(Author's POV)
Hearing the knock, Nerissa got up in a flash. She straightened her back and fixed the wrinkle formed between her brows. After taking a deep breath, she walked towards the door. Then she waited for another two seconds, and finally opened the door, her voice honeyed, "Yes~ …."
"Ms. Marino," Chris said, standing outside her room. His hands were on his back, his voice polite.
"Ohhh~ … Shadow," Nerissa batted her eyelashes. Her demeanor did a complete one-eighty as she added, "What are you standing there for? Come in, let's talk inside." She didn't ask anything about why he was late. She didn't want to give an opening or raise suspicion.
After a moment's hesitation, Chris walked. Though outwardly he presented himself utterly calm, inwardly he was in turmoil. The past hour, he had called, visited the guilds he had hired, and just like before, ~ …. none of them was able to find a single clue related to gold blood. So, in the end, defeated, he came to Nerissa's doorstep.
