Chapter 1: The Mission

“Do we really have to do this now, Shadowbird? Midnight meetings are seriously getting old,” I said with a sigh as I sat in the cold metal chair across from my boss.

The room felt like a freezer—typical for this secret basement place. I rubbed my arms and wondered why spy places always had to feel like Antarctica. Maybe they thought cold air made us smarter or something?

Shadowbird didn’t even look up from her tablet. “Nice of you to show up, Phantom.”

Ugh. I hated that name. It made me sound like a ghost or some weird legend. But I guess that’s the point. I sneak in, grab the info, and vanish. No mess, no drama. I’ve done twenty missions in four years. Never failed. Never slipped up.

“This better be worth dragging me away from my N*****x binge,” I said, leaning back in the chair. “It was just getting good.”

Shadowbird finally looked up and gave me one of her classic cold stares. “When do you ever get to the good part, Vale? Your apartment’s emptier than your love life.”

Oof. That one hit hard.

“Some of us like it that way,” I said, pretending her words didn’t hit home. Truth was, my apartment looked more like a closet with a bed. Just clothes and a few books I barely had time to read. “So, what’s the big deal?”

Shadowbird tapped on her tablet, and the blank wall behind her suddenly lit up with a picture of a man. Dark hair. Sharp eyes that looked like they could freeze fire. He was very handsome, in that cold, untouchable way—like one of those fancy statues in museums.

“Lennox Hart,” she said. “CEO of Hart Enterprises. Thirty years old. Billionaire. Tech genius. Widower. Has a daughter.”

I looked at the screen. “Let me guess—he's selling state secrets? Laundering money? Has a hidden bunker filled with stolen artwork?”

“Worse,” Shadowbird said with a straight face. “He’s building high-tech weapons and selling them to whoever pays the most—foreign governments, terrorist groups, anyone.”

I gave a low whistle. “That’s a big claim for a guy who’s basically America's most eligible bachelor.”

“That’s the problem.” She swiped to another photo—Lennox in a fancy suit, giving cameras that polite half-smile at a charity thing. “Everyone thinks he’s perfect. Smart. Rich. Gives to charity. Great dad. But we think there’s more going on.”

“So what do you want me to do? Hack his systems? Plant bugs in his office?”

“We need files he keeps offline. Personal stuff. Stuff even his own company doesn’t touch.” She paused, then said, “We need you to get close to him.”

I sat up a little. “How close are we talking?”

“As close as it gets.”

I laughed a little. “Have you seen that guy? Women probably line up just to breathe near him. Why would he even notice me?”

“Because you’re not gonna be chasing him,” Shadowbird said, sliding a folder over to me. “We’re gonna put you right in his way.”

I opened the folder and scanned the first page. “He doesn’t date. Doesn’t trust people. Hasn’t been with anyone since his wife died three years ago.” I looked up at her. “So how am I supposed to get close enough to grab his personal files?”

Shadowbird didn’t blink. “Through his daughter.”

Everything started clicking in my head—and I didn’t like where it was going. “You want me to use his kid to get to him? That’s… pretty low. Even for us.”

“The girl’s five. Her name’s Mia,” she said, tapping to another picture. A little girl with dark curly hair and the same sharp eyes as her dad. “She’s the only soft spot we’ve found. He keeps her close and safe. If someone gets her trust, they get his.”

“So what, I act like a nanny? A teacher?” I shook my head. “He’ll dig into my past like crazy. Even if I pass the checks, people like that don’t let staff near private stuff.”

“Not a nanny,” Shadowbird said in a quiet voice.

Then she showed me the next photo.

And my stomach dropped.

It was a wedding picture—Lennox with his arm around a woman who looked exactly like me. Same hair. Same eyes. Same build. Same everything.

“That’s Arielle Hart,” Shadowbird said. “Lennox’s wife. She died in a car crash three years ago.”

I kept staring at the photo. Something about it made my skin crawl. “We look way too much alike. It’s kinda creepy.”

“That’s how we get in.”

I shoved the folder back toward her. “No way. You seriously want me to act like I’m his dead wife? That’s messed up.”

Shadowbird shook her head. “No, you got it wrong. We’re not telling you to be Arielle. He knew her too well. He’d know right away it’s fake.”

“Then what are you saying?”

“We want the kid to see you. Kids are honest. If she notices you look like her mom, she’ll say something. Once that’s in Lennox’s head…”

I finally got it. “You want him to come up with the idea himself. To ask me to pretend to be her—for his daughter.”

Shadowbird nodded. “Mia’s been asking about her mom lately. She barely remembers her. She’s having a hard time at school. Sad, quiet. She needs someone.”

“And you really think he’d agree to something that weird?”

“For his little girl? Yeah. Guys like Lennox don’t think like normal people. They fix problems in whatever way works for them. He’ll do it.”

She leaned in. “Your cover’s solid. You’re Catherine Reed, executive assistant to Gabriel Chen, some big businessman from Singapore. You’ll ‘accidentally’ meet Lennox in the lobby of Hart Enterprises.”

My head was spinning. “And what if he doesn’t fall for it? Doesn’t offer this whole pretend-wife deal?”

“Then we move to plan B.” Shadowbird’s voice was cool, steady. “But he will. We’ve been watching him for months. His daughter’s the one thing he cares about, and he’s losing her. You’re the answer he doesn’t know he needs yet.”

I stood up and started walking back and forth in the tiny briefing room. “This isn’t just another mission. You’re telling me to live with this guy. Be part of his family. Lie to a child. For how long? Three months? Six?”

“Three months should be enough to find and grab the info we need,” Shadowbird said.

I ran my fingers through my hair. “I’ve done a lot for this job. Lied, stole stuff, tricked people. But this… this feels different.”

“It is different,” Shadowbird said. “But it’s very important. If Lennox is really selling that tech, a lot of people could die.”

I felt the pressure hit me hard. I’d always been proud of doing the tough jobs—stuff others couldn’t or wouldn’t do. But this one? This one was a whole new level.

“What if I get caught?” I asked.

“Don’t get caught.”

Typical Shadowbird.

I let out a deep breath. “Alright. I’ll do it. But I’m saying it now—this is crossing a line.”

“Noted,” she said, handing me another tablet. “Here’s everything you need to know. Catherine Reed’s life story, Gabriel Chen’s company, Hart Enterprises. Study it. You start tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” I almost shouted. “That’s way too soon—”

“The team’s been setting this up for weeks,” she cut in. “Your stuff is already being packed. Catherine’s clothes are ready at your new apartment. The only thing missing was you.”

I should’ve been mad that no one told me sooner, that they messed with my whole life without asking. But this is the job. This is what I signed up for.

“Alright,” I said again, taking the tablet. “Project Heartline it is.”

The next day, I could barely recognize myself in the mirror. No more black jeans and leather jacket. Now I was Catherine Reed—wearing a neat pencil skirt, a fancy blouse, soft makeup, and my hair all wavy. I looked... friendly. Like someone you could trust.

I kept going over my fake story as the car drove through the city: Catherine Reed, 29, assistant to Gabriel Chen from Nexus Technologies. Born in Boston, went to NYU, worked in Singapore the last three years. Single, no kids, one cat named Oscar (totally made up, but details matter).

The car stopped outside Hart Enterprises. It was a huge, shiny building made of glass and steel. Rich and powerful vibes all over. My stomach twisted a little as I got out, holding the expensive handbag the agency gave me.

“You got this,” I whispered. “Just another job.”

But it didn’t feel like just another job. As I walked across the giant lobby, my heels clicking on the shiny marble floor, I knew this was different. I wasn’t here to steal a file or snap a photo. I had to become someone else. For weeks. Maybe months.

I went up to the front desk and gave my most professional smile. “Good morning. Catherine Reed. I’m here to see Mr. Hart. I work with Nexus Technologies.”

The woman behind the desk checked her computer. “I don’t see your name, Ms. Reed.”

“Oh, I know. He’s not expecting me,” I said, sounding a little sorry. “Mr. Chen sent me ahead to drop off some stuff before their meeting next week.” I gave my bag a light tap. “Any chance Mr. Hart has a few minutes? I came all the way from Singapore.”

She looked unsure, but picked up the phone and called someone. A moment later, she nodded.

“You can go up. Executive floor. Top button in the elevator. His assistant will meet you.”

“Thanks a lot,” I said, smiling warmly.

As I walked toward the elevators, my heart started beating faster. This was moving quicker than I expected. The plan was for Mia to accidentally see me in the lobby—not for me to go straight to Lennox’s office.

I stepped into the empty elevator and hit the top floor button. Just as the doors were closing, a small hand shot out and stopped them.

A little girl with curly dark hair rushed in, and a tired-looking woman came in after her. She looked like a nanny.

“Mia, you can’t run off like that,” the woman said, trying to sound calm but firm.

The girl—yep, Mia Hart—was staring at me. Hard. She didn’t say a word. Just looked up at my face with big, wide eyes that looked exactly like her dad’s in the photos.

The elevator doors closed, and we started going up. No one said anything. I gave the nanny a small smile, but even she was looking at me kind of weird now.

Sixty floors felt like forever.

When the elevator finally opened at the top, a tall man was waiting outside. Lennox Hart. And wow, he looked even more serious and scary in person than in the pictures.

Before anyone could say anything, Mia ran straight to him and grabbed his suit jacket.

“Daddy,” she said in a loud, clear voice, pointing straight at me, “is she mommy?”