Rayah was walking in to see Benjamin Castle III in his office when she bumped into Vincent, who was walking out.
"Hey, Barbie."
"Hi, gramps, how's it going?"
"Great, off to Vegas in a few, the old man just gave me some time off."
"Oh, nice, enjoy giving away your hard-earned cash."
He turned around and gave her a mock salute. "That I will, thanks."
Castle looked up from behind his desk when Rayah entered his office.
"Agent Reyes, good morning, please take a seat."
She made herself comfortable.
"Good job on your last mission. I was just informed that the bug you installed on Maxwell Lee's computer is performing admirably. We now have access to all the online data that goes in and out of that machine and hopefully soon, any information leading to the Alvarados."
She nodded. "Great, so it's just a matter of time, then."
"Indeed. In the meantime, we have arranged for you to come home to the Philippines."
"Really? On a mission?"
"No, not on a mission. To start a new life."
She touched her nape. "A new life? But I thought I'm a SAGE agent now, isn't this my new life?"
"True, but as much as possible, we try to establish a semblance of normal life in our agents and typically, an eighteen-year-old girl like you should be in school."
"I'm going to college?"
"Yes, you are." He skimmed through the papers scattered on his desk. "It says here you were planning to pursue a degree in Mass Communication at the University of the Philippines when the accident happened."
"That's right, but I passed the entrance exam as Lourdes Buencamino."
He brushed her off. "A small matter, we'll coordinate with the SAGE reps in the Philippine government and sort it out. The important thing is you got in through legal means, fair and square."
"That I did, but wait, do I go as Rayah Reyes? Won't that compromise my identity as an agent?"
"Don't worry, it will not affect your affairs with the agency."
"Oh, okay. Will I be living in campus? I was planning to stay at the freshmen residence hall inside the university."
"No, I'm afraid that's not going to happen. We have arranged for you to stay with a Filipino couple, a retired SAGE employee and his wife."
Her face soured. "What? Why? I can take care of myself."
"I'm sure you can, but as a SAGE agent, you can't reside with innocent civilians. Safety first, you understand, and even though you've shown maturity beyond your years, we believe you can still benefit from elderly advice every now and then."
She stared at him, seemingly in deep thought.
He raised his eyebrows.
"Okay," she said, shoulders raised. "Sure, why not."
Thirty minutes to midnight and Jeeno Gregorio was still coding away on his computer. He slouched behind his desk, alone in the now dimly lit software lab, his shirt unbuttoned and sleeves rolled.
"Working late as usual, I see," someone said behind him.
He jerked and turned around.
Rayah stood there, wearing a big white shirt that came down to her knees.
YOU ARE READING
Wrath Of The Butterfly: Rayah Reyes Chronicles Book 1
ActionLourdes was just a typical teenager who'd recently graduated high school, until a heinous crime left her family dead and put her in a coma. Her medical condition attracted the attention of a mysterious international security agency, which took her i...
