"Turns out." Jeff said after a pause, "they were recruiting officers."
Rover blinked, caught off guard. "Recruiting officers?"
"Yeah." Jeff let out a humorless laugh. "They worked for an intelligence agency for my country. Think of it like the Bureau in Jinzhou, except their whole deal was espionage, surveillance, information gathering. Real cloak-and-dagger shit."
Rover tilted her head slightly, studying him. "Why you? Why would they want to recruit you?"
Jeff smirked, but there was no pride behind it. "That's what I asked too. Why college students? I mean—" He shook his head, exhaling through his nose. "Pretty sure it's illegal to recruit on campus. But as usual the government… they don't play by their own rules. Never have. Laws bend if it's convenient. Breaks it even to serves their interests."
Rover leaned forward, arms resting on her knees. She didn't say anything, but her eyes didn't leave him. For someone who claimed his past was boring, Jeff had a way of spinning a story that kept her tethered to every word.
"They fed me the usual propaganda," Jeff continued, his tone edged with disdain. "All that shit about being chosen, about serving the motherland, duty, calling… They made it sound noble. And me? I was stupid enough to buy it. Ate it up like a dumbass kid who thought being noticed meant he fucking was special."
His voice cracked a little at that, but he pushed on. "Looking back, it's wild. But at the time? It felt like destiny, like I was meant for something more. They made me feel special. "
Rover finally spoke. "Then… why you?"
Jeff hesitated. He rubbed the back of his neck, fingers restless. "Probably because of certain behavioral traits I had. They didn't give a damn about grades or what fancy school you came from. Sure, being smart helped, but that wasn't their focus."
Rover's brow furrowed. "So what did they look for?"
"State-funded universities. Places like mine," Jeff explained. "Students with decent GPAs— top of the class (optional) is good enough. But here's the catch: they also looked for people who could balance everything. Someone who could juggle school, work, and still have a social life. Someone adaptable."
His voice grew sharper, as if recalling the pitch word-for-word. "They wanted people who were eighty-five percent across the board well-rounded, reliable, and most importantly moldable."
"They recruit young, naïve college guys like me," he said, his lips curling into a crooked smirk.
"Because, like I told you, we're malleable. Blank slates. I wasn't an expert in anything at that time except being a dumbass. Perfect material. Easy to shape, easy to condition and to indoctrinate, easy to convince that serving their interests was somehow my destiny. And I'd even thank them for it."
Rover let out a sudden laugh, sharp and short. She hadn't expected that bluntness. "That's who they recruit?"
Jeff lifted a brow, his expression somewhere between amused and resigned. "Yeah. People dumb enough not to quit, not smart enough to ask why. The kind they can toss into a hellhole, order to do illegal shit, and all they want to hear back is—" He pitched his voice mockingly high and cheerful, "—'Sweet, let's go.'"
Rover shook her head, lips pressed together, though her eyes shone with both disbelief and intrigue. "Then… what happened next?"
Jeff chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck like he was embarrassed by the memory. "They grilled me with questions. Like a damn interview."
Her brows arched, curiosity burning. "Questions? Like what?"
Jeff shifted, tapping his fingers against his knee, restless. "My social circles. That's what they cared about."
Rover's eyes narrowed slightly, remembering something. "Oh… right. Your file. I heard you say that in your file—that your social circles was exceptionally notable. Who exactly were your friends, Jeff?"
For a moment, he looked at her, lips twitching like he couldn't decide whether to laugh or grimace. Finally, the laugh won. "Told you I was quite the charming guy."
His eyes glimmered, amused at his own irony. "Even though I was a nobody by their standards, a lowborn, dirt under their shoes, I still managed to get close to the kids of the so-called elite. And this was just my first semester in college."
Rover blinked, leaning in slightly, incredulous. "That's… amazing."
"Daughters and sons of politicians. Heirs to business empires. A couple of foreign diplomat's daughters. Even the son of the police chief," Jeff listed, counting on his fingers casually, though there was a sharpness in his tone. "I was the perfect candidate. Friendly little Jeff—your go-to guy for slipping into high places and listening where I shouldn't."
Rover stared at him, mouth slightly open before the words slipped out: "What the hell? How?"
Jeff laughed again,"Absurd, right? But hey—I told you. I was a friendly guy."
Rover leaned back, crossing her arms but unable to hide the small smile tugging at her lips. "Still… your knack for making friends in high places keeps surprising me."
Her gaze turned thoughtful. "Looking back, it makes sense though. You did the same here befriending Jinshi, the Magistrate, and all those big shots and locals in Jinzhou like it was nothing."
That caught Jeff off guard. His cheeks colored just faintly, and he waved his hand dismissively. "Stop it. You're making me blush."
"Anyway I ask later down the line in the near future why I was picked, with the agency appointed psychiatrist that I was consulting at that time."
Jeff hesitated "He told me that the important attribute that I possessed that put me in the agency's radar aside from the people I hang out with, and my physical attributes, was that I have what they called sociopathic tendencies."
Rover tilted her head slightly, studying his face. "Sociopathic tendencies?" she repeated, her tone cautious but curious.
Jeff gave a humorless chuckle. "Yeah. That's what the agency's shrink called it."
"They said I wasn't a sociopath, to clarify. Sociopaths don't have consciences. You can't control them. They don't feel guilt, don't empathize which is a necessary skill to have when your planning to be a spy, they're notoriously unpredictable. You can't mold and build loyalty out of chaos incarnates like that."
Rover's brows knitted. Her lips parted like she wanted to say something but thought better of it.
Jeff turned to her, catching the faint shimmer of confusion in her eyes. "They blow through polygraph tests too," he added.
"Polygraph test?" she asked softly.
Jeff smirked faintly, his expression easing just a bit. "A machine that monitors your vitals like heart rate, stress levels, breathing patterns to check if you're lying. Basically, a glorified lie detector."
Rover blinked, intrigued. "That's… convenient."
He shook his head, a dry laugh slipping out. "Convenient, but not perfect. It's unreliable as hell. You can train yourself to beat it. I did."
Rover raised a brow. "Of course you did."
Jeff chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Anyway, the psychiatrist said the agency wanted people who still felt guilt but were still willing to break the law for the agency because they thought they were the 'good guys.'" He looked away, his smile fading into something bitter. "What a load of horse shit that was."
Rover's gaze softened. She could tell he wasn't angry anymore — just… disillusioned. Like the kind of disappointment that calcified into cynicism.
"They wanted people like me," Jeff continued. "Sophisticated risk-takers. People who could think fast, improvise, complete missions, and not freeze when things went to hell. People who could walk a very delicate moral tightrope."
Rover nodded slowly. "That's why they said they were looking for individuals with certain 'behavioral characteristics.' Looks like you fit the bill."
Jeff smirked weakly. "Yup, I guess I did."
He exhaled, eyes distant. "After that interview, it was official. I was theirs. They trained me — espionage, intelligence gathering, communication, disguises, reading people, blending in, talking my way through situations." His voice dipped low, quieter. "Even seduction."
Rover's expression faltered. Her hands tightened slightly on the blanket. "To seduce, huh?"
Jeff caught her tone unsure, maybe even a little wounded and his chest ached at the thought that she might see him differently now.
"Even I was ashamed of it," he said quietly. "Still am. It was… manipulation, plain and simple. Not the charming kind. The kind where you look someone in the eyes and make them believe you care just so you can take what you need from them."
Rover looked down, her thumb absently tracing circles on the blanket. "I hate that they made you do that."
He didn't respond immediately. He stared at the ceiling. "I spent most of my college years as their perfect little lapdog," he said finally. "Second year through third. I did everything they wanted. I made friends in high places kids of politicians, business heirs, cops, even journalists of the school official publication. I attended private parties, infiltrated activist groups, pretended to be one of them."
His jaw tensed. "And I sent every single piece of dirt I found straight to the agency. Blackmail, info leaks, secrets anything that could be used to keep those people in line. Politicians, their kids, reporters. They called it 'ensuring loyalty.' to the country and to avoid insurrections.
Rover didn't realize she was holding her breath until she let it out, slowly. "That's… a lot," she whispered.
Jeff glanced at her, his lips quirking into a faint, sardonic smile. "You still want to hear more?"
Her answer came instantly. "Yeah, I do. Don't you dare stop now."
That made him laugh softly, despite everything. "Careful," he teased, eyes glinting faintly. "You might regret that."
Rover smiled back, though her eyes still carried that trace of sadness.
"Try me," she murmured.
"Alright," he said, in a low voice. "But don't say I didn't warn you."
Jeff stared down at his hands for a long time. "Everything changed," he said finally. "When my handler instructed me to gather intelligence on a certain someone."
Rover immediately caught the shift. The way his eyes didn't quite meet hers anymore. "Who?" she asked quietly.
Jeff exhaled through his nose. "It was an exiled Russian oligarch's daughter. Another distant country from where I'm from."
Rover's stomach knotted. She had no idea why the mention of another woman already felt like a weight pressing on her chest. "What was her name?" she asked, almost dreading his answer.
Jeff's eyes softened at the memory. "Her name was Vladilena Mikhailovna Alekperov."
Even saying the name made something in his face fall. Rover noticed.
"I called her Lena for short," he added quickly, trying to laugh but it came out strained. "Her whole name was a mouthful."
The joke didn't land. He looked away, rubbing the back of his neck. "I feel like… talking about another woman in my life is inappropriate."
"Jeff," Rover said softly.
"I mean," he went on, voice stumbling now, "that wouldn't be fair to you."
Rover reached out before he could retreat any further. She cupped his face gently, her thumbs brushing the faint stubble along his jaw. His skin was warm beneath her palms, his eyes flicking up to hers in surprise.
"What wouldn't be fair," she said, "is you not talking about it. Lena probably— no, I'm sure she— meant a lot to you. Right?"
Jeff's mouth opened, then closed. "Why?" he asked, almost whispering.
Rover's eyes didn't leave his. "Because I want to be like that for you," she said, her voice steady but soft. "I want to know the woman whose memories you still hold, even if it's painful."
Jeff let out a dry laugh, shaking his head. "This isn't a competition, Rover."
She tilted her head, a playful edge sliding into her voice. "So she's better than me?"
"Oh, come on, don't do that," Jeff groaned, dragging a hand down his face, but his eyes were softer now. "Both of you are people I equally cherish. You know that."
Rover leaned closer until their foreheads nearly touched. Her voice dropped to a murmur. "I know. I believe you."
For a moment, there was only silence, warm, but not uncomfortable. Jeff could feel her heartbeat through her palm still resting against his cheek.
"But still…" she said at last. "I want to know about Lena. About your old sweetheart. If it's not okay with you, I won't ask again."
Then she hit him with those wide, pleading eyes. Puppy-dog eyes. Jeff actually groaned and tipped his head back against the wall. "Oh come on," he muttered. "You know that's not fair. I can't refuse you when you look at me like that."
Rover giggled, triumphant. "I know. I'm irresistible."
Jeff smiled despite himself, the tension easing just a fraction. "Only to you." he murmured.
Jeff leaned back, exhaling as though bracing himself. "Well… to continue," he said at last, rubbing the back of his neck. "I approached her with my trademark smile—you know, the one the girls usually love." He flashed a half-hearted grin as if to demonstrate.
Rover rolled her eyes so hard he actually chuckled.
"I tried to befriend her," he went on, eyes distant now. "But man—her mouth. Sharp as broken glass. We argued constantly like a lot. She played hard to get, but eventually she let her guard down. No woman can resist me." Jeff said letting his narcissism show through.
Rover stared at him flatly, refusing to give him the satisfaction of reacting to whatever that meant.
"She's quite a character," Rover muttered instead.
Jeff's lips curled at the memory. "You have no idea," he said quietly. "The more I got to know her, the more I wanted to be with her. It wasn't about just the mission anymore."
His voice thickened. "Out of all the women I knew, she was… different. She made me feel things I can't even fucking explain."
Rover felt a small ache form under her ribs a sharp, jealous twist she hadn't expected.
Jeff rubbed his palms together slowly, staring at the ground. "Then I committed a blunder no 'professional' spy's supposed to do." He hesitated, lips pressed thin.
"To fall in love," he said at last.
Silence spread between them
"When I realized it," he continued, "I knew I was compromised. I tried to distance myself, at first. But…" He shook his head, almost laughing at himself. "Too late. There's no escaping that woman."
Good, Rover thought darkly. I would've done the same if he ever tried that with me. I'd never let him go. Not on my watch.
Jeff exhaled through his nose. "And as a last resort… I told Lena the truth."
Rover's head snapped up. "You told her?"
"I thought that would be enough to push her away," Jeff said, his tone halfway between regret and wonder. "But that woman never ceased to surprise me. Turns out she already knew I was sent to monitor her."
Rover blinked. "She did?"
Jeff gave a humorless little laugh. "Yep. Guess I was still green back then. She just looked at me and said it didn't matter."
"When she said that, I was completely under her spell. I confessed my feelings for her immediately. And surprisingly… She liked me back. That's when we became official."
For a fleeting moment, his face softened, almost boyish. "And we lived happily ever after," he said with a dry smile.
Rover raised an eyebrow. "Come on. Really?"
Jeff laughed a low, warm sound that filled the room for just a second. "I'm kidding." He leaned back, "The story didn't end there."
"Unfortunately"