Chapter 176
Nicholas suddenly thought of something and looked at Brent. “How did Karen get here?”
Brent said, “Nick, why are you asking me? I’m not exactly tight with Karen. Do you think everyone’s some lovesick puppy like that Pierce family weirdo, obsessed with her?”
Brent sniffed and rubbed his nose. “Karen’s got some distant connection to my Aunt Janelle. Now that her family’s fallen apart, she’s been living at Dolan Estate. And Nolan’s been babying her–probably how she weaseled her way in here, riding both families‘ coattails.”
It was mostly the Pierce family’s doing. With Nolan backing her, snagging a spot there wasn’t a huge shock.
Plus, the screening for invitees today hadn’t been strict. Hence Karen’s presence. Whether she’d actually pass the review, though, was up in the air.
“Ah, so she’s a favor case,” Caesar concluded.
Brent nodded. “Spot on. But Nick, since when do you waste time on nobodies? Is it because she’s a Vance?”
“Do I look like I’ve got time to kill?” Nicholas shot him a chilly look. “She’s not a fan of the members of Roxanne’s branch.”
No need to clarify–she obviously meant Sharon.
Caesar arched a brow. He thought, ‘Jesus, enough with the couple drama. Is there no such thing as public decency anymore?‘
Sharon was still camped out in the rest area, now sprawled in a reclining chair. Bored stiff, she remembered an app she’d seen on Nicholas‘ phone- Throne of Kings.
She knew the game. Riley and Jannie were obsessed with playing five–player tower–pushing matches together.
She’d dabbled once but got bored, switching to a multiplayer shooter instead. Back in the day, she’d lived for Stimulus Strike–nothing hit like a 98K
headshot.
Since she had zero plans, she downloaded the Throne of Kings. The interface was almost the same, with just a few new heroes and updates. She fired up the game and queued for ranked play.
Not long after, Jannie sent a message: [Shari, are you playing the Throne of Kings?]
Sharon: [Yeah, just killing time.]
Jannie: [Oh my god, you used to refuse to group with us! Is the sun rising in the west today?]
Jannie: [Shari, come climb ranks with us! We’ll carry you to King Tier.]
Sharon: [I’ll pass.]
Dead air. Jannie: [Wahhh, why? You’re rejecting me again!]
Sharon: [It’s too risky right now. I don’t want to get exposed.] She still wasn’t sure how deep House of Obsidian’s investigation had gone.
Jannie: [Shari, let me ask you something.]
[Go ahead.]
[Does that Nicholas guy play this game too?]
Sharon paused before replying: [Yeah.],
1/2
Chapter 176
Jannie: [Wahhh, I knew it! I just knew it! You’ve got a new crush out there. Humph!] Jannie left the group chat.
Riley: (OMG, Shari’s back! I feel like a god again! Is the legendary pro coming to dominate the leaderboard? Finally, the ShadowDeer reunion!
There were once two top players–Shadow (Sharon) and Deer. They were neck and neck, with stats that blew people away. Fans had dubbed them “ShadowDeer” and shipped their “couple.”
Sharon was speechless. She’d only started playing out of boredom–fine, and maybe a little because she’d seen the app on Nicholas‘ phone. She never thought someone as swamped as him would have time for games. She was just curious.
After one match, she unsurprisingly earned MVP and promoted to the Star Glory Tier. Just like the old days–no sweat.
“Gaming?” Justin walked over during a break, startled to see Sharon playing. He thought, ‘So she’s into video games.
“Bored. Passing the time.” Sharon put down her phone. “Any updates on the person I asked you to dig up?”
Justin scanned the area–no other girls were around. He dropped his voice. “Zero, why do you have a problem with the League of Niko?”
Why? Sharon raised an eyebrow. “What’s up with that?”
“Nothing much. I just noticed there’s been a bunch of people like you lately digging around about someone named Niko.”
For a moment, Sharon felt her disguise threatening to unravel. She kept her cool. “That just means they really suck at networking. Ticked off too many people.”
Justin rubbed his chin. “Is that the case?”
Sharon’s past curiosity about the House of Obsidian might’ve stepped over a line, making the academy take notice. But Dalton had invited her ten years ago. She should be off the suspect list, right? The academy trusted Dalton’s pick.
Justin let out a breath. “You had me spooked.”
“About what?”
“The academy’s on a manhunt. Rumor is a big shot snuck in. They gave us a month to figure out who before the semester starts.”
Sharon froze. What? Her face stayed calm, but her mind raced. “What do you mean by ‘big shot‘?”
‘Could they be after me,‘ she wondered.
