Page 11 of Invade Me

"Of course, being on the market for only a few years, you have to make a real effort to stand out," I murmured, trying to nudge him to spill whatever he intended to say.

He relaxed a little. "Exactly, exactly. Most of our clients believe we’ll secure them an ideal match—a marriage contract with the right person, fantastic terms, in a short time. But deadlines are approaching fast for some clients, and we’ve got nothing for them. The situation’s getting tense, and the penalties we could face are in the millions."

Millions? Wow. I stared at him.

He stared back, and for a moment, we just locked eyes.

"Half a year ago, we hit a bit of a plateau. To get things moving, we ran an ad campaign with a… limited-time offer. Just a day or two, but quite a few people were enticed by the promises we made."

Half a year ago? That was soon after I was dismissed from Fate’s Choice.

"What were the promises?" I asked, suddenly unsure where this was heading.

"I’ll leave the details for my husband to explain. But just to give you a heads-up, we’re hoping someone with a… unique perspective can go through our candidate pool, maybe spot suitable matches, you know, with a fresh eye?" He mumbled, glancing aside. "There are some interesting individuals. We have a former surrogate, a quadruple murderer, a former escort, an eco-terrorist, and so on…"

This was all too strange. "But I was fired from Fate’s Choice because of my criminal case. Why would you risk bringinga criminal… back in such a sensitive situation?" I emphasized the word in a self-torturing tone.

Mr. Ragu grinned—too wide. "Water under the bridge, Mr. Nolan! Let’s not dwell on the past, shall we?"

I glared at him in disbelief, and the fucker giggled, looking a little sheepish. Before, my case had seemed like a big deal. A major threat to their fragile reputation! A disgustingcriminal… Now?

Look who came crawling back.

"My husband would appreciate it if you’d check those cases… just a few that have lingered in the system. Only our most challenging clients."

I scrutinized him for a long moment, feeling a strange thrill.

Well… why the hell not? Could this be my chance to regain what I’d lost? My way out of Johansson’s… ass? Out of this DarkDreams, out of my depression? If they wanted me, despite the stain on my reputation, should I even hesitate?

"Would that be a one-time thing? Or am I back in my old job?"

Mr. Ragu was clearly flustered; he avoided my gaze, looking at his hands, then at the window, and finally at the wall.

"It all depends on how effective you will be," he muttered evasively.

Aha, gotcha. This had to be some kind of test. If I pulled it off, there was a chance; if not… well, maybe the past wasn’t as forgiven as he made it sound.Water under the bridge?Unlikely.

"Set me up with your husband, and we’ll see what I can do for him," I said firmly. I decided to at least try, and I had some solid reasons to believe I could actually help.

Mr. Ragu lit up, quickly gathering the sheets spread out in front of him and handing them to me.

"Yes! Yes! Great! We appreciate it! Now! Back to business!"

His hands trembled slightly. Was it really such a big deal for them? Were they in deep shit? Maybe I could use it even more? Something else—something serious—had to be going on if they were in such a hurry to close these cases.

"Here are the details for our client, who has quite a demonic name for a little 5’7" student." He giggled again, sounding as silly as usual, but there was a lingering tension beneath it.

Mr. Ragu pushed the STD test results toward me—clients were also required to take them—but I ignored it and snapped my head up. What did he say?

"A demonic name?"

Mr. Ragu waved his hand. "Ah, nothing, nothing. Don’t worry about it, I was just thinking out loud."

But I was like a dog with a bone. "No, you have to tell me. What do you mean by a demonic name?"

He snorted. "It’s really nothing. You don’t need to know this client’s name. It’s a private setting, and you’re a home invader—"

"Please, I need to know. Why did you say it was demonic?"

---