After I pulled myself out of the ice bath, I felt refreshed, with several hours I could use for my needs.

Technically, I had classes, but as a football player, the attendance was even more optional than it normally was.

If I was just another ordinary player with no concerns other than which cheerleader to seduce after the game, I would have lazed around the hot tub for a while — enjoying the top-of-the-line facilities that cost several million dollars to renovate — before going to the meeting room and start studying the tactics.

Yet, I didn't have the option to enjoy such decadence. I simply didn't have the luxury to waste time. Not with the mystery of the cult and the system knocking on my door as a threat.

I needed more information.

Unfortunately, a magical fire and a disappearing cult were clues a touch hotter than I would prefer to follow more directly. I had no intention of putting myself in a risky situation just to gather more information.

Unfortunately, my other possible information source, my guide, had lost her already shaky credibility by not only recklessly pushing me into a very dangerous situation, but putting herself in a coma just by trying to extinguish a fire.

I preferred to follow safer options.

And, currently, I had only one clue I could follow that could be classified as safe.

The mysterious orb that started all.

So, after one last shower, I went to my car and started driving to the museum, my mind already on the best strategy to handle such research.

My resignation from my part-time job had been already processed, which revoked my database access, but that wasn't a big loss. I had already read all the information that could be accessed through my credentials — which, considering I was just a part-time student, wasn't impressive in the first place.

Luckily, being a computer engineering student, I was prepared for such a situation, and had installed a keylogger to the main computer, giving me several administrative access IDs. I hadn't used those IDs for anything other than adjusting the work schedule for my benefit for emergencies, but it was time to put them to better use.

I pulled into the parking lot with a determined expression, gazing around to check if there was anything suspicious. Luckily, even in the middle of the day, the museum was hardly the most popular spot of Sunset College. Ultimately, it existed merely to allow the college to brag about its commitment to culture while spending as little money as possible.

There was one time it was crowded, and that was the admission season, when the students decided to visit their safety college.

I ignored the visitor area, taking the corridor that would bring me to the back end of the museum, where both the warehouse and the employee area rested. Normally, it would require an access card, but after working there for a year, I knew exactly how to open the door without it as well.

I just hoped I could pass there before anyone could notice my presence.

That failed, however, when a voice called to me before I could disappear. A familiar voice, I recognized, though not one I expected to hear here. "Excuse me, this is an employee-only area," she said. I turned, only to see a black-haired beauty looking at me, her eyes widening as she noticed me.

"Hey, Lauren," I said with a smirk. "Long time no see." It was surprising to see my opponent from the chess tournament here, especially since she wasn't a student of our college. Even more surprisingly, she was at the reception, wearing a pencil skirt and a white blouse, only her casual ponytail preventing her from looking like a quintessential secretary from the seventies.

It was a beautiful sight.

"Not that long unless you're having memory problems," she said with a frown, her tone surprisingly abrasive. "The tournament was just yesterday."

"It must be the merciless beating I had received," I said, then, hit her with a charming smirk. "Either that, or it was torture of not seeing your beautiful face for such a long time."

"Jerk," she murmured, but she failed the edges of her mouth to tug momentarily.

I had to admit, the sight of her fighting against a smile — unsuccessfully, I might add — was a beautiful sight, one that I could spend quite a bit of my time enjoying if it wasn't for the urgency of the situation. Instead, I asked the most important question. "What are you doing here?"

At my words, she looked determined, pushing her chest proudly, unaware of just how much that pushed her white blouse to create a beautiful view in the process, stretching its capabilities to maintain a stable impression.

I bit a teasing remark despite its amusement potential. It was best not to anger her too much before I got what I needed. I could always tease her on the way back.

"I took your advice and start working for my dream," she said proudly.

"Really?" I asked. "And your family is alright with that?"

"Not really, but I don't care. I said them that I don't need their money and left home." Then, she glanced around dismissively. "Unfortunately, this is the only museum I could work part-time as an art history major that's reasonably close to my own school."

She sounded proud about her decisive move with her family, but considering not only she was able to find work in less than a day, but they had processed it and allowed her to start working despite not being from our college, it might not as effective as she had thought.

Bureaucracy never worked that fast, not without someone influential oiling the wheels.

I kept my mouth shut. I had too many things going on to involve myself in the fight between a girl and her family. Her clearly rich family.

And her clothes confirmed that her relationship with her family wasn't exactly terminated either. I wasn't an expert on fashion, but my gaze was sharp enough to notice expensive clothes, and hers certainly belonged to that category. I couldn't see any brand, but at that level, it implied they were even more expensive.

I decided to focus on a less important topic first. "So, how is your first day?" I said. "I knew the museum can be boring."

She frowned. "Not as good as I hoped. They are adamant that I have to work at the front desk for a full month before they even allowed me to take a step into the warehouse without supervision. I didn't even get a tour of it. And receptionist work is boring."

Interesting, I thought, because I knew for a fact that there was no such rule. It sounded suspicious like a rich family might insist on a job they had arranged for their daughter, hoping that she would get bored sooner than later.

I neglected to mention to her that. "Hey, it's a job," I said with a shrug, before hitting her with a seductive smirk, enjoying the sudden blush on her face. "How about I give you that tour instead?"

"You?" she asked, her tone surprised.

"Hey, no need to sound that shocked. Just because I'm on a football team doesn't mean I have no culture."

The shameful blush that appeared on her face was simply beautiful. "No! I didn't mean it like—" she started, but I cut her off with a chuckle.

"Hey, just joking. I had been working there for more than a year. It's certainly enough to give a tour."

"Jerk," she murmured, blushing.

I just smirked. "Why don't you come with me and I give you a tour."

She looked tempted, especially as she threw a glance at the empty area. "I can't, not on my first day," she said.

"Sure, the offer is open," I said with a wink. "Whenever you want, I'm under your orders. Now, why don't you open the entrance so I can go to the back office."

That earned a suspicious glance. "Where's your entry card, if you had been working here?" she asked.

"I just resigned yesterday," I explained. "Between the football team and the chess, I simply don't have time."

"Football," she said, her face crunching. "I still don't understand why you should bother with that barbarian activity."

I just smiled. Considering I wanted her to do something for me, I kept my mouth shut about the near-uselessness of chess as an income source. "Hey, you have your objectives, and I have mine," I said instead.

"If you say so," she said.

"So, how about that tour," I said, letting my smile widen. I needed her permission to slip to the back-office. And, spending some time with a sexy girl dressed as a secretary was hardly a chore.

"I don't know …" she murmured as she looked around. "I can't exactly leave the reception. What if someone comes. It's my first day." Yet, I could see her voice slipping.

I was about to insist, telling her that it was not going to be a big deal, when my phone buzzed. It was a call from Megan. I rejected the call.

"As you wish," I said. "But how about you let me go so I could pick my stuff, and I give you that tour tomorrow, after your shift? Or, here's my number. Just give me a call when you want that tour…" I said, letting my words linger as I hit her with a seductive smirk. "Or, whenever you want…"

"Jerk!" she growled as she slapped my shoulder, but that didn't prevent her from blushing cutely. And, to handle her sudden shame, she walked back to her desk, opening the door for me.