Chapter 4

"And honestly... I don't have much money left either."

After Alyssa said those last words, silence once again enveloped the entire entrance of Isla Verde.

She no longer knew if she had said something wrong, or if the man in front of her simply didn't know how to smile. He kept looking at her, with no readable emotion on his cold face.

Her grip on the strap of her canvas tote bag slowly tightened.

Okay... maybe I went a little overboard. She bit her lower lip. He could just say "No." Instead of staring at me like I've wronged the whole world.

She slightly shifted her stance. Only now did she feel the exhaustion from the long trip. Her shoulder was aching from the weight of the tote bag, while the heat of the sun's rays was slowly hitting her back.

Around them, she noticed that even the employees entering the lobby slowed their pace slightly. They secretly glanced at the two of them before pretending to be busy with whatever they were doing again.

Alyssa felt like she was an exhibit being watched by everyone.

A moment later, Damien moved. He didn't speak. Instead, he reached out for the matte black card again and stared at it for a long time.

Alyssa also looked at the card. What's the big deal with this thing?

It looked exactly the same as before—black, thick, with the gold logo of Isla Verde in the middle. If you think about it, it just looked like an expensive membership card.

The man breathed softly before speaking.

"Chief Ramos."

The head of security immediately stood straight. "Sir."

"Bring the scanner."

He only said three words. But they seemed enough to change the atmosphere around them. The guards looked at each other almost all at once.

An employee gasped. Alyssa even heard faint whispers.

"A scanner? At the public entrance? That has never happened before..." She frowned.

Huh? What's so special about a scanner?

Chief Ramos stepped forward and bowed slightly. "Right away, sir."

Then he quickly went inside the lobby. Alyssa quietly followed him with her eyes before turning back to Damien. He was still standing in the same spot, his posture straight and without the slightest change in his expression.

If he didn't blink every now and then, she might have mistaken him for a statue.

A scanner...

She looked up, trying to stop herself from smiling.

What is this? A grocery store? Watch them put this card in the machine and then... "Congratulations, Ma'am! Buy one, take one!"

She almost laughed. She quickly bit the inside of her cheek.

Stop it, Alyssa. They're so serious, and here you are thinking of nonsense.

But the longer the silence lasted, the more playful her mind became.

Maybe they'll even call a cashier. "Sir, do you want this in a bag?"

She squeezed her eyes shut. Focus.

This wasn't the right time to joke. Especially since it looked like not a single person there knew how to smile.

A few minutes passed, but Chief Ramos still hadn't returned. Alyssa couldn't handle the silence anymore.

She looked at Damien slowly.

"Sir..."

He only turned his head slightly as a sign that he was listening.

She hesitated. "If... your scanner comes back negative..." She scratched the back of her neck. "...will I go to jail?"

The place went quiet again. One guard coughed. Another quickly looked away, obviously forcing himself not to laugh.

Alyssa blinked.

Oh boy. I think I said the wrong thing again.

She just sighed. She really couldn't understand why, whenever she was in front of this man, words she hadn't thought through would just spill out. Maybe because he was too serious. Or maybe she just wanted to lighten the heaviness of the situation a bit.

To distract herself, she looked around the area again. The entrance of Isla Verde was incredibly vast.

The white marble floor sparkled under the morning light. The tall stone pillars and massive glass walls gave the whole place the feel of a seven-star hotel lobby.

Even the plants by the door looked more expensive than the monthly rent of their apartment.

She sighed.

Wow... The price of their chandelier alone could probably pay off my family's debts.

She quickly brushed the thought aside. Hey, don't be envious. It's not yours anyway.

At that moment, the large glass door opened again. Chief Ramos stepped out carrying a thin silver case. He held it tightly, as if its contents were extremely valuable. He quietly placed the case on top of the marble counter.

The lid slowly opened. Alyssa couldn't stop herself from peeking. Inside lay a small black device with a thin glass panel and a digital screen.

She blinked.

Wow... It looks like a scanner from a science fiction movie.

She suddenly stepped back a bit.

"Don't tell me they're going to take my fingerprint too?"

She didn't realize she had said it out loud, albeit softly. Chief Ramos looked at her.

"Miss Reyes." His tone was polite. "May I have the card?"

She looked at the black card she was holding. She didn't know why, but she suddenly hesitated. It felt like the moment she let go of it, something would change.

She took a deep breath before handing it over.

"Please take care of it." She smiled weakly. "Because that's the only reason I'm here."

Chief Ramos carefully accepted the card. Alyssa noticed how cautiously he held it, as if he was handling something extremely precious.

They're being so dramatic... It's not an egg. She shook her head at herself. Stop it.

While the scanner was being prepared, she noticed Damien's gaze drop to her tote bag again.

She looked down as well. Is something wrong?

She checked herself out. A wrinkled white blouse and faded jeans. Old white sneakers. Then she looked at her slightly open tote bag.

She smiled faintly. They might not be expensive, but she had chosen each one with all her heart. But her smile quickly faded.

For the first time since arriving at Isla Verde, she suddenly thought that maybe she really didn't belong in this place.

"Ready, sir."

Her thoughts were cut short. Chief Ramos gently placed the black card on top of the scanner.

The thin screen suddenly lit up. A blue line slowly crawled from the bottom up, seemingly scanning every part of the card.

The entire entrance was quiet. Only the faint hum of the machine could be heard. Alyssa didn't realize her grip on her tote bag strap had tightened. Her heart suddenly beat faster.

Please... Let's hope it doesn't say it's fake.

She didn't know who gave her the black card. But she was sure there was a reason why she was put on a helicopter and brought to Isla Verde. The blue light moved slowly. Until it beeped again.

Everyone looked at the screen all at once.

She didn't know the meaning of the green color that appeared on the screen, but Damien walked closer to the guards.

"Escort Miss Reyes to the waiting lounge."

She was surprised by what he said. "I still can't go in?"

"Not yet. Until I know who sent you.”