Vivian took a deep breath before getting out of the car.
Brittany was already waiting for her with her arms crossed. The two looked at each other in silence for a moment.
"Ready?" Brittany asked quietly.
Vivian let out a small laugh.
"Not really."
"Me neither."
Neither of them was there because they wanted to be.
This wasn't a normal date.
It was a mission.
The Clown had sent them a letter with very clear instructions.
Investigate Justin and Jack without arousing suspicion.
No interrogations.
No pressuring them.
Just talk.
Observe.
And remember every detail.
"Remember what Ana and Madeleine told us," Vivian murmured. "No overly direct questions. Let them do the talking. We'll just observe."
Brittany nodded.
"Got it."
At that moment, they heard a voice.
"Hey!"
Justin and Jack walked toward them.
Both were dressed in casual yet elegant clothes.
They smiled as naturally as if this were nothing more than a friendly outing.
"You arrived right on time," Justin said as he looked at Vivian.
"We didn't want to keep you waiting," Jack added with a smile directed at Brittany.
Vivian smiled politely.
"Neither did we."
For the first few minutes, the conversation flowed effortlessly.
They talked about school.
Cheerleading.
Teachers.
Movies.
Music.
Everything felt completely normal.
Too normal.
Vivian had to admit it.
Justin was pleasant.
He knew how to listen.
He never interrupted.
He answered calmly and genuinely seemed interested in what she had to say.
Jack was different.
More relaxed.
More playful.
He managed to make Brittany laugh several times.
And yet...
Something still didn't feel right.
It was difficult to explain.
As if everything had been rehearsed in advance.
---
They entered the restaurant.
It was a quiet place.
Nothing luxurious.
But quite pleasant.
After ordering their food...
Vivian decided to begin carefully.
"So..."
"How long have you two been living in this city?"
Justin answered almost immediately.
"For a few years."
"How many exactly?"
Justin smiled.
"Quite a few."
Then, with perfect naturalness, he changed the subject.
"So, how's the cheerleading team? It looks like you train pretty hard."
Vivian blinked.
He had avoided the question.
He did it so smoothly...
That most people probably wouldn't have noticed.
She did.
The Clown had specifically warned them to pay attention to details like that.
On the other side of the table, Brittany tried the same approach.
"Do your parents live here too?"
Jack took a sip of his drink before answering.
"Yeah."
"They work a lot."
"They're hardly ever home."
"What do they do?"
Jack smiled again.
"Business."
Nothing more.
Another answer...
That didn't really answer anything.
Brittany kept smiling.
But she made a mental note.
The food arrived shortly afterward.
The conversation relaxed again.
Justin talked about sports.
Jack shared funny stories from school.
Everything appeared perfectly normal.
However...
Whenever the conversation drifted toward their personal lives...
The two brothers always found a way to change the subject.
Without making it seem forced.
Without sounding suspicious to anyone who wasn't paying close attention.
Vivian began to feel a small knot forming in her stomach.
The Clown was right.
There was something strange.
She didn't know exactly what.
But it was there.
Hidden behind those smiles.
---
After they finished eating...
The four of them went for a walk.
The sun was beginning to set.
The atmosphere was peaceful.
Justin walked beside Vivian.
"What are you planning to study after graduation?"
Vivian answered honestly.
"I still haven't decided."
"What about you?"
Justin smiled.
"I'm still figuring it out."
"But it'll probably be something related to business."
Vivian nodded.
"Does your family own a company?"
For a brief moment...
Justin fell silent.
Then he smiled again.
"You could say that."
Another answer.
One that still didn't really answer the question.
Meanwhile...
Brittany walked beside Jack.
"Have you always lived with your brother?"
"Yeah."
"We're inseparable."
"You've never fought?"
Jack let out a soft laugh.
"Very rarely."
Brittany smiled.
"I thought all siblings argued every now and then."
Jack shook his head.
"Not us."
That answer made Brittany raise an eyebrow ever so slightly.
It sounded strange.
Too perfect.
---
A few minutes later...
The four of them said goodbye in the parking lot.
Justin smiled.
"I had a great time."
Vivian returned the smile.
"So did I."
"We should do this again sometime."
"Sure."
Jack also said goodbye to Brittany.
"See you later."
"See you."
The brothers began walking away.
Vivian waited until they disappeared from sight.
Only then did she speak.
"So?"
Brittany crossed her arms.
"They're nice."
She paused briefly.
"Too nice."
Vivian slowly nodded.
"Every time we asked something important..."
"They answered."
"But never completely."
"Exactly."
The two remained silent for several seconds.
Finally, Brittany spoke.
"The Clown was right."
Vivian looked toward the street where the twins had disappeared.
"Yeah..."
"Those two are hiding something."
---
At the same time...
In Ryan's room.
Ryan sat in front of his computer.
The screen displayed several windows related to Nexum.
His fingers continued moving across the keyboard.
But part of his mind was somewhere else.
"By now..."
"Those two should've already finished their date with the brothers."
He leaned back in his chair.
"I missed a good chance to spy on them."
He let out a quiet sigh.
"But it was the right decision."
There were two reasons.
First...
There was a chance Justin or Jack might detect his presence.
He still knew far too little about them to take that risk.
Second...
As long as Vivian and Brittany were with them, it was unlikely that anything serious would happen.
At least not during the first date.
Besides...
He hadn't sent them in completely unprepared.
Madeleine and Ana had given them advice on how to keep a conversation going without raising suspicion.
That should be enough for an initial approach.
Ryan rested an elbow on the desk.
"If they end up having a second date..."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Then I'll follow them."
He shook his head as he remembered scenes from certain movies.
"Of course..."
"As Ryan."
"I'm not going to hide on top of a building with binoculars like some creepy stalker."
That would be far too suspicious.
And pretty ridiculous.
The better approach would be to stay nearby.
At another restaurant.
At another table.
Or simply walk around the area while listening to their conversation with magic.
It was riskier.
But far more effective.
His gaze returned to the computer screen.
Then he remembered something else.
"Right..."
"Their payment."
All four girls had accepted the job.
Vivian.
Brittany.
Madeleine.
And Ana.
Maybe none of them had accepted it just for the money.
But that didn't change anything.
Ryan slowly shook his head.
"I have to treat my employees well."
After all...
They had accepted the job of their own free will.
And a good boss always keeps his end of the deal.