Chapter 1: Suicidal

He stood before the vast glass wall, his piercing gray eyes fixed on the endless expanse of the ocean outside his private island estate. A cigarette burned between his long slender fingers, the smoke swirling around him as if mirroring the enigma that cloaked him.

Without turning, he spoke, his voice cold and emotionless, "I won’t set foot in the city unless it concerns my enemies, Davina. Tell General David I said that."

Davina, with her golden blonde short hair, approached him, her voice gentle yet determined. "Neil, you can’t keep hiding from the real world. What happened two years ago was a mistake, you can’t change it but you can stop it from happening again." She assured softly.

Neil’s fingers clenched around the cigarette, and in a display of controlled rage, he crushed the burning ember in his palm. Silence lingered as he withheld his words. He knew he couldn’t keep hiding from the world and it was time he got back on his feet after his mistake two years ago, but the thought of going back, was something that made him remember his deed and how it had killed not just hundreds but millions of lives.

Davina, undeterred by his rage as she was used to it, walked up and embraced him from behind. Neil, however, frowned in displeasure before he moved away from her embrace, his indifference palpable. He asked, "What did General David say about the mission in the City?"

Despite the hurt in her eyes by his action, Davina smiled and put on a more professional facade, explaining, "Your mission is in Zen City. You are to take a new identity as Professor Leo Bennett in Ivy Grove institute, find the Journalism student who leaked the information this morning to the media about the Da Kroll organization, and get her to reveal what she knows. General David also said the University is suspected to be one of the Da Kroll hide out. You know what to do next when you get there."

Neil’s cold and indifferent demeanor didn’t waver as he absorbed his next mission details, his gray eyes burned with determination as he clenched his fists at the word ’Da Kroll’. He might have been away for two years, but he wouldn’t hide away when it has something to do with his biggest enemy!

****

Ivy Grove institute.

Mia grumbled internally as she hurriedly climbed the stairs leading to the rooftop of the university library. Swinging the door open she entered the open space of the rooftop.

This was her sanctuary, away from all the noise, away from all the people who do nothing all day but look down on her, and make her life difficult, away from it all even if it was just for a short time, to feel the wind blowing against her face, to breathe in the fresh air, it was all so refreshing and relaxing.

Life hadn’t been easy on her, thus she wanted to forget her problems for awhile, forget the burden in her heart and her mind.

She walked to the edge of the rooftop closing her eyes, she spread her arms wide open embracing the fresh air as it came. Her thick fine brows were still slightly furrowed from the upsetting situation that happened earlier in the day.

She popped an eye open noticing something weird today on the rooftop.

’Why was there no breeze today?’

It wasn’t like the air was completely still, it was just that the wind wasn’t blowing as furiously as her heart right now. It wasn’t blowing as hard as she wanted it.

’Come wind, come wash away all my worries,’ she chanted but it was as if nature had no plans of listening to her today.

Today was probably a warmer day, because even though she was standing on this high up rooftop, the wind was just blowing steadily.

’This won’t do, more air, more air, ’ she inhaled greedily, but the anger in her was far from dying down. She opened her eyes placing her hands on her hips in frustration.

’Am I facing bad luck today? Even nature is not on my side.’

Just then an idea struck her. She moved forward, climbing on top the edge as she stood right on the stone edge of the rooftop.

’Haaa,’

Mia let out a sigh, the air wasn’t too strong but it was enough to make her relax, she closed her eyes reeling the feeling letting go of all the anger she’d held within, she opened her arms as the wind blew against her face and brown hair.

Down below the huge library building of Ivy Grove institute, a guy was busy posing trying to take a selfie, just as he raised his hands up in position, he noticed his back camera was on instead of the front one, but as he quickly tried to switch it back, he noticed a weird person up on top of the building with arms wide open as if ready to fall off the rooftop.

The guy panicked yelling. "Oh shit! suicide, someone’s trying to commit suicide on the rooftop,"

His shout attracted a lot of attention as a crowd slowly started to gather, gasps and murmurs filled the air. People pointing and talking about the pitiful suicidal person, everyone scared she’d jump any minute. Someone quickly called the police.

The girl in question was busy enjoying the fresh air, heights didn’t bother her at all, she’d done a lot of physical activities in the past. But little did she know, her stupid attempt at relaxation was attracting a lot of attention and earning her the name of a suicidal person.

And soon, firetrucks filled the area. A few professors of ivy Grove institute and higher ups had been alerted, people started flocking to the scene creating an even bigger crowd.

The girl in question though, couldn’t be more oblivious, with the loud white sounds she was listening to on her ear pods. By now she’d only been on the rooftop for a few minutes, so she didn’t think it’d make a difference at all.

From behind her a few students who were initially inside the library of the university had all gathered on the rooftop, yet everyone kept a safe distance for fear of aggravating the situation.

"Isn’t that Mia? Why would she want to commit suicide?" a short girl with two braids standing on the rooftop along with all the other students asked suddenly recognizing the suicidal person.

"Oh my god! It really is her. But she doesn’t seem like a troubled person, so why would she get suicidal? " Another girl with red hair standing beside her replied.

"Being troubled doesn’t show on the face you know, anyone you come across can be troubled, a pity though, she was such an adorable girl," A nerdy guy said squinting his eyes behind the glasses while shaking his head regretfully.

"Hey she’s not dead yet, why are you referring to her as a was? " the girl with the braids snapped at the nerdy guy who shrank his head saying.

"Right, right, she’s still alive, a pity though, that would have made the headlines tomorrow," He sighed.

"What kind of a man are you? A young girl is there attempting suicide instead of trying to save her, you’re here wishing she were dead so you could make news out of it? How obsessed are you with your studies Carlos, it’s made you into an insufferable jerk!"

"Tsk, am not the one wishing her dead OK, she’s the one who’s suicidal, why are you blaming me for it? " The guy called Carlos, replied shifting his glasses, and walked away to find another gossip group that thought the same as him.

"Didn’t you hear? It was rumored that, the top story about that drug syndicate, Da Kroll, that attracted the attention of that big news agency had actually been claimed by Mia Harrison this morning," said someone from the crowd.

"What? Why would she do that? "

"She claimed that the story belonged to her and Diane stole it from her and presented it for her assignment project, but when she was asked to provide proof she wasn’t able to, and Diane showed clear proof as she had posted it on her blog the minute she got the information, so that Mia was completely humiliated in front of the professors. She must have been depressed and humiliated to the point of suicide."

"No way, Diane wouldn’t do such a thing, Mia was just attempting to slander her, she’s probably jealous of Diane’s intelligence."

"I know right, and she ended up making a fool of herself in front of everyone today, maybe that’s the reason she’s suddenly attempting suicide."

"So that’s what happened, I always used to think that Mia was a sensible girl, turns out I was wrong, she even allowed herself to be driven by envy to the point of suicide, how stupid."

"What? Who did you say was attempting suicide? " Rayne, a young girl with wavy red hair suddenly pulled one of the girls talking.

The girl flung her arm free. She pursued her thin lips,"Isn’t it that stupid friend of yours. " She snapped angrily suddenly disliking Rayne as much as she did Mia.

"Mia? But...." She cut herself short from defending Mia to go see for herself, she knew her friend would never do something as stupid as suicide.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read