Simon was about to ring the bell of the house and then Julian stopped him , whispering slightly in a low voice, "You ain't thinking of busting in just like that, are you ?"
Simon clearly understands what Julian is trying to point at. Although the High table is the one in control of everything, not every individual knows its existence , much less small workers like him or Julian. They obviously just can't barge in here like any-other place .
After thinking for a bit, Simon replied, "Fake detectives ??"
Julian with a half -hearted smile responded, "That's the fastest and easiest way possible ."
Simon examined his dress quickly. Same black and white formal clothes. Looking at Julian he thought, that wasn't going to be an issue.
Finally he rang the bell door, but there's no reply .
"Nobody's Home I guess ." Julian remarked.
Simon wanted to believe that too , but he still rang the Bell again two more times and waited for a few minutes patiently.
Minutes passed slowly as a snail. Julian had already given up thinking if anybody is inside the house and Simon was about to. If they didn't get anything here. Then they'll have to check out on the office that Man works at .
Seeing Simon was turning around to leave this place, Julian's hand reached the door-bell and rang it very hard .
Checking out his luck .
"Who is it dammit , can't even watch my favourite show properly ."
And finally there's a reply with the light footsteps, which was getting close.
Hearing the sound of the house's owner, Simon stopped himself from leaving, land also wondered, "why didn't the owner come when I rang the bell ?"
Guess that doesn't matter.
Both Julian and Simon waited patiently. Now they've heard that someone's inside. Seconds later footsteps reached the door, and with the light of sound "creek" the door opened slightly.
"Who are you guys ?" A woman peeking from a slightly opened door asked, "If you are looking for my husband, he ain't here ."
"Well Madam, I am Julian" said Julian, while taking out a black Card. Where his details were mentioned, "and I work for the government's personal affairs branch. This is my senior… uh- Simon. We received some reports which are pointing towards your husband, and we also knew he wasn't going to be here. Our main motive was to meet with you, Mrs. Roan . I hope you'll pardon our intrusion ."
Mrs. Roan was still behind the doors. And after hearing who these two were standing outside. And what they came here for. She tensed slightly for a second, as she tried to recall if her husband had done anything suspicious or wrong recently .
"Madam ??" Julian wasn't expecting she'll go silent like this, Guess my acting too good .
"Mrs. Roan ? You don't need to be tense. This is just a formal procedure, Mr. Roan hadn't committed any crimes ." Julian assured her, but—
"No- no , I don't know anything ." Mrs. Roan, trembling internally, quickly tried to shut the door, "please gentlemen, come later when my husband comes back ."
"Well…. we can't leave empty handed, are we senior ?" Julian responded, stopping the door from closing with his foot .
"You are trespassing my property dammit!!! I'll call the cops on you ." Mrs. Roan's overthinking getting the better of her. As she didn't know what she was doing or she would do .
"You sure mam? That'll make the work easier for us. And cops are a bunch of losers anyway, that's why we are—" Julian stopped midway as Simon tapped his back. We don't have much time to waste here. Julian clearly understands this but the creature called women in front of him can't.
"Mam, just listen carefully, okay…" Julian was trying his best to calm her down. "Just breathe for a second and relax your mind. We don't have much time." Julian waited for a second and continued "We are from the government's personal affairs, not from police, CIA , FBI or anything. We're not here because of some criminal case , alright??? The Data we've received didn't match perfectly, so Higher ups have sent us to check on it . That's all ."
Julian breathed out slightly as he waited for the good response.
"Also i forgot to mention that. If the response was good then there will be a good reward… how much was that senior."
"10 thousand."
"Did you hear it ?" Asked Julian, still observing her .
Personal affairs , her husband ?? She saw her husband was acting weird for the last two weeks but 3 days ago. When her husband left for a business trip. He was in very good condition, totally normal. She recalled this perfectly, but… but what's troubling her ?
Mrs. Roan contemplated her thoughts for a minute while observing the man in front of him. Also she didn't get quite able to look at the person standing behind.
"Alright, but only 10 minutes, that's all I can spare. I have to visit somewhere else."
Julian felt a little relaxed, nodded slightly.
"Also show me your card again. I didn't get a good look at that ."
"Yes , yes mam" , Julian quickly took out a black Card from before and handed it to Mrs. Roan .
Mrs. Roan cast a brief glance at Julian before taking the card from his hand. Her eyes narrowed as she studied it closely.
The card was unlike anything she'd seen—matte black, sleek and cold to the touch, with delicate white circuitry patterns etched across its surface like a map of some hidden system. Subtle red highlights pulsed faintly along the edges, giving it a strangely clinical yet ominous look. It wasn't just a card. It felt like a statement.
In the upper corner, a strange symbol caught her eye—𒄞𒋗 𒉆—ancient-looking characters paired with a minimalistic pyramid emblem. Opposite that, the card displayed a block of information:
NAME – Julian Frost
AGE – ???
BRANCH – Support
SEAT – Low
SCORE – 83%
Beneath it all sat a QR code, unassuming yet unmistakably important.
Mrs. Roan ran her fingers across the surface, noting how the information shimmered slightly, not quite static. The details weren't printed—they were alive. Digital. Mutable. With the right access, this card could say anything. Or nothing at all .
"It really looks high -teach ."
She looked up at him again, brow raised.
"What kind of business card is this?" she asked, voice laced with suspicion.
She completely examined the Card and asked, "What about him ? Your senior ?"
"Oh " Julian moved aside a little, and Mrs. Roan finally caught the sight of Simon .
"Young , handsome -
"Here" Simon took out his Card, and handed towards Mrs. Roan.
And polite.
She was startled for a second, after looking at Simon.
"No- no need to. I finally understand who you gentlemens are ."
"Thank you very much for understanding, Mam . Also if you are generous enough, can we talk inside ?"
"Yeah , yeah sure… Why not ." Mrs. Roan replied, while slowly opening the door, but something clicked her and she stopped.
Both Julian and Simon noticed that too. She was acting nervous again .
"Can you gentlemens wait for a minute, I'll be back in 2 minutes ." and she slammed the door shut .
"What you think ?" Julian asked casually, since they have to wait here anyway .
"What i think ?" Simon mumbled slightly to himself .
She looked nervous... kinda off. At first, I thought maybe she was hiding something—I mean, people usually are, in one way or another. But then I saw her eyes. That wasn't the look of someone keeping a secret. It was more like... she didn't know everything herself. Like she was trying to figure it out, too .
"We'll know when we get there." Simon response was casual, but Julian saw the layer of uncertainty under those words .
"Sorry for the wait, please come in ."
Mrs. Roan quickly come back and open the door wide. The nervousness from before had vanished from her eyes .
"Pardon our intrusion then ." Julian remarked slightly, and stepped inside followed by Simon .
The house wasn't anything extravagant. Just polished wooden floors, a clean hallway, and the faint trace of tea leaves drifting in the air. Their shoes tapped softly as they crossed the hall room hall .
Julian and Simon followed the lead of Mrs. Roan, not speaking anything, just observing things.
Framed photographs from seaside vacations, a canvas painting hung just off-center on the wall. Julian remembered that even after five years of marriage, the Roans had no children.
But that thought wasn't his to keep. He was only here to hunt for the piece—hoping it was hidden somewhere inside these walls.
Nobody spoke, just observed. It wasn't their home, and the silence carried a quiet formality.
They moved into the parlour, where the atmosphere seemed to ease, if only slightly. The room was modest: a sofa pressed against one wall, two chairs by the window, and a small table that looked well-used.
Mrs. Roan with a slight smile on lips, gestured to find their comfortable seat .
Simon sat down cautiously, brushing at the armrest as though testing the place before finally leaning back. Julian lingered at the threshold, eyes wandering across the room before settling on the sofa's edge.
Mrs. Roan made herself comfortable right away, dropping into a chair with a half-smile, legs crossed as though trying to puncture the stiffness of the moment.
"Anything you guys want? Water, tea ,...wine?" Mrs. Roan asked, trying to be casual .
"No, we're fine. We don't want to waste your time ?" Julian replied quickly.
"Oh, don't need to be so formal ." Mrs. Roan responded, shrugging .
"We are here for work afterall." Julian said with a bitter smile .
"Yeah yeah I know. Start your questions before I get bored."