Zephany placed her fork down, her breakfast finished, but her gaze lingered on Kendrick, who was still eating.
She hesitated.
Should she tell him she needed to go first to prepare for work? But wouldn’t that make her seem rude? After all, he was the one who actually prepared breakfast.
She bit her lip, shifting slightly in her seat, unsure of what to do. Kendrick, noticing her torn expression, paused mid-bite and smirked slightly. He had a pretty good guess about what was going on in her head.
"It’s okay, you can go first," he said in a gentle tone. "I’ll handle things here."
Hearing that, Zephany breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Kendrick," she said, her voice lighter now. With a grateful smile, she happily walked towards her room, eager to get ready for work.
As she disappeared down the hallway, Kendrick shook his head with a small, amused smile. He took another sip of his black coffee, letting the rich bitterness linger on his tongue, before pulling out his phone.
He opened The Archive app, scrolling through it with a deep frown. His frustration grew with every passing second.
"This is going to take forever," he muttered under his breath.
The point system was brutal. If they wanted real access, they needed to climb levels fast. He exhaled sharply, shutting the app just as his phone buzzed. A message from Levy.
Levy: Bring me food, you peasant. I’m starving.
Kendrick rolled his eyes, but a small smirk tugged at his lips. He quickly typed back.
Kendrick: Get your own food, Brat!
Levy: EXCUSE ME??
Kendrick: I’m busy.
Levy: Wow. So heartless. Mom will hear about this.
Kendrick: Blackmail won’t work on me.
Levy: Mom’s calling you in 3... 2...
His phone rang immediately. Kendrick sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose before answering. "Hi, Mom."
"Kenny," Christy’s gentle voice greeted him. "Why aren’t you bringing food to your sister?"
"She has legs, Mom."
"She’s busy with schoolwork and told me you’re already out. You can just bring it with you when you return home," Christy said, the amusement evident in her tone. "Be a good brother and get her something."
Kendrick sighed. "Fine."
"Thank you, sweetheart."
Levy’s message came in right after.
Levy: Thanks, Brother!
Kendrick shook his head but couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped. Annoying as she was, Levy had a way of making things entertaining.
---
Inside Air Media, the newsroom buzzed with more energy than usual, but Zephany couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
As soon as she stepped inside, she noticed the shift. Normally, her colleagues ignored her, whispered behind her back, or dismissed her as incompetent. But today, they were actually acknowledging her.
"Morning, Zephany."
"Hey, great job on that article."
"Wow, you really got lucky with that scoop."
Their words were friendly, but she could hear the underlying tones of envy. Before, she was just the clumsy, quiet journalist no one paid attention to. Now that she had landed a major scoop, they were suddenly trying to act nice. It was almost laughable.
To be honest, she preferred it when they ignored her. It made slipping away for missions as Eclipse much easier.
She forced a small smile and muttered a polite, "Thank you," before heading to her desk.
Pia was already waiting for her, arms crossed and smirking knowingly. "Look at you, suddenly Miss Popular."
Zephany sighed. "They’re just curious."
Pia rolled her eyes. "Please, they’re jealous. Some of them have been here for years and never landed a scoop like yours. Now they’re wondering how you pulled it off."
Zephany glanced around. Some journalists who used to mock her were now subtly watching her, probably trying to figure out if she had more tricks up her sleeve.
Pia leaned in and whispered, "Let them stew in their jealousy. You deserve this moment. Besides, Mr. Davidson actually praised you this morning. That alone is worth celebrating."
Zephany chuckled, though deep inside, she felt like crying. She suddenly had unwanted attention—especially from the boss. "If he praises me twice, I might actually faint."
Yeah, literally faint from annoyance! she thought. That would be too troublesome. How can I do my missions if all eyes are on me?
She would never say that part out loud.
This was exactly why she didn’t want her boss’s attention. If he started noticing her work, he’d give her more assignments. And more assignments meant more jealous glares. That would be a nightmare!
Pia, oblivious to her inner turmoil, grinned. "Then you better prepare to collapse because he’s in an unusually good mood today."
Zephany shook her head, amused but wary. She knew this success wouldn’t sit well with everyone in the office. But for now, she had no choice but to accept it.
Damn that Cassius Varen for putting me in this mess! she cursed under her breath.
---
Meanwhile, at a luxurious office downtown, Cassius Varen sneezed, startling himself.
He rubbed his nose, frowning. "Is someone cursing me?"
Sophia, his poised and ever-efficient assistant, was standing nearby, reviewing reports. Without looking up, she replied dryly, "Knowing you? Probably."
Cassius chuckled. "Sophia, come here. I have another task for Kendrick and Zephany. Go and inform them."
Sophia finally looked up, her expression blank but with a hint of exasperation. "You’re giving them another task already? Zephany just pulled off a major scoop. Maybe let her breathe?"
Cassius leaned back in his chair, smirking. "And waste their potential? Now, that would be a shame. Besides, Zephany is doing so well. I should reward her with more work."
Sophia sighed but didn’t argue. She knew how he operated. "Fine. I’ll inform them. Anything else?"
"Yes," Cassius said thoughtfully. "Get me a coffee. And make it extra strong. I have a feeling today is going to be... interesting."
Sophia muttered something under her breath but nodded before walking out, her heels clicking against the polished floor.
Cassius smirked to himself. He didn’t know why, but he had a strange feeling that today was going to be entertaining.