Lost and Found: Return of My Mysterious Fiancee

"Damn it!" Hayden was shocked for a full half hour upon seeing the notification for the personnel appointment. He had been comforting Jason, cautioning him about the new director possibly giving them a hard time, but ultimately, it was Hayden himself who ended up in trouble! It turned out he was the fool, and he had been completely oblivious to it. Courtney patted Hayden on the shoulder, her expression one of sympathy, "Captain, please take good care of us from now on."

Jason walked over, placed the third squad's emblem into his drawer, and addressed Courtney, "Don't call me captain just yet. We'll all redraw lots to decide which group we'll be in." Courtney blinked, skeptical that she could end up in Jason's team through a simple choice between two options! When the entire bureau began the redraw, Courtney opened her lot; seeing the number "1" appear, she felt as if the sky had fallen.

Jason glanced at her and patted her shoulder, "Teammate, please take good care of us from now on." Teammate, my ass, she thought, it was more like a cursed fate. Courtney ruffled her hair, her greatest worry not about who the captain was. Instead, it was whether she would continue on her original missions amidst this massive reshuffle at the X Bureau. Her concerns were not unfounded. "Starting now, Squad One is under martial law. All missions are temporarily halted, no unauthorized exits," Linden announced at the morning meeting.

As a member of Squad One, Courtney naturally had to stay within the X Bureau, ready to receive orders at any time. After the meeting, Jared returned to his office. Looking at the new distribution of team members, he furrowed his brows slightly. What exactly was Linden trying to accomplish with such a grand reshuffle within the X Bureau? Squad One was now directly under Linden's command, the reason given being that the chief, Nathan, was out.

Jason and Hayden entered together, Hayden speaking up, "Mr. Farrell, this reshuffle might be fine, but having Squad One directly under the director-doesn't that seem problematic?" Jared leaned back in his chair, his fingers interlaced, gently touching each fingertip, "Has the director spoken to you?"

"No, why would he? To apologize to me!" Hayden retorted bitterly. Suddenly losing power was uncomfortable for anyone. Although Hayden never cared much about the extent of his authority-having joined the X Bureau mainly to follow Jared-he couldn't just overlook being targeted for no reason. Everyone knew he was Jared's man, and the Cohen family and the Farrell family had been close for generations. Wasn't this clearly an attempt to strip Jared of his power and sideline the deputy director?

"Just wait until he contacts you," Jared replied, not elaborating further. Linden had mentioned yesterday about assigning Hayden a secret mission, but since it hadn't been issued yet, he couldn't say more. Jason couldn't help but speak up, "Captain, now that Squad One is directly under the director, isn't this just a power grab? When the special squad was established, it was stated that the chief would have full command, not the director." Everyone could see Linden's intention of diluting Jared's power and isolating him.

As they were discussing, Jared's office phone, which had a ringtone exclusive to the director's office, rang. Jared gestured for silence with a "shush" and answered the call. "Chief Farrell, come to my office. I need to discuss a personal matter with you."

Linden explicitly stated it was a personal matter, which surprised Jared. He straightened his clothes and headed to the chief's office.

"What do you need me for?" Jared asked.

Linden pulled out two invitations from the Reed family. "My spouse wants you and Miss Reed to attend a dinner tonight. They tried calling Miss Reed but couldn't get through, so they asked me to deliver this to you." This indeed surprised Jared.

He took the invitations and saw they indeed came from the Reed family. The occasion was simply a family dinner.

The formality was actually to welcome Linden's return. Linden had been undercover for many years, known to the people of the Reed and Shaw families as a businessman. His identity as the head of the Shaw family served as excellent cover. His return was a joyous occasion for the Reed family, especially given the recent events. They hoped to use this celebratory atmosphere to attract more business resources.

The dinner would host many of Ashbury's upper-class, though all somehow related to the Reed family.

Given the connection to the Reed family and Tina, Jared didn't immediately accept nor decline. He pocketed the invitations and said, "I'll ask Tina. If she agrees, we will attend tonight."

"Good, it's tough, but I'm also curious to meet this legendary niece and see what has our deputy so captivated," Linden said with a light tone, his words tinged with jest. Jared gave a symbolic smile, stood up, and left.

Linden went to the window, watching Jared drive away, the smile slowly tightening on his lips and then fading altogether.

In the Reed family home, Tina sat in the living room, staring at a strawberry cake on the table.This belongs © NôvelDra/ma.Org.

The cake was poorly made, the strawberries placed haphazardly, and the cream unevenly spread.

Clearly, Jared hadn't made it.

Hugo and Jennie were away on business, Zackary was at a summer camp, and Courtney was stuck at the X Bureau.

Tina was certain she had been alone in the house last night.

If not Jared, then who?

Suddenly, Tina remembered the strong, familiar scent from last night. She had tried to open her eyes but couldn't. Upon waking, she had thought it was just a dream. But seeing the cake made her believe that last night's experience was real.

Tina normally woke up immediately at any sign of disturbance, but last night, she felt trapped in a looping intersection, akin to sleep paralysis.

Her eyes narrowed, a fierce anger building within her.

Just then, the door sounded. "It's unlocked," Tina called out.

Jared entered, holding a freshly bought strawberry cake.

"Why did you buy one yourself?" Jared felt slighted, as he usually provided the strawberry cakes. How could he be a good boyfriend if Tina had to buy one herself? As he approached, he noticed the poor quality of the cake.

"Where did this come from?" he asked, sitting beside Tina.

Tina shook her head, "I don't know, it was here when I woke up."