Chapter 1 Reunite With Eight Brothers
A voice rang out in the bluetooth headset. “Zero, the target’s in the abandoned building three feet away. The mission is now upgraded to S-level. Watch your six. We’re on our way to back you up.”
“Copy that,” Sharon Crawford replied and shut off her device.
She then started to climb the building barehanded, which towered over 100 feet high. It was a tough mission, but for her, it was just a walk in the park.
When she finally pulled herself onto the rooftop, it was empty with no one in sight.
“Well, well, look who it is. Zero, top on the Hunter Rankings.” A young man stepped out of the stairwell, dressed in a black uniform traced with gold. He looked like he walked straight off a TV drama set.
Sharon’s eyes narrowed, with a wary glint gleaming. “Oh, it’s you guys again.”
“Sorry, we got here a bit earlier than you. You failed in this mission,” the man said with a smirk.
Sharon cursed in her mind, ‘Dang it, just my luck.’
The man added, “You’re impressive, Zero. Ever thought about joining Oriston Academy? Great pay, solid team, and people who get what you’re about. Are you interested?”
Sharon hesitated for a second. Just when she was about to answer, her phone buzzed.
She glanced at the caller ID—Dad. Her face softened a bit as she looked back at the guy and replied firmly, “No, thanks.”
She had a thought in her mind. ‘What would my dad do without me?’
She took a step forward, and the rooftop suddenly collapsed. Before she could even scream, she was plummeting.
At that very moment, her mind went blank. ‘Oh my, am I really gonna die?’
*****
“Shari, come on, wake up. Don’t scare me like that,” a worried male voice echoed in the air.
The noises woke Sharon up. She frowned and forced her eyes open, only to see her father, Martin Crawford, hovering over her with concern written all over his face.
Relief suddenly flooded Sharon, and she thought, ‘Wow, I survived.’
Martin’s wife, Alyssa Crawford, jabbed a finger at Sharon and complained to Martin in an angry tone, “See? I told you she’s tougher than nails. Mr. Davidson’s son is still out cold in another room. And now his family is threatening to sue us.”
“He’ll apologize,” Martin said with his arms crossed. “Doesn’t matter if it’s Mr. Davidson or Mr. Simpson. I’ve called them and made things clear. They’ll be the ones begging for Shari’s forgiveness.”
Alyssa rolled her eyes. “Come on, no bragging here. It’s been years, and we see no sign of her family as you said. After she dropped out of school, she loafed around all day. She even hurt the blind date guy we spent a lot of effort to get for her.”
“Dad.” Sharon pushed herself up on one elbow and looked at Martin and Alyssa.
“Hey, sweetheart, you’re awake. Promise me you won’t explore those dangerous places, okay? What if something really happens? What would I do?” Martin said.
Alyssa stared at Sharon and snapped with venom in her tone, “You stubborn brat, we arranged for you to meet Mr. Davidson’s son the other day, but what did you do?
“Beat up Mr. Davidson’s son and run off. Don’t think you can get away with it by hiding in a hospital. You’d better figure out how you’re going to apologize.”
“Not now. Shari needs some rest,” Martin said while taking Alyssa out of the ward.
Sharon was left in the ward alone, and her world finally turned silent.
Sharon rubbed her throbbing temples as she lay back against the pillow. Davidson’s son was a sleaze, and she couldn’t help beating him up.
She’d planned to finish her mission, go home, and smooth things over, but unexpectedly, she woke up here two days later.
Sharon was about to figure out her next move when she noticed a brandnew phone tucked under her pillow.
A message flashed on the screen: [Someone’s digging into you. I faked your death and got you out. This is an offer from Oriston Academy. If you’ve thought it over, then hit “Agree”. We’re looking forward to having you on board. Bet you won’t miss top-tier perks.]
Sharon rolled her eyes, thinking, ‘Tsk, can’t they recruit other students? Why keep an eye on me? It’s clearly not legit.’
*****
Outside the hospital, a row of luxury cars stretched down the block. A squad of blacksuited bodyguards stormed in and cleared the corridors. Anyone in the hospital was either hustled out or locked in their wards. People’s phones, tablets, cameras—every electronic device was shut off.
The chaos soon died, and the whole hospital became extremely quiet in an instant.
The bodyguards stood in two lines, their black umbrellas raised like a shield, carving a private corridor through the exposed space.
The car doors popped open, and a group of impossibly handsome men stepped out, and they had identical features. But despite the matching looks, each of them gave off a completely different vibe that people could spot from a mile away.
Leading the pack was a guy in a black suit. His face was as cold and sharp as obsidian—like Death in person. He asked the man beside him, “Where’s Marvin? We’re one short.”
The other man replied, “He’s planning a grand appearance to make an impression on Sharon.”
It was a gentleman with a calm charm and a faint smile beneath his polite mask. His whole vibe was soothing and pleasant.
However, he felt a bit annoyed, and he complained to himself, ‘That jerk beat me to it. Weren’t we supposed to compete fairly?’
Just then, a helicopter roared in and went down toward the third-floor window. Clinging to a rope ladder and wearing a pink shirt was Marvin Vance. He waved wildly at Sharon and shouted, “Hey, pretty girl, I’m your eighth brother.”
Sharon, propped up in her bed, stared at the goof outside the window. Her lips twitched as she wondered, ‘What a nutcase.’
The door to her ward suddenly swung open, and seven young men strolled in. Suddenly, the tiny room felt like a pressure cooker.
Sharon eyed the seven men standing before her, then glanced back at the other one outside the window.
Her mind couldn’t help but race. ‘They look so alike. Are they octuplets? Who’s their mother? She’s way too awesome. Too bad, they’re all pretty but not that smart.’
No one spoke, and the silence was thick enough to choke on.
Sharon, not much of a talker anyway, simply stared at the intruders. The seven men were cool as statues on the outside, yet they were all screaming internally.
Someone whispered, “Geez, so she’s our little sister. She really looks like Mom. Oh my, she’s so cute.”
*****
Ten minutes later, Martin knocked on the door and stepped inside. He froze in the doorway when he saw the scene in the room. This wasn’t the tear-jerking reunion he’d pictured. The tension in the room felt more like the calm before a brawl than a heartwarming family reunion.
