here were way too many $ 55 - level missions , and Shermaine couldn't be bothered to read through them all , She just picked the one with the highe reward . All it said was the bounty - three million dollars - and that they needed someone with expertise in energy tech . The specific details of each task weren't disclosed upfront . Everything was highly confidential and required signing a non - disclosure agreement , Violating that agreement came with serious consequences . Shermaine chose to accept the task , and right after , a confidentiality agreement popped up . She agreed to sign it . Right after that , the task issuer , Jaden Booth , reached out . Once their profiles were shared , they both realized they were Wallingtonians . Jaden : [ Bro , Tlooked at your mission history . only taken D - level gigs . Are you sure you didn't click the wrong one ? ] Shermaine : [ I didn't . What's the mission ? ] Jaden : [ You don't even have a certified energy tech expert badge on the Tech Forum . ] Shermaine : [ I'm just lazy . ] Jaden wondered , ' Wait , is this some kind of hidden pro ? ' That task had been sitting up there forever. Plenty of seasoned tech pros had tried to take it , but none had been able to complete it and claim the reward . Failure meant a deduction in score , and the higher the score , the more capable a person was considered . But for SSS - level tasks , even a top - tier score couldn't guarantee safety . One failure could reset everything to zero . If the score wasn't high enough to cover the penalty , the account would be terminated , and all accumulated reputation would be lost with it . Jaden : [ Alright , I'll be straight with you . Our engineering lab discovered a new kind of nuclear energy . The problem is , we've been stuck for ages on designing micro - scale sensor units - like , smaller than a human body - that can actually work . ] They'd discovered a new type of nuclear energy that could wirelessly connect hundreds of micro - sensors - something with serious military potential . These sensors were so small they couldn't even be seen with the naked eye , and they could detect chemical agents even in the harshest environments . If they picked up on any chemicals they weren't supposed to , the sensors could ping a central hub , letting people locate chemical weapons without ever stepping foot on - site . They could also be used inside factories to detect trace amounts of harmful chemicals or gas leaks . Shermaine : [ Send me the data on the new energy . ] Jaden sent the file over . Shermaine opened it up , skimmed for five minutes , then figured this three million dollars was as good as hers . Shermaine replied : [ I'm in . Is there a deadline ? ] Jaden : [ Nope . But if you can't pull it off , just cancel the mission yourself . ] After that , Shermaine didn't reply . She logged out , / shut the laptop , flopped onto her bed , turned off the lights , and went to sleep . It was late anyway , and she figured she'd need to be fully recharged to really dive into the project tomorrow . As for Jaden , he didn't hold out any hope for someone who'd only ever taken D - level gigs . When he saw she hadn't messaged back , he closed the dashboard and pulled up a soap opera on a streaming platform . When the leads got torn apart by fate and tragedy , he grabbed a tissue and bawled his eyes out . 1/4 Chapter 17 The next day, over at the Basterel University engineering research lab , Professor Sheldon Wendell walked in and asked Jaden , did mission ? Jaden , his eyes puffy from all the crying , was in the middle of an experiment . " Professor Wendell , someone did last night " Sheldon asked , " Are they any good ? " Jaden rubbed his nose . " Seemed pretty average . " " Alright , Sheldon thought , his face stiffening . ' There are so many tech geniuses out there . Is there really no one who can help us finish this damn groundbreaking research ? ' At 7 a.m. , the sky was a clear , cloudless blue . Shermaine , who'd stayed up late , was jolted awake by the sound of her phone ringing . It was a call from Jay . Still half - asleep , she reached for the phone with her eyes closed and answered , " Hello ? " Jay's voice was shaky . " Sheary , there's an extra 2.3 million dollars in my account . Did you send it ? " Shermaine said , " Yeah . It's for building you guys some villas ." Jay wondered , ' I knew it . ' He was overwhelmed . 2.3 million wasn't just pocket change . When he saw the transfer , his eyes had practically popped out of his head . He'd never seen that much money in his life . When Shermaine came back , she'd mentioned something about building a high - tech farm and pulling them out of poverty so they could live a comfortable life . They'd just nodded along at the time , not taking it seriously . But it turned out that Shermaine actually meant it . Jay , still worried , asked , " Sheary , where did you even get that kind of money ? " Shermaine replied , " I earned the three hundred thousand . The two million came from my annoying father . " She opened her eyes and sat up in bed . " Jay , just use it . Don't worry about it . " Jay suddenly understood . He'd heard that not long after Shermaine arrived in Basterel , she'd reunited with her birth family . But beyond that , he hadn't really asked for details . But in Basterel , most locals were either filthy rich or born into privilege . A few million dollars probably didn't even make them blink . And to the Jean family , two million was practically nothing . But that wasn't what Jay cared about . He asked , " Are they treating you well ? " " My brother's great . " Shermaine didn't bring up her so - so parents as she figured there was no point worrying Jay over that . She added , " Jay , just use the money . Once I start making more , I'll keep wiring it to your account . The amounts will only go up . " I already sent the farm's design plans to Troy's phone . He knows how to build houses and has some experience with renovation work . If you're short on help , hire people from the town . Don't make the older guys in the village work too hard . " Jay was deeply moved . " Got it . " They had only raised Shermaine for several years , but never imagined that , a few years later , she would give back this much . After getting up , Shermaine didn't linger in bed . She washed up , went for a morning run , and came back to find that Mariam had already made breakfast . The spread was generous , and Joshua was already dressed in a sharp suit , sitting at the table eating . 2/4 Chapter 17 Out of courtesy , Shermaine greeted him , " Good morning . " Joshua replied , " Good morning . " Shermaine smiled briefly , then turned and went upstairs for another shower . She was a bit of a clean freak . After sweating from her run , she had to shower and change into fresh clothes before she could sit down to eat in peace . By the time she came back downstairs , Joshua had already left for the office . After breakfast , Shermaine took a plate of fruit salad upstairs and got to work . Time always flew when she was in work mode . Near noon , Mariam came knocking on the door . Shermaine said , " Come in . " Mariam pushed the door open and stepped inside , only to find Shermaine typing away with a rhythm so precise it almost sounded like she was playing piano . The screen was filled with a mess of data and symbols Mariam couldn't begin to make sense of . Mariam paused for a beat , then lowered her gaze . " Ma'am , your mother is here . " Only then did Shermaine lift her head and say flatly , " Okay . " In the living room , Ruth sat upright on the couch , dressed stylishly . Maybe it was because this was Joshua's place that , even in his absence , she still felt uncomfortably tense . Mariam poured her a cup of coffee . " Mrs. Jean , would you like some coffee ? " " Yes , thank you , " Ruth said . Mariam gave a smile . It was a while before Shermaine finally came downstairs . She flopped lazily onto the couch across from Ruth and asked , " Mom , what brings you here ? " Ruth forced a smile . " I just said yesterday I'd take you out for a bit . You already forgot ? " Honestly , Shermaine had . If Ruth hadn't brought it up , it wouldn't have crossed her mind . Just as Shermaine was about to speak , something brushed up against her foot . Instinctively , she lifted her leg and kicked . There was a loud clang . Shermaine looked down and realized she might've just busted something in Joshua's house . She silently apologized in her head . Mariam , thinking something had broken , rushed over to check . She found that it was the high - end robot vacuum Joshua had bought at a steep price . She bent down to take a look and tried restarting it , but it didn't respond at all . Shermaine asked , " Is it broken ? " " Looks like it , " Mariam said with a troubled expression . " That was an Al smart vacuum Mr. Joshua York bought overseas for a high price . Not sure where it got damaged , or if it's even fixable . " Shermaine wondered , ' For a high price ? It looks pretty average to me .' She remarked calmly , " Take it up to my room . I'll fix it myself tonight when I have time . I was the one who broke it , after all ." Mariam thought , ' Can something this high - tech really be fixed that easily ? ' She hesitated . " Ms. Shue , are you sure you can handle it ? " " I'm sure . " Shermaine's tone was full of confidence : Not only could she fix it , but she could also upgrade this robot while she was at it . Ruth found her attitude completely inappropriate - too smug , too blindly confident . She wondered , ' Where does she even get the nerve to act this cocky ? 214 ។ rii , 30 Midy Chapter 17 I don't know what Joshua sees in her . Fine . Let her keep messing things up . ' The more chaos she causes , the sooner Joshua will realize she's nothing but a useless troublemaker , I just have to give him a little nudge . Once he sees her for what she is , this engagement will fall apart on its own . ' Mariam had no choice but to carry the robot upstairs . Only then did Shermaine ask Ruth , " So where exactly are you taking me ? " Ruth said , acting all mysterious , " Just come with me . "