Ethan’s POV:


    The Haxton estate sprawled across several acres of prime New York real estate, <b>a </b><b>testament </b><b>to </b>generations <b>of </b>wealth and power.


    <b>I </b>stood at the window of my private study, watching the security team patrol the grounds <b>with </b>military precision. Men and women in ck tactical gear moved efficiently through the gardens, their earpieces asionally catching the light from strategically cedndscaping fixtures.


    <b>A </b>soft knock interrupted my thoughts.


    “Come in,” I called.


    Connor entered with his characteristic efficiency, tablet in hand. Alexander followed behind him, looking more rested than he had in days, though concern still lingered in his eyes.


    “Sir,” Connor began, his expression slightly ufortable, “I have an update regarding Miss Morgan.”


    I nodded for him to continue.


    “She discovered our security detail,” Connor reported, a hint of embarrassment coloring his voice. “Actually, to be precise, she spotted them within twenty minutes of deployment.”


    Alexander chuckled beside me. “I told you she wasn’t ordinary.”


    “And?” I prompted.


    Connor cleared his throat. “To quote the team leader: ‘I think the ones who got scared were us, not her.‘ The girl apparently sensed their presence immediately, tracked them to their position, and confronted them directly.”


    I raised an eyebrow. Professional surveince operators don’t get “made” by high school students. This girl continued to defy expectations.


    “What did they do?” Alexander asked, leaning forward with interest.


    “They followed <b>protocol</b><b>,</b><b>” </b>Connor replied. “Oncepromised, they identified themselves <b>as </b><b>security </b>contracted by the Haxton family and exined they were there for her <b>protection</b><b>.</b><b>” </b>


    <b>1/5 </b>


    :>))


    30


    “And how did she respond to that?” I asked, increasingly curious about this young woman.


    Connor’s lips twitched slightly. “She said, and I quote: ‘So that’s where all the Haxton assets go – hiring bodyguards.”


    I frowned slightly. Was she implying Alexander’s payment had been insufficient?


    Alexander seemed to read my thoughts. “I only transferred one hundred grand because I didn’t want


    to rm a high school student with toorge a sum.” He paused. “I thought that is quite generous by


    Cloud City standards.”


    “Should we continue the surveince?” Connor asked, weighing our options.


    “Absolutely,” Alexander said firmly. “She may be remarkably observant, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t need protection. If those men are still looking for me, they could target her. We need to ensure her safety.”


    I considered this. The girl had saved Alexander’s life and subsequently found herself in da because of it. We owed her protection, at minimum.


    “Very well,” I agreed. “But perhaps a more discreet approach this time.”


    Alexander nodded, then sighed. “I wish I could go to Cloud City myself to thank her properly, but doctors have advised against travel for another week.”


    “Focus on your recovery,” I told him. “We’ll ensure Miss Morgan remains safe in the meantime.”


    Jade’s POV:


    “Jade! Jade, are you busy?”


    Max’s excited voice filtered through my bedroom door, apanied by his signature uneven knock – three quick taps, a pause, then two more.


    “Come in,” I called, setting aside the tactical nning document I’d been reviewing.


    The door swung open, and Max practically bounced into the room, his eyes alight with excitement despite thete hour. In his hands, he clutched a folder so tightly his knuckles were white.


    “What’s got you <i>so </i>worked up?” I asked, unable to suppress a small smile at his enthusiasm.


    <b>6:57 </b>Tue, Sep 16


    “This, he breathed, carefully cing the folder on my desk. “It’s a challenge problem. From Princeton University’s dean of physics and their president.”


    I raised an eyebrow, genuinely intrigued. “And?”


    “It’s impossible,” Max said, his voice dropping to an almost reverent whisper. “Nobody’s solved itpletely. It’s been out for eight months, and even Edward Sheldon – you know, the physics prodigy – even he’s been working on it for months without aplete solution.”


    I flipped open the folder, scanning the problem. It involved quantum entanglement principles, rtivistic effects, and theoretical applications that would make most physicists‘ heads spin. The equations were elegant in theirplexity.


    “Princeton promised that whoever solves it gets an automatic admission offer,” Max continued, his words tumbling out in a rush. “And potentially a research position at NASA’s Quantum Computing


    Division.”


    I hummed in acknowledgment, already mentally working through the problem’s initial parameters.


    “Do you think…” Max hesitated, then gestured vaguely at the papers. “I mean, it’s probab. advanced, but maybe we could work on it together? I’ve been trying to crack it for weeks, but-


    “Give me thirty minutes,” I said, pulling the folder closer.


    Max blinked. “What?”


    “Thirty minutes should be enough,” I repeated, already reaching for a notebook and pen. “Maybe


    less.”


    Max stared at me, his mouth slightly open. “Jade, did you hear what I said? The most brilliant physics minds in the country haven’t solved this in months.”


    I looked up at him, offering a small smile. “I heard you. Now, do you want this solved or not?”


    His expression cycled through disbelief, hope, and resignation. “Okay,” he finally said, backing toward the door. “I’ll… wait outside then?”


    I nodded, already immersed in the problem, my pen moving across the paper.


    Time alwayspressed when I worked onplex problems. In my previous life, I’d needed to understand advanced physics to calcte impossible shots, to predict how materials would interact


    80


    6:57 Tue, Sep 16


    ?


    with different forces, to know exactly how much explosive was needed to achieve specific results. This problem, while certainly challenging, fell well within my capabilities.


    Twenty–five minutester, I set down my pen and flexed my fingers. Six pages of dense mathematical notation spread before me, the final solution elegant in its simplicity despite theplex journey to reach it.


    “Max,” I called. “You cane back in.”


    The door flew open immediately. He must have been waiting with his ear pressed against it. His gaze immediately went to the notebook pages spread across my desk.


    “Did you…?” he began, unable to even finish the question.


    I handed him thepleted solution. “Check it if you want.”


    Max took the notebook with trembling hands, his eyes widening as he scanned the pages. I watched nd the as his expression transformed from skepticism to shock to outright awe. By the time he re final page, his hands were shaking so badly the papers quivered.


    “This is… this is…” he stammered, eyes huge behind his sses. “You solved it. You actually solved the quantum alignment paradox that Edward Sheldon couldn’t crack!”


    I shrugged, suppressing the urge to smile at his dramatic reaction.


    “Stop looking so shocked all the time. It’s really hard to deal with.” I reached out and gently pinched his cheek.


    “But this- he gestured wildly at the notebook, “-this is beyond genius–level work! This is… I don’t even have words for what this is!”


    “The principles are tooplex for your current level, though. You should wait until college to explore these areas more deeply.”


    Max nodded numbly, still staring at the solution like it was a religious artifact. He backed toward the door, cradling the notebook as if it were made of spun ss.


    “I’m going to… I need to check this against… just… thank you,” he stammered, disappearing into the hallway.


    Badass in Disguise