Chapter 2

"You useless trash! Are you blind or something?" Jessica shouted.

She slapped me hard across the face, the sound echoing in the room.

As the state kickboxing champion, I could dislocate her arm in a second and have her on the ground, begging for mercy.

Just then, the surveillance team's voice came through my micro earpiece. "Snow Wolf, the target vehicle has arrived downstairs. They'll be in the private room in two minutes."

I unclenched my fists and lowered my gaze, hiding the murderous intent that had flashed in my eyes.

When I looked up again, my eyes were filled with nothing but panic. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. You tripped me..."

"I tripped you?" Jessica scoffed, letting out a mocking laugh. "Everyone saw it. You fell because you are clumsy.

"Do you even know how much this dress costs? Even if you sold your entire family, you still couldn't afford it.

"This is a Dior couture dress. It cost 30 grand!"

She was all up in my face, her finger practically jabbing into my eye.

Just then, the door to the private room was flung open.

A few bodyguards in black suits filed in, quickly taking their positions on either side.

Right behind them, a man in a floral shirt and a chunky gold necklace strode in.

It was Tyler Black, the State Police Station's most-wanted. He was neck-deep in organized crime, money laundering, and smuggling, and was rumored to have several bodies to his name.

I'd seen his mugshot in the files more times than I could count, but this was the first time I'd ever seen him face-to-face.

"What's going on here? Why all the noise? I could hear you wailing from way down the hall," Tyler said with a frown, his eyes cold and menacing.

Jessica's expression flipped in a heartbeat when she saw Tyler. She threw herself into his arms, crying her eyes out. "Honey, look at her. She's jealous of my life, so she purposely spilled soup all over me.

"This was the birthday present you gave me, and now it's completely ruined."

Tyler glanced at the ruined dress, and then shot me a look full of disdain. "You did that?"

He gave me a once-over, sneering like I was dirt under his shoe. "With that pathetic vibe, you really do look like someone eaten up by envy."

He pulled out a fat wad of cash, still sealed, and threw it at me without a second thought. "Take the money and get out. Don't let me catch you here again. What a jinx."

Everyone drew a sharp breath in the private room.

That wad of cash had to be at least three grand.

My classmates stared at the money on the floor, their expressions a mix of envy, contempt, and—mostly—waiting for the drama to unfold.

I didn't even glance at the cash. Instead, I crouched down and started cleaning up the mess on the floor.

Tyler pressed his foot down hard on the back of my hand. "Still got some fight in you, huh?"

He towered over me, putting even more weight on his foot. "Jessica says you're just an auxiliary police officer, right?

"I can get your superior to fire you with a single phone call.

"In this place, nobody dares to cross me."

Jessica hooked her arm around Tyler's, her face smug and full of schadenfreude. "Honey, don't waste your time on trash like her. You'll stain your shoes. Just make her clean your shoes for you.

"Let everyone see how our top student from back in the day is now groveling at our feet, playing servant."

Everyone held their breath, waiting to see what I'd do.

I slowly looked up. I didn't beg for mercy or shed a single tear.

My gaze went past Tyler, landing on one of the bodyguards behind him. That was my undercover colleague whose codename was Falcon.

He kept a straight face, but his hand, resting by his pant seam, gave me a barely noticeable signal. It meant the foreign buyer hadn't arrived yet, and we couldn't make a move.

I slowly pulled my battered hand out from under Tyler's foot, grabbed a tissue, and bowed my head.

With everyone watching in disgust, I quietly wiped the soup off Tyler's shoes.

Jessica cackled, whipping out her phone to record. "Guys, look at that. Let's record it.

"This is the school's stop student. Now she's down on the ground, cleaning my husband's shoes. Look at her. What a good servant."

Tyler lost interest and gave me a dismissive kick. "Alright, that's enough. Don't kill the vibe for everyone."

Someone yelled, "Tonight's tab is on Mr. Black. Keep the party rolling!"

The cheers drowned out everything else. No one even spared me a second glance.

I slunk back into the corner.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. It was a message from the action team. [Team A is in position. Ready to strike at any time.]

With my good hand, I quickly typed back: [Hold steady. Wait for the big catch. The foreign buyer will arrive tonight.]