Chapter 1471
A faint trace of amusement flashed through Julian’s eyes.
He didn’t call out her sudden panic. Instead, he smoothly followed her lead. “So, you’ve already made the arrangements p>
Hazel nodded instinctively. “All arranged p>
The moment she said it.
She froze again.
Even worse.
Was her mouth malfunctioning because it had been soaking in sweet cream all night?
Hazel silently bit down on her spoon, her eyes darting around the room uncontrollably.
Julian found her absolutely adorable.
When she was distracted by food, she was painfully easy to read.
Whenever she felt guilty, she chewed on her spoon.
Whenever she panicked, her eyes darted everywhere.
But he didn’t press her any further.
His sister always had a foolproof plan, and she never relied on just one strategy.
Since they were heading to Whitecliffe Harbor in three days, having Hazel establish an underground contact to scout the black market pathways perfectly aligned with Serena’s usual caution.
Besides, Hazel and Serena both survived the Gray Zone together. The absolute trust and synchronization between them wasn’t something anyone else could easily disrupt.
Julian simply asked, “So, who did you set the identity up for p>
Hazel was speechless.
God help me.
Julian was smiling so softly.
So why did she feel like a teenager getting interrogated by the school principal?
She absolutely could not let it slip that Demon was planning to board the ship alone.
Her brain went into overdrive. She blinked innocently and fed him a bald-faced lie. “I set it up for a friend p>
“A friend?” Julian asked.
Hazel nodded vigorously. “Yeah, a friend I made back in the Gray Zone. She runs the black market circuits all the time p>
The more she spoke, the more natural the lie felt. She even started believing her own brilliant improvisation. “She’s in the medical sector. Incredibly talented. She specializes in stabilizing experimental serums and treating subject rejection rates p>
“Someone at Whitecliffe Harbor has been paying top dollar for meds that stabilize specific specimens, so we planted her inside p>
Having successfully built her alibi.
Hazel immediately ducked her head and shoved another spoonful of panna cotta into her mouth, hoping
the
gar would calm her racing
heart.
Julian watched her.
Those warm, refined eyes held nothing but mild amusement. There was zero
pressure in his gaze.
Yet Hazel felt an immense, crushing wave of guilt.
She knew she was lying by omission.
But as long as Julian never found out that this ‘friend’ was actually Serena’s new alias, her cover was safe.
Julian, of course, knew she wasn’t telling the whole truth.
But he didn’t dwell on it, assuming Hazel’s nervousness was just her being fiercely protective of her Ghost Alliance contacts.
He smiled. “What’s your friend’s name p>
Hazel immediately went on the defensive. “My friend is pretty
antisocial, She doesn’t talk mn
and she hates people digging into
her identity p>
Julian chuckled. “I didn’t mean anything by it. Serena and I are
boarding the ship in three days. I just figured that since she’s your friend, if we cross paths at Whitecliffe Harbor, we could look out foreach other p>
Hazel’s hand paused on her spoon.
She ran the calculations in her head.
Demon’s ultimate plan was to go in solo, which meant Demon would definitely find a
way to sabotage Julian’s boarding pass.
So, Julian wouldn’t actually be getting on that ship.
If she acted too sketchy right now, Julian might get suspicious and figure out
Demon’s solo infiltration plan.
Even if she told him the name.
Since Julian wouldn’t be on the ship, he would never discover that the alias
belonged to Demon anyway.
Realizing this.
Hazel suddenly felt like an absolute genius.
She cleared her throat and spoke up. “The Panacea p>
Julian’s brow twitched slightly. “The Panacea p>
Hazel nodded.
Julian smiled. “That name… is certainly self-explanatory p>