Tessa paused, her eyes sparkling with delight. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, Aria interjected, “But I have three
conditions.”
“Go ahead,” Tessa said.
“First, I demandplete freedom of action, written into the contract; second, we must resolve Margery’s case within a week; third, I’ll choose which division to join myself,” Aria said.
Tessa nodded. “Absolutely no problem. It’s a deal. Which department are you interested in joining?”
Aria replied, “I’m not familiar with the State Security Bureau yet.”
Tessa nodded. “Alright, you can decide when the timees. I’d highly rmend you lead the Field Operations Team; you’d make a great team leader.”
Aria asked, “Will I have to kill people?” She thought, ‘All I’m good at is killing; giving orders doesn’t interest me.’
Tessa pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed, “Well, let’s get you onboarded first. You can gradually familiarize yourself with each division’s responsibilities at the State Security Bureau.”
Aria nodded. “Fine.”
When the encrypted files spilled out, exposing ric and several top executives, Arressto exploded into chaos.
“So every word Ca said was true,” a young agent snapped. “Margery did kill ric by ident and just tried to protect Ca.”
“Look at these transaction records-they were auctioning ssified intel online, and it cost several of our people their lives.”
“If the State Security Bureau hadn’t stepped in, would they have just kept this buried forever, wouldn’t they?”
“Sign me up for the State Security Bureau’s recruitment exam.”
“Me too.”
Amidst the heated discussions, a voice suddenly cut through. “Cassian defied the organization’s orders and was obsessed with killing Margery. Was he in on this, too?”
“Almost certainly. Of all the recruits ric ever brought in, Cassian was the one he favored most.”
At this time, Cassian knew nothing about these discussions. He rushed to Tessa’s office in anger and was about to open the door when he suddenly heard Ca’s voiceing from inside.
Ca said gratefully, “Ms. Langford, thank you for your help. Otherwise, Margery would have had to bear this stigma for my sake for the rest of her life.”
Tessa responded gently, “This is what I should do as a founding member of the State Security Bureau.”
Ca’s voice trembled as she choked out, “If I’d had the courage to speak up back then, Margery wouldn’t have spent all these years on the run. If not for her exceptional skills, she would have died.”
“Even if you had spoken up back then, it wouldn’t have changed anything without evidence,” Tessa said softly, offering aforting smile. “You’ve worked so hard, secretly gathering this evidence over the years. Don’t me yourself.”
Luckily, because Ca didn’t show up back then, it gave her the perfect opportunity to gather all this crucial evidence. Otherwise, the other top executives would kill Ca. “I want to do something for her,” Ca replied.
Tessa stood up and patted her shoulder reassuringly. “You’ve done very well. Since you no longer wish to stay with Arressto, you have my blessing to return to a normal life. If you ever run into trouble, don’t hesitate to reach out.”
Cassian’s hand froze on the doorknob, then slowly drew back. He staggered back two steps, as scenes of histe adoptive father shed before his eyes. He thought, ‘How could he have done so many despicable things?’
As Ca stepped out, she ran into Cassian, who looked upset. The two locked eyes in silence, neither speaking a word. Finally, Ca sidestepped him, preparing to leave.
“Sorry,” Cassian said, his voice hoarse with emotion.
Ca paused mid-step for the briefest moment, but ultimately walked away without turning back.
Soon, Cassian was shunned by everyone. They saw him as no different from ric and demanded that Arressto deal with
him.
4
Cassian finally felt distrusted by others. He thought, ‘This is what Margery has been living with for years!
Stepping forward, Tessa rified that Cassian had no involvement in illicit activities; his desire for revenge stemmed solely from his gratitude toward ric. Cassian would personally visit Margery to offer his apology.