The Bargain Undercover

The Clumsiest Spy

Alex listened as Eliana elaborated her plan, his chin dropping to the ground.

When he finally realized Eliana had finished speaking and was patiently waiting for his response, he instinctively shook his head. "Ellie, we can't do that."

"Not 'we'." Eliana looked into his eyes, her expression firm. "I have no other choice. I'm asking if you are willing to help me with this."

"OK, then, YOU can't do that!" Alex was determined. "It's ... not right. We can't frame her!"

Eliana lowered her eyes. "I'm not framing her. I'm just saving myself."

"But there gotta be better ways!" Alex insisted.

Eliana pulled a bitter smile. "For example?"

Alex opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but he soon realized he had nothing to say.

There was no other way.

And he knew clearly that Eliana couldn't take the risk of waiting until Lyla gave away the racket, which might never happen.

"But... But..." he stuttered, still resistant.

Eliana squeezed his hand, comforting him. "Sorry, Alex. You don't have to push yourself. I never meant to force you."

With that, she showed him a bittersweet smile. "You noticed what Lyla did. That already saved me."

Alex was a bit helpless to hear this. "It's pointless if we can only watch it happen."

"I'll figure it out." Eliana patted his shoulder and stood up, about to leave.

"Wait!" Alex stopped her. "What are you going to do?"

"I'll ask someone else to help me."

"Ask who?"

"I'm not sure." Eliana shook her head. "But I can't do this alone."

"Hey!" Alex tugged at her sleeve, warning her, "I won't sell you out, but others may! Ellie, you're a strong competitor. Dragging you down is what many dancers have been craving. Don't you know that?"

"I do. But I have to survive this first." Eliana lowered her head, her fingers intertwined. "Last time Lyla exchanged my pointe shoes. This time she put sleeping pills into my water. Who knows what's coming at me the next time? Alex, I'm scared... I'm so scared. She's ruining my career step by step. I can't just sit here. I have to do something."

Alex could tell that she almost broke down but was using every strength to put herself back. He felt so sorry that she had to go through all this, which was unfair and shouldn't have happened in the first place.

"But there must be a better way..." he mumbled to himself.

Eliana raised her eyes. Alex's heart almost broke when he saw the fragility in her catlike, crystal eyes.

She forced a smile. "It's OK. This is my battle, not yours. I understand you don't want to be involved. I'll think of another way."

"Alright, alright, give me one second, OK? I need to think about this..." Alex pinched his nose bridge and sighed heavily as if he was making a big decision.

Time ticked away.

Eliana kept silent, not uttering one single sound.

In the end, when Alex looked at her again, he was determined. "I'll help you."

Then, he saw the whole world revive in Eliana's eyes again.

At that moment, Alex knew he was done. He wanted her to be happy and safe above all else. To achieve that, he was willing to step beyond boundaries, just this once.

Eliana looked at him with hope. "You sure?"

"I'm sure." Alex didn't hesitate anymore. "I can't leave you alone in this."

The sweetest smile bloomed on Eliana's face. "Thank you! I owe you one."

"A big one," Alex smiled bitterly.

"I promise!" Eliana felt a wave of relief wash over her. From the start, she had resolved to persuade Alex to join her plan, but she knew that simply pushing him wouldn't work. Fortunately, he cared for her and couldn't bear to see her upset or harmed, and that was the leverage she used to persuade him.

Now that she succeeded in her first step, Eliana withdrew her smile and said in a low voice, "OK. So first thing first..."

"I know what to do." Alex nodded. "Just leave it to me."

So, Eliana left it to him.

Persuading him was not easy, but since he had agreed to help, he wouldn't back up.

She trusted him. Besides, she had her own mission in this plan.

***

The grand opening was a big success. Eliana survived it, exchanging congratulations with other dancers. On the following day, everyone was rehearsing in the classroom as usual. The afternoon sunshine strode in through the windows, painting the floor golden. Everything seemed so peaceful on the surface.

As soon as the coffee break started, Eliana rushed to the restroom.

Not wanting to alert Lyla, Eliana still kept her old water bottle in the classroom but refrained from drinking from it. Instead, she concealed another bottle in the restroom cabin under the sink, amidst the cleaning supplies, making it less likely to be discovered by others.

Drinking water had become such a covert task for her. She couldn't let anyone see it.

Hiding in the stall, as the cool water trickled down her throat, she felt like the clumsiest spy in the world.

A few dancers entered the restroom. Eliana waited patiently in the stall until they all left. Then, she came out and quickly took another big mouthful of water before hiding the bottle again.

Opportunities to drink enough water became rare for her, so she had to seize every chance she got.

Then, she walked out of the restroom.

Things happened right at this time.

Xander walked past her, hearing clearly that she swallowed a big mouthful of water down her throat.

And he was stunned.

He shifted his gaze between the "Ladies Room" on the door and Eliana, a bit puzzled.

It was very rare to see puzzlement on his face.

"What were you doing in there?" he asked.

Eliana blinked her eyes. "Drinking."

Xander asked flatly, "Taste good?"

Obviously, Xander took it as a joke even though she was honest. Eliana laughed dryly, "You have no idea."

Xander looked away. His face returned expressionless, but his tone still had a trace of teasing. "Enjoy."

Eliana rolled her eyes helplessly and went back to the classroom.

She hadn't expected to bump into Xander under that circumstance, which made her feel even more foolish.

Once again, she prayed for this to end soon.

In the classroom, Ophelia walked over when Eliana picked up her water bottle from the floor. "Hey, Ellie!"

"What do you want, Miss?" Eliana opened her water bottle, pretending to sip water from it.

As expected, she saw Lyla looking over out of the corner of her eye.

But Lyla had no idea what was coming at her. It gave Eliana a thrill.

"Let's try PhysioFit's hydrotherapy on our day off, what do you say? We can have a fifty percent discount." Ophelia was excited.

Eliana blinked her eyes, taking the chance. "Maybe next time. I don't feel quite well recently."

Ophelia asked, "What's wrong?"

Eliana pretended to take another sip of water. "I feel dizzy and nauseous. And I keep forgetting about the dance even though we've been rehearsing forever."

"Are you pregnant?" Ophelia asked in an innocent tone.

Eliana wrinkled her nose. "Come on!"

"What! That's a possibility. Who knows if you're dating some guy without telling me about it!" Ophelia defended herself.

Eliana gave her a straightforward answer. "No."

"OK." Ophelia made another guess. "Then, did you catch a cold?"

"Maybe." Eliana shrugged. It was also what she would have guessed if Alex hadn't seen with his own eyes what Lyla had done. It was so normal to feel under the weather, and no one would relate it to some evil deeds.

The rehearsal continued as Fiona came in. Eliana started to practice her Grand Jete, which was a critical part of the new dance. However, she kept failing to achieve the height of her jump.

"Higher, Eliana." Fiona stood beside her, frowning slightly.

Eliana landed, letting out an annoyed groan.

Fiona walked over. "Darling, are you OK? You seem off today."

"Actually, I've not been feeling well since yesterday." Eliana rubbed her temples with her hands, her face contorted in pain. "My head aches. And I feel abnormally tired."

"Did you catch a cold? Do you want to have some rest?" Fiona asked.

Eliana nodded. "Sure. I'll take some rest."

Fiona patted her shoulder, caring about her. "Don't push yourself too hard. Just let me know if you need to go home."

"Thank you, Mrs. Morse," Eliana said in a strengthless voice.

After Fiona left, Eliana went to the corner to take some rest. She looked pale, but it was pretended. Her whole mission in this plan was about acting, while the pragmatic part would be taken care of by Alex.

She glanced at Alex. He was talking to Lyla.

It seemed everything was on the right track.

During the lunch break, as soon as the two of them met again in Sunrise Market, Alex told her about his findings, "Ambien. That's the brand she's taking."

"Ambien," Eliana slowly repeated.

Now they had to figure out how to get some Ambien pills. If Alex or Eliana requested some, it would take forever to go through all the specialists, questions, and examinations. They didn't have forever to waste, so Alex planned to find an excuse to ask his grandma to order some Ambien pills.

Alex said, "It should be really fast since she's been on prescription sleeping pills for years."

"No need to bother your grandma," Eliana told him confidently. "I can get some."