Chapter 106 - The boss' new plan

-- At the Agency Headquarters -- 

A tall man, dressed in a grey suit, with a faint smell of cigars on him, took a private elevator to the highest floor of a discretely located building. 

He was lost in thought, a small smile playing on his lips. 

As the elevator doors opened, a thin, serious-looking man was waiting for him. The man was about his own age. He was the big boss' right hand man. 

In front of everyone else, they were master and servant. But privately, they were old friends and colleagues. 

"You're back." the thin man, commented, his face as stiff as ever. 

"And you're here to welcome me, 'senior'?" he teased, in return. 

Only Senior was able to see this side of the big boss of the Agency, the man who was not know by many, but feared by everybody. 

They had been on somewhat of an undercover mission, but the big boss had returned to the Agency a day later than Senior. 

"Did something happen while I was here?" Senior asked. 

"Actually, yes." big boss replied, still smiling. 

"You're being mysterious." Senior commented, pressing the big boss for information. 

"Let's just say, we have to go undercover again this week." 

Senior raised his eyebrows at his statement. 

"Really? She wasn't spooked?" he asked the boss.

"Ha! Has that girl ever been 'spooked'? I think her curiosity is aroused." The boss replied. 

They had known Lina since she was a young 16 year old girl, brought in by Agent Tachi to their doorstep like a little foster kitten, as his wife. 

The boss and Senior thought back to the day Tachi returned to the agency from his mission in the little village of country J. 

He had entered the Agency doors holding the hand of a beautiful, young thing. She was no more than a petite, soft-looking teenage girl with enchanting, large doe-eyes. 

All the other members of the Agency had been staring at Tachi, aghast. How could he have brought a stranger into the Agency?! 

Yet, he boldly walked her straight to the boss' office, where he had to get past Senior before he entered. 

Senior's face never changed. His stone-like, cold expression remained ever-so threatening. 

Yet the young girl smiled brightly, as she greeted him. 

"My wife, senior." Tachi said, quietly. 

Senior's eyes flashed in anger and shock, his face still unchanging.  

"I'm very pleased to meet you." the lovely doe-eyed child-bride said to Senior, bowing with respect. 

Senior was left speechless. The girl seemed to have no idea that she was surrounded by some of the world's deadliest killers. 

Had she no sense of danger? Did she just mindlessly follow Tachi into the lion's den? 

But her face had wonder and curiosity written all over it as she looked around. Something about her was so innocent...so untouched. 

"Curiosity kills the kitten." Senior said quietly. 

But before she could answer him, the big boss had stepped out. 

His eyes flashed with rage as he glared at Tachi. 

"Agent Tachibana, explain yourself. In my office, now." 

The big boss' cold stare and low, dangerous voice sent shivers down Tachi's spine. But Lina continued to smile. 

She could hardly contain her excitement at coming face to face with the Agency's elite! She had heard so much about these skilled individuals from Tachi.

For a girl like Lina, who had nothing and nobody on her side, she was ready to walk on hot coals to find a place to belong. 

"She was could be so clever...and yet so naïve." Senior said to the big boss. 

"She should have remembered that she would always be a pawn as soon as she stepped into this place. She won't get away with trying to live out a happy life like that." the boss replied coldly.

Senior nodded in response. 

They had taken her in when Tachi brought her, even though he had broken a lot of strict protocols by marrying her without the consent of the Agency, their prior approval and background checks. 

But they had given in to his request to accept her, instead of killing her, just because of her skills. 

She never knew how close she was to turning into a corpse, after having followed Tachi to this place. 

Nor did she expect to ever want to break out of the system when she met Shen. 

But here they all were, in their own corners, fighting their own battles and waging their own wars. 

"I will see her for another 'appointment' next week. Until then, prepare the medication. We must provoke her till she cracks." 

The boss' orders were final. Senior nodded and left the boss to himself in his office, lighting a cigar. 

Before Senior walked out, he turned to ask one more question. 

"Boss...after she cracks, and we extract the required information she was hiding...what then?" 

The big boss laughed a short, demonic laugh. 

"Then we terminate her. As was originally planned. She's useless to us now." 

**********************

Shen walked back into his office, looking more troubled than ever. 

He was extremely frustrated with everything that was going on. He still had to be heavily prepared and guarded for his dinner meeting with that Lim heir during the weekend! 

His brother...he had definitely made it to safer ground by now. It would be extremely difficult track Shao down now. 

His fight with Lina...she just didn't seem to listen to him anymore. She was more defiant than ever. 

But he had a lead on Victor Tachibana. That's what he would deal with right now. 

He buzzed the intercom and called for Ayu. 

In a few moments, there was a quiet knock on the door by the terrified assistant. Her usual sharp, confident style had become cowardly and timid. 

Ayu could stand getting punished or yelled at by boss. But being talked to with loving words and getting called 'wifey'? 

No, how could she face him now?! 

As she walked in, she looked nervous, her eyes darted everywhere, except looked him straight in the face. 

"Ayu, give me what you have on Victor." 

Shen's voice was sharp and simple. It was how he always talked to her. She breathed a sigh of relief. Things seemed to back to normal. 

"Yes, boss!" she said, walking towards him confidently with a file in hand. 

"Oh...and Ayu...about the phone call earlier..." he started to say, but Ayu dropped the file and yelped in shock. 

She suddenly bent her head submissively and pressed her hands tightly together. 

Shen was shocked at her startled reaction. 

"Boss! Please! What have I dont to be treated this way?!" Ayu sounded like she was about to cry. 

This steely, confident woman could simply not deal with a situation so awkward. 

"I am no comparison to Madam, please do not chase me boss!" she continued, tearing up, her head still bent. 

All of a sudden, her mighty boss threw his head back and began to shake with laughter.