NovelOLX Chapter 223: Ethan under suspicion
Chapter 223: Ethan under suspicion
Amanda had returned to her house to freshen up and change.
Last night, she had sweated a lot, and she still felt grimy. She knew Kyke would never complain, but being aware of her own odor left her with little choice but to make a trip back home.
She had even brought some clothes for him.
It might sound strange, but she kept a few of Kyke’s clothes tucked away in the deepest section of her wardrobe.
He never stayed at her place for obvious reasons, yet she loved having clothes meant for him in her cupboard. It gave her a strange sense of fulfillment. At times, those clothes even helped relieve some of her stress.
"Haah, I look great." She stood before the mirror and gave herself one final look.
She was wearing a white top with thin shoulder straps and a pair of high-waisted black jeans.
She knew Adam’s girlfriend would be there, so she had spent extra time on her hair. The last thing she wanted was to look bad when introducing herself as Kyle’s girlfriend.
After checking her purse, she decided to leave. She needed to pick up some noodles from the shop near the train station.
Kyle had seemed quite excited about them this morning.
With everything ready, she stepped out of her room, only to freeze when she found a familiar man standing there.
"Father..."
"Where were you last night?" Hades asked, one brow raised.
Amanda let out a sigh.
So much for handling things, Mom, she inwardly muttered.
"I was with a friend. An injured friend who’s currently in the hospital."
"Oh? And who is this friend?" he asked, clasping his hands behind his back.
Amanda reassured him, "You’ll see him this weekend. You’re free on Sunday, right?"
Hades paused for a moment before following his daughter. "So you aren’t even trying to hide that you were with Kyle, huh?"
"You know me. I don’t lie to you."
Hades let out a dry chuckle. "Don’t get me started on that. Just because I don’t bring up everything doesn’t mean I don’t notice everything."
Amanda kept walking. Fortunately, her back was facing him, or he would have surely noticed the panic flashing across her face.
Hades exhaled softly and called out, "Amanda."
The girl stopped midway down the staircase and looked back at him.
Hades descended the remaining steps and stopped just above where she stood. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he asked, "Have you been taking care of yourself?"
Amanda blinked in surprise before nodding. "Yes. Why do you ask?"
Hades shook his head. "Between Kyle and your duties, I feel like you’re losing yourself. I mean, how long has it been since you went shopping or watched a movie like you used to?"
Hades missed his daughter more than ever.
He understood that she wanted to spend time with her boyfriend. He had gone through that phase himself, so he genuinely understood.
And as one of the few Nightwalkers in Montclair, Amanda had to remain vigilant at all times, always ready to answer the call of duty.
Caught between those two parts of her life, he didn’t want her to lose sight of who she was.
Amanda turned to face him fully. Her expression softened as she took his hand and reassured him.
"Father... these past few months have been exhausting, I won’t lie. I mean, you must have heard about the sudden increase in Rift appearance. But do you know why I never came to you crying or said that I wanted to quit?"
Her shoulders relaxed as she closed her eyes and murmured, "It’s because Kyle has been there, Father. Like a silent supporter, always putting my happiness first and encouraging the things I love."
A bitter smile formed on her lips as she lowered her gaze.
"I feel guilty about how many things he gave up for my sake because I didn’t enjoy them. Things like gaming..." She let out a soft sigh. "I couldn’t forgive myself for making him sacrifice so much. Yet when it came to me, he never asked me to give up anything."
Hades’ expression softened at her words.
Still, a question lingered in his mind.
"But recently, you were devastated. Your mother and I guessed that you two had broken up."
Amanda slowly nodded. "I..."
"Uh-huh." He stopped her before she could continue.
Amanda looked up at him curiously, and the man explained himself.
"I want to hear that story from the young man himself. I need to know what could possibly make my daughter fall into such despair."
Amanda gave him a wry smile. "Dad, I promise it was my fault."
Hades sighed. "I could more or less guess that, but still... leave some things for him to explain. How am I supposed to keep things from becoming awkward between us if there’s nothing left to talk about?"
Amanda’s eyes lit up. "So you’ll meet him, right?"
Hades smiled.
"Of course I will."
Amanda grinned from ear to ear before throwing her arms around her father.
Hades gently wrapped his arms around his daughter, a smile forming on his face as he held her close.
From a distance, Lady Maylith watched the scene and shook her head with a defeated smile.
The same man who had spent the entire morning grumbling about Amanda staying overnight with Kyle was now smiling like nothing had happened.
Seriously, there’s nothing I can do about those two... she thought.
....
Timothy stood outside the briefing room with his hands clasped behind his back.
Not long afterward, the door opened, revealing the two officers he had briefed on the operation an hour earlier.
The moment they saw him, both officers straightened and saluted.
Timothy gave a slight nod, allowing them to relax.
"Any issues understanding the operation?" he asked.
"Negative, sir."
"No, sir."
Timothy nodded. "Ethan, you may proceed and begin preparations. Inform the supply department of anything you require, and make sure to eat and rest before gearing up. You’ll be leaving in an hour."
Ethan saluted once more, cast a brief glance at Layena, and then headed off.
Timothy let out a quiet sigh before turning to the young woman.
"Layena, follow me."
With that, he started walking down the lobby toward the training area.
The section was largely isolated from the rest of the facility, mainly because the Commander’s office was located there.
As they moved farther away from the rows of cubicles, Timothy finally spoke.
"Layena, during the operation, I want you to keep an eye on Ethan."
He came to a stop and turned toward her.
"As Vice Commander, I’m considering him a potential candidate for First Grade. Your evaluation will carry significant weight since you’ll be supervising him in the field."
Layena slowly nodded.
Just as Hannah had predicted, this was going to happen.
She wasn’t bitter about it, only surprised that it was happening so soon. Then again...
She had expected to be dismissed after that, but Timothy continued.
"And while you’re at it, I’d like you to determine whether he’s acting like himself."
"I don’t understand, sir."
Timothy lowered his voice even further before speaking.
"This isn’t an official order, but I have a feeling Ethan may be under some kind of influence."
Layena frowned.
"An influence?"
Timothy nodded.
"There have been recorded cases of Ghouls influencing humans. In most instances, the victims underwent drastic behavioral changes and became noticeably more aggressive. Ethan has changed as well, but he hasn’t shown anything I’d consider inhuman. Still, there’s no harm in keeping our eyes open, is there?"
Layena remained silent, but she couldn’t deny that his reasoning made sense.
Even so, after working under Ethan for nearly two years, she didn’t want Timothy’s suspicions to prove true.
°°°°°°
A/N:- Thanks for reading. Drop a comment.