After settling the sleeping Daniel in his own bedroom, Ruby left for her own room and dialed another call to her boss.
As she waited for the line to connect, her sight wandered to the window, inevitably landing on the busy street of the metropolitan city of Astaroth.
She couldn't help but reminisce about her past times in the countryside, where she had spent her entire childhood wishing to make it big in the city.
Ruby sighed at the irony. Back then, she was still so young. Lured by the allure of money, she had accepted a commission against her morals and offended people she shouldn't have.
Alas, there's no room left for regrets. Life must go on and with another precious life by her side, she could only strive for better living conditions.
This would be the last time she set foot in Astaroth. Once the mission was completed, she would opt for an undercover role overseas, passive and lowkey and most importantly, far from the muddy waters of her motherland.
After a while, the call was finally connected.
Ruby squared her shoulders, prepared to confront her boss about Aaron Young when she heard his heavy voice.
"Penguin, there's a change in plans. I've sent the files into your email."
Ruby's expression immediately turned serious, her initial resolve vanishing without a trace. She switched to support the phone with her shoulder and proceeded to check on her email with her laptop.
"We'll be moving in two days." The boss informed her.
Ruby frowned but didn't say anything. She continued to scan the top-secret classified file in her laptop, her eyes narrowing as she mentally highlighted each information key among the dense blocks of text.
"Why the sudden change?"
She finally asked after memorizing everything in mind. Ruby took note of the boss's frustrated sigh over the phone.
"It's per the client's request. The pay has been raised threefold, we can do nothing about it. We won't be doing much though; the task is only to discreetly retrieve an item from the informant. We can't risk exposing their identity."
"Sir, how many of us will there be?"
Ruby asked just to gauge the scale of the mission.
"You, Bald Eagle, and Orchid. I'll get the rest on standby lest an exchange of gunfire breaks out."
He paused briefly, before continuing.
"It will be a ball party, a high-end one with a lot of influential figures involved. Make sure to get yourself dressed properly to blend in. I'll send over a dress– Actually, nevermind. I'm sure he'll find a better fitting one for you."
Ruby's hair immediately stood on all ends at the mention of that certain someone.
She sharply cut in, "I was just about to bring that up. About Mr Young… can we not involve him in this?"
The boss unabashedly refused her, "I'm afraid that'll be impossible, Young Lady. You'll be attending the ball party as his partner, after all."
"What?!!" Ruby half-shrieked, barely controlling her volume. "Sir! He's not even one of us!"
"He wasn't, until you brought him here." The boss teased. "Penguin, as capable as you are, I never knew you had this kind of ability but, you know what? Now that he's more than willing to help, let's just be practical and make the best use out of him. What do you think?"
"I don't even want to think about it!" Ruby nearly threw the phone over the window. She paced around the room, a hand against her aching forehead as she practiced her patience.
"Sir, Mr Young is your close friend. You used to share a good relationship with him. Do you not find the guilt in you to use his kindness as you see fit?"
"Well I knew nothing about such guilt being existent." The boss shrugged, sounding unfettered and not the least bit caring, "Besides, that guy isn't as gullible as you think. If anything, he's even shrewder than me!"
With a boss as unreasonable as this, Ruby was more than prepared to fight hundreds of battles if it meant gaining the upper hand against him, until the sudden ring of the door bell ruined her determination.
Ding Dong! Ding Dong!
"Yes, yes. I'm coming!"
Loud and persistent, her patience was instantly ticked off as she stormed out of the room, the phone still in hand.
Ruby snatched the handle with a "bang!", her eyes blazing with the fury of a mad lion whose tail had been stomped.
"Hey–"
Aaron's easygoing smile froze, his hand awkwardly hanging in the air as he bore the full brunt of her fiery gaze.
His sight landed on the phone in her hand. As realization dawned upon him, he scratched the back of his head, his voice turning sheepish.
"I guess you've heard everything."
Ruby stared at him in a brooding silence. Three seconds later, she finally let out a sigh, stepping aside as she relented.
"Come in. Make yourself home."
Aaron nodded, naturally making a beeline towards the one-man sofa. He then watched as Ruby took the seat opposite his, a sombre smile settling down.
As always, she would take extra precaution of propriety whenever around him.
But that's fine. Aaron assured himself. Now that fate had once again brought them together, the chance was still his to take.
On the other hand, there seemed to be a lot of things going on in her mind as Ruby found it hard to start the conversation.
Being the gentleman he was, Aaron initiated to smooth things over.
"It's technically a business gathering disguised as a ballroom event, organized with the very purpose of networking and anything of that sort. I will be needing a bodyguard anyway. Just think of it as a mutual agreement that benefits us both."
His clever choice of words had not only alleviated her burden, but also redirected her focus to something else.
"So you're saying I'll be looking out for your safety too?" She asked in a tone that questioned both herself and the man, as if she had just unlocked a whole new perspective on this matter.
"Wouldn't that mean I will be working for a double job?"
Aaron seemed to have a gist of where things were heading, playing along like a doting boyfriend he was dying to be. "I will make sure to pay you handsomely."
Ruby's mood recovered in that instant, a bright smile spreading across her face.
"I'll be looking forward to a pleasant collaboration, then."
She extended her hand, to which he took with equal enthusiasm.