Chapter 26
“Clifford, how about we bring Oliver along?”
e
As they climbed into the car, Nina suddenly thought of Oliver and suggested it.
“Oliver…” Clifford paused for a moment as he fastened Nina’s seatbelt. He looked up at her, his eyes twinkling with a hint of amusement.
“You and Oliver are pretty close, huh? You wanna bring him along with us?”
Nina felt the atmosphere in the car shift, though she couldn’t quite put her finger on why.
“I don’t even get along with him that well! He always drags his feet when I ask him to do something,” she explained quickly. “But since he’s your nephew, don’t you think it would be rude not to bring him along? I mean, it’s your call.”
Nina couldn’t help but think that Clifford had a closer bond with Oliver. After all, whenever the two of them shared private conversations, she was never included.
Clifford listened to her explanation, and his mood seemed to lighten slightly, though he remained cool. He didn’t answer directly but asked, “So, do you want to bring him or not?”
“But you’re the one taking us,” Nina said, confused. “Why are you asking me whether I want to bring him?”
Clifford grinned slyly. “I just want to know if you want to bring him. I’ll follow your lead.”
Nina studied him carefully. Though he was still smiling, something about the whole situation felt off. She hesitated before asking, “Yes…?”
In an instant, the atmosphere in the car became even tenser.
Nina quickly backtracked. “Forget it, forget it. No, I won’t bring him!”
“Mm–hmm…”
Satisfied with her answer, Clifford’s smile returned to something more relaxed. He leaned over and clicked her seatbelt into place. “This is what you
said.”
Nina stared at him, utterly baffled.
She had said it, but why did it feel so strange?
The next morning, Nina felt fantastic after the pizza.
When Oliver walked over to her, he immediately wrinkled his nose, sensing the faint smell of lamb still lingering on her. He leaned in and whispered, “Nina, you didn’t really sneak out last night for pizza, did you?”
“I did!”
Nina turned around with a beaming smile. “That place is amazing. I’ve got great taste, don’t I?”
Oliver stared at her, his mouth twitching. “Do you realize you still smell like lamb? If anyone finds out you snuck out, you’re in big trouble!”
He let out a relieved sigh. “At least Clifford isn’t here. His sense of smell is insane. If he were around, he’d definitely know you snuck out. You don’t understand how strict he is. If he catches you, you’re finished!”
Nina froze. How was she supposed to tell Oliver that it was Clifford who had taken her for the pizza?
Meanwhile, Damon Lee, the instructor for Nina’s squad, was busy putting his students through their
paces.
Today, they didn’t have to do the weighted runs, just some drill training. However, under the scorching sun, the students had to stand perfectly still, already on the training field for a full hour.
For these students, who usually can’t even carry a heavy load or lift anything, this felt like pure torture.
“Oh my god, how much longer?”
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Chapter 26
“I can’t take it anymore…*
Two students muttered under their breath, but Damon heard them instantly. He whipped around and snapped, “What did you say? Talking too much, huh? Guess what? You’re standing here for another half hour!”
The students immediately protested. “No, please!”
“If you keep talking. I’ll add ten more minutes!”
The students went dead silent.
Jessica and Lynn stood motionless, eyes wide, not daring to speak or move an inch. The heat was unbearable, and every second felt like torture. Jessica was both physically exhausted and mentally worn out.
Is this training supposed to build us up or break us down?‘ she wondered.
What really stung was that Nina wasn’t even here. They had been out under the blazing sun, while Nina was probably sitting in the shade, enjoying herself. The thought of her possibly relishing their suffering only made Jessica angrier.
And worse still, Clifford was in the base. He was bound to look for Oliver at some point. What if Nina tried to butter him up, and Clifford actually took a liking to her? That would push Jessica to her breaking point.
She couldn’t stand the thought of it.
“Damon.”
A voice called out as an officer approached the instructor.
“You’re needed at the training room immediately,” the officer informed him.
“Understood!” Damon responded sharply, turning back to the students practicing their formations.
“Alright, listen up!” he called. “Take a break–hydrate if you need to—but stay put. At ease! Dismissed in place!”
“Yes, sir!” the students answered in unison, their voices crisp and disciplined.
As the instructors began to leave, clearly summoned for some urgent task, Lynn leaned over to Jessica, curiosity written all over her face.
“Hey, Jessica, any idea where they’re all heading?”
Jessica barely spared her a glance. “How should I know?” she muttered.
Her thoughts were elsewhere. With the instructors gone, this might be the perfect chance to sneak away and find Clifford.
Her eyes flicked toward the main building, and a plan started to take shape.
At the training room, Damon joined the other instructors. But something–or rather, someone–stood out.
There, sitting cross–legged in the corner, completely engrossed in a video game, was Nina.
“Hey, Damon, isn’t that one of your students?” one of the instructors asked, nodding toward her.
Damon squinted, and sure enough–it was Nina.
“Nina!” he called, striding over.
“Hm?” Nina looked up, blinking innocently.
“Oh, hi, sir! What a coincidence seeing you here,” she said brightly, her tone completely casual.
“Nina, what are you doing here?” Damon asked, half amused, half exasperated.
“This is a restricted area, and here you are, just sitting around playing games. Who’s your supervising officer now? You’re going to get in serious trouble if someone catches you.”
“Relax, sir. I’m not in any trouble,” Nina replied with a shrug. “Mr. Snee told me to wait here.”
Nina’s direct superior was Clifford. Earlier that morning, he had told her to report to the central training room, saying he had a task for her.
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3:27 PM.
Chapter 26
“He told you to wait here?” Damon repeated, confused for a moment. Then realization dawned.
“Oh, I see,” he said, smirking. “Looks like you’ve been called in to train with us.”
