Chapter Text
Demetrius Desmond sat at his study desk, face entirely devoid of expression. He swigged from the snifter of brandy in his hand and waited for his father to call on him, like he always did on Tuesday nights.
To Demetrius, life was a pre-written script. All he had to do was memorize his lines and execute them flawlessly, and all would be well. From birth, he’d been the golden child of the family, doted on and mentored by the great Donovan Desmond. The motto that he followed was “remain stoic, and the chaos will quiet.” Emotions were a weakness and an obstacle to advancing to the top. That’s what his family drilled into him, anyway.
A firm knock sounded at the door. Immediately, Demetrius set down his snifter and rose to procure another glass from his liquor shelf, as well as an unopened bottle of bourbon. Then, he filled the empty glass with E.H. Taylor Jr., one of several limited-edition bottles ever made.
Donovan stepped inside like he owned the place. Technically, he did, as he founded the entire Desmond Group that was essentially Ostania’s royal family. Up until last year, he’d been the long-standing CEO of the family business. Even now, he still retained his position as chairman of the National Unity Party.
“Good evening, Father,” Demetrius murmured with a perfect forty-five-degree bow. When he rose, the slightest hint of a smile appeared on his lips. “Care for a drink?”
Donovan nodded, his expression stern like always. However, Demetrius noticed an underlying tension in his facial muscles.
“Is something troubling you?” he asked evenly, handing the older man the glass of bourbon.
To this, Donovan said nothing. He accepted the drink and took a slow, deliberate sip, mind racing with the revelation that he’d only found out yesterday from the leader of Project Apple.
One of our missing test subjects from twenty years ago has been identified as Subject #007. We investigated her background ever since we saw her on the streets of Berlint a decade ago, and it turns out that she now goes by Anya Forger, having been adopted by the psychiatrist Loid Forger and his wife, Yor Briar.
When Donovan heard the words, the blood retreated from his face. It was bad enough that Project Apple had a runaway test subject with telepathic abilities, but Anya Forger had attended the same school as his own sons. What would happen if she were to betray the nation and leak classified information to the enemy, even by accident?
The thought made Donovan shudder, and he decided then and there that Anya needed to be dealt with for national security purposes. But how could he constantly keep an eye on her without arousing suspicion from the Forgers? They weren’t any old family; they were esteemed Eden alumni. Additionally, Loid Forger was his wife Melinda’s psychiatrist. If he wasn’t careful, the Forgers would suspect him of foul play, and Donovan couldn’t risk that kind of damage to his otherwise sterling reputation.
He was just about to discuss the matter with Demetrius when a brilliant idea planted itself inside his mind. Why not have her marry into our family? Demetrius is still unmarried, and the Forgers would be so flattered that they have no reason to turn it down. That way, Demetrius can keep an eye on her and report anything suspicious back to me, he thought as a wry smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. What a perfect, foolproof plan. Now, do I tell Demetrius the full truth, or just what he needs to know so he’ll marry her?
“Father?” Demetrius asked, bringing the older man back to reality. “What’s wrong?”
No. This information is too sensitive to even share with my favorite son. I’ll just go with the cover version to avoid any suspicion, Donovan resolved to himself.
Clearing his throat, he finally spoke in a low, raspy tone. “Demetrius. You’re thirty-one already. It’s high time you got married, or our stakeholders will continue to talk.”
Demetrius groaned inwardly but maintained his neutral expression. Not this again! He thought in dismay. For the past five years, his family had been arranging meetings with the daughters of their inner circle, in the hopes that he’d choose a bride and settle down. Unfortunately, none of those meetings ever resulted in a relationship that lasted past the first date.
It wasn’t like Demetrius didn’t try to follow instructions, either. He did his best to act like a gentleman and treat the ladies with respect. He pretended to be interested in their idle chatter and always remembered to smile. He took his companions to the most exclusive restaurants in Ostania and surprised them with lavish gifts of jewelry and other fineries.
However, once his dates started talking about love or began asking him how their future might look, all his hard work went down the drain. Demetrius, believing that honesty was the best policy when it came to matters of the heart, spoke openly about his devotion to his job, leaving him with no time or desire to be the romantic, loving husband they wanted him to be.
Demetrius was perfectly willing to go along with his family’s arrangements and take one of the heiresses as his bride despite the lack of romantic attraction on his side. To his detriment, every single one of the girls balked at the impossibly strict rules and protocol they had to follow as a Desmond wife and opted to remain only friendly acquaintances.
Although Demetrius wasn’t exactly heartbroken over the numerous rejections, he did wonder why he, as the supposedly most desirable bachelor in Ostania, couldn’t seem to find a wife - even one that only wanted him for his money.
Sighing, he placed his snifter on the desk and rubbed his forehead, feeling a migraine come on. “We’ve been through this a hundred times, Father. I would get married tomorrow if only the matches you and Mother make for me were willing to cooperate,” he said grimly.
Donovan smiled, an evil glint in his eyes. Perfect. That’s my good son, he thought.
“In that case, I happen to know someone who would make a great wife for you. She’s not from an aristocratic family by any means, but perhaps it’s time we expanded our horizons to find you a suitable partner,” the elder Desmond said calmly before taking another sip of his drink.
Demetrius simply nodded like a rushed marriage was the most natural thing in the world. “Indeed. Character is the most important quality in a wife, so I’m ready to marry whoever you choose,” he said nonchalantly.
Donovan merely chuckled to himself. This is too easy, but we need easy right now. “There’s my son,” he said, a twinkle in his right eye. “Don’t you at least want to know who it is?”
Not really, Demetrius thought, but he kept the thought locked away and nodded politely. “Of course,” he responded.
Donovan leaned forward and set his now-empty glass on the desk, next to Demetrius’s one. “It’s Anya Forger. I believe you two met once, back when you both attended Eden Academy.”
The name sounded familiar enough to raise Demetrius’ eyebrow. “As in, the psychiatrist Loid Forger’s daughter?” he asked, scarcely believing his ears.
“You are correct,” Donovan replied, not missing a beat.
Father and Mother wouldn’t even consider the daughters of second-tier families as suitable candidates. How come he’s going straight for the very definition of commoner this time? Is he that desperate to see me married? Demetrius wondered, his mind reeling with questions that he normally wouldn’t dare to ask. Questioning authority in this family resulted in harsh looks and harsh punishments. However, he simply needed to find out why Donovan was acting so unlike himself for once, for the sake of his own mental clarity.
“Are you sure? Isn’t her family status far too low for us, considering that you and Mother thought that even Baroness Hanover wasn’t prestigious enough?” Demetrius asked lightly to test the waters.
Donovan nodded firmly, his expression as solemn as ever. “When have I ever minced words?” he responded, the words calm but biting.
“But what about Damian?” the younger man continued, feeling the alcohol give him some rare courage. “In terms of age, won’t she make a better match for him instead?” he remarked casually, recalling that his younger brother used to be friends with this Anya.
Donovan made a noise that sounded like a “hmph” as his expression turned dark. “Don’t mention that scum in front of me. He sullies the Desmond name with his crude personality and vile ways,” he said acidly, his eyes practically shooting daggers. “Even if Anya was a better match for him, he’s not here right now. Just do your part and don’t ask any other questions. Are we clear?”
Demetrius gaped at the former prime minister for a second, but he quickly snapped back to reality. “Very well, it shall be done,” he said crisply. “When do you need the wedding to be?”
“In a month at the latest,” Donovan said brusquely, giving the younger man a sharp look. “Don’t disappoint me, son,” he finished before rising from his chair and turning to leave.
“Yes, Father,” Demetrius answered dutifully as his eyes followed Donovan’s back until it disappeared behind the door.
Guess this must be fate. Lucky me, I’ll finally be a married man, and the world will be at peace, he thought sarcastically as he reclined in his seat, the first time he’d relaxed all day. Then, he poured himself another snifter of brandy and threw it back in one shot.
+++
The very next afternoon, Demetrius’ personal butler paid a visit to the Forger residence, bearing a fancy envelope embossed with the Desmond seal.
When the doorbell rang, Yor was showering and Loid was busy preparing dinner. Anya was still on her way home from Eden, where she worked as a guidance counselor.
“Coming!” Loid called out as he put down his knife and walked to the door, peeking through the peephole. He narrowed his eyes when he saw a smartly dressed young man holding up an envelope.
Who could this be? He thought curiously as he undid the chain and opened the door.
“Good evening, Dr. Forger,” the young man greeted with a wide smile as he presented the envelope with both hands. “My name is Luke Schwartz, and I’m here on behalf of my master, Mr. Demetrius Desmond.”
Demetrius Desmond? The name flashed in Loid’s mind like a bolt of lightning as he took the envelope gingerly.
For nearly two decades, he’d been observing Donovan Desmond as part of an ongoing operation to oust him for any serious crimes against humanity. However, the Desmonds were such an elusive family, and the Forgers hadn’t been able to get any major dirt on them even now, nearly two decades later. So why was Demetrius’ butler, of all people, suddenly at their door?
Could it be that they suspect me of being a spy? Loid panicked inside, but maintained his composure for appearance’s sake. Better test the waters just in case.
“May I ask what kind of business Mr. Desmond had with us?” Loid asked politely, offering a small smile to Luke.
“It’s all in that letter, Dr. Forger,” Luke responded almost too cheerfully. “He expects a response no later than the day after tomorrow. Good day to you, sir.” With that, the butler bowed before turning and leaving as quickly as he had come.
Something’s definitely fishy, but it doesn’t seem like the situation’s immediately hostile, Loid thought, mind blanking on alternative possibilities. Guess I’ll just have to read the letter and find out for myself.
After scanning the area to make sure no one was lurking nearby, Loid closed the door and carefully opened the envelope. Inside was a pristine card, also embossed with the shiny Desmond seal. As Loid read the contents, his eyes grew wider and wider until they nearly bulged out of their sockets.
When he reached the end, he dropped the card to the floor and fell to his knees, stunned. “No, it can’t be…” he muttered to himself just as Yor stepped out of the bathroom with her hair in a towel. When she saw her husband on his knees in the living room, she immediately rushed over.
“Loid? What’s wrong? Why are you on the floor?” Yor asked, brow furrowed in concern as she reached out to help him up. Just then, she saw the card and envelope on the ground. “And what’s this?”
Heaving a sigh, Loid allowed his wife to help him stand. His expression, however, remained grim. “Demetrius Desmond sent his butler here just now to deliver a message,” he said as he pointed to the letter. “He requests that we marry Anya to him within a month.”
“WHAT?” Yor yelped in surprise, making Loid wince. “I’m sorry, but I can’t believe it,” she said, dark eyes as wide as saucers.
“Me neither, but it’s all here,” Loid mumbled as he bent down to retrieve the card and handed it over to Yor, who inspected it front and back three times before finally looking back at him.
“We can’t let this happen,” she declared, the determination evident in her tone. “Anya deserves to choose her own husband. Plus, Demetrius is the current CEO of Desmond Group. Surely he has many other potential brides to choose from.”
Loid sighed again as he made his way to the couch and sank into it, burying his face in his hands. “I know I’ve always wanted to gain access to the Desmond family for the mission before. But ever since we learned the truth about each other ten years ago, we’ve become a real family. I care about Anya, and I don’t want her to be in danger by throwing her in the wolves’ den,” he said earnestly.
Yor sat beside him and patted his shoulder sympathetically. “Me too, Loid. Maybe we could come up with an excuse to refuse the proposal?” she said gently. “Like, we could tell them that Anya is planning to move abroad -”
“If we do that, the Desmonds will definitely be suspicious that Anya only moved because of the situation,” Loid cut in, his voice and expression both grave.
Just then, the front door flew open, and Anya stumbled inside. “I’m home!” she called out happily, kicking her shoes off at the entrance.
“Welcome home, Anya!” Yor responded, trying her best to sound cheerful as she continued patting Loid’s shoulder.
“What’s for dinner tonight, Mama?” Anya asked as she made her way to the couch where both her parents sat. Suddenly, she saw the state Loid was in and froze.
“Papa? Are you okay?” she asked, voice tinged with concern as she sat on his other side.
Yor hesitated for a moment before speaking. “Anya, dear. There’s something that your papa and I have to discuss with you,” she said solemnly.
Oh no. This can’t be good, Anya thought as she tried to read her parents’ minds. However, all that came out was a jumbled mess of words. All she could pick out were “Desmond” and “marriage.”
Yor cut right to the chase before Anya had a chance to ask. “Demetrius Desmond’s butler stopped by today. He delivered a proposal for you to become Demetrius’ bride in less than a month.”
Anya’s jaw dropped all the way to the floor upon hearing the news. Me? Become a Desmond? HA! She thought, mind spinning so much that she became dizzy. Taking a deep breath, she moved to the couch adjacent to the one her parents were on and tried her best to calm down.
“Did he say why he wanted me out of all the filthy rich women he could’ve married? We don’t even know each other apart from that one meeting all the way back in first grade!” Anya exclaimed, still not believing what she just heard.
To this, Yor narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “The letter says that the Desmonds want you because they admire your noble character, from what they saw back when you were at Eden,” she replied coolly, as if she also didn’t buy the line.
“Well, I’ll have to give them that,” Anya retorted cheekily, a sly grin spreading across her mouth. “I was noble enough to put up with their obnoxious second son for as long as I did.”
Yor giggled, not being able to resist Anya’s antics. “Can’t argue with that,” she murmured.
“Can I see the letter?” Anya asked, emerald eyes shining with a mixture of fear and curiosity.
Yor nodded as she handed the card to Anya, who practically snatched it out of her mother’s hands before reading it front to back, her eyes glued to the page. When she was done, she placed the card neatly back in its envelope and set it down on the coffee table.
“So…what do you think?” Yor asked hesitantly, darting her eyes from Anya to Loid.
“I also think something’s off, but we won’t know until we go see for ourselves,” Anya finally said evenly, a determined look in her eyes.
“And what does that mean?” Loid finally spoke in a tired voice, revealing his red-rimmed eyes behind his hands. “Are you saying you’re willing to endanger yourself to infiltrate the Desmond family?”
Anya nodded vigorously. “They set a trap for us, so we just take the bait and see what happens. I can do more digging into Donovan and send anything incriminating to you, Papa,” she said lightly. “Besides, I don’t think they know your true identities, or they’d be sending the SSS after us instead of proposing marriage. There must be something else at play here.”
Slowly, Loid nodded his head. What Anya just said made sense to him, but he still worried about her safety nonetheless. “I wonder why Demetrius was the one who asked for the marriage instead of Damian, considering that you used to be friends with him in school,” he said carefully, looking deep in thought.
Anya snorted at the mention of her old frenemy. “I wouldn’t say that Sy-on boy and I were ever truly friends. More like frenemies. That is, until he played a prank on me that I haven’t forgiven to this day,” she said darkly as she recalled the humiliating incident that changed their relationship forever.
At the end of senior year, Damian passed her a note in class saying to meet him at the garden after school because he had something he needed to tell her. Prom was only a few weeks away, and Anya had hoped that he’d ask her to go as his date. After more than a decade of childish teasing and bickering, she’d finally realized her own feelings for the hazel-eyed boy she’d initially only befriended for the mission.
However, luck would have it that Master Henderson chose her to help with classroom duties at the end of the day, making her late to their meeting. By the time Anya reached the garden, what awaited her was not the promposal of her dreams, but rather something more closely described as a sickening nightmare.
Damian stood under the willow tree as he said he would, but he was kissing another girl.
Anya would never forget the moment her heart shattered right in front of her. Unable to bear standing and staring like the fool she was, she held in her tears and ran away as fast as she could. Even when Damian chased after her to clear the so-called misunderstanding after seeing her run away, she didn’t look back even once.
From that day on, Anya Forger was no longer friends with or even an acquaintance of Damian Desmond. She ignored all of his attempts to reconcile and finished the last few weeks of school sequestered in her own little world, speaking to no one except for Becky. On the day of prom, she faked being sick so she didn’t have to see him there with the other girl. Then, the two of them parted ways for good after the graduation ceremony, with Damian leaving for university abroad the next day.
“Well, sounds like Demetrius might be the less problematic groom then,” Yor said, snapping Anya out of her memories.
“Yeah,” Anya agreed absentmindedly, willing every cell in her body to stop thinking about Damian and focus on the dire situation at hand.
“From what I’ve seen of him in the papers and through watching his interviews, he seems to be a polite person who’ll at least treat you with respect,” Loid admitted. “If you really decide to do this, you’ll have to have realistic expectations that he won’t ever love you the way you might’ve imagined,” he finished gently, the lines in his face deepening with concern.
Anya swallowed hard at her father’s blunt yet caring warning. “I know. It doesn’t really matter, because I’m only doing this to find out more about what the Desmonds have up their sleeves. I don’t have feelings for Demetrius at all, so that should be no problem. Actually, I’d prefer it if he leaves me alone so that I can do my digging in peace!” she exclaimed, smile so wide like she’d become the sun itself. “It’ll be the perfect spy mission for me!”
Loid and Yor exchanged glances, neither of them knowing how to respond to Anya’s unexpected enthusiasm. After a beat, they both nodded simultaneously and looked at their daughter with proud smiles.
“If you see it that way, then we’ll give it a shot,” Loid said with as much confidence as he could muster, but his aquamarine eyes radiated sadness all the same. “I’m used to being a spy first and foremost, but I still worry about your safety and happiness as your papa.”
“Same goes for me, Anya,” Yor echoed as she reached over to pet the top of the younger woman’s pink head. “You’re grown up now, but you’re still our daughter. If you sense that anything’s wrong, don’t hesitate to let us know, and we’ll find a way to get you out of there. The mission can always be done later if needed, but keeping your life is the most important thing. Okay?”
Hot tears welled up in Anya’s eyes. In that moment, she felt like the luckiest girl in the world to have two loving parents who adored her and worried for her, yet who allowed her to be her own person and experience life for herself. Suddenly, she felt an ache in her heart at having to leave her parents and truly start living on her own.
“I promise,” Anya sniffled, wiping the tears away with her sleeve. “But I’ll miss you both so much. What am I going to do without you?”
“Aw, come here,” Yor cooed as she came over beside Anya and wrapped her in a tight embrace. “You’ll be okay, darling. You’re brave and kind and always find the most creative ways out of sticky situations. Your papa and I have faith that you’ll be the best bride the Desmonds could ever ask for. Those people in their circle may be rich and powerful, but you have courage and heart. Never forget that.”
“Y-you really think so?” Anya whispered as she cozied herself on Yor’s shoulder, enjoying the way the older lady smoothed her hair. Just like old times.
“Of course,” Loid’s voice sounded from Anya’s other side. Before she knew it, Loid had sat beside her as well, eyes twinkling with a hint of mischief. “You’re Starlight Anya, after all. There’s nothing that Starlight Anya cannot do.”
Hearing the old nickname sent a current of warmth through Anya’s veins. Starlight Anya. The title she’d given herself whenever she’d accomplished a great feat.
Suddenly feeling a burst of motivation, Anya hugged both her parents and leapt up from the sofa, snatching the card up from the coffee table. “Then we can’t waste any time. I must send my reply immediately!” she declared before running into her room and shutting the door behind her with a loud slam!
This mission is going to be the hardest one I’ve ever done alone, but Starlight Anya is going to save the world no matter what! She resolved internally as she quickly found her best fountain pen and drafted a reply.