"Luna Brown, your backup colleague will arrive in seven minutes! If you received this message, please respond!"
Luna only caught the first half of the message in her earpiece, and static interference drowned out the second half.
'Was it one minute or seven minutes?' Luna thought.
At this moment, a middle-aged man in a black trench coat began crossing the street towards her. His hat and mask obscured most of his face, leaving only a pair of sinister eyes visible.
Feigning obliviousness, Luna started toward the office building beside her.
Fresh out of the academy, she had been temporarily reassigned from the STF to the criminal unit to track a suspect because her face wouldn't be recognized. The mission had been progressing smoothly until a red car ran a light, nearly hitting a child. Luna had acted on instinct, saving the child but inadvertently revealing herself to the suspect. Now, the suspect's suspicion was piqued, and he had begun to follow her.
With no other choice, Luna entered the nearby office building, her pursuer close behind. She quickly ascended the stairs, noting the sign that read "North District Civil Affairs Office."
'Isn't this where people get married or divorced?' Luna thought.
At the top of the stairs, a tall figure blocked her path.
She instinctively moved to the left, and the person also stepped to the left. She moved to step around him, but he mirrored her movements, blocking her again. The man was imposing, dressed in a tailored dark suit and sunglasses that hid his eyes. His sharp features and commanding presence radiated an intimidating aura.
"You're three minutes late!" he barked, his deep, magnetic voice cutting through the tension.
Luna's first reaction was that if this a code phrase.
'Is this the person the superiors arranged to meet me?'Luna thought.
Seeing her hesitation, the man gestured for her to follow. "Come with me! Don't be late again; I'm very busy."
His tone was icy as a debt collector's. Uncertain but determined, Luna followed him. Behind her, she saw the suspect trailing them.
"We…" Luna began, but quickly clamped her mouth shut. If this man was indeed her contact, he would have a plan. She just needed to follow his lead.
Charles Lee, however, was seething inside. For his mother's sake, he was here to get a marriage certificate with a woman he had never met, solely because she had saved his mother’s life. His mother’s fragile health left him no choice but to agree.
The arrangement was clear: he would provide financial support, but nothing more. He would remain an enigma, presenting himself as an ordinary person to his new "wife." If her character proved lacking, he would end the marriage swiftly.
He hadn't even bothered to see what Luna Brown looked like. To him, she was merely a future roommate.
"Your driver's license. I've arranged for an expedited process," he said as he strode ahead with his long legs.
Luna, at 5.5 feet tall, had to jog to keep up. She stole glances at him, marveling at his handsomeness.
'My backup colleague arranged was so handsome?' she thought. But he seemed tense. 'Is this his first time doing this kind of mission, and is he too nervous?' Luna pondered.