Chapter 14 : The Suspicious Men

"Ringggggggggggggggg," the bell sounded, signaling the end of class for the day. Students quickly gathered their belongings and made their way out of the classroom.

Laura had just finished substituting for a sick colleague and was making her way to her personal office. It had been three days since the orphanage had been closed down, and she still couldn't believe the news. "I guess Aaron was right about that place... It's just that it was too sudden. Why hasn't he texted me at all after leaving his resignation letter..." she pondered to herself.

As she entered her office, she noticed a pile of paperwork that needed to be completed. "Great, just what I needed," she muttered under her breath. Despite the mountain of work, Laura couldn't shake off the feeling of unease that had been lingering since Aaron's sudden departure. She wondered if something was amiss and decided to give him a call later in the evening.

Several hours passed, and the school was almost empty except for the school's security. Laura tidied up her desk and gathered her belongings, preparing to leave for the day. But then, she heard a faint knocking on the door.

She opened it to find two sturdy-looking men, dressed in black suits and hats that partially obscured their faces. The shades they wore only added to their aura of seriousness, but Laura remained composed, knowing she hadn't done anything wrong.

"Good afternoon. Welcome to our school. I am Laura, the principal. May I help you with something, gentlemen?" she cordially greeted the men, inviting them into her office.

To her surprise, they refused to sit down and instead interrogated her about her visits to the orphanage. Laura mostly replied with "yes" or "no" as she knew her rights and was innocent of any wrongdoing. After half an hour of questioning, the men left, clearly unsatisfied with the results.

"Ain't no way these men are from the authorities... Should I report this to them?" Laura thought to herself as she watched the men leave. She was hesitant to do so as they seemed unconcerned about the orphanage and were fixated on a wooden crate containing something important, which only made her more suspicious of them.

Later, as Laura parked her car in her condo parking space, she received an unexpected call from her father. Worried that something might have happened at home, she answered quickly and asked if everything was alright.

Her father, who was retired but still involved in government projects related to education, asked if she had heard about the orphanage incident and if she had seen a wooden crate during her visits.

Laura replied with a quick "no," frustrated with the recurring question about the crate.

She then proceeded to tell her father about the two suspicious men who had visited her earlier at school, asking the same question about the crate. Laura couldn't understand why everyone was so interested in this wooden box, especially since she didn't believe in the crimes that had been attributed to the orphanage.

She asked her father if they were in trouble, with a mix of sadness and curiosity in her voice, as she was tired of the situation she found herself in.

"Teeeeet.." her father just disconnected the call without saying anything which made Laura exasperated a lot. While walking to her condo, she remembered how close she was with her father before she started teaching as her father was so busy with his work and still busy after retirement. The reason she got into the teaching world was because of her father but now it was so different. She wondered why and sighed.

…

Somewhere else in the opulent and nearly packed lecture hall in a prestigious university within the capital, Aaron was seated at the back row observing a young woman engrossed in her lecture. When he arrived in the capital two days ago, he was tasked with his first platinum-ranked mission. To track her down for at least two weeks before he could call off the mission.

Monitoring her in public was a cinch, but following her to class or her dormitory proved to be challenging. Despite this, he had been performing well in keeping an eye on her. He also noticed that he wasn't the only one keeping tabs on her that day.

"I presume that she must be the scion of someone influential... There should be at least two or three individuals safeguarding her," Aaron thought to himself as he saw someone with their face concealed watching her intently without any ill intentions. It had only been two days since he started tracking her and he still didn't know her real name since it wasn't revealed by the headquarters. The name given by the client was in code name to protect they privacy.

While on the plane to the capital, Aaron spent his time reading the brochure to learn more about the city. He discovered that the capital was divided into two parts, one governed by the government, while the other quarter was under the control of the royal families. Although the royals didn't involve themselves much in the nation's management in the latest century, their opinions couldn't be rejected due to their wealth and power, which they had been accumulating for hundreds of years.

During his flight to the capital 2 days ago, Aaron had the opportunity to talk with Garry for a brief 2-hour conversation. However, it was Garry's first butler, Marco, who provided him with valuable advice on how to successfully complete his mercenary mission. Despite his age of at least 60, Marco was more approachable and friendly than Luo, who was tasked with overseeing Aaron's mission. Aaron couldn't help but wonder why Garry didn't assign Marco to him instead.

"Since Marco is the first butler and has spent many years with Garry, he must be a big shot or something. I mean, he is a platinum-ranked mercenary too, right?" Aaron thought to himself whenever he recalled Marco's impressive build.

Towering at almost 2 meters tall with a sturdy and lean physique, Marco may have had white hair, but he moved and acted like someone in their 30s. He was always impeccably dressed in an exquisite black suit without a tie, matched with dark-brown leather shoes. If one met him for the first time, they would mistake him for the CEO of a big company.

In the evenings, the woman that Aaron was surveilling would go to the verdant park situated on the outskirts of the university area to exercise. The park was about 40 hectares in size and was always bustling with people, including those who lived outside the university. However, outsiders were not allowed into the university areas due to the stringent security measures in place, aimed at safeguarding the students from potential harm from interlopers.

"So stunning... like a celestial being!"

"Hey! I'm here! Stop staring at her!"

"Is she a new celebrity or something? I guess I'm a fan now..."

"Would she notice me if I meowed? Meow meow meow..."

Those were the things that she would usually hear whenever she jogged past someone. Fortunately, people still respected her, and the security personnel would take action in case anyone started behaving inappropriately. Surprisingly, she remained calm no matter what kind of response she received from the people around her because of her beauty.

As Aaron continued to tail the woman from a safe distance of 20 meters, he couldn't help but notice the beauty of the park at this time of day. The setting sun cast a warm orange glow over the trees, and the sound of leaves rustling in the gentle breeze created a serene atmosphere.

However, his peaceful thoughts were interrupted by a growing sense of unease as he realized that the number of mercenaries keeping watch over the woman was gradually decreasing.

"Two of the individuals who were keeping tabs on her before are no longer present. Did they take a nap or are they slacking off?" Aaron murmured to himself, scouring the area once again, but the outcome remained unchanged.

As the sun slowly set and the park emptied, Aaron continued to observe the woman, amazed at her perseveration as she jogged without stopping for nearly two hours.

'Geez.. About time,' he muttered as she slowed down to a walk, and he followed her towards the university dormitory.

Suddenly, a bulky man wearing a hoodie emerged from the bushes and began to follow her. Aaron quickened his pace to close in on the suspicious figure.