The morning light filtered through the window, casting a golden hue over the room. Sienna was still asleep beside me, her breathing steady. The exhaustion from last night had taken a toll on both of us—physically and emotionally.
I had needed that moment with her.
But today was a new day.
And I needed to figure out what to do with it.
I thought about practicing my boxing. I had the skills, but in all honesty? I needed a proper trainer. There were things I couldn't teach myself, instincts I couldn't refine alone.
I also considered checking on Camille—seeing if my new mask was ready—but with her being to my left, still sleeping. It was obvious she hadn't finished it yet.
That left only one option.
Evelyn's suggestion.
The old construction site.
I still had no idea why she wanted me to go back there.
It wasn't like my construction work was lacking—I had reached a level where I could probably outmatch most specialists. But something told me this wasn't just about the work. Evelyn never did anything without a reason. Though, I felt like I was at risk of revealing my identity to my old co-workers.
Sienna stirred beside me, slowly waking up. Her amber eyes fluttered open, still hazy with sleep.
"Morning," I murmured.
She yawned, stretching slightly before blinking up at me. "You're up early."
I nodded. "I was thinking about what you said last night. About Evelyn wanting me back at the site."
Sienna rubbed her eyes, sitting up. "Oh… so you're actually going?"
"Yeah," I said. "Might as well see why she insisted on it."
Sienna studied me for a moment before nodding. "Then I'm coming with you."
I raised an eyebrow. "You don't have to—"
"I want to," she said firmly. "Besides, I still work there. If anyone asks questions, I'll handle it."
Can't argue with that.
After breakfast, we got into the car and started heading toward the site.
The roads were familiar, but the feeling wasn't. I hadn't been here in over a year. The last time I stepped onto that site, I was just a construction worker. Now, I had gone through firefighter training, detective work, space missions, law cases, and even soon to be boxing.
And yet, I was returning here.
I glanced at Sienna as she drove. "You sure this isn't risky?"
She let out a small laugh. "It's not as bad as you think."
"You sure? My disappearance wasn't exactly subtle."
Sienna shook her head. "For the first few months, no one really noticed."
"…No one noticed?"
"Well, think about it," she explained. "The work got done so efficiently that people were finishing hours earlier than usual. So no one bothered checking."
Huh.
That made sense.
Nathan being fired had optimized everything so much that my absence didn't even register at first.
"But," she continued, "about five months ago, people started realizing something was off. That's when I told them you switched districts because of an injury from a while back."
I stared at her. "You covered for me?"
"Of course," she said, as if it were obvious. "They all sent their regards and hoped you were doing okay."
I exhaled. She had thought ahead.
Despite feeling useless last night, here she was—ensuring my identity stayed hidden.
I smirked. "Look at you. Yesterday you were feeling useless, and now you're out here saving my identity."
She tapped my leg while continuing to drive.
"Shut up," she muttered, but I could see the faintest smile tugging at her lips.
I chuckled.
When we finally arrived at the construction site, the first thing I noticed was how much had changed.
Everything looked… smoother.
Crews moved like clockwork, no wasted effort. Materials were already prepped before they were needed, and scaffolding had been reinforced with precision. Sienna's influence was everywhere.
And it was clear why.
Everyone knew that Sienna had reached A-rank.
She was leading the team, and they followed her without question. The work was coordinated, the pace steady, and there was a quiet confidence in how things ran.
I watched as the crew moved around, adjusting beams and securing reinforcements.
Then, something else caught my attention.
Or rather, someone else.
A few workers started whispering. Then a few more.
It was clear that they didn't recognize me.
Instead, they were bombarding Sienna with questions.
"Wait, wait, Sienna, hold on—who's this guy?"
"Is he your boyfriend?"
"…Wait a minute. You're dating someone?"
"We honestly thought you were going to end up with that Reynard guy."
"I mean, you talked about him a lot—"
I saw Sienna's face twitch slightly.
She looked like she was about to die on the spot.
I took mercy on her and stepped forward.
"Guys, It's me. Reynard." I said simply.
A moment of silence.
Then—
"WAIT, WHAT?!"
A chorus of shocked screams erupted from the workers.
Omar and Leo—two guys I had worked with before—walked up to me, their eyes wide.
"No way," Omar said. "Reynard?!"
Leo looked me up and down. "Dude. What the hell happened to you?"
I blinked.
Right.
Since the last time they saw me, I had become a firefighter, detective, astronaut, lawyer, and boxer.
Not to mention, I had skills that refined my body—Muscle Reinforcement, Muscle Optimization.
To them, I probably looked like I had gone through a complete transformation.
I smirked. "I had some free time."
Leo scoffed. "Yeah, no kidding."
Omar nudged my shoulder. "Damn, man. You got built."
Sienna muttered something under her breath, still flustered by all the teasing.
I decided to spare her and changed the subject.
"I figured I'd stop by and help Sienna out," I said.
That wasn't entirely true—I was here because of Evelyn's request. But I did want to help Sienna as well.
The moment I said that, the guys dragged me away.
I spent the next couple of hours helping out, getting back into the rhythm of construction work.
Meanwhile, I could hear some of the girls teasing Sienna in the background.
I smirked.
After a while, I started walking around.
Something wasn't sitting right.
Evelyn had told me to come back. And Evelyn never did anything without a reason.
My Instinct skill kicked in while my S-rank Detective Job scanned the area, analyzing details others would overlook.
Then, I felt it.
Someone was in the mini tool shed.
I frowned.
That shed hadn't been used in months. It was old and mostly forgotten.
So why was someone inside?
I made my way toward it, my steps quiet.
There was only one person I could expect it to be.
I reached for the handle and I opened the door slowly. The inside was dimly lit, dust swirling in the air. My eyes adjusted—then I saw him. A figure, sitting calmly in the corner. His eyes flicked up to meet mine, widening just slightly before masking his surprise.
Anthony Smith
"Boss?! What are you doing here?"