The Dominance Equation: Unveiling Darkness

Chapter 38: Blushing and Sneezing

The next day, inside the meeting room of the Shadowstrike headquarters, Selene, Kristine, Mika, Michelle, Calista, and Rinoah had already gathered around the high-tech table, sitting in state-of-the-art chairs. As a disciplined team, they arrived before 12 noon as instructed by their director, Maria Grace.

One minute before the clock struck 12 in the afternoon, the sleek door split open, revealing Maria Grace and Joyce.

Maria Grace entered the room, wearing a black short mini skirt that revealed her long, flawless legs, a white long-sleeved blouse with two unbuttoned buttons at the top, exposing her cleavage, and a black suit jacket on top.

Joyce quickly followed, having been instructed to be with Maria Grace 24/7 after the incident with the Lunar Pack, unless instructed otherwise by Maria Grace or if she desired privacy. Her family had already relocated to the headquarters for enhanced security. The expansive headquarters featured a housing community within, made possible by advanced technology that allowed humans to create an artificial ecosystem.

Joyce was dressed in her casual uniform, consisting of a white skirt and a sleek jacket with red, blue, and black accents. She stood four inches taller than Maria Grace.

The entire team stood up as a sign of respect and to greet their director. Maria Grace gestured for them to sit and relax.

Maria Grace took a seat beside Selene, facing the team, while Joyce moved to a corner and stood.

"How are you, ma'am?" Mika began, unable to contain her curiosity as the youngest and most honest member of the team. She couldn't help but inquire about their director's well-being.

Maria Grace smiled warmly. "I am perfectly fine, Mika. Thank you so much for your concern."

Mika returned the smile, relieved to hear their director's response.

"Thanks to our mysterious ally, he saved me," Maria Grace announced, her face beaming with gratitude.

The entire team, especially Selene, noticed the sudden shift in Maria Grace's demeanor. Her once cold and strict personality had transformed into something sweeter.

"Are you truly okay, ma'am?" Kristine and Selene asked once again, their concern evident. Selene glanced at Joyce, who quickly avoided her gaze. Sensing that something was amiss, Selene initiated a telepathic communication with their director.

"I assure you, I am truly fine," Maria Grace immediately reassured, responding to Selene's worry.

After receiving assurance from their director, the team fell silent, patiently awaiting her announcement or instructions.

"First and foremost, I want to express my gratitude for all of your concern," Maria Grace began. "As you can see, I have survived the incident, all thanks to our mysterious ally," she explained.

"The upper management would like to extend their congratulations to the entire team for successfully dismantling two large groups of vampires and werewolves, as well as apprehending a corrupt government official who posed a threat to the balance and peace among all factions," she declared, capturing the team's undivided attention.

"However, the incident that occurred yesterday revealed a significant lapse in our system. Only Selene, Joyce, my personal elite bodyguards, and yourselves truly know what transpired. To ensure that such a breach never occurs again, we will classify and safeguard the identities, including the families, of all covert team members as top-secret," Maria Grace announced.

"Joyce's family has already been transferred to one of our secure communities within the base," Maria Grace explained. "And my elite personal bodyguards' families will soon follow. Selene, I strongly suggest that you do the same."

"I have already taken that into consideration, ma'am. I will speak to my family immediately. We cannot allow the same situation to happen again," Selene replied. "We cannot let those malevolent groups use our families against us."

"As for the rest of you, since your origins and identities are top-secret and highly classified, I will leave the decision up to you," Maria Grace stated, looking at each member of Shadowstrike.

The entire team nodded in understanding, fully comprehending the gravity of the situation.

"And for the mysterious ally..." the whole team suddenly became more serious and attentive. "I have personally witnessed his capabilities and potential," Maria Grace stated, her cheeks turning red.

The team noticed the shift in her aura and became curious about her announcement.

"After careful consideration, I have decided that he would be a valuable addition to our team," she declared.

The team was taken aback by her announcement.

"But ma'am, we haven't uncovered his true identity," Kristine interjected.

"And we still have no leads on how to find him. He seems to just simply appear at the most critical moments," Selene added.

Although Grace had already uncovered Eijin's true identity, she chose to keep it to herself. She understood that revealing his secret could have serious consequences and decided to handle the situation with caution. Grace knew that Eijin had his reasons for hiding his true identity, and she respected his privacy. She believed that it was important to give him the opportunity to share his secret when he felt comfortable doing so. Grace kept the knowledge to herself, maintaining a sense of trust and understanding with Eijin.

"I am fully aware of that, and I understand," Maria Grace replied. "Your new directive is to seize every opportunity to persuade him to join our team if you cross paths with him again."

"Yes, ma'am!" Mika responded enthusiastically.

"We will follow your orders, ma'am," Kristine, Michelle, Calista, and Rinoah replied in unison even though they were confused.

Selene opened a telepathic connection to Maria Grace. "I hope you know what you're doing," she said.

"Don't worry, Selene. I trust him completely," Maria Grace answered.

"Is there something I don't know?" Selene teased their director.

Maria Grace blushed even more and seemed at a loss for words.

"Oh! My! You're infatuated with him!" Selene concluded.

"No! No!" Maria Grace quickly denied, although her demeanor contradicted her words.

"Hahaha! I'm your best friend, Grace. You can't hide it from me," Selene teased their director once again. "I still remember clearly, this is the same as how you reacted when you had a crush on the new kid in our school 15 years ago."

Kristine and the other girls grew more confused as they noticed that Selene's cheeks were turning red all of a sudden. They were aware that Selene and Maria Grace were communicating telepathically, but they couldn't hear their conversation or understand what they were discussing. The sudden change in Selene's demeanor piqued their curiosity, and they exchanged puzzled glances with each other. They wondered what could be causing Selene's blush and what secrets their director and Selene were sharing through their telepathic connection. However, they respected their privacy and decided not to pry into their conversation. Instead, they focused on their tasks at hand, waiting for further instructions from Maria Grace.

Inside Eijin's mansion, he couldn't seem to stop sneezing. He rubbed his finger under his nose in an attempt to alleviate the sensation.

"I think you should take some medicine before you catch a cold," Elise innocently advised.

Mara's eyebrows twitched, and her face turned red. She leaned in closer to Eijin and whispered, "I bet it's those Shadowstrike vixens and their blonde director gossiping about you." Out of jealousy, she playfully hit him on the head.

Elise was taken aback by Mara's sudden outburst, while Rachel couldn't contain her laughter.

Eijin, clueless about what Mara was saying, looked at her with a puzzled expression. He had no idea why the mention of the Shadowstrike vixens and their director would make Mara react in such a way.

Confused, Eijin asked, "What are you talking about?"

Mara quickly composed herself and smiled, trying to brush off her previous comment. "Oh, nothing, Babe. Don't worry about it." she said while tapping Eijin's chin.

Mara, Elise and Rachel exchanged glances and laughed.