A Passion That Defies Fate

Chapter 2 The Spy's Mission

Zoey quickly recounted the events of the evening and then asked her partner on the other end, "Francis, for my safety, shouldn't I get away from the prey as soon as possible?"

"No." Francis' response was firm, and his deep, elegant voice was devoid of emotion. "Don't forget our deal."

''Deal, deal! All this man cares about is the damn deal, not my life or safety.'

Zoey argued, "The deal was for me to get close to Alan and steal the key you want, not to risk my life!"

"The deal didn't include sleeping with him either, but you seem to be doing that just fine," Francis replied with venomous sarcasm.

Zoey let out a bitter chuckle and shot back. "What did you expect? You sent me to pose as a stripper to get close to him but didn't want me to sleep with him? If you have a problem with that, why didn't you stop him when he was tearing my clothes off?"

"Why would I stop him?"

Francis' cold question pierced Zoey like a spear and shattered her last bit of rationality. She couldn't help but blurt out, "Who knows? Maybe because I'm your ex-girlfriend, I thought you might still mind!"

It wasn't until she said it that Zoey realized she had been bothered by Francis making her seduce another man all along.

Francis was Zoey's ex-boyfriend and her first love. They met in college, with Francis being two grades ahead of her.

They spent countless nights cramming for papers in the library, lay on the campus lawn holding hands, chased sunsets along the interstate, and made love in the transparent showers of the student dorm. Francis was practically the embodiment of Zoey's romantic fantasies during her school years.

But when Francis graduated, their different life rhythms caused them to drift apart, leading to a peaceful breakup and a return to being just alumni and friends.

In the two years since their breakup, Zoey had dated other people and thought she was over Francis.

Yet when Francis proposed this deal, the pain in her heart told her otherwise. Maybe it was because he was her first love, or because the memories were too perfect, or because the breakup was too amicable, Francis still held a place in her heart.

She cared about Francis, but Francis didn't care about her life, safety, purity, or feelings.

On the other end of the spy earpiece, Francis chuckled after a few seconds of silence, a mocking and icy laugh.

The laugh almost cut Zoey into shards. She couldn't take it anymore and ripped the earpiece off, throwing it against the wall where it shattered.

A few seconds later, her phone rang. It was Francis. Zoey turned it off without answering.

Breathing heavily, she sat at her vanity for a while, staring at her disheveled face in the mirror.

''Wake up, Zoey. No one cares whether you live or die. You're on your own. The only thing you can do is find the key and get out before Alan kills you.'

Once she regained her composure, Zoey hid the spy earpiece back in the jewelry box and went to bed.

Three hours later, the door opened. Alan, reeking of blood, tiptoed back in.

He walked to the bed and looked down at the sleeping girl. She was curled up tightly under the blanket, her pillow wet with tears.

Zoey always wore a foolish, carefree smile when awake but cried in her sleep... He noticed it the first time he let her stay over.

As if compelled, Alan reached out and gently wiped away her tears. He then bent down without realizing it...

Just then, Zoey whimpered and shifted her position. The movement startled Alan, making him back away from the bed.

'Damn it, why am I feeling pity for this chick? She's just a means to an end, a tool to vent my lust. Why did I want to kiss her forehead and cheeks? I must have gotten my head messed up during the fight tonight!'

Alan cursed himself and rushed to the bathroom to take a cold shower.

After regaining her composure, Zoey turned on her phone and read the crypted message from Francis, which indicated she should find a way to get into Alan's workplace to search for the key.

Alan was currently in charge of security at a pharmaceutical lab, and the key Zoey needed was related to that lab. It made sense to pay a visit to the lab.

Zoey sliced a piece of bacon and fed it to Alan. She batted her eyelashes and pouted. "Honey, my dance teacher canceled the class today. I'll be stuck at the apartment the whole morning. That's so boring!"

Alan, eyes glued to his phone, answered absentmindedly, "Want me to drop you at the mall?"

"I've already seen this season's new stuff. I don't feel like shopping anymore." Zoey wrapped her arms around Alan's neck from behind and nuzzled his cheek. "Let's go out and have some fun!"

"I have to work, babe."

"Take me with you, okay?" Zoey exclaimed as if she were speaking on a whim. "You always pick me up at the club. I've never seen where you work!"

Alan's chewing paused ever so slightly, a knowing glint flashing in his eyes. He chuckled and said, "Sure. But if you get bored, you'll have to call a cab back on your own. I won't be able to drive you home."

"Okey-dokey! Love you, darling! Being with you is never boring to me!" Zoey cheered and planted a big kiss on Alan's cheek.

After breakfast, they left the apartment together.

Zoey got into the passenger seat as usual, but a brief alarm sounded inside the car.

"What's that?" Zoey asked nervously while looking around for the source of the sound.

"Nothing, just a glitch in the car's safety system," Alan said calmly, pressing a few buttons on the console to stop the alarm.

Zoey then relaxed, her hand instinctively resting on her bag, where a button-shaped hidden camera was concealed. She thought that the alarm might have detected the camera and had her spy cover exposed.

What Zoey didn't know was that the safety system alarm just now was indeed a high-tech device designed to detect cameras.

Oddly, Alan didn't react to it. He just smiled, started the car, and drove out of the garage.

Three months ago, when Zoey first hit him on, Alan suspected she wasn't a real stripper and had other motives.

Driving along, Alan watched Zoey's reflection in the rearview mirror, his mind racing with a series of questions. 'What's your mission, sweetheart? And why do you want to sneak into my lab, clumsy little spy?'