Lost and Found: Return of My Mysterious Fiancee

As the conversation reached this point, the topic naturally could not be taken lightly.

"Chief Linden, no need to beat around the bush," Tina said as she bit into the flesh of a strawberry, which was indeed top-notch, its flavor delightfully fresh and sweet.

Linden sipped his wine, his gaze sweeping between Tina and Jared a few times.

"Tina, how much do you know about my deputy here?" he asked.

Tina turned to look at Jared, sizing him up, "Inside and out."

Jared almost choked on the white wine in his glass.

Why on earth had she jumped into this all of a sudden?

Wasn't this supposed to be a formal discussion?

Linden was clearly taken aback, having not expected such a response from Tina.

Tina hadn't expected it either; it was just that seeing Jared's serious and abstinent demeanor, she couldn't help herself.

The world of faces, outsiders wouldn't understand.

Linden paused, then smiled, "Since that's the case, you surely understand his work. I wonder if you'd be interested in working with him?"

Jared coughed a few times, looking up at Linden.

Was he trying to recruit Tina into the X Bureau?

Tina picked up another piece of strawberry and popped it into her mouth, the juice enveloping her taste buds, quite satisfying. "Chief Linden, are you sure you can afford me?" she asked.

Tina's words made Linden slightly uncomfortable. He forced a smile and looked at her, "Perhaps, the X Bureau has the budget."

"Really? Do you know who I am?" Tina leaned back against the sofa, her face displaying a unique allure.

Linden's smile froze, and he sat up straight, his gaze piercing through to Tina, word by word he said, "Spectre, that's an identity the higher-ups are interested in, but I'm only interested in one thing." Tina did not reply, her eyes slightly downcast.

"Natalie's daughter."

Hearing her mother's name, a fierce glint flashed through Tina's eyes, and the nonchalance on her face vanished, replaced by an inscrutable anger.

"My mother and you, we are not exactly acquaintances," Tina said evenly, yet with an enigmatic undertone.

As far as she knew, her mother's best partner during her time at X Bureau was only Christopher.

Her mother was a loner by nature, rarely making the effort to befriend others, so the only person she could call a friend was him.

In her mother's stories, Tina had never heard any other name but Christopher's.

Even Jared, her mother's favorite apprentice, Tina had only met him briefly in her childhood and hardly remembered his name.

This Linden, using her mother's name to try and recruit her into the X Bureau?

What a delusional thought.

Linden put down his wine glass and said to Tina, "Indeed, I can't say I was close to Everett; on the contrary, we were adversaries."

This admission, tinged with a bit of Linden's sincerity, actually made Tina more interested to hear more.

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"When Everett joined the team, we were opposed. She was a stubborn person, as am I. We often had disputes over various issues, the fiercest during a field exercise after joining the team. I, Everett, and Pigeon were grouped together, and we had to rescue a hostage."

"But the circumstances at the time did not allow for the hostage to be extracted unharmed. I could only deploy a tranquilizer gun, but Everett wouldn't allow it. She had to ensure the hostage was not harmed in any way. We argued, but in the end, Pigeon sided with her, and I complied. Everett, risking her own injury, successfully rescued the hostage."

Tina had heard this story from Natalie before. Pigeon was Christopher. The main reason Natalie told Tina this story was to make sure that no matter the circumstances, she should never act in a way that harms herself significantly just to hurt the enemy. When Tina asked if getting hurt herself didn't count as self-damage, Natalie explained that while it's crucial to protect one's own safety, between the safety of the hostage and oneself, a member of the X Bureau special forces must always choose the hostage.

Tina, with only a half-understanding, responded to Natalie, "If I go to save someone, I will make sure not to get hurt myself. I will make the enemy willingly hand the person over to me-that's the best method." Tina remembered Natalie laughing happily after she had said this, her eyes filled with relief.

Linden, rubbing his cheeks, recalled those days, "Back then, I was young and hotheaded, not understanding the significance of Everett's actions. I always thought that if a special forces member can't even ensure their own safety, what do they have to protect the public and the nation?"

"Later, when I went undercover myself, I finally understood that your mother's actions were exactly what a special forces member should embody."

Tina still stared at Linden, "So, what does this have to do with me?" Linden lowered his head, then lifted it again, "Tina, I know your mother passed all her knowledge to you, so I hope you will join the X Bureau, carry on your mother's legacy, and let me take good care of you on her behalf, to make up for my shortcomings."

Tina raised an eyebrow. Shortcomings? "The last phone call your mother received was from me," Linden said slowly after a pause. Tina was shocked for several seconds, and even Jared found it unbelievable. Natalie's last call had been from Linden! Tina suddenly stood up, fiercely grabbing Linden's collar, her eyes burning with rage that extinguished the odd looks around them.

A security guard nearby thought to intervene, but Linden gestured for him to back off. Esther and her two children watched from a distance, terrified. They didn't know the details of Linden's work outside, but at the end of the day, he was still family, and they could only guess a little. Now, with Tina so angry, they knew it was not their place to interfere.

"Speak, what exactly did you say to my mom!" Tina clenched her teeth tightly, squeezing the words out through her teeth, her eyes nearly bursting with rage, like a lioness ready to pounce, as if she could snap the neck of her prey with one strong effort. Jared didn't stop her; if Tina didn't make a move, he probably would have.

Linden sat calmly, looking back at Tina with a serene gaze, his lips curving into a smile, "I told your mother that all the operational data had been destroyed by headquarters, Kahleah had been sacrificed the day before yesterday, died dismembered. Natalie, Everett! Do you still want to keep hiding?" Linden used the same tone as back then-blame, anger, reproach, none of which could truly explain his feelings at the time. Listening to this, Tina slowly released her grip.This is property © of NôvelDrama.Org.