Chapter 26: Can’t escape being judged

‎Ariadne could be seen standing on the escalator with the guard, the guard said they are located upstairs.

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‎Ariadne Adjusted the strap of her emerald blue short gown dress, her face a mirror of curiosity on the reason why she was being called, her masterpiece of a face with delicate features and wide intelligent eyes, was the kind that made stranger turn their head, now miss with the dress she was wearing, she was an accident magnet that can cause cars to stop without any traffic light. she knew the power her beauty have, after all it has been said to her face in an amount of time she can’t count, and she have also use her beauty to her own advantage on many occasions. her mind went back to what harry said, he said she was invited because of her beauty but she refused to believe it is all that, she knows that her beauty may be part of the reason why she was invited, but she also believe it is because of another thing she is unaware about. and she’s very curious on what that thing is.

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‎"I still don’t understand why I can’t follow you inside the room Ariadne. "a voice said.

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‎mira turned behind her, and standing right there was harry, she then said.

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‎"Harry don’t start now, I am going in, and I thought we have come to a compromisation that you like, you will follow me along but you won’t enter the room. "she said.

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‎"I know you won’t listen, I am just telling you I oppose your idea, and I pray and hope that it is just my mind sending me wrong message. "he said.

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‎The escalator reached the top, they then walked towards a passage, both of them following the guard who was more like a silent sentinel. we then reached a hallway lit with coloured light .

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‎we met a massive man in a nondescript suit standing in the middle of the hallway. The man noticed us, he looked at us then at the guard, he then move away from the road to the side, allowing them to pass, but he stopped harry from moving forward. harry wanted to argue that he should be allowed to pass but I stopped him from arguing with the guard with a look.

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‎me and the guard went forward, we left harry with the massive man in the hallway. we didn’t take more than ten step before we arrived at our destination.

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‎The guard knocked on the door in a kind of synchronized step, after 5 second a voice sounded from the room that they should enter.

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‎we entered the room, and I was met with a different atmosphere compare to the club downstairs. the room was a sensory deprivation chamber of opulence. deep velvet couches, a bar stocked with a crystal decanters, and a low cool lighting that cast long, dancing shadows all around. five figures in hero clothing were scattered around the room dress in their hero nobility, but the content on the table in the room does not fit in with the heroes.

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‎First was a hero called Hyperion, his golden hair and his chiseled jawline now stack with the signature hero arrogance.

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‎He lounged on a couch, swirling a glass of amber liquid, his eyes not on Ariadne’s face, but tracing the line of her dress with predatory focus. Beside him was Valora, the "Goddess of Justice," her usually stern and gentle face twisted into a smirk. She was the only one who offered a semblance of a greeting, a cold, appraising glance that felt more like an inventory.

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‎On a chair near the bar sat Tempest, a wiry man with a perpetual scowl, like he have something better to do than being in the room, his fingers was drumming impatiently on the mahogany. "Finally," he muttered. "We were starting to think you’d stood us up. Though, with a face like that, I suppose we can forgive the delay."

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‎Ariadne was confused, ’stood them up’ were they not the one that invite her inside here, she could have chose not to come inside the room, and now she hus here they are giving me this stupid attitude. is this what they call the pride of a hero.

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‎The final two were Centurion, a hulking, silent brute who was the team’s muscle, and a woman who Ariadne didn’t fully recognize, she had an inkling that she had seen her somewhere or maybe heard her talking on the news channel, She was introduced only as "Zephyr," her dark eyes glittering with a utter lack of care, like she is bored and did not find the current situation interesting at all. she gave a look of someone that was planning to do something that was utterly devoid of heroism.

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‎"Welcome, my dear," Hyperion said, his voice a syrupy drawl. "Please, sit." He gestured to a small, ornate gold chair in the very center of the room. It wasn’t a seat of comfort; the chair was placed in an area that all the heroes will be able to see her. it felt like she was being judged.

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‎Mira, her heart now hammering against her ribs, did as she was told. "Mr. Hyperion," she began, trying to keep her voice steady. "The guard said I was invited into this room, without telling me the reason why, I came because I believe the esteemed heroes will have a suitable reason for inviting me, now I came inside this room, instead of giving me a reason why you brought me in, you placed a chair in the middle of the room, you expect me to sit there, you expect me to sit in a chair that looks like a chair use to judge someone by the way, I may be wrong on what I am saying, so please kindly correct me if I am wrong because I am a second away from leaving this room behind, leave you guys and your your judging behind, I have someone waiting for me outside who didn’t even want me to come here by the way.

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‎The room erupted in a loud silence, no sound could be heard from anyone, it was like a cruel mocking symphony that tells the tale of the calm before the storm.

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‎"darling, did you just say you want to leave, I am afraid that option is no longer available to you, if you had made that decision before entering this room you may still have a chance to leave, but now that you are here, you can no longer leave. "The hero tempest said.

Tempest rose from his chair, circling Ariadne who was still standing like a shark circle it’s prey. "We need a new face for our... off-the-books operations. A pretty face that can open doors. A face that can get close to our enemies and report back. A face that can be used."

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‎"what do you mean a face that can be use, I am very sure there are a lot of beauty out there who are more finer than me out there. "Ariadne said.

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‎"You are right again darling, and that’s true, but you see you came into our hands by coincidence, and according to my mother teaching, she said do not refuse a gift from god. I believe you are a gift from god, the god saw our plight and decided to throw a gift our way, a gift that won’t bring any issues to us.

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‎Ariadne mind began to go wild, she is starting to see that Harry gut feeling may not be wrong, that she had gotten herself into a sticky quagmire, and now she is finding it hard to escape the situation.