Agent Reptilian: Exploiting Gold|editing

Chapter fifteen: "You are welcome to stay as long as you wish."

Nix, Mademoiselle Picket and I trailed after Lisa, the sounds of our footsteps falling in a scattered manner in the corridor. I felt my hands trembling but part of me also found it amusing. The reason I wanted to laugh was because this very moment reminded me of the scene from The Wizard of Oz, where the characters entered Emerald City to meet the wizard. While none of us resembled the scarecrow or tinman (perhaps Mademoiselle Picket did look like the cowardly lion a bit) the emotions we felt, the tension shown on our faces must've mirrored the fictional characters'.

We reached the doors and Lisa lifted her hand and knocked, gently, perhaps afraid that a knock any louder would upset him. "Sir, the ladies are here." She quietly spoke to the closed door. The longest minute of my life passed and I wondered had he even heard us when his delayed response arrived.

"Come in." A faint but audible voice growled from the other side and I found my hands clasping with Nixs'. I'm not sure I was in the right mental space to meet the head agent. My brain felt heavy after everything that happened to me in the plane. The fear, the anxiety had completely caught me off guard and I was still recovering from it. As the doors opened and we stepped in, the hairs on my arms and legs stood up and a hint of shiver swept down my spine. I kept my shoulders from slumping down.

"Ladies, what a pleasure." I looked at the man standing before me, behind his desk. Definitely no wizard. His bald head shined brightly under the lights of the room and he adjusted his striped tie that I thought would certainly choke him if he tightened it any further. There were signs of age in his face, made apparent from the puffy flesh under his eyes and creased lines on his forehead. His head was slightly crooked, as if his neck could not completely support it. All in all, he appeared...harmless.

"I will be leaving you to it." Lisa said. She gave us a tight lipped smile and closed the door behind her, eager to leave the room.

"Please, take a seat. This shouldn't take too much of your time." I stared down at his fat fingers that were grasping the head of the brown leather chair as he invitingly gestured with his free hand.

I wonder whose wages had been decreased and what cuts had been made for him to treat himself with such luxurious furniture. My eyes wandered around his office, taking in every square inch of it. I used to find that Adams' office was a bit over the top, filled with unnecessary items like the antique poker set and especially that stupid moose constantly staring down at me everytime I was summoned in his office.

To say that Hernandezs' office was luxurious was an understatement.

The white floor with swirls of gray patterns seemed like it was washed and waxed at least three times a day for it to maintain it's shine. While there was one large, shiny chandelier above us, it looked like it must be holding at least a thousand pieces of glass on it, appearing fragile but at the same time, giving off an aura of power. That if one was to blow even the lightest breath on it, it would coming crashing down but not before taking at least five large men with it.

Medals and trophies glittered on the shelf lining the wall behind Hernandezs' luxurious desk, taking up majority of the space in the room. His love and pride. The boards holding the shelf had lights twinkling on them, making all the awards appear as if they were glowing. Anyone who walked in would first notice those. Someone was either very proud or arrogant.

I had a feeling it was the latter.

Two chairs sat across from us. Mademoiselle Picket seated herself on the one on the right and placed her carry-on on the chair to the left, leaving Nix and I awkwardly standing. If I could award someone, Mademoiselle Picket would receive one for being the most self-centered person I had ever met.

Hernandez just chuckled at her and sat back down. He grabbed a file, flipped it open and scribbled something down with a golden pen in his grip.

"I've heard a lot of...great things about you Delphine. I was looking forward to meeting you." I gagged internally but to Mademoiselle Picket's credit, she just looked him up and down as if he was a pile of junk.