Chapter 5: Tie Clip and Lie Thermometer
Elina’s POV
The third day of working at the secret level of the Castro Family Business started just like the previous two. I found comfort in the repetition, the rhythm of scanning, sorting, and categorizing the seemingly endless inventory of strange artifacts.
Babel watched me silently as I worked. It didn’t talk much, but I didn’t mind. Its presence was oddly reassuring, even if it was a machine.
I picked up another Gobet, scanned it, logged the details, and moved on. The process had become easier now.
I walked back to the table and picked up a scepter. It was unlike anything I had seen so far. It looked to be made of Bronze, designed with snake heads wrapping around its handle, their open mouths revealing fangs of pure obsidian. Dragon wings curled around the top, framing a central orb that seems dull and lifeless. I turned it over in my hands, marveling at the craftsmanship.
“Well, you’re new,” I muttered to myself before carrying it back to the scanner.
I placed it carefully in the scanning compartment, watching as the machine hummed to life. A flickering blue laser swept across the object’s surface. I stepped back, folding my arms, waiting for the usual beep to signal a successful scan.
Instead, the light grew brighter.
Much brighter.
“Wait, that’s not…”
POOF!
A loud pop exploded from the machine, followed by a thick stream of smoke curling from its vents.
I rushed forward, my heart hammering. “Oh no, oh no…” My fingers fumbled as I powered down the scanner, my breath coming in short bursts. The light inside flickered weakly before dying out completely. The entire machine went silent.
I carefully lifted the scepter from the compartment, setting it aside before staring at the lifeless scanner.
“Great. Just great.”
I flipped the switch once. Nothing.
Twice. Still nothing.
Real panic set in. Isaac was going to kill me.
I didn’t know the first thing about fixing something this advanced. The scanner looked so complex that it might as well have been alien technology—and maybe it was.
“No, no, no, please, come on,” I begged, flipping the switch a few more times. As if pleading with a machine had ever worked.
“I’m so screwed,” I muttered, running a hand through my hair.
And then I remembered I had an assistant who was, in fact, a machine.
I turn to Babel, standing to my left, still as a statue. It had been observing everything, but of course, it hadn’t reacted.
I took a deep breath, trying to compose myself. It probably didn’t matter to him, but I cleared my throat anyway. “Babel, I need your assistance, please.”
Babel whirled to life, its metallic body rolling smoothly across the cold floor to my position.
“HOW MAY I BE OF ASSISTANCE, MISS ELENA?” Its voice echoed through the cave.
“I accidentally broke the 3D scanner. Is there any way you can fix it?” I asked, my voice laced with desperation.
Babel's processors hummed.
“PROCESSING…”
I clasped my hands together, muttering a silent prayer as I waited. Please, please, please let there be a solution.
A few seconds later, Babel's response came.
“NO.”
“No?” My eyes widened. “What do you mean no? You’ve been here longer than me! You must know something!”
“THE 3D SCANNER IS A HIGHLY ADVANCED UNIT. THE ONLY PERSON IN THE VICINITY WITH AUTHORIZATION AND EXPERIENCE TO REPAIR IT IS ISAAC.”
I groaned, rubbing my temples. “But we can’t call Isaac! I didn’t want him to know that I broke his machine. Surely, we can think of a way to…”
“UNDERSTOOD. CALLING ISAAC NOW.”
“What?! No! Don’t call Isaac!” I rushed towards Babel, waving my hands frantically in front of its screen.
“ISAAC HAS BEEN CONTACTED AND IS ON HIS WAY. IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE, MA’AM?”
I stared at Babel in mute horror. That was it. That was the end of my career. I exhaled sharply, waving a dismissive hand at the robot. “You’ve done more than enough.”
Babel beeped in acknowledgment and rolled back to its original position. I shook my head, pressing my palm against my forehead. This was a disaster.
Minutes passed like hours, my anxiety mounting with each second. Then, footsteps echoed through the cave.
I shot up from my seat as Isaac entered, his usual calm demeanor intact. His dark hair is slightly tousled, and his gaze swept the room before landing on me.
Without breaking stride, he shrugged off his blazer and draped it over a chair. By the time he reached me, he was already rolling up the sleeves of his crisp white shirt.
“I, uh…” I cleared my throat. “I broke the scanner. But I’m sure you know that already.” My voice faltered, shrinking under the weight of my guilt.
Isaac didn’t scold me. Instead, he chuckled. “You don’t have to be sorry. This old girl breaks all the time.” He nodded toward the scanner as he set his toolbox on the workbench. “As a matter of fact, I might have to teach you to do some basic repairs on your own.”
I blinked. “Wait… so you’re not going to fire me?”
He arched a brow, clearly amused. “Fire you? What on earth gave you that idea?” He rolled up his last sleeve, revealing strong forearms, and planted his hands on his hips. “I thought I made it perfectly clear on your first day that I needed you for this. No one else. So are we good?”
Isaac’s words made my cheeks heat up, and I nodded eagerly, hoping he wouldn’t notice.
“Good, now let’s take a look.”
He crouched beside the 3D scanner, pulling off a panel and exposing a tangle of colored wires. As he worked, I found myself watching his hands. Then my eyes drifted to his forearm, where faint blue veins ran just beneath the skin. They were oddly similar in color to the wires inside the scanner. It was strange, but I didn’t say anything.
Minutes passed. Isaac wiped his brow, sighing. “Phew, it’s hot down there.” He shifted slightly, tilting his head towards me. “Help me check?”
I blinked. “Check what?”
“My temperature,” he said, his voice laced with amusement. He leaned closer, exposing his neck. “Go on.”
Hesitant, I reached up and pressed the back of my hand against his skin. His neck was warm, the steady thrum of his pulse beneath my fingers distracting. I kept my hand there, uncertain of what to do next.
“You’re supposed to tell me how hot I am,” Isaac murmured, his voice dropping slightly.
My eyes widened, and I felt my face go up in flames.
“Body temperature, of course,” he added with a sly smirk.
I jerked my hand away and stammered, “Slightly... lukewarm… I’d say 37 degrees… It’s normal.”
Isaac chuckled. “You’re like my personal human thermometer.”
I groaned and rolled my eyes, but he just grinned and got back to work on the scanner. I watched him for a moment, curiosity bubbling inside me. I knew so little about him beyond his work, and something about him—his family, his business—had always felt like a puzzle with missing pieces.
“So… the Castro family office,” I began. “Is it part of Shield Tech?”
“Not necessarily,” he replied, still focused on the scanner. “Shield Tech isn’t directly owned by the Castro family office, even though its department is under the Castro office building.”
I frowned. “Then, who actually owns Shield Tech?”
He lifted his head slightly and shrugged, as if it was not a big deal. “I do.”
I blinked. “I assumed it was a family-run thing, the same as Castros?”
He leaned back, resting his hands on his thighs. “The only members of the Castro family left are my brothers,” he said, his voice quieter now. “You’ll meet them eventually. Some of the treasure in this room is theirs too.”
Before I could ask more, a vibration broke the moment. Isaac’s phone rattled against the metal table. He exhaled sharply and wiped his hands before picking it up. He answers with a simple, “Yeah?”
Rachel’s voice crackled through the speaker. “Isaac, an important investor, wants to meet you. They’re interested in discussing the possibility of taking the company public.”
Isaac’s expression darkened instantly. “Not happening.”
Rachel sighed. “You didn’t even hear the offer.”
“I don’t need to,” he said flatly. “I have more than enough funding. I don’t need some investor breathing down my neck, trying to dictate how I run my company.”
“This investor is very well known,” Rachel pressed on. “Turning them down could…”
Isaac ended the call before she could finish. He tossed the phone onto the table and ran a hand through his hair.
He turned to me, his expression softer now. “Now do you see why I need all of this sorted?” He gestured to the treasure, the stacks of wealth lying in plain sight. “With this, my company doesn’t have to be controlled by all those old goats in suits.”
“Yeah, I think I understand,” I said with a nod. At that time, I didn't expect that I would personally meet with these big shots a few days later.
***
A few days later, I was with Isaac. He pulled into the private golf club’s driveway, his futuristic supercar humming softly as it glided to a stop. I swore the thing looked like it belonged in a sci-fi movie. I hesitated to get in the first time I saw it, half expecting it to take off into the sky. He laughed at my reaction, explaining something about alternative power. I hadn’t really listened.
Now, as he handed the keys to the valet and turned to me, my nerves tightened like a coiled spring. “You ready?” he asked, offering me his hand.
I swallowed, glancing down at myself. The tight cocktail dress clung to me, highlighting all my curves, paired with the 6-inch heels.
Isaac told me that I would meet investors, so I reasonably assumed that we would attend a cocktail party or something like that - I couldn't embarrass Isaac. But his amazing expression and uncontrollable laughter told me that I had some misunderstandings about the content of the activity.
The moment we stepped onto the course, I regretted my life choices. The soft grass gave way beneath my heels, making my steps unsteady. My legs wobbled with each step. I gripped Isaac’s arm a little tighter.
Our patrons, corporate tycoons who likely started their mornings with champagne flutes in hand, were just a few yards away. As we approached, one of the men zeroed in on Isaac. He ignored me for a moment, his eyes fixed on Isaac with a calculating glint. Then, he tilted his head in my direction, a smug smile playing on his lips.
"Your little sidekick here," he said, nodding at me dismissively. "She's been waddling around like a lost penguin. If you want to make a good impression, why don't you send her over to be our ball girl? It'd be a better use of her time than whatever she's doing now. And who knows, might just sweeten the deal for that investment we've been discussing."