Chapter 13 (Revised Edition)

Since officially taking on the role of Graves’s assistant, YN, growing more accustomed to her duties, began following closely at his side, keeping her phone on and ready to respond around the clock. She was determined to excel in this role!

Yet, her boss Graves never once called her after hours.

YN: “Doggy, this is fifty thousand dollars— I feel like I need to give even more.”

Ever since the trip to the Middle East, where she befriended Apple Dog, they occasionally kept in touch via text. Due to Apple Dog’s profession, most of the time, YN would send a stream of messages, and Apple Dog would reply when free.

At that moment, Apple Dog had just finished a mission and washed off the mud and dust. She lay in her warm bed, waiting for her husband to finish work.

It was her first time dealing with the mercenary group Shadow Company. Judging by his performance on the battlefield, the one who filled graves—that is, Graves—had outstanding command skills. Like her beloved husband, he was a rare hexagonal warrior.

Apple Dog, having been through it all, knew that relationships involved give and take.

She recalled the farewell at the airport: when YN withdrew her hand just as Graves reached out for a handshake, the look in his eyes revealed a smirk of triumph, as if a goal had been accomplished.

YN’s skills, from Apple Dog’s observation, were excellent. The only worry was that YN’s innocent heart might be completely crushed by Graves, the cunning fox.

In the past few days, Graves, under the pretext of needing an assistant, had already placed YN by his side.

Apple Dog: “You should ask him for five hundred thousand dollars. Graves would definitely agree.”

YN: “?”

“Graves” was the nickname YN and Apple Dog had given her boss, Philip Graves, because the sound of his name resembled “grave filling.”

YN: “Graves isn’t stupid; he’s sharp!”

Apple Dog sighed. Graves was indeed too scheming! YN had only been his assistant for a few days but was already speaking up for him. At this rate, YN might be swallowed whole without even realizing what happened.

Later, YN received a message from Shadow-9527, who had just finished work. He sent her a photo of himself sitting in front of a ton of bananas.

In response to YN’s earlier question about what being Graves’s assistant entailed, Shadow-9527 replied simply:

Shadow-9527: “Wherever he goes, you follow.”

Straightforward, because that was how it was when he’d been Graves’s assistant.

YN: “Even when he goes to the bathroom…”

Shadow-9527: “Follow!”

YN: “Huh?”

Shadow-9527: “You do whatever he does.”

—

Graves was a former U.S. Marine who, after becoming a mercenary, maintained his military habits: early rising, fitness, and morning drills, day after day for ten years.

YN arrived at the office early, having already cleaned the space before he came in.

Around the same time, Luozi would bring Graves some documents.

YN smiled and greeted Luozi with a “Good morning,” and Luozi returned the smile with a nod.

Then, as YN wasn’t paying attention, Luozi cast several glances her way, her smile fading.

—Graves is hopeless.

He hadn’t even officially started dating YN, yet he’d already arranged matching couple outfits!

Luozi reached this conclusion after observing for several days that Graves’s chosen work clothes for YN were unmistakably his own style.

He liked to dress this way himself, but forcing YN to wear the same? Such blatant possessiveness was utterly shameless!

YN, on the other hand, was completely oblivious—did her boss have ulterior motives toward her?!

“YN, why don’t you try wearing a different style of clothing?” Luozi gently suggested.

Men shouldn’t be spoiled; the initiative should be in the hands of women.

“Go buy what you like and what suits you, then have Graves reimburse you.”

Luozi’s words were polite but firm.

Over the years, Graves’s pursuit of fame and fortune had long eclipsed his desire for women. He was a tough, cunning lone wolf, building his formidable Shadow legion.

Luozi never expected that once Graves’s romantic side awakened, it would be with YN, such a naturally innocent soul.

YN pondered Luozi’s advice while loading coffee beans into the machine.

She had never had a particular favorite style of clothing and wasn’t picky about what she wore. For appropriate work attire, she thought of a formal black suit with a knee-length pencil skirt.

In recent days, she’d been wearing the three sets of shirts and jeans Graves had prepared for her. Though similar, each differed slightly in color and fabric, all various shades of blue.

Her boss clearly liked this style; the details in the attire were subtle and worth examining.

The coffee machine emitted fragrant steam. Thanks to Shadow-O’s guidance, YN had mastered its use.

Graves arrived punctually at the office. Waiting for him was a clean, bright room, the scent of coffee drifting in the air, and YN’s greeting: “Good morning, boss.”

True to form, Graves looked down at his coffee and saw the latte art—a heart.

Since YN learned to craft the perfect coffee, she had been serving him cups adorned with heart-shaped designs.

The weather outside was fine; Graves smiled softly.

He looked at the heart in the cup and felt his mood lift.

—

Later, as assistant, YN accompanied Graves to inspect a new batch of tanks in the field.

The helicopter landed on the vast, barren land. YN, wearing a simple tactical vest, was about to disembark when Graves, still briefing his subordinates, reached out his hand to her.

In that moment, everyone—Shadows and arms dealers alike—turned their gaze to YN as Graves extended his hand.

The Shadows were unfazed—they had long been used to Shadow-1 being in love.

The arms dealers, driven by curiosity, maintained neutral expressions befitting successful professionals.

Having been teased by the Shadows for speaking up during the Middle East trip, YN merely placed her hand in Graves’s without saying a word.

She wanted to say “Thank you, boss,” and slightly regretted not wearing a mask when coming out.

YN didn’t like being the center of attention.

—

The terrain was uneven, but luckily YN had collected a pair of combat boots from the supply depot before departure. Still, from the moment she stepped off the helicopter, Graves held her hand.

At that instant, inside YN’s heart, a wide pink highway appeared. Brightly dressed marionette soldiers marched along it, rhythmically beating small drums in celebration as they journeyed deep into her heart.

Graves chatted with the arms dealers, but YN’s attention was solely on their joined hands.

YN wore half-finger tactical gloves matching Graves’s. The gloves covered the palms with some thickness, allowing his fingers to touch hers. When the path became rough, he would hold her hand tighter.

Luozi, carrying her gun, walked beside YN, feeling a mix of frustration and protectiveness—No, no! You absolutely cannot let Philip Graves, with his dubious intentions, win you over so quickly!

Though often stern with YN, Luozi was like this with everyone, including her superior Shadow-1. She wasn’t shy about confronting Graves when he faltered.

From the moment YN joined Shadow Company, Luozi had noticed her—a vibrant, bright-eyed Eastern girl who appeared punctually at the armory she managed. Luozi watched silently through the monitors, never revealing herself.

She never expected that the little secret she cherished, which brought her joy, would be so easily taken away by Graves!

Thus, whenever Luozi delivered documents to Graves’s office and saw YN in person, she was still stunned by her beauty.

The first words YN said to her were: “You’re so beautiful, like the most delicious, sweetest chocolate with a liqueur center in the store.”

Too childish a compliment!

Luozi didn’t know how to respond and, after leaving the documents, quickly escaped the office.

Since then, every time she entered Graves’s office to deliver files, she braced herself and gave YN a cold glare.

Luozi noticed an unusual blush on YN’s ears.

Ah! Damn you, Graves! If you dare let my sweet YN endure any hardship—I swear I’ll kill you... I mean...

Clenching her gun, Luozi finally understood how the Shadows felt when deployed.

Truly helpless.

—

This batch of tanks was quite substantial.

Shadow Company’s trump card was their expertise in land tank warfare.

YN wasn’t particularly interested in such things, but following Graves meant she couldn’t avoid them. As a result, she now knew the number of tanks purchased, the count of Shadow Company’s AC-130 gunships, and more.

Apple Dog had been right—Graves was filthy rich! An AC-130 costs $190 million each!

YN gazed thoughtfully at the rows of tanks. With her current salary, it would take her six months just to buy one.

So frustrating!

She wanted to earn money quickly and realize her goals soon.

Graves, meanwhile, wanted to win a point in YN’s heart—there was no way she could outdraw him, but at least in his domain of tank warfare, he had to shine.

Maybe take her for a spin in a tank...

As Graves prepared to enter the driver’s seat, YN spoke up: “Boss, I’ll drive.”