chapter954

"General Jefferson, is everything alright?" The official sounded worried.

General Jefferson scanned the crowd again, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. "It's fine, he said at last. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling. That shadow just now looked so much like his lovely granddaughter-in-law. Maybe his eyes were just playing tricks on him.

Lydia had already been picked up by Malcolm, the secretary from the Department of Oversight.

"Direc" Malcolm started, but Lydia cut him off right away.

"Just call me Lydia."

She wasn't planning to let anyone know who she really was yet.

Malcolm hesitated, clearly not used to being so informal, but orders were orders. "Alright, Lydia, let me show you to your seat in the department's section."

"Thanks."

As Lydia walked ahead, more and more eyes turned her way. Her presence was impossible to ignore. With her black-framed glasses and quiet confidence, most people just assumed she was Malcolm's new assistant. But the eyes behind those glasses were bright and sharp, like cold stars. There was a calm maturity there that seemed far beyond her age. She definitely didn't look like any assistant they'd ever

seen.

Easton, the other more well-known director in the department, was in his early forties and always dressed sharp. He kept glancing over his shoulder, hoping to spot her. When he finally saw Lydia following Malcolm, a rare smile broke through his normally stern expression. He wanted to wave her over, but Lydia barely glanced his way. She just exchanged a quiet word with Malcolm and picked an out-of-the-way seat for herself.

Easton couldn't help but look disappointed.

Malcolm came over a moment later and quietly said, "Director, Ms. Norwood prefers not to attract attention."

Easton just nodded, all stiff and proper as usual. Alright.

Mikey found his seat with his coworkers, but everyone seemed distracted, sneaking glances in the same direction. He gave in to curiosity and looked too. His eyes went wide.

He took off his glasses, blinked, put them back on, and looked again. No way.

Even Mikey, who was usually cool about everything, was floored. Wasn't that his future sister-in-law What was she doing here?te

hecked again she was defin

sitting in the Department of O Oversight's section. Was she actually a government official?

Back at home, Connor was working late when his phone buzzed with a message

from Mikey.

[Connor, guess who I just saw at the ceremony?]

Connor paused, raised an eyebrow, and replied, [Your sister-in-law.]

Mikey messaged back, [...Wait, you knew she was coming?]

Connor replied, [Yeah.]

Honestly, kydia hadn't told him. He'd just guessed. She held an official position and with an event like the National Day Ceremony, of course she'd be there.

Mikey had to admit, his future sister-in-law was seriously impressive.

The ceremony itself was nothing short of breathtaking, especially the parade.

Jackson stood tall in his uniform atop one of the vehicles, returning a sharp salute as they rolled by, a proud figure in the middle of the pageantry.