Chapter 3

Asher’s POV

The boy nibbled on the chocolate like it was a secret mission ration. Asher leaned back on his hands, glancing at him from the corner of his eye.

“Alright, Agent Mini,” he said in a hushed, conspiratorial tone. “Let me guess. You’re on a secret mission too?”

The kid looked at him, brows furrowed, chocolate halfway to his mouth.

Asher nodded solemnly. “Yeah, I figured. I’m undercover, obviously. Sent here to infiltrate the land of sparkly dresses and awkward small talk. You’re the backup, right?”

The boy blinked.

“I knew it,” Asher whispered dramatically. “Only someone with that level of stealth and silence could be a real agent.”

A tiny, muffled sound escaped the boy. A giggle. Barely there—but there.

Bingo.

Asher grinned like he just cracked a safe. “Name’s Asher. Codename: Chaotic Neutral. What about you?”

The boy hesitated, then spoke, voice soft as cotton.

“Elian.”

Just Elian. No last name. No fanfare.

Asher nodded, keeping the mood light. “Elian. Strong name. Definitely sounds like someone with top-secret clearance.”

They sat in the quiet for a while—two agents on a break from the chaos of the ballroom jungle.

Asher peeked at the boy again. He had the kind of smile that lit up slowly, like a sunrise figuring itself out. And when he giggled… it was almost unfair how cute that was.

“You should smile more,” Asher said, mostly to himself. “You look like one of those expensive paintings people pretend to understand.”

Elian tilted his head like he was trying to figure that one out. Another soft giggle. Asher was officially winning.

But even in that moment of peace, a question kept scratching at the back of his mind:

Why was he out here alone?

Who just leaves a kid behind like that?

Where the hell were his parents?

He didn’t ask. Not yet. The boy looked like a scared kitten trying to act brave.

Still, curiosity won.

“You okay, Elian?” he asked gently. “Were you… hiding? Or did something happen?”

At the mention of it, Elian’s fingers tightened around the empty chocolate wrapper. His lower lip trembled, but he didn’t cry. His eyes just glossed over, distant and sad.

Asher instantly cursed himself. “Okay! Bad question! Abort mission, Agent Mini. Abort!”

He scrambled to fix it. “Hey—don’t worry. I cry too when someone serves dry cupcakes at parties. Unforgivable, really.”

That earned him another reluctant laugh.

“Tell you what,” Asher reached into the nearby drink tray. “Chocolate milk. Best comfort drink in existence. I’m pretty sure it’s legally classified as therapy.”

He offered it, and Elian took it without a word, sipping slowly.

Asher waited a beat before trying again. “Did you get lost, bud? Want me to help find your folks?”

Elian shook his head immediately.

“Are you sure?” Asher asked gently. “They might be looking for you.”

No answer.

Asher leaned back, giving the kid space. “Alright. You don’t wanna go back inside, do you?”

Another tiny shake of the head.

“Me neither,” Asher muttered, eyes on the glowing ballroom windows. “Too flashy. Too loud. Smells like stress and overpriced perfume.”

For once, Elian answered.

“They are too flashy… and loud.”

Asher smiled softly, caught off guard by the rare sentence. “Exactly. You, my friend, have excellent taste.”

Elian sipped the last of the chocolate milk.

So they sat—an undercover agent and his tiny partner, hiding from a world of noise.

AFTER A WHILE~

Just as Elian set down the empty cup, the faint sound of hurried footsteps echoed from the hallway.

“Asher,” he whispered.

Asher looked up just as the door slammed open.

Two bulky men in tailored suits and earpieces stormed in, scanning the room like they were expecting a hostage situation. Right behind them came a sharply dressed man, not bulky like the others but with a face like a thundercloud and eyes locked straight on Elian.

“There you are!” the sharply dressed man snapped, marching forward. “Do you have any idea how long we’ve been looking for you?”

Elian shrank a little at the voice, gripping the edge of his seat.

Asher immediately stood, slipping slightly in front of Elian on instinct. “Hey, whoa, hold up. Maybe dial it back a notch?”

The bodyguards flanked them. One even stepped toward Asher, hand twitching toward his waist like he was ready to pull something. “Step away from the child.”

Asher blinked, brows shooting up. “Excuse me?”

The man who’d spoken first—clearly the PA—glared at him. “Who are you? And what the hell are you doing with him?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” Asher shot back, not budging. “You barge in here all dramatic like a bad cop show and act like I’m the problem? I found him alone. ALONE. In a hallway. Crying, by the way—crying. So maybe don’t point fingers unless one of those fingers was supposed to be holding his hand.”

The PA’s eyes narrowed. “This isn’t your business.”

“It became my business the moment I found a four-year-old wandering around a fancy-ass venue with no adult in sight!” Asher snapped. “What kind of event is this? And who leaves a kid to figure it out alone? You people treating him like a lost luggage tag or what?”

“Watch your tone,” the PA warned.

“Why? Is there a volume limit on basic human decency?” Asher took a step forward, indignant. “Seriously, where were you? You clearly have bodyguards on payroll—couldn’t spare one to keep an eye on a literal child?”

Before the argument could escalate further, Elian stood up abruptly.

“Stop,” he said, his voice soft but firm.

Both men turned to look at him.

“It wasn’t his fault,” Elian continued, eyes on Asher, then the PA. “I… I left the room. I didn’t tell anyone. I just wanted to get away for a bit.”

Asher's mouth clamped shut. The PA looked visibly taken aback.

Elian looked down, hands twisting the hem of his shirt. “He didn’t do anything wrong. He helped me.”

That seemed to knock the tension out of the air.

The PA exhaled through his nose, tension still lingering in his shoulders. “...Fine. Let’s go, Elian.”

Asher reached into his pocket, pulling out his company ID card. “Just so we’re clear—I'm not some creep lurking in the shadows. I work for the company that organised this event. Well, kind of still new, but still. This badge earns me the right not to be tackled on sight.”

The PA glanced at the card, giving it the briefest nod of acknowledgment. “Understood.”

Asher looked back at Elian and gave him a mock-serious expression. “Mission complete, Agent Mini. Extraction team has arrived. I’ll debrief HQ.”

Elian giggled, despite everything. “You’re weird.”

“I’ve been called worse.” Asher smirked, crouching slightly to meet him eye-level. “You take care of yourself, okay? And if you ever go undercover again, maybe give your backup a heads-up.”

Elian nodded solemnly. “I will.”

There was a pause.

“Will I see you again?” he asked.

Asher tilted his head, pretending to think. “Hmm. Only if the Agency assigns me to another glitter-filled operation. But I wouldn’t mind. You’re a solid partner.”

“I want to see you again too,” Elian said, smiling shyly.

Behind them, the PA watched silently, his expression unreadable.

As the bodyguards moved to escort Elian out, Asher took a step back, hands in his pockets.

“Hey,” he said, turning to the PA one last time. “So… is he someone’s kid from the board or something? His folks might wanna know who he was hanging out with.”

The PA stiffened. “That’s none of your business.”

And just like that, the chill returned.

Asher watched them walk away, the boy glancing back once to wave, which he returned with a two-finger salute.

“Definitely a rich kid,” Asher muttered to himself. “Probably heir to some secret empire.”

He chuckled, shaking his head.

But something about that kid stuck in his chest like a pebble in a shoe.

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