Chapter 169: Chapter 169: Second Copy
Everyone turned sharply. A girl with long pink hair was stepping toward the base, moving gently.
Mason frowned. "Impossible. I saw her yesterday. She didn’t leave. How can she be out again so fast? Does she... teleport?"
Everyone frowned at that thought. The girl was walking slowly, her steps soft like she was afraid of breaking the ground.
Elias narrowed his eyes, studying her. After a long moment, he shook his head. "That’s not Ivy."
Jonas turned to him. "What do you mean not Ivy? She has the same pink hair!"
"Yes, the hair is the same," Elias said calmly. "But the aura is wrong. Ivy feels like a heroine. A fighter. This girl... she looks gentle, fragile, like a flower that will break if the wind blows too strongly. She is not Ivy."
They all stared harder. And slowly, they saw it too. The girl was shy, her shoulders bent slightly, her eyes softer. She did not have the sharp, steady presence Ivy carried.
Griffin whispered, "Could it be... her sister?"
Victor’s eyes widened. "That would explain it. If Ivy has a sister, then at least you two will stop fighting."
Jonas scowled and clenched his fists. "No. I want Ivy, not her sister."
Elias glared at him. "Same here. I do not want a copy. I want the real one."
Their voices grew louder, and the air tensed.
Daniel finally rubbed his forehead and shouted, "Enough! Both of you, look at yourselves. With your current face and achievements, do you think Ivy will even look at you? You cannot even carry her shoes."
Victor, Mason, and Griffin nodded immediately. "He is right. You two are dreaming."
Jonas and Elias flushed red but said nothing. Deep inside, they knew it was true.
The pink-haired girl outside hurried into the base gates, her steps light and almost clumsy. They all watched her vanish inside.
Patricia stepped through the gates, her eyes wide. She had never seen a base like this before. It was not pretty like the old cities, not neat or fancy, but still, it had a strange beauty.
The grocery store was built and open to public and even from afar, Patricia could see rice, flour, tomato, potato, onion and milk being sold.
And then, more than a hundred apartments rose around her, tall rectangular blocks, though not lined evenly. They looked like giant toy bricks stacked by a child.
She whispered to herself, "It’s not perfect... but it’s strong. It’s real."
Her heart raced. She could almost picture how the rooms inside would look. A kitchen. A bed. A real door she could close at night without fear.
’It’s safe here. Really safe.’ But she held back her excitement and made herself calm. She joined the line leading to the registration office.
People around her whispered, staring at her pink hair. Patricia pretended not to notice.
When her turn came, she stepped forward. A woman sat behind the desk, writing on papers. She had sharp eyes and calm movements. Patricia guessed she must be important.
Martha lifted her head and looked right at her. Her eyes widened slightly, then narrowed. "Name?"
Because of Patricia’s pink hair, Martha subconsciously remembered her aloof, indifferent boss who had a certain kind of flirtatious charm in her.
Ivy was truly a beauty, and whenever Martha remembered her, Martha felt as if her eyes were cleansed. She was like an eye candy who, on seeing, everyone would feel very inarticulate and as well as relieved and thrilled.
Ivy was that kind of beauty. And hence, Martha was truly thrilled to work under her.
Even though only two days had passed since she had been acquainted with Ivy as her boss, Martha couldn’t help but rejoice at the fact that she had such a beautiful lady as her boss.
While looking at Patricia, Martha couldn’t help but frown.
For some reason, even though Patricia had similar hair to Ivy, she couldn’t measure up to Ivy. It wasn’t about beauty; it was primarily about the aura that each one of them carried.
The girl in front of her had a gentle, fragile kind of aura, while Ivy had an aloof, cool aura that made one feel that she was very mysterious and made everyone feel that they should get acquainted with her, as well as feel an innate likeness and admiration towards Ivy.
"Patricia," Patricia said politely, with a small smile. "I came to buy a permanent house."
Martha leaned back in her chair, arms crossed. "Permanent house? That is only allowed after a clean background check. Until then, I cannot give you the criteria."
Patricia tilted her head. "That’s fine," she said softly. Then, with a brighter smile, she added,
"But I think you should know... I am well acquainted with Ivy. She is... somewhat related to the leader of this base."
The pen in the woman’s hand froze. Her eyes sharpened. "You know Ivy?"
Patricia nodded, brushing her hair behind her ear. "Yes. We are... connected."
Martha studied her silently. Her thoughts swirled. ’Same hair as Ivy. But not the same feeling. Ivy has power, coldness, and mystery. This girl is soft. Too soft. But... could she be Ivy’s sister?’
Still, she did not show her doubts. "If that is the case," the woman said calmly, "then I will confirm with Ivy first. Please wait here."
Patricia nodded again, her smile never fading. "Of course. I will wait."
Martha stood and left, her heels clicking against the floor. As soon as she walked into the hall, she breathed out deeply.
She walked quickly to the main office and knocked lightly before entering.
Inside, Ivy sat at her desk, papers and designs spread before her. She was sketching something, a blueprint of what looked like bigger apartments. But her hand froze when she heard Martha’s words.
"A girl named Patricia has arrived," Martha explained. "She says she wants permanent residency. She also says she knows you."
Ivy’s head snapped up. "Patricia?" Her heart skipped a beat. She stared at her desk, her mind racing.
’Why is she here? She should be in the military base. Did something happen? Or... does she have news about Silas?’