Chapter 2: Chapter 2

Kendall was forty minutes late for work. She had never been late, or so she thought, until now. It was rather unfortunate for her to overlook the time today. Surely, the chief will go berserk because of this.

Since she was young, her parents, especially her grandfather, always instilled in her to be punctual, whether it was required or not. After all, it was her grandfather who had inspired her to pursue law enforcement.

When Cyrus found out about it, he was absolutely ecstatic that he was the one who insisted on letting her train at one of the finest and most prestigious police academies in the country, Milanon National Police Academy. Her persistence and passion for her work also gave her an opportunity to study and train in other countries that specialized in physical, technical, and intellectual skills.

However, this didn’t stop Kendall from learning more. Despite her grandfather’s position and connection to the police force, she still believed that she has to work hard to attain her goals without the help of anyone. She knew that resiliency, diligence, and obedience are the key factors in reaching the top.

Apparently, she also knew that she still has to go the extra mile compared to others.

As soon as she reached the office, Kendall was immediately greeted by her colleagues, who were mostly men. It wasn’t a shock for her to be dominated by over-induced testosterone and unctuous machismo, as she already had a fair share of experiences when she was still studying at MNPA.

A blonde blue-eyed man headed in her direction. His thick yet perfectly tapered eyebrow raised in amusement.

“Ah, never thought I would have witnessed Janice-on-the-spot coming at fifty o’clock. What’s got you a day late and a dollar short?” Noah Green, one of her colleagues, who was part of the special intelligence division, welcomed her with a mockery. Unlike her other colleagues, who looked like they wore wearing the same clothes they had while sleeping, Green’s attire was something that came straight out of EZ magazine.

“Still beat the clock, Inspector Green. Ya’ thought I’d chickened out?” Kendall rebutted, slightly lifting her brows.

Lifting the cuff sleeves of Alberto Milano’s buttoned-up shirt onto his arms, Noah gave her a black coffee straight out of the vending machine. “Here you go. Anyway, the boss wants to see you ASAP.”

Smelling the earthy-ground scent of the coffee, she smiled. 'Ah, finally. I can get my caffeine,' she thought.

Coming back to her senses, her brows creased. “Yeah, he called me. Must have been one of the pending cases. That shit, Monroe is tough as a knuckle. He got me in snaps.”

Noah laughed in hilarity. "Fucking tweeds! Those shitheads are a pain in the ass. I’ve once been hit in the face by a fucking vibrator. Didn’t know where it came from as it flew over me.”

His face then morphed to utter bewilderment, as if he went back in the reel to when the event had happened.

Kendall gagged with horrification. “That’s disgusting. I’d lose it if it happens to me.”

Their other co-worker, Officer Jim Cuevas, joined in while carrying a box of fast food fries in his arms. He wore his blue-teal uniform beneath his stubby cheeks, smiling under the stash of a trimmed mustache.

“Ah, here’s my favorite Janice! Where were you? I was surprised to see your desk vacant before the shift starts.” He combed his wet hair with his palms while tucking the box of fries into his other arm.

Janice was the nickname given to her by her colleagues. It was actually penned by Chief Spencer because Kendall always arrived at the office even before their shift started. At first, Kendall was a bit awkward when she heard them calling her that. It felt weird and unnecessary. However, she had become accustomed to it as time passed by.

“Yeah. I really tried to come late knowing you’ll ask me to do the stuff you should be working on,” she refuted while stealing some fries from Jim.

Among her co-workers, Jim was the laziest. Kendall always saved his ass whenever he got stuck in a situation. Initially, she did it out of kindness, but he tolerated it so much that Kendall became annoyed.

“Come on! Those are my good fries, Whitlock!” Jim contested disapprovingly as he looked dejectedly at the remaining sloppy fries.

“Beat it, Cuevas. I’m just getting what you owed me. Besides, I’m doing you a favor in getting back to shape,” she chided lightly, teasing him.

Noah chuckled while patting his back. “Damn, Cuevas! You got owned by Whitlock!”

Meanwhile, Jim scoffed. “I still got my A-game, a’right.” Tapping his bulging stomach at them, he proudly added, “This labonza can still beat the shit out of anyone.”

Kendall only rolled her eyes. Until now, she still didn’t get why men have always had to prove their masculinity when most of them get their balls in a twist during raids.

“Jim’s a fucking nut.” Noah took a swig of his coffee while his eyes were fixated on Jim, who was marching back to his desk.

She smirked, agreeing with his statement. “Tch, tell me about it. Catch up with you later. I’ll head up to Chief.”

Noah retracted from the white walls he was leaning against. “Wanna grab some decker later at lunch?” He shouted across the room while watching her ambling towards the main door.

Without looking back, Kendall responded. “Yeah, sure. As long as it’s your treat.”

He only gave her a joshing smile while he stood beside her table, observing her from afar.

...

When she opened the door of the meeting room, a tall, dark, sturdy man was already sitting at the head table. His face looked like he was about to dig a grave for her demise. With his arms crossed to his chest, he glared at her deplorably.

“I’ve never been so disappointed with you before, Whitlock, until now. You were an hour late for the meeting. If you think this is fine since it’s your first time, then let me tell you that once you’re late again, there will be repercussions,” Spencer warned.

Kendall gulped nervously as she stood behind the wall. “I apologize, sir. Gramps was sick this morning, leaving me with no choice but to attend to him since my mom wasn’t available at the moment. I did, however, drive here right away as soon as I realized you were calling. I promise it won’t happen again, chief.”

She knew she had lied to Chief Spencer. However, it was all she could ever think of at the moment, knowing that he was close to her grandfather.

“Close the lights and sit,” he briefly replied.

Nodding, she quickly moved towards the switch and walked to the nearest seat in front of the chief. She then noticed the files that were placed on the table.

'Looks like a new case.' Spencer had given her cases before, but this was the first time she was brought to the meeting hall for a case. Usually, this happens when the cases are confidential or high-profile.

Realizing it, she couldn’t control the excitement her nerves were feeling.

“This is your new case, Whitlock.” He threw the documents in front of her as he opened the projector with the controller.

'Pirus Case?' Kendall asked herself. She began skimming through the pages, reading the important information regarding it.

“You’re giving this to me, chief?” She inquired incredulously, as this was the first time Spencer had let her handle a high-profile case.

His eyebrow lifted out of curiosity. “Want me to take it back, Janice?”

Kendall chortled. “Course not. I can handle this, chief.”

“Good. Going back, Pirus is one of the most notorious criminal organizations in the district. They’ve been involved in drug trafficking, possession of firearms, and kidnapping for over seven years. Two years ago, some of them were caught in a bank heist. No one confessed, and all were brought to jail.”

She tried to listen to him, but her excitement surged that all her concentration on the assignment was dispelled. “Hmm, yes, I’ve heard that, chief. Good thing they got them.”

“A year ago, an intel from the Milanon Precinct revealed that three of their men had been transacting drugs inside the cell. This made their network even larger, reaching to other countries,” Spencer continued.

“Damn, those fuckers,” she commented again.

Chief Spencer gave her a sigh. “You do realize that this is not like any case you have encountered. Pirus is very dangerous. Their connections expanded even to local and rural municipalities—”

Kendall’s eyes shone with enthusiasm. “Oh, nice! Exciting!”

He cocked his head, shaking it with exasperation. “Shut it, Whitlock. Would you like me to continue this—or should I let you do the talking?”

“So, this is it, right? You’ll let me handle this?” Kendall asked again.

Spencer stopped for a moment, pursing his lips with contemplation. Then, after a minute, he gave Kendall another file. “Technically, yes, on the whole scale, but this one will be your focus.”

She grabbed the file from the table and opened it. Kendall saw a picture of an eighteen-year-old man who looked like a guy who never went out in the sun. In an instant, she recognized him as the guy she had helped a while ago. Who wouldn’t when he looked like someone who had been genetically altered to become the example of a perfect species of the male popula?

Kendall noticed his hair differed from this photo. Recently, his hair was jet-black, short to the sides but longer at the top. Everything about him displayed aristocracy with his sharp-pointed nose and steel-grey eyes.

Grunting from displeasure, she uttered, “Whoa! Seriously, chief? I know this guy. He’s the epitome of all jackasses.”

“You’re complaining? If you don’t want to do it, then you can walk out of this damn office forever.” Spencer breathed out with contempt.

“No, I do! This is great, chief! I can handle him. I just recognized him, that's all!” She feigned a smile.

'Ah shit, can I really?' she then thought to herself.

Reading the file, she scanned through the details.

Grayson Hoffman. Male, eighteen-year-old, five foot nine, heir to a billion-dollar company, studying at the University of Milanon. Hobbies are car racing, clubbing, and gaming. He also has a girlfriend named Abigail Vanderbilt, who was a popular supermodel.

“Hey, I know this girl! Wow, so that means that he’s rich, handsome, and got a supermodel chick beside him?! Some kids have it easy!” Kendall remarked while looking through his profile.

Shouting, Spencer's gaze flicked upward. “I said shut up and listen to me first, Whitlock!”

Chief Spencer continued. “Your assignment is Grayson Hoffman. A college student who’s already in his sophomore year taking economics at the University of Milanon. The kid is also the sole heir to a multi-billion-dollar oil enterprise that was founded by his grandfather.”

Pursing her lips, she asked, “So, how am I going to get close to him?”

The chief then pulled out another file. He gave it to Kendall, and she grabbed the folder immediately. Looking through, another name was printed on the document next to her picture, and it was Hailey Madison.

“You’ll be Hailey Madison. You’ll go undercover under that name as a college student at the University of Milanon. Your assignment is to get closer to him and gather information about him and the people around him. But above all, his safety is your main priority,” Spencer explained.

Kendall was surprised when she heard Spencer's explanation. The University of Milanon was one of the most prestigious schools in the country that was exclusively for smart students.

“Do I have to take an entrance exam? Will I be in the same year as this kid?” she asked again.

He clasped his fingers together, perching them on top of the table. “Out of all the things I told you, that’s the lamest thing you could ask. Everything is prepared, so you don’t have to worry about that. As for your other question, yes, you will be in the same year and in the same classes. You have the same schedule, so make sure you follow him around. You were pitched out by the team to do this case, as you’re the youngest in our department. The higher-ups also chose you for this job as they have regarded your work highly."

"But chief! I don't think I can... I mean, you're basically making me go back to my school years! Are there no other cases for me? I might blow this one when I open my mouth or take the exams! Only geniuses attend that school!"

Spencer stared at her eyes directly with a stern gravity in his voice. “Inspector Whitlock, shut your mouth and take this seriously. Think of your grandfather. This might bolster your promotion.”

Kendall pouted, hesitantly saying, “Fine, geez... I won’t let you down.”

...

The night was young as the crowd of students filled the entire race track. With their arms in the air, and their bodies sweating against the loud banging of the music, growling and roaring cars were flexed as their tires grated against the newly painted asphalt.

At this time, Grayson Hoffman was sitting on the hood of his parked car with a beer in his hand. As he took a swig of it, his friend, Chester, walked over. “Sup, Gray! You beat the shit out of my baby, dude.”

Grayson only smirked as he raked his fingers through the locks of his hair.

Chester then looped his arms over his shoulder. “I’ll make sure that I’ll win next time.”

Batting his eyes in disbelief, Grayson chuckled. “I’d like to see you try, fucker.”

Grayson has never lost before, not even once. For him, the racetrack is his road, his way, and the red carpet to his kingdom. After all, he has everything.

“By the way, you look like shit, dude. Seems like you’re about to destroy anyone who tries to step on you, lest talk to you a while ago,” Chester suddenly commented.

“The fucking dingos whom I beat yesterday attacked me earlier at Farforth Street. I was having fun letting them talk shit while I waited for my turn, but a fucking woman intervened us by taking what’s mine,” he sneered.

It was supposed to be his victory if only that nosy woman with idiotic-heroesque tendencies hadn’t interfered with his plan.

Then, all of a sudden, as he scanned the entire field, he saw a voluptuous, attractive woman coming toward him.

His mood rose slightly when Sandra greeted him with a smooch. “Hey, Gray. You’ve crushed it!”

“Wanna go with me for a ride?” Grayson slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer.

“If you're the one I'll be riding, sure..." She smiled languidly.

"Cool," his deep voice echoed icily.

Grayson opened the door of his car, with Sandra following him on the other side. As soon as he ignited the engine, he whirled his steering wheel, driving away from the racetrack. Chester and his other friends watched them leave as his car rocketed down the road.

“Goddamn it, Grayson! I don’t know how he'd bag these girls so easily. Sometimes, I wanna beat the shit out of him because of that,” Chester commented while watching the two of them proudly displaying their obscenity.

Will patted Chester’s shoulder and gestured with his palms below his chin, pointing at his face. “You gotta have this, bro, or that,” he suggested, pointing at the Porsche car beside his BMW.

Anton, one of Grayson’s friends, added while walking toward him, “Brace yourselves, fuckers! Abigail will probably pester us with calls the entire night."