All Chapters of Barren? Honey, I'm Just Getting Started: Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

- WILLOW"Five security cameras, two biometric scanners, and a floor grid that almost fried my sneakers," I said, dropping a thick black USB drive onto the stone table in front of Noah. "Ronin's tech team is paranoid, but your maintenance badge worked like a charm."Dexter leaned against the archway behind me, tossing his blue Luidel security badge in the air and catching it lazily. "Told you. Give a guy a tool belt and a high-vis vest, and people just open doors for you. We tapped straight into his private server line on the forty-second floor."Noah picked up the USB drive, his grey eyes lighting up. "You actually pulled his off-grid communication logs?""Every single byte from the last forty-eight hours," I said, pulling my grey hood down and leaning over the table. "He’s been routing encrypted messages straight to his private estate. He’s organizing something big for next month's seasonal gala...""Your Majesty!"A sharp, shrill voice shattered the quiet garden before I could finis

- WILLOW"Here," Lucille said, dropping a three-inch-thick stack of leather folders straight onto my desk with a heavy, dust-raising thud. "This is due by five p.m. Don't mess it up."I looked at the massive pile of parchment, then up at Lucille, who was standing over me in a tailored pastel pink suit with her arms crossed over her chest."What is this?" I asked, pushing my chair back an inch."The quarterly logistics manifest for Luidel’s outer defense perimeter," Lucille said, her top lip curling into that familiar, annoying sneer. "It covers fuel allocations, guard shift rotations, and grain shipments across four separate border sectors. You said you wanted to work in the capital office, right? Well, here’s your work.""Lady Lucille," Dexter called from the doorway, leaning against the wooden frame with a wrench hanging from his back pocket. "That’s high-rank Alpha administrative work. Senior council advisors usually take three days with a whole team of clerks to process border man

- WILLOWThe food at 'The Old Cellar' was no joke.Marcus brought out a massive wooden platter stacked high with slow-roasted beef ribs, grilled garlic potatoes, and a basket of fresh, steaming rye bread. Dexter didn't even bother with a fork; he grabbed a rib with his bare fingers and took a huge bite before the plate hit the table."Holy shit," Dexter mumbled, chewing happily. "Okay, dude, I take back every bad thing I ever said about your taste in food.""Told you," Noah chuckled, sliding the pitcher of dark ale toward me. "Try the potatoes, Willow. Marcus uses butter from the mountain farms."I grabbed a potato, took a small bite, and let out a long sigh. "If I eat like this every day, I'm gonna gain twenty pounds in two weeks.""Luidel cuisine doesn't count," Noah said, leaning back in his seat with his mug. "It's built on mountain work. You burn it off just walking up the palace stairs."We quieted down for a few minutes, focusing on tearing through the platter. Around us, the

- WILLOW"I told you three times, Dex, we don't need a whole new batch of wire cutters," I said, leaning over the counter of the small electronics shop inside the Luidel central arcade."The pair in my kit is dull, Willow," Dexter muttered, leaning his heavy forearm against the glass display case. "You want me tapping into Ronin's corporate security feed with dull tools?""I want you to stop buying fancy gear on my new black card just because you like the smell of chrome," I scoffed, tossing a small box of copper connectors into our shopping bag."Hey, the King gave you that card for emergency ops," Dexter smirked, flashing me that stupid, infuriating grin. "Upgrading my toolkit is a total national emergency."Before I could shove his shoulder, my phone buzzed twice in my jacket pocket. I pulled it out, tapping the screen. It was an encrypted text from Noah:"Intercepted an outgoing comms log from Lucille's personal house line. She called her old boarding school roommate in the Ashbou

- WILLOW"If I have to look at another seating chart, Dex, I'm burning this entire hall to the ground," I said, tossing a thick rolled-up blueprint onto the long mahogany table.Dexter was sitting cross-legged on the edge of the stage, casually paring an apple with his pocket knife. "Come on, Princess. You're telling me placing forty snobby regional Alpha delegates in one room isn't your idea of a fun gala?""It's an inter-pack summit nightmare," I grumbled, pulling my hoodie sleeves up to my elbows. "Lord Vince wants the southern pack lords seated near the stage, but Lucille’s dad insists his grain clan gets the front row right under Noah's balcony.""Put Lucille's dad near the back kitchen doors," Dexter smirked, popping a slice of apple into his mouth. "That way, when we expose his fake invoices tomorrow, he can sprint for his carriage without tripping over the floral arrangements.""Tempting," I chuckled, leaning back against the wooden railing. "Seriously though. These delegates