief as she had almost caught him. 'Whew, that was close.' He thought. It was a good thing that he had an alibi to tell her, or else he would definitely be in a boiling pot of water. When he got back to his car, Grayson’s phone rang inside his pocket. Grabbing it out, he accepted the call. “Yep?” “Where are you, Grayson?” Indistinct yet lurid noises were dominant in the background. “I’m on my way. Will be there in a buck.” Minutes later, he had gotten to the racetrack. There were a lot of people already, as music boomed throughout the entire place. Cars were already docked in the open space, and random girls in tight clothes were clinging to their beaus. Rancid smoke filled the air as the night was brimming with the endless perspiration of vulgarity. Grayson smiled in bliss as he was back in his jungle. “Hey man! Sup!” Anton called him on the left side of the track. He then ambled towards his friends while girls at the sideline greeted him with fervor. Of course, a man like him with needs would flirt back either with a smile or a hug. He made his way to his friends immediately as he passed along the way. When he got to where they were located, Will threw him a beer. “Good that you’re here, bro. You almost missed the fun.” Grayson jeered. “Fun never starts without me, Will. You know that.” Will, however, just laugh it off. He was about to open the beer when another girl approached him. She walked toward him with delight and excitement. It was Agnes, who was one of Grayson’s girls. “Hi, Gray! Glad you’re here again, baby boy,” a girl wearing a mesh mid-drip cooed. “Course, where would I be other than here?” he coyly smirked. She teased, “In me?” Grayson then pulled her closer to him, kissing her languidly on the lips while brushing his palms to her firm derriere. “Later, babe,” he wooed, before giving her another peck on the lips. “You promise, Gray?” Her eyes fluttered, alluring him to get on with her. “Course, sweetpea.” Grayson traced his thumbs on her plump, rosy lips. Agnes only nodded at her and walked back to her place afterward. His friend Chester, who was beside him, suddenly snaked his arms to Grayson’s shoulder. “Damn, bro. You’re in it again. You know, since we’re friends, why don’t you give us some tricks on how to get some hot chicks?” “It’s innate, Chester. You don’t need—” he was cut off when a loud revving of the engine blared in their ears. All of a sudden, the said car parked in front of them. In a minute, the door automatically opened and a woman in a black leather jacket and tight pants came out of it. Shocked was engraved on everyone’s faces when they saw Kendall standing in front of them. As Grayson’s eyes widened, he couldn’t help but release an irritable yell. “Huh? It’s the nosy woman! What are you doing here?” Kendall inhaled pettily. Placing her hands on her hips, she simpered. “I hear you’re undefeated.” Moving closer to him with a gap of a few inches between them, she added, “You up for a race, Hoffman?” Anton wooed. “Do it, bro! There’s no way she can beat you!” On the other hand, Will murmured to him, “Shit bro, the chit got a Nevera. That fucker can kill your car in just a minute. I don’t think your Bugatti can top it.” 'Agh, fuck! I know. If I only just brought my Forza! Nevera is one of the best dragsters with its high-powered combustion engine as an AWD. Damn, that thing can cover the dragstrip in less than 3.7 sec with a speed of 330 mph. I might be able to outrun her, but that will depend on her RT.' He grumbled inwardly. “You fucking sure about that? I don’t want to get your hopes up, but you can’t beat me,” Grayson confidently replied. Kendall's eyebrows raised as she devilishly smirked. “Why? Are you scared you’d lose? If you’re that good, then prove it.” 'This girl is driving me nuts! However, if I do it right, I can maneuver her with an early pre-take and maintain my tracking speed to low-down the torque of my engine. Fucking hell, this chit is really annoying!' Grayson’s fury slowly ignited. “Fine! What are you going to bet then?” Her eyes flicked back to her car. “If you win, I'll give you my car. But if I do—” Leaning closer to him, her eyes landed on his, challenging him even more. “I'll be a part of your squad." “Oh shit, Grayson! If I were you, I’d go for it, man!” Chester commented. “She’ll lose anyway, bro. You got this,” Anton patted his shoulder. Grayson found her deal quite beneficial to him. If he won, he would get her Nevera which he could add to his collection. He knew that it was an easy win as the girl was entirely clueless about how to drag race. "Deal!" he said. Their talk ended briefly as both of them started to burn out their cars in the open space. As soon as both of them were ready, the oval race track was prepared. Bystanders cheered while Grayson and Kendall's cars were next to each other. The instructions for the race were easy. They just had to complete five laps, and whoever got to the finishing line first would win. Grayson had done it in the past, and surely he could win this without difficulty. Before they got inside their respective places, Kendall left him with a statement. “Don’t go easy on me, Hoffman. I don’t wanna win it the easy way.” Grayson scoffed, finding her declaration quite ridiculous. “Even if I go easy on you, you’ll still lose.” Kendall didn’t respond after that as she went inside her car. A woman wearing a sexy bodysuit appeared in front of them as she waved the flag on the drag street. “Play it easy, guys!” She reminded them before dropping the black flag. In an instant, Grayson pushed his gear to launch his car. Luckily, his car moved fast, leaving her behind. While keeping in mind to maintain his fast speed, he paddled the pedal in between with his clutch as he slightly shifted his gears. Meanwhile, Kendall, who was at his back, didn’t budge to move ahead. She kept her pace at a distance of two to three meters away from him. Grayson laughed at this thought, knowing that there was no way in hell she would reach him before the last lap. “Knew it. The chit doesn’t know anything,” he muttered while his hand was on the steering wheel. He continued his fast pace, minding the balance of traction on his car's wheel-spin. He didn’t want to throttle his car in an instant, as it might take a toll on him later. “Go, Grayson! Prove to her you’re the king of the track, fucker!” He heard one of his friends cheer him on the sidelines. Grayson only smiled at them while keeping his focus on the dragstrip. A few minutes had passed, and the match was intense. Grayson was still leading after four laps, while Kendall was still behind him. With this in mind, as he got to the start of the fifth lap, he boosted his car, accelerating immensely to 450mph, leaving Kendall behind for over seven meters. “Fuck yes,” he said triumphantly while tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. 'Easy peasy, baby.' His consistent speed continued for half of the lap, making him the lead on the front line. Grayson felt that victory was already at his fingertips. The Nevera would soon be his, and the chit would stop bothering him. Everything was going according to his plan when suddenly—“Fucking shit!” Grayson noticed her car was running beyond the maximum limit. Kendall reached him in no time, overlapping his speed like a child’s play. His annoyance with her grew stronger as he challenged her speed. Pushing his pedal harder, he half-clutched and switched gears to maximum speed. When his car reached the Nevera, he tried swerving it to hit her bumper, but, soon, was disappointed when Kendall easily maneuvered his attack. "Ugh, Shit!" When the driveway beside Grayson opened, the Nevera briskly rushed swiftly towards the finish line. He tried to reach her speed, but to his distress, his car had already reached its capacity. He knew it would blow out soon if he tried pushing it beyond. To his utter demise, Kendall completed the laps first before him, making her the indisputable winner. Grayson was dumbfounded. He couldn’t believe that she had won. He thought the chit knew nothing about racing, or at least was clueless about it. Trying to process it through his brain, he couldn’t swallow the bitter pill that had punched him unexpectedly. He then got out of the car in disbelief as soon as he saw Kendall moving out of hers. Still shocked, Grayson stood there, frozen, as Kendall strutted towards him with a cunning smirk. "Bull’s eye! Got you, Hoffman.”

Like always, Grayson’s gang hung out at a nearby bar after the race. With their cars parked under the shading cap of the tree outside the pub, they remained there while sharing a case of beer. Kendall, who just got in the by winning against Grayson, was sitting currently on the hood of her car. Grayson, on the other hand, was beside her propping on his Bugatti. The countenance of disbelief etched on his face as he still couldn’t comprehend that he lost against a newbie. He had been racing for almost two years since he was sixteen and he couldn’t bite the fact that a girl he barely knew would end his streak of victory. Meanwhile, Chester, who was on the other side, expressed his amazement to the new member of the squad. “You were so cool! How did you do it? Did you know that no one has ever defeated Grayson before?” Kendall shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal. “I guess it was a fluke? I fell behind for four laps of the race. If Grayson hadn’t given me an opening, I would probably lose, which will end in me giving my car.” Chester patted his palms on her shoulder. “Lucky you won—” he stopped his response while processing her name. Chuckling at himself, he continued, “Damn, I’m an ass for not knowing your name. Grayson still hadn’t introduced you to us.” All of a sudden, a deep raspy voice spoke. “Hailey. Her name is Hailey.” Kendall turned to him with incredulity. She didn’t know Grayson would remember her name. As a matter of fact, she thought that he had forgotten about it when she introduced herself last week. “Well, Hailey, nice to meet you! Chester, here,” he introduced himself while producing a Cheshire kind of smile. Chester’s rich, yet sidesplitting voice, along with his comical smile, made Kendall chortle lightly. Compared to Grayson, Chester was more approachable and amicable. She thought that although he might not be as attractive or appealing as Grayson, his character and demeanor alone were striking enough. “Sup, Hailey. Anton.” His luscious green-honey heterochromatic eyes gazed at her as he took her hand and shook it. “Apologize for dissing you a while ago. Anyhow, since you’ve become part of the team, welcome!" Meanwhile, a red-headed guy beside him wearing a baseball cap gave her a nod. “Welcome, Hails.” Kendall noticed Anton was more of a level-headed kind of guy, while Will was more reserved and silent. Either way, she thought both of them were like Grayson, who had been groomed by a silver spoon. “Thanks, guys. You can surely ask anything about me regarding cars or bikes. Though, my interest leans more towards bikes.” Kendall smiled softly. “ Cool, Hailey! Definitely! Honestly, I absolutely have no problem with you being a part of our group. Ain’t that right, Grayson?” he asked, seemingly unaware of Grayson’s detachment. “Thanks, Chester.” Kendall reflexively replied to him, as if she didn’t know how to respond to his eagerness. Anton and Will, who were listening, veered their direction to Grayson, whose attention was completely divided. “You still good, bro? You look down and out,” Will sniped before drinking his cold can of beer. Anton added, trying to comfort his distressed friend, “It’s fine if you lose, bro. We win some, we lose some shit, but that’s just part of it. At least we got a rising star in our team who could help us out, right?" “Yeah, Dude! Besides, Hailey will be a great addition to our team, right?” Chester continued, waiting for his friend’s affirmation. Nonetheless, out of the blue, Grayson sneered. “Let’s see.” Averting his gaze back at Kendall, he chugged the beer empty and crushed it into a ball. He then leaned away from his car’s hood, throwing it into the nearest bin. Looking back at them, he saw Chester talking to Kendall again. His jaw instantly twitched in annoyance as he watched his friend’s delight and keenness. “By the way, why do you want us to be your friends instead of other girls, Hailey?” Chester asked curiously. Grayson scoffed as soon as he heard it. “Can’t you see, bro?” Gazing back at her, he gave a lopsided smile. “With that look of hers, do you think she’s a girl?” he added with an implication while scrutinizing Kendall’s black ensemble. He surmised that, without a doubt, Kendall must be a dyke, with the looks of how she wore herself and the way she gestured. There was no way she was like other girls. “Kind of has a feeling about it. Anyway, whatever you like, Hailey, it doesn’t matter to us. You’re still part of the group,” Anton declared. Will didn’t reply as he just shrugged it off. As soon as Chester realized what Grayson meant, his eyes widened. “Oh… You mean… You’re a...” Kendall crossed her arms, looking amused. “A what?” Chester scratched his nape and hesitantly said, “You know… Someone who doesn’t like men. Is that why you enjoy hanging out with guys more than girls?” Her mouth slightly parted, grasping what Chester was trying to say. However, she was nonchalant about it and just said, “I don’t know. It’s up to you to decide. That’s too personal." “I told you so,” Grayson muffled. By saying that, Kendall figured out that it would be better to get closer to Grayson if he didn’t see her as someone who would like him. Also, her gender and sex weren’t a big deal. “God, dude. I don’t know how you can be so dense sometimes,” Will teased while laughing. Chester’s pupil narrowed while throwing the empty can of beer toward him. “Shut it, bro. I’m fucking serious here. And I want to know our maggs better.” The corner of his lips curled upward. Will retorted. “Yeah, Hails. You’re still in." The group kept talking for a while. Grayson joined in some of their conversations but remained to be distant. A little while later, Anton and Will went inside the pub to replenish their beers. leaving Grayson, Chester, and Kendall alone in the parking area. Chester continued to ask Kendall questions. She tried to respond to him with equal vigor while keeping a distance from the young man. While they were conversing, a woman appeared to be walking toward them. Her blonde hair was curled to perfection, while in her blinding tight metallic dress. Chester quickly noticed, immediately, getting Grayson's attention. "Shit, dude! Sandra is here," he hissed. Grayson turned to his back, corroborating whether Chester was telling the truth. As soon as he saw it with his own eyes, Sandra appeared more clearly in his vision. He bolted out of his car. “Crap!” Grayson instantly panicked. He was no longer interested in the woman, nor did he want to do anything with her. With this, out of instinct, he moved next to the unsuspecting Kendall, draping his arms on her shoulder. Simultaneously, Kendall was flustered by his sudden and baffling gesture. She was about to ask what he was doing, but Grayson riposted back with a shush. “Shh! Just follow my lead." Kendall then noticed the woman walking toward them. She went back to Grayson and saw his awkward and stifling countenance. As soon as she realized it, Kendall slumped her back as she waited for Sandra to move away. However, even with Sandra’s bewildered expression, she still kept walking toward them. When Kendall recognized it, she turned to Grayson to let him know. “She’s co—" She felt a heavy barrier against her lips halt her from whatever she was about to say. Wet, smooth lips dampened the skin of her mouth. His lips drifted slightly to the opening of her mouth, nipping her to move about. Her eyelids nictitated repeatedly. Shock, perturbation, and consternation swirled all over her system as if she had been hit by an unexpected storm. With his body closer to her, she could feel the tension in his shoulders, the arrest of his breathing, and the mixed scent of musky bergamo and liquor wafting through her nose. The scent filled her attention—No; it occupied her. It was damning and confusing that the heat on her body flushed out of her skin suddenly. More so, she felt her body trembled not with fear but with an enigma that a sprouting thought suddenly emerged out of her awareness. Grayson didn’t stop. His lips moved again, nibbling her a bit, making her even more in a state of a conundrum. Even so, this time, Kendall tried to push him away; however, before she could do so, she suddenly felt her waist dragging towards him. With his arms on her waist, she felt a part of her being sucked into the deep recessive of her subconscious mind. ... He felt her rapid breathing and the warm, inviting skin against him, which made his whole body react instinctively. Grayson knew he had completely reacted out of necessity. Nonetheless, he never thought in his wildest dreams that Kendall would feel like this. To have a smell so good—so fresh and distinctive that made him whiff like an idiot just so he could inhale the sweet fragrance of her watermelon and faux pas leather scent. Apart from that, he was even more befuddled when his mouth nipped her full, supple lips. It felt so tender that it urged him to want more—to taste more. And then, he did the almost unthinkable. He reached towards her, pulling her dainty waist closer. His mouth parted slightly, dipping it against her lips as his shoulders were awkwardly edgy. 'God…' He grunted. Albeit, in an instant, her protesting moans hit him back to reality. His eyes flicked open and the tightness on his body loosened. Within a second, he felt her arms pushing him away from her. “What the fuck!” Kendall hissed in anger. Coming back to his senses, Grayson shrugged it out of his thought. He breathed in, trying to compose himself as though nothing had happened. Then, Grayson noticed his arms wrapped around her waist while her stare was etched with contempt. Clearing his throat, he asked, “Chester, did she leave?" Chester replied stingily, but with relief, “Yep, she did.” After hearing his response, Grayson was about to pull away from her when his eyes met her warm forest green eyes. He paused for a while, gazing at her flustered face for a moment. Instinctively, his eyes dropped to her plump rosy lips. It was then, at that moment, that an alarming feeling burst out of him, which made him gulp in ablaze. Grayson immediately brushed aside the absurd and troubling idea in his mind. To be honest, he didn’t know why he did that. Kendall wasn’t even his type. She wasn’t the type of girl he would gawk at randomly on the streets. This made him more perturbed and disturbed about what made him react like that. Then, in a minute, he turned around to look at where Sandra was. He saw her back fading away from the area, which made him sigh with relief. “Thank Go—Goddammit! O-ouch!” He shrieked when he felt his arms being pulled by Kendall. She twisted his forearm aptly, causing him to scream in agony. Grayson felt all the nerves in his body awaken in unfortunate discomfort. “Ouch!” he shrieked, begging her to stop. However, Kendall didn’t stop as she locked his arms to the hood of the car, bending it in the opposite direction. “Why the fuck would you do that?!” she kept asking as though she wanted to kill him. “Fuck! Ugh—I’m just joking, Hailey!” he rebutted in pain. She didn’t believe him as she even clutched his arms tighter. “Joking? Do you fucking think it’s just a joke?” “Aren’t we friends? Friends help each—fucking fuck, Hailey!” His back curved inwards, trying to suppress the immense pain from her brutal strength. “Friends don’t kiss each other!" “Okay! Okay! I won’t kiss you again! It was just a joke!” He apologized while screaming in anguish. Chester tried to calm her down. “Umm, Hailey, Grayson’s really like that. You will get used to him when you get to know him better. You might break his—oh, God!” Chester's eyes widened in astonishment. Nonetheless, Kendall twisted Grayson's arm even tighter, making him scream even more. “Fuck! Damn it! I won’t do it again! I swear! I’m sorry.” Kendall ignored Chester’s explanations as she never felt violated in her life until this. “Do that again and I’ll break all your bones!” Grayson immediately nodded. “I won’t—I won’t do it again." Finally, she let Grayson go while still glaring at him. He, on the other hand, massaged his arms with a pout. Grayson didn’t expect her to do that. Well, the girl was really the epitome of all uncliches. Then, all of the sudden, heaps of screams came from inside the bar. People inside sporadically bolted out of it with distress painted on their faces. Meanwhile, Grayson saw Anton and Will storming out of the pub. “Hell, bro, there's a brawl inside!” Will yelled while panting as both of them ran towards them. “Don’t go, man. It’s a mess!” Anton warned. Weirdly, instead of keeping her distance, Grayson noticed Kendall storming inside the bar. "Wait, where are you going?!" Anton queried while looking at her from the distance. Grayson and Chester exchanged unsure glances but soon followed her, thinking she might cause another trouble. “Ugh, dammit! This woman will lead us to our demise,” Grayson said irritatingly. ... With no hesitation, Kendall went inside the bar. She scanned the place and spotted two bulky guys fighting on the dance floor. Most of the customers, even the employees, fled, but Kendall wanted to know what happened. “Sir, please come down!” “Stay the fuck away from me!" The guard tried to pacify the drunk men on the right side while, on the other hand, an employee tried to pull the other guy away. Both were doing their best to calm the two, but they were just too engaged with their anger. Initially, Kendall didn’t want to get involved, since she wanted to keep her undercover persona as seamless as possible. Also, she had called the cops to handle the situation, but when she noticed that the other big guy was about to pull something from his pocket, alarm bells went off in her head. On the other side, Chester and Grayson followed her inside. Both of them refused to join in watching the fight, as they had just watched Kendall’s next moves. Knowing that she was a nosy chit, they were worried that she would do something stupid. And there it went. Kendall’s palm curled into a knuckle. “Ugh, fuck it…” she muttered as she gazed at her target. Cracking the muscles on her neck, she grabbed the empty tray lying on the counter and before the target could use his knife, the silver metal plate was flying towards him. It ricocheted against his knife, rotating the knife back to him with a slice on the center of his palms. The guy was absolutely shocked as to where the tray came from. Realizing the knife plunging into his palms, he screamed in pain as his blood trickled out of it. Meanwhile, the guard and the employee found a loop to tackle and shackle them just in time for the cops to arrive. Chester and Grayson were in awe as they witnessed Kendall’s spot-on hit. Their jaws dropped with astonishment as they couldn’t believe the surprise this girl brought to them. “Awesome. Shit, that was cool!” Chester’s mouth gaped, while Grayson’s face was utterly flabbergasted. Kendall then walked away from the scene. She ambled back with Grayson and Chester to the parking lot where Anton and Will were waiting. While walking, Grayson couldn’t help but comment. “It’s a good thing that you didn’t interfere with the fight, considering how nosy you are." Kendall scoffed, saying, “There are guards there, so why would I?” “Yeah. But what you did was totally cool, Hailey.” Chester nodded. When they got back to the parking lot, Anton and Will asked why they had gone back to which Chester immediately replied with something regarding Kendall’s impressive skills. The two didn't ask again as they were already pretty worn out from what happened. With that, the group decided to hit it home as it was evidently late. However, before they parted ways, Grayson shared something with Kendall. “Oh, by the way, since you are part of this squad now, I need to tell you about our rules." Her brows raised with curiosity. “Rules? What rules?" A devious smirk escaped from his lips. “You will still have to undergo an initiation where you’ll be our slave for two months.” “What initiation? I didn’t know your group is in some kind of fraternity.” Kendall’s ears rang in objection as she fiercely opposed the idea of being the group’s slave. She looked back at Anton and Will and there was no reaction from them. Chester, however, felt her protest that he couldn't help but butt in. “Oh, it doesn’t have to be all of us. This is just Grayson’s idea! So, just be his slave..." Kendall bit her lips trying to contemplate it. She thought and realized that if this was the only way to get leads from Grayson, then she had no choice but to do it. She then crossed her arms and retorted. “Alright, fine! I agree! But just with Grayson!” Chester rebutted. “Yep, just him, Hailey.” Little did she know, Grayson was already brewing an evil idea. In his mind, he thought that Kendall was trying to terrorize the group so she could be the leader. Of course, with him being the leader, he didn’t want that to happen, so he swore to make things difficult for Kendall until she quit being part of the group. ... After that night, Kendall went with her best friend, Charlotte, to buy clothes for her to use in her undercover as a university student. While strolling around different boutiques, looking for cute and stylish clothes, Kendall’s phone suddenly rang. “Someone’s calling you on the weekend?” Charlotte asked. She sighed, getting it out of her jeans. “Apparently. Anyway, let me answer this first.” A deep, familiar voice blared from the speaker of her phone. “Be here at my house on three. I need you to do something for me.” “What? It’s the weekend, Grayson,” she objected. There was a pause for a moment. “Did you forget that you agreed to become my slave for two months? You've gotta do your duty, Hailey.” Then, it struck her that this would be an opportunity for her to know more about Grayson so she could get some information out of him. Exhaling a deep breath, she surrendered. “Fine.” Looking dejectedly, she turned her gaze back at Charlotte and sadly informed her, “I have to go, Char. It's from work.” Stunned, Charlotte asked briskly, “What? Where are you going? Don’t leave me here with your things!” She walked away while responding to her with her front facing away from her. “You can drop it at my flat, Char. Thanks!” Charlotte immediately groaned with frustration. “I will not! Remember, I’m not you damn servant, Kels!”

Kendall couldn’t believe how enormous Grayson’s place was. His residence looked like an entire village itself, with everything accessible in just a few minutes' radius. She knew he was rich; however, she didn’t expect that he was exorbitantly rich. 'Whoa! Is this even a house or a palace? How do they even constantly meet with each other?' she thought in amazement as she glanced around the whole area. Then, she went to the stairs to knock on the front door. A few minutes after waiting, a maid came to greet Kendall. “Hi! Sir Grayson will be here in a minute. Would you like some refreshment first?” the middle-aged maid asked. Kendall sat on the brown leather couch in the waiting area. Smiling, she replied. “Sure! Thanks!” The maid walked back to the kitchen while Kendall was left alone in the foyer. Later on, she saw Grayson marching out of the elevator near the stairs. Simultaneously, the maid came back with a tray of orange juice for her. However, before she could give it to Kendall, Grayson said, “There’s no need to give her that.” “O-okay, sir.” The maid didn’t know what to do with it as she was hesitant to go back to the kitchen. It was a good thing that Kendall noticed her uncertainty as she decided to grab the juice and drink it. Grayson’s eyes were raised in incredulity. “What? She made it for me. It will be a waste if I don't drink it.” she contended while returning the glass back to the tray. Then, Kendall's lips curled into a soft grin. “Thanks again.” The maid just nodded at her with a smile and later went back to do her job. Afterward, Grayson moved towards her, gesturing with his hand with a wave. “Follow me.” She didn’t ask him a question and just automatically followed Grayson into the room. They went downstairs to the garage area and were greeted by a queue of collection cars. Kendall was astounded by the number of his car collections. It looked like she was at a high-end exclusive car show. Her mouth instantly dropped as she couldn’t help but be amazed. “Wow! This is all yours? How do you drive all of them?” she queried as she still couldn’t believe it. Grayson gave her a smug look. “Yes. The Bugatti is the one I frequently use. As for the Porsche and Mazda, I only use them on special occasions. As for the Ferrari GTO, I rarely use it.” 'Damn rich kids flexing their entire posh collection like it’s just nothing.' Kendall pondered. He then walked into the center while she kept on following him. As they passed multiple cars, Kendall instinctively touched one of them. “Whoa, this still looks new and unused,” she muttered unconsciously. Unfortunately, Grayson saw it and reprimanded her. “Hey, don’t touch it! That car cost more than your life.” She rolled her eyes in annoyance. “Alright, sorry.” 'Looks like this has more health insurance than I do.' Eventually, Kendall noticed Grayson had stopped at his Bugatti. It was the same car he used when she challenged him in a drag race. Immediately, he turned around and threw the keys to Kendall. “Pick up my girlfriend,” he ordered. Confused, her brows dipped in confusion. “Who among them? I see you a lot with girls. I don’t know which one.” “My real girlfriend.” He crossed his arms, giving her nothing but a blank face. She hadn’t met his real girlfriend, Abigail. Kendall only knew her through the case profile that was given to her by the chief, but that was only that. Kendall replied with a nod. “Okay, what car am I using? Can I use the Ferrari? Because that would be dope!” A glee of excitement was clearly perceived in her voice. He took a short pause before exhaling. “No, Ferrari is off-limits, Hailey. You’ll be using the Bugatti.” 'Okay, not bad. I’ve never driven a Bugatti before, so this is the first. I mean, geez, I’m just going to drive a car that costs about twenty million,' she said to herself. She shrugged while keeping her cool in place. “Sure! Right away, sir.” Kendall was about to enter the car when another question popped into her mind. “Anyway, where will I pick her up?” “I’ve messaged you the address,” he said. Kendall didn’t respond as she went inside the car and drove off to Abigail’s place. ... When she reached the location, Kendall saw Grayson's girlfriend, Abigail, walking to the car. As she had expected, she looked nothing like the photo that was in the folder. She was taller, slimmer, and prettier in real life. She thought that anyone who accidentally passed by Abigail would surely be starstruck by her beauty. After a couple of seconds, Abigail entered the car with bewilderment. She scooted over to the center of the passage seat with her eyes leafing through Kendall. “Uhm, hi? Where’s Blake?” Kendall averted her gaze from the windshield to Abigail. “He told me to pick you up.” Offering her hand to her, she added. “Anyway, I’m Hailey. New member of their squad.” She then nodded back and forth. “Oh, alright. I’m Abigail. Why didn’t he come?” She grabbed her hand and lightly swung it. Shaking her hand, Kendall felt that Abigail was genuinely pleasant compared to the usual women she saw Grayson dallying with. “He didn’t tell me the reason and just told me to get you.” Kendall felt unsure of her answer. Abigail’s face turned sour. “Oh, okay.” Upon seeing her reaction, Kendall couldn’t help but comment a reaffirmation. “He was a bit preoccupied when I went to his house, you know. That git is quite busy.” She instantly chuckled as soon as she heard Kendall’s response. “Yeah! He always is.” Kendall noticed Abigail’s openness to her. She was very amiable and affable to talk with, unlike Grayson. For Kendall, it was like she was just talking with her friend Charlotte, where she could be at ease with herself. With this, she couldn’t comprehend how on earth Grayson got a well-mannered and genteel girlfriend. Thereafter, Abigail perched her hands on the back seat where Kendall was sitting. “Um, Hailey, can I have a favor?” “Yeah sure. What is it?” Kendall asked right away. Biting her lower lips, she answered, “Is it okay if I can have your number?” Kendall’s brows creased with confusion. “I mean, yeah sure. But, why?” She let out a huge sigh. “I couldn’t contact Blake sometimes. I was just wondering if you could help me watch over him? You know how girls easily get close to him. I just wanted to make sure that he won’t be entertaining them.” “Umh, y-yeah, sure.” Kendall could almost feel the tightness in her airway as though she wasn’t sure how to answer Abigail’s favor. The corners of Abigail’s lips curled upward. “Super thanks, Hailey.” She gently coughed. “Of-Of course!’ Clearing her throat, she added, “So, do you need to go somewhere first before we head to Grayson’s place?” She shook her head. “No, we can go directly there.” Releasing a smile, she turned away from her and focused on the forefront. “Great. Let’s go.” ... After a while, they went back to Grayson’s residence without a glitch. Kendall parked the car on the side of the concrete pavement. She then followed Abigail inside the mansion. Abigail greeted Grayson happily as soon as they met. She quickly hugged Grayson and gave him a peck on his cheeks. “Hey, babe!” Grayson responded with eagerness when he slipped his arms around her waist. Kissing her on the lips, he replied. “It’s good to see you too babe.” Kendall was shocked to see him very casual and open to Abigail. His always aloof personality with her was completely different from when he was with her. It was then she thought how good the git was at playing a doted and affectionate boyfriend. God, if only Abigail knew about his womanizing escapades. “So...” Kendall mumbled as she watched them being mushy and loving at each other. While gazing at them, Kendall thought her duty was done as she already planned on ditching off. However, as soon as Grayson saw her giving his keys back, he refrained her from leaving. “You’re not going yet,” he commanded. Getting irritated, Kendall stared daggers at him. “What? You only said to pick her up, so I’m leaving. I’ve done my job, sir. So, may I go now?” she sarcastically replied. Chuckling with hilarity, Grayson replied, “Hailey, you’re not going anywhere. Your job is not yet done.” “What do you mean? You only said to pick up Abigail!” Kendall contested. On the other hand, Abigail only watched them banter with each other. “You’re not yet done.” He gave the car keys back. She miffed. “This is a bit too much, Grayson.” He then crossed his arms. “You’re complaining, eh? Didn’t you agree with my terms?” Kendall was left speechless. She didn’t answer him and just seized the keys back. “You’ll be coming to drive us there.” He added while moving back to Hailey. Grayson then propped his arms on her shoulder to pull her closer. Kendall wanted to protest again, but she was left tongue-tied as she suddenly remembered her mission. Kendall knew she should not screw this up, as this might make or break her career. Without saying anything to him, she walked back to where the car was. Meanwhile, Grayson was slightly confused by her reaction, as he expected her remonstrations. However, he hadn’t expected her to just give up and comply with his whims. Having this thought, he didn’t know what to do again to make her leave the group. ... As soon as they went back to the car, she immediately asked Grayson where they would be going. With Abigail beside him, the thrilled expression on her face couldn’t be hidden. “Where are we going?” She shifted gears. “South Hills Plaza.” Then, Abigail interfered. “Glad you can join us, Hailey!” She only gave her a smile through the reflection of the rear mirror. However, despite Abigail’s warm and inviting statement, Kendall couldn’t help but get back at Grayson. With this in mind, she moved her gaze to Abigail to say something that would make the git aggravated. “You know Abigail, you should pick a guy that is as kind as you. You deserve someone who’s really real and authentic.” A sardonic, yet suggestive voice stated. Abigail was about to reply when Grayson shot back. “And you mean that I’m not?” Kendall shrugged. “Are you? I mean, shouldn’t you know that, Grayson?” His girlfriend then intervened happily. “Grayson may be an ass, but I know he cares for me.” As soon as she said that, he reached for her hand and grabbed it. Kendall flicked her eyes as she witnessed his feign devotion to her. “It was just an advice, Abigail. You know—I think you should pick a guy who will equally reciprocate your love for him.” Infuriated by her, Grayson couldn’t help but kicked her under the seat as he glared at her through the mirror. He then simpered a smile to Abigail while holding her arms. “Don’t mind her babe, she’s just a little jelly.” Kendall ignored him by adding another comment. “Also, not someone who thinks they’re tough but in reality, are too, touchy, and oversensitive.” Abigail opened her mouth when Grayson retorted again. “Uh-uh, yeah, and you should also mind your own business, right, Hailey?” The corner of his lips plastered a condescending grin. “Are you guys okay?” Abigail finally was able to get in between them, seemingly concerned about their banter. But Kendall didn’t stop as she stated again, “Also, Abigail, get someone who’s a bit more mature in the future—” “Red light! There’s a red light!” Grayson hurriedly said. Distracted, Kendall went back in front and noticed the red light. However, she realized that she couldn’t stop as she was already in the middle of the intersection. The cars she crossed with beeped as she tried to enter the pathway. She then quickly shifted to the left side and stopped at the corner when she saw the signal of the traffic enforcer. “Ha! Karma got back on you, Hailey. You deserved it! Deal with it yourself!” He mocked while laughing so hard. Meanwhile, Kendall stormed out of the car and talked to the officer. “Apologies, officer. I was in a hurry.” Thankfully, the guy knew her back then when she helped him with a speeding violation. “Oh, it’s you, Officer Whitlock!” He was about to salute when Kendall made him stop. “I’m on duty,” she muttered. The guy understood it quickly and let her go. “Got it, officer. Have a nice day!” She replied swiftly, “Thanks again, bro!” Kendall then went back to the car, and she noticed Grayson’s smirk fading. He then looked at the enforcer and then back to her with sudden curiosity. “That’s it? Not even a ticket violation or confiscation of license?” he asked. “Yup,” she replied, giving more emphasis to the last letter. “God, these cops are so incompetent that they don’t do their job right. Their work should be abolished, as they don’t take their job seriously,” he remarked with disdain. Of course, Kendall, being a cop, rebuffed back to Grayson, “Wait. What did you say?” "They’re a bunch of idiots who can’t do their work right. They’re practically useless,” he snided. She then glared at him. “Those people worked to their bones more than you can ever imagine, Hoffman! If you think their work is easy, then reevaluate that!” “Why are you so prickly? I’m just saying the truth. Besides, most of them really have it easy! Are your parents’ cops or something?!" he retorted. Then, Kendall paused as his response blasted her. She then realized that what she had just done might backfire on her mission. It almost blew her cover off if she stooped down to his caprices. Grasping the situation, she held back and took a deep breath. Grayson waited for her answer, but she stopped talking and just followed them silently throughout their date. ... When the night came, Kendall and Grayson dropped Abigail off first at her house. Before she went inside, Abigail looked back at Kendall with worry. “Are you okay, Hailey? You were silent the whole day,” she asked. Giving her the best smile she could possibly give, she said, “Yeah, no worries, Abigail. I’m fine.” “Don’t mind it, babe. It’s her job as a new member of the group,” Grayson explained while his hands were hidden in his pockets. Abigail looked like she was about to object when she suddenly deviated from her original response. “Oh, okay, but don’t be too harsh on her, Grayson. I like Hailey and I think she’s great.” Kendall felt her heart wrench from Abigail’s thoughts about her. Nonetheless, Grayson brushed it off. “She has to go through the rite of our group’s initiation or else she won’t be an official member. It’s to test her loyalty to the group, babe.” Sighing with dejection, she riposted, “But don’t you think it’s too much for her? I mean, she went with us even if she wasn’t supposed to.” “Don’t worry about it, babe. Hailey can handle it more than you think. That woman is worse than Godzilla!” “Fine... just please be careful on your way back,” she requested with concern. Averting back to Kendall, she uttered, “Oh, and it’s nice to meet you again, Hailey!” Kendall only gave her a nod and a smile. Grayson added, “We will, babe. Have a good night.” Abigail gave him a peck on his cheeks and later nodded at him. Afterward, she went back inside as both Kendall and Grayson stood on the porch of her house. With silence once again surrounding them, Kendall drove to Grayson’s place. Glancing at him, she recognized that the git even looked amused and delighted. 'Fucking asshole.' Kendall couldn’t help but be infuriated at him. Eventually, they got back to his place in no time. Before Grayson could say anything else, she gave him back his keys. “Here. I’m going home,” she replied in resentment. “Wait, you still have another thing to do." Clinking her tongue, her eyes titled up with vexation. “It’s late, Grayson. I’ve done my job. What else could you have wanted me to do?” “Don’t move. I’ll just grab it in my room.” He friskily ran upstairs and came back after a couple of minutes with a thick blue binder. 'Oh, fuck me!' Kendall’s jaw fell in an instant. Grayson then gave it to her. “Here.” She hesitatingly took it from him. “What the hell is this, Grayson?” Shoving his hands back into his jeans, he explained. “Summarize all the chapters I have highlighted and bookmarked. I will be reporting that tomorrow, so you should have it finished by then.” Kendall was about to contest when Grayson added, “If you don’t want to do it, then you can say goodbye to the group. Easy as that.” She just heaved a deep breath while putting on a disapproving smile. Kendall didn’t say anything to him as she just walked away with the binder in her hand. 'I’m really going to skin this git alive after the mission!' She thought while letting her temper cool down. At this point, she couldn’t help but think about her situation. It had become a joke! She didn’t expect this—being a servant to an eighteen-year-old brat! Where was the action? The raids, the chase, and the covert operations that she had waited for so long? She didn’t train so damn hard in an academy to be dealing with a spoiled git like Grayson Hoffman. Damn, that brat was really getting on her nerves!

It was almost midnight when Kendall reached the headquarters. With a noticeable frown on her face, she dashed inside the office while holding Grayson’s binder in her arms. If the idiot just didn’t give her another one of his stupid tasks, she would probably be in her flat sleeping. She saw one of her co-workers and approached him with urgency. “Is Inspector Green still here? Have you seen him? I need to ask something.” “Oi, it’s you, Janice! Yeah, he’s at the ITMS,” the man replied while pointing upstairs. Patting his shoulders, she replied, “Thanks, Seargent.” Kendall quickly went up to the radio room to ask Noah about the binder. She didn’t have enough time to do Grayson’s childish tricks and entertain his imprudent profanities. This was the reason why she needed Noah’s assistance, knowing the young man was one of the best intelligence officers in their unit. As soon as she arrived in the room, the bright, dapper face of Noah Green appeared in front of her. She walked towards him, asking him immediately with no opening greetings. “I need your help, Inspector Green,” she uttered while pointing at the thick binder in her hand. Noah, however, welcomed her with a captivating smile. “Eh, you’re here Inspector Whitlock. You didn’t inform me that you’ll be coming. Missed me again, already?” Regrettably, Kendall ignored his subtle coquets as she tiredly asked, “Can you please help me with this?” He stood up from his seat and took the blue binder that she was carrying. “What the heck is this?” He chuckled, skimming through its contents while his other arms were propped up to his waist, showing the gun holster on his chest. Noah was working with the FBI before he was dispensed to their headquarters last month. He was mainly assigned to the research and intelligence unit because of his intensive experience as a special intelligence officer in his previous job. Chief Spencer also partnered him with Kendall to be her principal support regarding Grayson’s case. Knowing he preferred paperwork than being out in action, Kendall surmised that he was the best person to approach regarding Grayson’s relentless torture. Kendall groaned. “Ugh, tell me about it. The fucking git gave me that to summarize for his report.” She sat on the seat beside Noah and grabbed the sandwich from the desk. Kendall bit a large portion from it while leaning on the chair’s recliner. She felt so hungry from the events today. Noah removed his slim-fitted black suit, placing it over the rotating chair. Rolling his sleeves upward, he sat on the swivel chair, throwing the binder on the table. When he realized that his sandwich was being devoured by Kendall, he seized it from her, biting the remaining portion of it. Gulping, he replied, “Damn, take it easy. Have you had your dinner yet?” He gave her a bottle of water beside the sandwich takeaway and offered it to Kendall. She didn’t even hesitate to grab it, swallowing the entire serving of the water. After being replenished, she wiped the residual water from her mouth with her forearm. “Thanks. Anyway, can you help me with that horrendous thing? I barely understand it and my ordinary brain rucks up trying to comprehend those complicated economics theories.” Noah chortled. “Why do you have this, anyway? Are you trying to be a serious college student? I can’t even imagine you with a book,” he retorted while reading the highlighted paragraphs on Grayson’s binder. Kendall snorted, punching his buffed-up biceps. “Hey! I do read books.” “You mean the cases? Fair enough.” He grinned crookedly and stated in-a-matter-of-fact tone, “But you haven't read anything downright educational.” “Bleh, that’s boring.” She got another piece of sandwich from the corrugated box. Kendall was about to eat it when suddenly, Noah leaned closer to her to take a bite from the club sandwich. She was taken aback by Noah’s impulsive actions. Evidently, Kendall knew that Noah was handsome, smart, and single. The guy was already popular when he got designated from their district, which was rather rare for their department to have an eye candy to look forward to. However, just like Kendall, Noah was not interested in any short dalliances as he was much more interested in his work than anyone else. “Hell, you’re eating up all my dinner, Whitlock!” he contested lightly as he licked his lips. Reclining away from her, Noah reposed his back on the seat. Kendall then dropped the sandwich back into the box that was partially eaten by Noah. “Sorry, I was hungry,” she huffed with glumness and sighed, “—git stressed me out so much that he made me grumble with hunger.” Noah just shook his head with disparagement. “When do you need it?” he asked in a serious tone. She sheepishly smiled. “Err—tomorrow?” His expression turned with utter disbelief. “You’re serious? This kid wants you to summarize an entire seven-hundred and fifty pages of the book for his benefit?” Noah took the bottle of water and chugged it. “Unfortunately, yes.” Kendall breathed out in acquiescence. He tapped his fingers at the moment, thinking about what to do with the binder. After a short pause, he then grabbed it on the desk and quickly scanned it to read the first page. When he was done, he replied to Kendall, “Okay, I'll do it. But if this kid does something ridiculous again, don’t hesitate to break his neck.” Her gloomy expression suddenly lightened. “You don’t have to remind me about that, Inspector Green. You know me.” She crossed her arms to her chest and added, “I don’t beat around the bush.” Noah craftily smirked while giving the leftover sandwich to Kendall. “Just tell me if you need anything. I’ll be glad to help you. I got your back.” “Thanks! I’ll just call you tomorrow before class.” She cheerfully smiled. Meanwhile, she noticed again the sandwich left on the desk, which made him glance back at Noah. “You sure?” “Yeah, eat it. I can’t stand looking at your famished face.” “You’re the best, Inspector!” Kendall’s eyes shimmered with delight as she grabbed the remaining sandwich eaten by Noah. Willingly, she ate it with no contention. Noah just smiled at her with beguilement. ... After her conversation with Noah, Kendall was about to leave when Chief Spencer showed up. She stopped walking when he noticed him heading toward her. “I heard you visited from Seargent Coleman. Anyway, how’s the case? So far, any progress?” Chief Spencer asked. “So far, it’s getting well, chief. I’ve made progress with the subject and will immediately report to you as soon as I’ve gotten all the information filed,” Kendall reported in a professional tone. “Great. Just keep it like that, Whitlock. Report to me when something suspicious happened,” he retorted. Chief Spencer was about to leave when Kendall asked him another question. “By the way chief, do you have any lowdown on the Pirus case?” Chief Spencer exhaled with chagrin. “Not yet, Whitlock. Although, I will call or email you the details the moment we have an inside report.” “Got it, chief.” Sighing in defeat, Kendall nodded. She didn’t know how long she would do this covert operation, but it seemed like, from the Chief’s response, she might end up doing this undercover for a little longer. Chief Spencer sauntered to his office, which made Kendall move to follow him. When he got inside his office, he questioned her again, “Oh, since you’re here, Whitlock. You don’t need to give me a documentation report about the progress of the case. Just tell me what you’ve gotten so far.” He then leaned his back on the swivel chair and intertwined his fingers from the oak wood desk. Meanwhile, Kendall closed the door and sat on the vacant seat in front of him. “I’ve already gotten inside his squad, chief…” she then continued to discuss the information she got while following the subject for the entire week. ... It was already late in the morning when Kendall arrived at her flat. Beaten out from work and Grayson’s childish demands, she immediately dashed to her bed to sleep. Soon after, the slumber of exhaustion caved into her system that she barely remembered to change in her sleeping attire. Kendall disturbingly woke up from her phone’s sudden alarm. Disgruntled, she fumbled through her bedside table, taking the ear-splitting sound of the phone. As soon as she unlocked it, she noticed Grayson was calling in the early morning. 'What does this pompous git want again?' She grumbled while rubbing her eyes. “What is it, Grayson? It’s still so early,” she expressed with complete dissent. She heard him snickering on the phone. “What? It’s already five in the morning, Hailey. You’re supposed to be awake by this time.” 'Seriously? I’m really gonna squash his head sooner the moment my patience runs out.' Discerning she couldn’t do anything about it right now, she inhaled deeply to calm her nerves. “What do you want?” she reflexively grunted while still feeling the weight of weariness. “Come here right away,” he ordered without explanation. Kendall was soon alerted by his statement. She couldn’t help but wonder if the young man was in danger. It was too early in the morning for him to call, and if this was an emergency, she knew that she had to be there right away. Standing up from her bed, she then asked him again. “Grayson? Where are you?” “I’m at home, Hailey. Be here before five-thirty.” “What happened? Are you okay?” Her brows crinkled while she hurriedly seized the things inside her desk, searching for her 0.45 Colt gun. “Cook breakfast for me,” he said nonchalantly. 'What the fuck?' Kendall cursed internally as soon as she heard him. She dropped back the gun that was already in her hand and closed the compartment of her table. “Are you fucking kidding me, Grayson? You got a lot of maids! Why should I be the one to cook your breakfast?” she chided, thinking that it was another of his immature pranks. “I’m not joking. I need you to cook breakfast for me.” “No,” Kendall firmly responded. “Are you disobeying me? I’m going to report you to the group.” Kendall’s eyes whirled. “Does it look like I give a shit?” she rebutted. “Okay, then you’re not allowed to hang out with us anymore. Bye, Hai—” He was about to end the call when Kendall quickly answered, “Fine! Alright, I’ll be there in a minute or so.” “Geez, what got your knickers in a twist?” he derided. She dropped the call out of irritation, ignoring his mockery as she had no time to entertain his childish acts. ... By the time she got to his place, Kendall rushed to the kitchen and cooked whatever was available there. To be honest, she wasn’t a good cook—no; she was utterly terrible at it. Ever since she was a kid, she had no interest in cooking or in anything related to culinary cuisine. Yes, she was a food lover, but that didn’t mean that her eagerness in eating was also the same in cooking. In the end, she served a meal based on the limits and knowledge of her cooking skills. Placing the charcoal-smoky fried eggs on the table, she sat with a sigh. Hell, she never felt so tired just from cooking breakfast, as though this was even harder than getting in action on raids. At the same time, Grayson was already there at the dining table, waiting for his scrumptious meal. When he saw the platter of God-forbidden yet slightly edible eggs, his jaw dropped with astonishment. “What the hell is this, Hailey? Is this even food?” He disgustingly gripped the burnt edges of the fried egg, hanging it in mid-air. Kendall shrugged. “What? You said breakfast, right? I gave you sunny-side eggs. Fresh from the skillet pan.” “Are you trying to kill me with this?” He looked at her with discombobulation. 'Yes.' “No. What’s wrong with the eggs? Haven’t tried burnt, smokey eggs before?” she pressed on. Grayson threw the egg back onto the plate. “No, I won’t eat this.” He then pushed it away from him and grabbed the small bell beside him. “Esther, would you cook some breakfast right away? I’m hungry!” he called out while clanking the small bell. Kendall’s fury started to rise. Out of the blue, she slumped her palms onto the table with sudden force, which caused the young man to be in shock. She then leaned forward, giving him a spiteful stare. “Look, Hoffman! I woke up early in the morning, even if I don’t want to, just to entertain your childish antics of cooking your damn fucking eggs! Now, eat this whether you like it or not before I shove this to your ass and cut your fucking balls as a replacement for these eggs!” Taken aback by her monstrous warning, Grayson felt the chills run down his spine. Involuntarily, he found himself obeying her command as he briskly grabbed the eggs from the plate and roughly swallowed them. Calming herself down, she sat in front of him while watching him endure the unpalatable breakfast. “Good boy! Eat up and don’t leave any leftovers.” Kendall wolfishly grinned, feeling rather victorious. After their eventful breakfast, both of them went to school together with Kendall driving his car. Grayson demanded her again to carry all his things while walking to the corridor. She didn’t have the energy to contest him, as she just took it from him. Later on, they got to the class in no time with Kendall sitting next to him. When the professor arrived, Grayson immediately told her to take notes for him while listening to the lesson. “Take notes for me, Hailey.” She hurled the notebook from him and scribbled down some hefty notes. Nancy quickly noticed their sudden familiarity with each other. “It seems like the two of you are getting along.” Kendall just nodded automatically while her eyes were still transfixed on the board. “Hmm, yes. I guess so. We’ve become closer when I came to the same event he attended.” Biting her lip, Nancy reluctantly replied, “Do you want me to help you with that? I can take notes for him.” “Really! That would be awe—” Grayson cut her off as soon as he heard it. “No! That’s your job, Hailey! Don’t pass your responsibility on someone.” Kendall made a face, deriding him with contempt. Luckily, Grayson didn’t see it, as he was so focused on whatever the professor was saying. With this, she went back to writing notes, scribbling everything that their professor said. After a minute of writing, Kendall suddenly felt her eyes getting dozy. Since she didn’t have any interest in what the professor was discussing and since she got little to no sleep, she quickly fell asleep out of boredom. Inopportunely, the professor and the entire class heard her exigent, rowdy snores. “Miss Madison, if you’re just going to sleep in my class, better yet, go out!” The professor reproached with his arms on his waist. Kendall remained to be in slumber as she didn’t notice the professor’s warning. Meanwhile, Grayson was having fun as he sat beside her, who looked like he had just won the jackpot prize. “Miss Madison!” the professor shouted again. This time, his warning awakened every bit of her lethargic energy. She jerked off from her seat, looking disheveled and oblivious. When she met the professor’s glare, her eyes gaped open. 'Oh, shit!' She mumbled inwardly. The professor then pointed at the door with anger. “Get out of the class now! I don’t want to see any students sleeping in my class!” “Sorry, sir—” “Get out, Miss Madison, before my patience runs out!” His face was entirely beaten with red from aggravation. Hopeless, Kendall stood from her seat while carrying her bag. However, before she could even go out of the room, she eyed Grayson with a scowl. As soon as she was out of the room, she slumped her back on the wall and fell asleep on one of the hallway benches. ... After a minute, Grayson’s class ended. While walking along the corridor, he saw Kendall's mouth open, sleeping on the bench in the Alaric building. Surprising her with mockery, he kicked her feet to wake her up. “Hey, Hailey, wake up! I can see a fly in your mouth.” He chuckled. Immediately, Kendall woke up, scratching her head unconsciously. As soon as her eyes glanced at Grayson, she jabbed him in his arms with every intention of hurting him. “This is your fault, Hoffman! I will not forgive you if I failed in this class,” she reprimanded while following him. Grayson mocked, “You wouldn’t, anyway, because you’re stupid.” “Hey! I’m not stupid! Economics doesn’t really interest me.” She huffed. Frowning, Grayson queried, “Then why the fuck did you get it? You realize that we will be having a lot of economics courses.” Kendall paused for a moment, thinking about how to respond. “I-I, well, I thought it was fun,” she stuttered. “It is enjoyable if you understand it. But it looks like your small brain couldn’t comprehend any of it, even the basics.” She agreed, knowing that she was really not that smart to grasp such complicated theories and ideas. Nonetheless, her pride took over her emotion as she would never let him know that he was right. “Yeah, well, my brain is too special to even bother learning those kinds of things.” “See? I don’t know how you even passed the UMET with that dull brain of yours, Hailey.” He stated out of fact and bewilderment. She couldn’t answer his question, as even she was rendered speechless. ... Later that day, after all their classes, they went to the nearest flower shop. As they went inside the store, Grayson looked through the set of flowers displayed for the day. “What are we doing here?” Kendall asked while scanning inside the room, looking for any possibility of suspecting danger. Grayson took the sunflower and smelled it. “I wanted to buy flowers for Abigail.” Then, he asked the clerk, “How much is this, miss?” “It’s thirty dollars, sir. Would you want it in a bouquet?” The lady beside the counter quickly replied. Grayson was about to answer when Kendall shot another question. “Why? Did you do anything bad?” He sniggered at her question while he forgot to answer the lady. “No, Hailey. That’s just what you do in a relationship. Don’t tell me you haven’t been in one?” Kendall didn't answer, which piqued his interest in the type of people Kendall had been going out with, or if she ever did. Grinning haughtily, he began to question her. “Do you like flowers, Hailey?” “Flowers are fine. It’s nice to have it on the first day, but a waste when it gets wilted.” She raised her shoulders quickly, as if she wasn’t interested. Grayson then noticed her reaction. He then surmised that she didn’t care about anything, which got him more curious about her preference. “What do you think about these carnations? Are they better than red roses?” He asked again while gesturing his hand to the flowers inside a rectangular pot. “It’s nice. Both are pretty.” Kendall gave him a dead face. He pursed his lips. “What about these pink tulips?” “It’s alright. Either way, any flowers will do, Grayson.” Sighing from discontentment with her answer, Grayson tried asking her again. “How about this Hibiscus or Bluebell? I think this suit Abigail’s personality.” "I don’t know, Grayson. I guess anything will do. As long as it's not flowers meant for death,” she replied with utter indifference. Grayson then stopped asking her questions, as reading Kendall was a hopeless case. He thought he could get an interesting fact about her, but was left with nothing but disappointment. It was clear to him that if he couldn’t get anything by simply prying, then he just had to use other means to determine the truth about Kendall. With that in mind, he just got a bouquet of pink roses from one of the compartments and went straight ahead to the counter to pay. While the lady packed the flowers Grayson had chosen, he saw another customer arriving. He then heard a sudden gasp from Kendall that made his gaze veer towards her. Weirdly, he noticed Kendall friskily hiding behind his back. “Damn it...” Kendall whispered while cloaking her body behind Grayson. Her reaction made him more curious, from which he formed an idea that the woman was one of Kendall’s exes. Smiling with curiosity, he moved away from Kendall, letting her be out in the open to be noticed by the lady who was walking toward them. “Kendall?”

“Kels, is that you?” Charlotte asked while she loomed in Kendall’s direction. 'Kendall?' Grayson thought. Immediately, Kendall eyed her alarmingly as though she wanted to indicate something. She couldn’t do anything about the situation, as Grayson had already exposed her. If only the git hadn’t moved, she wouldn’t be in this incommodious state. Fortunately, Charlotte got her hint. They had been friends for almost a decade and she knew that this might be another of her covert cases. Right away, she shrugged like she just mistook Kendall for someone. “Oh God, so sorry! I thought you were someone else I knew,” she apologized quickly. Kendall smiled awkwardly. “Nah, it’s okay, miss. I’m used to it. People do always think I look like someone they know.” She then lurked back, eyeing Grayson like she was giving her a clue. Grayson, however, just looked at them with a crooked face, as if he was trying to comprehend what had just happened. It was clearly evident that Kendall was frantic when she saw the woman walking by a while ago. He really thought that she was her ex-girlfriend or maybe, perhaps, someone in the past that knew her secret. Either way, none of his expectations materialized. After that, Charlotte was already out of their sight. She left the premises forthwith at the same time the lady had finished wrapping Grayson’s bouquet. The tightness in Kendall’s chest loosened from having escaped from the tight spot she had been in some minutes before. “Thank you so much, sir!” the lady said while giving him the bunch of roses. Grayson just smiled at her as he took it. Meanwhile, he couldn’t get out of his mind about Kendall’s weird and conspicuous reaction. ... While they were driving to Grayson’s next stop, Kendall’s phone rang of a sudden. She fished it out of her pockets, hitting the button on the screen. “Who was the handsome guy you’re with, Kels? Why didn’t you tell me you already got a boyfriend?” Sighing, Kendall realized it was just her friend Charlotte. “I’m on duty! Bye.” She answered rapidly, without giving Charlotte any details. “Wait—” Before her friend could speak up, Kendall dropped the call and placed it back in her pocket. Grayson quickly noticed it and asked her out of curiosity. “What do you mean, duty? What the hell are you talking about, Hailey?” Kendall coyly smiled at him. Whilst her arm was in the stirring wheel, she gazed up to the rear front view mirror. “Oh, it was nothing. It was just my brother asking for an update.” She then gulped and added, “He knew about the initiation and my duty to you as a new member of the group.” 'Damn, that was close. Whew, I almost got caught!' She sighed internally. Kendall knew that if she continued entertaining Charlotte and her nosy mouth, it would compromise her job. Hastily, she changed the topic to veer him away from asking another question. Looking back at the flower Grayson was holding, Kendall confirmed, “Are we driving to Abigail’s location to drop the bouquet?” The young man shook his head. “No, change of plans. Drive to the nearest strip club.” “Strip club?” The reluctance in her voice was apparent. “Yes. Why, have you never been in a strip club before?” His eyebrow curved upward. Kendall paused in driving and retorted, “I thought we’re going to Abigail’s place to give her the bouquet? Why are you suddenly changing your mind?” Grayson ignored her and grabbed his phone to call Chester. As soon as Chester’s voice was perceptible, he said, “Dude, call the entire group and tell them we’re going to the pub.” She heard Chester on the phone, but it was unclear. “Yes, the usual place. Same time.” He looked at his watch and answered, “Be there in an hour.” Grayson then placed his phone back in his jeans' side pocket. Creasing his forehead, he asked in confusion, “Why did you stop driving?” 'Nevermind.' Kendall heaved a sigh and just held the steering wheel again, shifting the gear of the car to drive to the nearest strip club. ... It was dawn when they arrived at the place. The dark and estranged influx of the night was neither deafening nor empty for the people roaring inside the club; rather, it was an evening to be downtrodden with their wild profligacy. For Grayson, it was different, as the arrival of dusk would give him validation on something. A lot of cars had already been parked at the location, yet they were still able to get a parking space. Chester and Grayson’s other friend were in the front yard of the club, waiting for the both of them. When the two reached the group, Grayson and Kendall greeted them. “Sup, man. We were waiting for you guys for almost thirty minutes. Why are you so late?” Chester asked. Grayson pointed at her. “I got a slow driver.” Will snickered. “Damn, what happened, Hailey? Where was the skill you flexed to us back then?” Kendall flicked her eyes in sarcasm. “You know—I was just being careful not to leave any scratches on this guy’s car.” “Fuck, you’re right. Grayson’s really prickly with his collectibles,” Anton added. Chester then meddled while hooking his arms to Grayson and Will. “Alright, shitheads. Enough talking and let’s get inside to get some real deal!” The entire group laughed, except for Kendall. They were half a meter away from the bouncer, where the entrance was, when suddenly a thought came out of Kendall. She blocked the entryway when the group was already there. “Wait! No one is a minor here, right? All of you are eighteen or over the eighteen?” she quickly asked. The bouncer smirked at Kendall’s inquiry. “The lady is right, bros. You got any identification cards with you?” Grayson answered in a matter-of-fact tone, “Er, yes, Hailey. That’s the point why we are here.” Kendall nodded. “Are you guys sure? Let me check your IDs. I want to validate it.” Hesitatingly, the men gave their identification cards to Kendall. It was an instinct for her, as a police officer, to ask that question, as she had been doing this for years. “Why will you get it? Shouldn't the bouncer be the one to check our IDs?” Grayson befuddled. He grabbed his friend’s ID and directly gave it to the bouncer. Grasping the reaction she had, Kendall paused for a moment as she quickly assessed her actions. She then realized at that moment that she had just acted out of her undercover character, Hailey Madison. 'Shit! God, this is the third time of the day I almost got caught.' Grunting inwardly, she titled her head to calm herself for a while. Meanwhile, the bouncer tapped Kendall lightly on her shoulders. “Miss, your ID?” “You seem like you are out yourself today, Hailey,” Grayson commented. Kendall neglected him and gave the bouncer her fake ID, which came from the headquarters itself. “Here.” The bouncer flipped it open and scrutinized it. Soon after, when all of them were cleared, the bouncer allowed them to go inside. Then Grayson gestured his hand to the group, waving it to come closer to him. “Come with me, guys. I just rented a room for us.” Chester’s coquettish smirk became more noticeable when he said it. On the other hand, Will and Anton gave only a baffling, agreeable reaction. As soon as they walked inside, heaps of women instinctively sat beside each guy. In the room's corner, Will and Anton got themselves their own hussy, as well as with Chester. On the other side, near where Kendall was sitting, Grayson was wrapped around a curly-red-haired woman. However, what she didn’t expect was that Grayson would also be assigning her a stripper. Kendall didn’t know what to answer as soon as he told her. Quickly, the woman in a silver brassiere and panties approached her with delight. The stripper looked sweet and approachable to Kendall, but she wasn’t just interested in doing anything with a woman of the same preference for sex. “Hey there!” she greeted pleasantly. Kendall coyly smiled. “Er, hi…” “Hailey, you got a sweet pea over there. Don’t mind Grayson and just enjoy the night, eh?” Chester asked as he raised the bottle of beer. “Yeah, Hailey! This is our treat for putting up with Grayson for the whole week,” Anton remarked while caressing the chest of the stripper beside him. She didn’t respond and just lifted her bottle of beer to take a swig from it. Unexpectedly, while she was drinking, the stripper leaned closer to her, which made her more uncomfortable. Choking the beer, she dropped it down on the table and moved away from the stripper. “Err, Miss. I’m really sorry but I’m not interested. You can stop making advances, because both of us are straight. If you want, you can join the others.” Kendall suggested, pointing at Chester and Anton. “Your friend paid for the services. I’m just doing my job.” She stepped away from Kendall and just sat beside her. Kendall’s discomfort was replaced with relief. “Good thing you were assigned to me because I'm not interested. We can just talk if you'd like that. And please, just stop flirting with me because it scares the shit out of me.” Cringing at the thought of the stripper’s advances, Kendall shook her head in denouncement. Eventually, the stripper agreed. “Okay sure. Whatever, miss. If that’s what you want.” In the meantime, Grayson noticed Kendall’s aloof reaction toward the stripper. She barely entertained her, as though she was bored and uninterested. The woman, however, tried to talk to her, but Kendall was too indifferent to give her any hint of pretensions. On the contrary, Kendall loomed over at Grayson’s table. Watching him from a short distance, he was already kissing the stripper next to him. Kendall felt she was instantly cheated, knowing that Abigail would surely be disheartened if she saw her boyfriend philandering to anyone he meets accidentally. 'God, I pity Abigail for loving this dick! She doesn’t deserve to be treated like this! Goodness! What a fucking a-hole.' She pondered while her glare was fixated on him. Throwing the empty bottle on the table, she grabbed another one. Kendall kept her tabs on Grayson while looking at the both of them, almost fucking on the couch. Her guilt even rose more when she noticed him going inside the delicate private part of the stripper. She then noticed that the young man was already intoxicated as his face became redder and his moves were quicker. Likewise, his friends matched his fervor and debauchery, as all of them were preoccupied with their bimbos. Kendall felt so helpless that all she could do was shake her head and avert her attention away from the group. She couldn’t understand the senseless passion these men desired that would likely last only after they jerked off. Moreover, as a woman, she couldn’t stand gawking at Grayson’s cheating and abuse of Abigail’s genuine affection. She tried to resist the urge to smack him in the face, but her temper overwhelmed her when she saw Grayson’s mouth casting inside her womanly part. Kendall could tolerate his mild fondling and petting with the stripper; however, she wouldn’t keep still on his upfront and boorish obscenity. So, Kendall dragged the mildly intoxicated Grayson outside of the room, which shocked everyone. Without letting him speak, she pinned him on the wall, hauling his blue-teal collar up. “What the fuck are you doing, Hoffman?! You got a girlfriend who sincerely loves and respects you despite your shitty personality! And this is how you repay her? Don’t you ever think, just in a minute, how your disloyalty will badly affect her when she realizes it?!” she spat. Shocked by her sudden gesture, he asked, “What the hell, Hailey? We’re enjoying and don’t you include Abigail here!” He then removed her knuckles from his collar. “What do you know about Abigail’s emotion, anyway?! You’re not her!” Kendall hit him in the chest, pushing his back against the wall. Her eyes were already dimmed with anger. “What do I know?! Fuck, I know what she feels! Because, like her, I’m also a woman who can’t bear men like you who have no respect!” She smacked him again in his chest. “Unfaithful idiots like you who always fool around with anyone without a least of remorse!” Grayson’s eyes darkened, and his jaws clenched. His gaze intensified as the black strands of his hair fell across his eyebrows. Stepping closer to Kendall, he licked his lips in a sinister way while his silver-steel eyes beamed at her. "So... You're really a woman, huh? It means you're straight." Kendall was utterly surprised that Grayson had picked up on that. Her hand on his chest withdrew as she felt a disturbing, fuzzy feeling in her chest. She didn't know why, but she suddenly felt exposed. She gulped, and replied, trying to rebut him, “So what if I am? Is my gender that big of a deal?” Grayson didn’t answer and just moved away from Kendall. He went back inside the room while Kendall was following him. She was completely bothered by his reaction that it bugged her to death. She knew that what she did might rebound to her in the future. Yes, Grayson already got the fact that she was a woman, but that was just it. Even with that fact, Kendall felt troubled, as she couldn’t pinpoint what its cause might be. Grayson then called his friends who were quite busy. “We’re going. Get up.” Chester, who was still in shock, grumblingly asked, “What? Why? Come on, Grayson! We’re just getting started!” “Let’s go,” he strongly answered. “What the fuck, Grayson!? We’re not yet done,” Will thwarted. “We’re done. I came here with a purpose and I already got what I need. There’s no reason to stay here,” He explained while his penetrating eyes were transfixed on the woman whose face was on the ground. ... The next day, things between them seemed clearer. They were sitting under the shade of the tree to cover themselves from the intensive heat of the sun. Grayson was leaning on the bark of the sturdy tree while studying. On his right side was Kendall, who seemed to be reading a calculus book. Grayson paused for a moment to observe Kendall. He couldn't get over what had happened last night and how Kendall chastised him. She did, after all, have a woman's heart, as it turns out. It piqued his interest in her more that he wondered why Kendall befriended him. “Do you like me?” he asked it casually. Kendall snorted, unbothered by his question. “No.” “Do you like one of my friends?” “No.” Frowning, he queried again. “Are you spying on me?” “No.” She answered him again jadedly while her eyes pinned on the book. “If then, why do you prefer to hang out with guys?” She shrugged. “Why not?” He kept staring at her and he soon noticed her lips curving occasionally, as though the calculus book that she was reading was funny. Grayson then shook his head in indignation, like the woman beside him was a hopeless case. “I’ll be adding some rules to our friendship now, knowing that you’re not a lesbian,” he stated. Still focusing on the calculus book, Kendall just nodded at him. “You can’t wear anything that will give anyone a hint that you’re a girl. You can’t wear sexy clothes, make-up, or even dress-up. I don’t want anyone to misinterpret that you’re my girlfriend or my friend’s girlfriend.” He then eyed her down. “J-Just stay the same and keep acting like a lesbian—with your black tees and ripped jeans.” “Easy. No problem,” Kendall replied in between her chuckles. “Why do you keep laughing? Is studying calculus even that fun?” “What? Is there something wrong with that?” Kendall retorted as she kept tightly on hold of her book. Grayson couldn’t ignore her inattentiveness, so he finally took the calculus book from her hand. As soon as he opened it, he discovered she was just reading a comic book. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry at this woman’s peculiarity. All he knew was that Kendall was the kind of woman who got a tenfold layer of personality. “Give it back to me, Grayson!” she grunted while reaching out from his grasp. “So, this is what you’re really reading, eh?” He teased while containing his laughter that was about to burst out. Kendall huffed, crossing her arms to her chest. “What is it to you if I’m reading a comic?” “Hailey, you know this is the reason you’ll easily fail the class. You don’t even bother to read your notes or review it,” he reprimanded her as she tried to get the comic book back. She groaned in annoyance. “Why do you care, Grayson? This is what I want to read and I’ll just study later before the class.” Kendall incessantly tugged the comic book from Grayson. Finally, Grayson gave up and threw it to her, which she immediately caught without a hitch. “Instead of studying for exams, you chose to read rather useless stuff. If I were you, I’ll get that calculus book and read it,” he advised. Kendall was about to respond when suddenly, a woman walked up to them. “What is this Gray? Is she the new flavor for the week? Got tired of your usual flings?” Her defined and arched eyebrows lifted while her hands were on her waist, arms raising proudly. Kendall couldn’t reply and was undoubtedly speechless. Meanwhile, Grayson just looked at her with spite and contempt. “What do you want?” The deep tone in his voice even got more serious. It was Cady, Grayson’s ex-girlfriend. They had broken up a long time ago, but she still pushed herself to Grayson and fought anyone whom she saw flirting with him. Cady was beautiful and as pretty as Grayson’s present girlfriend, Abigail. Her noticeable features couldn’t be disregarded. She had blue eyes, strawberry blonde hair, and a voluptuous body that was desired by the many. However, despite this, she was the complete opposite of Abigail. Cady is feisty, smart, yet very desperate to get Grayson’s attention. From the moment she had seen him in their freshmen year, Cady knew that Grayson was the right man for her. “So, it’s true. She’s your new slut? Am I right?” She grinned smugly. Grayson paid her no attention and just walked away. Following him, Kendall stood up. Nonetheless, before she could ever step on the field, Cady stopped her. “Stay the fuck away from my man, bitch.” She gritted. Kendall brusquely laughed at her warning. “That git is all yours for all I care, missy.” Patting Cady’s shoulder, she marched through the field, finding the young man who was always tied with unending drama. After their classes and later that night, Grayson and his friends decided to go to a bar again to have fun. Of course, Kendall didn't have a choice but to go with them.

Grayson and Kendall arrived at the bar in less than no time; she dropped him off first at the entrance to look for a parking space. As soon as she got the perfect spot, the boys were already inside regaling like there was no tomorrow. Meanwhile, Kendall decided to stay at the parking spot to blow some chaff off. She grabbed her pack of cigarettes from her side pockets and lit up the stick. Kendall rarely smoked. However, she did when she felt like she needed some air to breathe in. Guarding Grayson Hoffman had already given her a lot of stress and pressure, so much so, that she had barely visited her family. 'Ah, finally! A minute for myself.' She smiled while relishing the heated smoke of nicotine and tobacco down to her lungs. Kendall knew she needed this as it would help her calm down before facing that git again. After whiffing the last remnants of the burning cigarette, she threw it on the ground and crushed it with her snuff-colored combat boots. She then walked ahead to the venue to get to the boys. With her palms crunched up in the pockets of her leather jacket, she moved to the black front door of the pub when, suddenly, a young woman halted her. Kendall tilted her head up to face her. The woman looked familiar to her as though she had seen her before. She was wearing a tight pink crop top and a checkered miniskirt that perfectly accentuated her bright auburn hair. Kendall noticed that the red-haired woman was backed up by her other friends, who were already waiting behind her. “What do you want, miss?” Kendall asked, seemingly tired from all Grayson’s girl drama. The short-blonde woman behind the red-haired challenged her with a feisty smirk. “Is this the girl you’re talking about, Sandra? She looks so awful and with no breed!” “How dare you get close to Grayson? He’s Sandra’s! So back off, bitch!” Another high-pitch valley girl added. “Is this the girl he chose over you? Eww, what happened to his standards, girl?!” Then, Sandra sneered, “Get away from my man, slut!” She pushed her away, to which Kendall soon recovered from stepping forward. Simultaneously, her violent actions made Kendall remember her as the woman walking toward them when Grayson kissed her. Realizing this, she now understood why the red-haired woman was hopping mad. Regardless of their insults, Kendall had none of them, as she just rolled her eyes and ignored them. She thought of them as shallow teenagers who were so engrossed in girl drama and Grayson. With this, she went back to the front door with the plan of following where Grayson and his friends were hanging out. “You fucking bitch! He’s mine!” Sandra yelled, slapping Kendall in the face. Instantly, Kendall felt the massive weight of Sandra's palms. She dabbed her cheek and realized it had gotten swollen. “Hey, miss... First, I don’t care about him and I don’t care if he’s yours. Second, I don’t like him and will never like him at all. Third, I’m not one of his girls who’s so dumb to impose themselves on a guy who is only interested in sex.” Kendall brushed her lips with her thumb and warned, “So please, for the love of God, back off.” “What the fuck did you just say?” Her response miffed Sandra with annoyance. Kendall neglected her and walked out of their way. Even so, the gang was too adamant about it. They recklessly pulled Kendall to them and attacked her with no leniency. They surrounded her in the middle, giving Kendall scratches on her face and hitting her abdomen. “You bitch! How dare you say that?!” Sandra yanked Kendall’s hair so tight that she could almost feel the blisters on her scalp. Another girl beside Kendall clawed her arm, bashing it with full force. “Fucking slut! You don’t have any right to say that!” Kendall didn’t know what was already happening. It was like she just got mauled by every species of a feline animal intending to nail her in the coffin. Still and all, she tried to practice maximum tolerance and let them hit her until she found a way to get out of the plight. Sandra added as she continued to pull her hair. “You man stealer! Get away from him!” “Ah! Will you guys stop it?!” Kendall tried to request. However, the ladies disregarded her plea and continued to hit her. Leaving her with no choice, Kendall then shoved her head back and covered her face with her forearms. “You fucking bitch! You stole him away from me!” Sandra shrieked with passion and outrage. “Hell, lady, I don’t even like him! You can have him all you want! I don’t frigging care!” Kendall responded while shielding herself from the incoming attacks. Sandra's feisty gang incessantly attacked her on both sides and back. Kendall bore it for a minute while waiting for an opening where she could get out. Soon after, when she saw Sandra’s arm retracting away from her hair, she immediately grabbed and twisted it on her back to stop her. “Argh! You fucking whore! Get your hands away from me!” Sandra cried in pain while her arm was curled up sideways. Kendall’s sudden move took Sandra's friends aback. However, this didn’t make them stop, as a short-haired woman was about to pounce on her when she kicked her in the gut. “Arrghh! You crazy bitch!” the short-haired woman shouted as she was thrown onto the ground. The others tried to hit Kendall again, but to their dismay, she had quickly booted their asses to the floor before they could ever jab her. Heaps of cries coming from them surrounded the entire area, as though the bar had become a public place for brawling. Kendall spat, while she gripped Sandra’s wrist tightly. “I told you, ladies, to fucking stop it!” “Let me go! Damnit! I’m going to sue you for this!” Sandra yelled. “Sue me? Like hell, you will!” Kendall was already at the point where she had enough. She couldn’t take any of these anymore, eventually arriving at the point where all odds were against her. Then she tried to calm down. Kendall breathed in for a moment and puffed another sigh. Momentarily, she let go of Sandra’s wrist and fixed the atrocious aftermath she had encountered with these crazy bitches. “Are you girls out of your mind? Why are you wasting your time with that git who doesn’t care about you? My God! That asshole doesn’t deserve this kind of attention! Why are you defending him like your life is on the line?! He’s a fucking womanizer who doesn’t even care about your feelings!” Kendall stopped for a while to breathe in and then added, “You shouldn’t let a man drill you with sex only." The girls were left flabbergasted. They didn’t expect Kendall to react in such a way or even bring them down with much skill and knowledge in fighting. More so, she was so intimidating that the entire group was pacified to be left in a dumbfounded state. Kendall was already fed up. She couldn’t take it anymore, starting from Grayson’s childish pranks to these girls’ petty insecurities. This was not what she had expected when she agreed to do this job. It took a toll on her dignity that she couldn’t help but feel besmirched as a police officer. She knew she was better than this and could do more than deal with immature teenagers. Gritting her teeth, Kendall turned her back away from them and walked towards the main road. She called a taxi and immediately got inside as soon as a yellow car stopped by. Gazing at the distance, she saw herself in the mirror with her face bruised from cuts and scratches. Her hair was disheveled and her cheeks were burning red. Kendall couldn’t help but laugh at her state right now, as though a skilled and trained inspector like her just got mangled by crazy Grayson’s admirers. With a trace of downright ache and chafe, she laughed. 'I look like a mess...' ... She soon reached the headquarters with a single thought to talk with the chief. With her close fist, Kendall marched inside the office with heavy, yet quick footsteps. Her coworkers tried to talk to her, but she ignored them as she eyed Chief Spencer’s room. When she got there, Kendall immediately settled on the vacant seat in front of the desk, which made the chief gape at her with confusion. Chief Spencer was about to ask Kendall when she preceded him with an exasperated glare. “I’m quitting this case, chief. It’s not that I couldn’t do it, but I just can’t take this anymore. And no—before you say anything else, hear me out.” She heaved a sighed and continued, “It wasn’t just Grayson’s cocky attitude or his childish pranks. It’s everything and everyone surrounding him. The kid is always attached with drama that even my life has turned into a pathetic mess!” “What do you mean, Whitlock? I thought you’ve gotten close to the kid? What the fuck happened?” His brows furrowed as he leaned away from the chair. “This isn’t what I signed up for when I joined the law enforcement. I want to be in front of the action, doing raids and operations! This is not what I’m trained to do! Dealing with Grayson was already a handful, chief, but also dealing with his crazy women? No shit, but I’m completely done.” Kendall lifted her arms in defeat. She then added, “I want to be assigned to a new case, chief. It’s okay if you punish me by being suspended. I just don't want anything to do with Grayson or his bunch of crazy followers.” Chief Spencer took a deep breath and waited for Kendall to calm down. When he noticed her getting back to her senses, he replied calmly, “Being police, Janice, is not all about cross swords and lock horns. Yes, our job is risky and may sometimes be dangerous, but being a police is just not all about it. It comes with a passion for our responsibility, loyalty, and sacrifice for the common good. Whether the job is small or big, every single part of the operation is very important. We chose you to do this case, Janice, because we believe you are the only one who can do it. I have seen fire and passion in you, Whitlock, since then. Don’t let this case lose your love for your job. Take it as it is, swallow your pride, and sacrifice for the greater interest.” “Chief…” Kendall didn’t know how to respond. He continued, “We serve our people. We sacrifice and we humble ourselves for the safety of everyone. That’s what we do, Janice—that’s what your grandfather did. If you can't do that, then maybe this profession isn't for you, Inspector Whitlock.” Kendall heeded the chief's words whilst sniffing. She then regretted her actions and thought of her grandfather. She loved being a police officer and would do her job to the extent of her limit. Chief Spencer’s statement reminded her of the real meaning of being a policewoman. She now knew that what she would learn from this assignment would be far more important than the lessons she would have learned from raids and busting operations. With that in mind, she tilted her head to apologize to him, “I-I apologize, chief. I was clouded, so clouded with everything that had happened.” Luckily, Chief Spencer understood her. He didn’t reprimand her or punished her for her rash actions as he just let Kendall leave the office to think things through. Spencer knew Kendall’s genuine love for her work and he wanted to let her know how important the case she was handling was. ... A few minutes later, after Kendall’s conversation with the chief, she came across Noah. The man seemed to notice the distress in her that he'd ask her to join him for a meal. “Hey, Whitlock. Want to grab some dinner?” Kendall partly smiled but looked uninterested. “I’m fine. Not really hungry right now, Inspector Green.” Noah, however, ignored her disinterest and tried to even cheer her up. Pouting, he said, “Come on! It’s my treat.” Instantly, Kendall’s gloomy face faded into a more pleasant countenance. She nodded and softly smiled at him. “Alright. Just because this is your treat.” Later on, the two went to a nearby food stall while they ate triple cheeseburgers, reflecting on their jobs. Kendall told him about her conversation with the chief, to which Noah listened with much interest. “I-I God... I really had just enough of it.” She sighed as she dropped the wrapper on the tray. “I understand. You know I’m your partner and I can clearly see your struggles with this case. To be honest, if I were in your shoes, I would have knocked that git to his senses,” Noah retorted while grabbing the bottle of coke. Kendall laughed at him. She was grateful that she had Noah’s support ever since day one. If it wasn’t because of him, she would have probably lost her shit on the first day. “Thanks, Inspector Green.” She lifted her eyes to meet his and curved her lips upward. Noah then patted her shoulders. “You can do this, and I believe in you. I know because you’re the best police officer who can nail this case. You’re one hell of a fighter, Inspector Whitlock. No one can stop you on that.” He crossed his arms and winked. “Besides, you also have me as your partner. You can never go wrong with that.” Smiling at her, his blue eyes wrinkled with delight. The enormous weight that she was carrying a while ago soon faded. Kendall felt happy with Chief Spencer and Noah’s exhortation to her. Because of this, she was even more determined to do her job better. Both of them already had a stimulating conversation when her phone rang. Quickly, Kendall picked it up and recognized that it was Grayson who was calling her. “Hey, I need to go, Inspector.” She pointed at the road and added. “Gotta get back to my work.” “Is it the kid again? I can offer you a ride. Where is it?” he suggested as he reached the back of his neck to rub it. Kendall bit her lips. She was hesitant to accept Noah’s offer, but the man was rather too nice for her to turn down. “Uhm, alright… Yeah, sure. It’s downtown at a local pub.” Consequently, Noah drove her back to the bar where Grayson and his friends were staying. After a couple of minutes of driving, they arrived at the place where Kendall was already greeted by Grayson’s grouchy face. Immediately, she gazed back at Noah to bid him goodbye. “Thanks again, Inspector Green, for the treat and the ride.” “Anytime, Whitlock.” He smirked as he leaned closer to her to open the door on her side. Shocked by his gesture, she felt her breathing pause as she noticed Noah’s body closer to her. When she felt him reclining away and inclining back to his seat, Kendall reflexively released a relieving sigh. “Go get him and knock down his peg,” Noah cheered. Smiling coyly, Kendall responded, “I definitely will.” She then stared at his bright eyes and bit her lips. “Thanks again, Noah. I really appreciate your support.” Noah gave her a playful smirk. “I’m just one call away if you need me.” His lips then pursed in a teasing manner. “Although it’s kind of weird hearing you say my name.” Kendall raised her eyebrows coyly. “Do you want me to go back with your surname, Inspector? We'd be busted if Grayson hears.” He bit his lower lips for a moment. “No. It’s just weird—but…” Noah’s pupil narrowed as he continued. “I like it, Kendall.” She gave him a slight nod of agreement, as her lips couldn’t hide her glee. “Same. Good night, Noah.” “Good night, Kendall.” “Don’t stay up late, Green. I might call you when I need you,” Kendall teased. A deep-entrancing voice of mirth escaped from Noah. Kendall then exited the car as Noah said, “Call me anytime. I’m at your beck and call.” "I will, Noah. Thanks again..." Replied Kendall as she waved her hand. Grayson, who was at the side, could hear their intimate farewells. After that, Noah drove off while Kendall was left alone with Grayson to deal with. Bulking up all her renewed patience, she walked toward him. She quickly noticed his frown at her while his foot kept tapping on the concrete ground. “Where the heck you are, Hailey?” he hissed. Kendall didn’t respond to his question and just took his keys. However, Grayson was too obstinate as he asked her again, “Who is that guy? Why did you disappear suddenly and come back with another man?” She kept her mouth shut and ignored Grayson’s incessant interrogation. Kendall didn’t want to pay attention to his cockiness or his insults anymore. With this, she just went inside the car and drove throughout the ride without saying a single thing. Even so, Grayson didn’t stop as he asked her another question again. “I heard what happened with you and Sandra. Why didn’t you fight back, Hailey? For someone who could fight a guy easily, those ladies are just nothing. Why didn’t you deal with them right away?” Kendall only listened to Grayson, trying not to bite back a word towards him. “And who is that guy you’re just with? Is he your boyfriend? Your fling when you need something to let out?” He gritted his teeth with annoyance. She stepped on the pedal, and the car came to a screeching halt. “Shut the fuck up, Hoffman! I’m not in a mood to entertain any of your rudeness, lest banter with your childish insults!” Grayson was about to open his mouth to answer when he met her piercing scowl. “I’m already so tired of dealing with your antics, so please, keep your mouth shut, before I do anything else that you will surely regret!” He was astonished by Kendall’s reaction. Grayson wasn’t sure why, but he found himself nodding at her. He then shut his mouth immediately, obeying Kendall’s admonishment. With this, it got him wondering why Kendall could silence him just like that. He couldn’t explain it, but he got this lingering feeling that she spoke with such authority, as if she was more experienced, more mature, and much more... Older?