Chapter twenty

Alex sighed, "You know I can never hate you, Valerie. We've been friends for a long time now, and that's not going to change. It's just that, Sophia is part of the family now, and I want you to see her as such." He said.

"All right... I'll be nice to her." Valerie said, rolling her eyes.

Alex smiled warmly and then went off to prepare for work. 

*****

Ava, Jake, and Rayman walked into Smith's office, their heads downcast. Smith was smoking a cigarette, and drinking liquor. Looking at the trio, Smith could already tell that their mission had failed.

A depressing silence broke out, and no one dared utter a word unless Smith asked them to. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Smith sighed and dropped his cigarette.

"So... You failed?" He asked, his voice stern, and deep.

"No... No, we didn't." Rayman spoke. "The mission was a burst... A trap."