Badass in Disguise


    <b>Chapter </b><b>162 </b>


    <b>58 </b>


    Archer followed Linda toward a small, dpidated house with peeling paint and a sagging front porch. Paint ked from the wooden siding like dead skin, and the front steps creaked dangerously under his weight.


    His assistant Dave followed with a leather portfolio tucked under his arm, carefully navigating the uneven walkway.


    The house’s interior matched its exterior in neglect. The walls had once been white but were now yellowed with age and cigarette smoke. Cracked linoleum flooring peeked through worn patches in the cheap carpet. Tools and


    misceneous junk were piled in corners, creating an obstacle course through the living space.


    Oddly, a brand–new refrigerator and t–screen TV stood out among the decay, looking as out of ce as Archer


    himself.


    “Sorry about the mess,” Linda said with a nervousugh as she unlocked the door. “If I’d known someone like you


    wasing, I would’ve tidied up a bit.”


    “Please, have a seat,” Linda gestured to a sagging couch. “Can I get you some coffee?”


    Archer nodded politely, observing that despite the house’s condition, Linda wore rtively decent clothes and several pieces of fake gold jewelry. Her bleached blonde hair was freshly done, her nails manicured – priorities


    clearly different from home maintenance.


    “So, Mr. Sullivan,” Linda’s voice pitched higher with obvious excitement, “are you here about buying the building?


    We’ve heard rumors about redevelopment in the area.”


    “Not exactly,” Archer replied, identally bumping his knee against aundry basket on the floor. Clean clothes spilled out, revealing that the cramped space wasn’t due tock of square footage but rather extreme


    disorganization.


    Before he could exin further, a door down the hallway creaked open. A teenage girl with disheveled hair and a scowl emerged, rubbing sleep from her eyes despite it being nearly noon on a weekday.


    “Mom, what’s with all the noise?” she grumbled.


    Linda’s pleasant facade instantly cracked. “Emily, for God’s sake, go back to your room. Why are you still sleeping? It’s almost noon!”


    Emily ignored her mother, eyeing Archer and Dave suspiciously. “Who are they?”


    “Emily! Room! Now!‘ Linda’s voice rose sharply.


    The girl stomped back to her room, mming the door, though Archer noticed it didn’t fully close. A shadow remained in the crack, suggesting she was listening.


    “I apologize for my daughter,” Linda said, her smile returning as she handed Archer a chipped mug of instant coffee.


    17:14 Wed, Sep 24 <b>B </b>


    “Teenagers, you know how they are.”


    “Shouldn’t she be in school today?” Archer asked casually, setting down the untouched coffee.


    “Oh, she’s not feeling well,” Linda waved dismissively. “Stomach bug going around.”


    “And your husband? Is he home?”


    Linda’s face tightened. “Frank? No, he’s at work.”


    ??))


    “I understand you have three children, Mrs. Morgan,” Archer continued. “Two daughters who are twins, and a son?”


    Linda’s smile faltered. “You’re here about Jade, aren’t you?” Her tone had lost its enthusiasm. “What’s she done


    now?”


    <b>58 </b>


    “Nothing at all,” Archer assured her. “I simply met her recently and was… curious about her family.”


    “Well, there’s not much to tell. We’re simple people, Mr. Sullivan.” Linda’s fingers nervously twisted her fake gold


    bracelet.


    “I noticed your daughter Emily just now,” Archer observed. “She and Jade don’t look much alike for twins.”


    Lindaughed too loudly. “They’re what you call fraternal twins or something. That TV show said… what was it… dizygotic! That’s it. Plus, that bitch used to be fat. Just lost weight this past summer.”


    “Bitch?” Archer raised an eyebrow.


    Linda’s face flushed. “Mr. Sullivan, what exactly do you want? Why are you really here?”


    Archer nodded to Dave, who opened his portfolio and ced several documents on the coffee table.


    Max Morgan limped slightly as he made his way down the high school hallway toward his locker. Opening it, he pulled out his old phone, which he kept there specifically to avoid carrying it. The screen showed thirty–seven missed calls – twenty–three from his mother and fourteen from Emily,


    ‘<b>Jesus</b>,‘ he muttered, scrolling through the barrage of text messages demanding he call home immediately.


    This was exactly why he’d bought a new phone with a number only Jade and Jade knew. The daily harassment had be unbearable.


    The phone vibrated in his hand. His father’s name shed on the screen.


    “Dad? What’s going on? Mom’s blowing up my old phone.”


    :


    ??))


    58


    Frank Morgan’s voice sounded tired. “Max, I need to tell you something important. Your mother and I… we’re getting


    a divorce.”


    Max leaned against his locker, closing his eyes.


    In her luxury apartment across town, Jade was working on herptop when her phone rang. Seeing Max’s name, she answered immediately.


    “Mom and Dad are getting divorced,” Max said without preamble.


    “I see.” Jade closed herptop. “What are the terms?”


    “Mom wants fifty thousand dors cash, full ownership of the house, and…” Max’s voice faltered, “custody of me.”


    Jade let out a softugh. “And what do you want, Max?”


    “I don’t know,” Max admitted.


    “Listen carefully,” Jade said, her voice calm and measured. “You have options. If you don’t want them to divorce, stay out of it. If you want Dad to be free from her, I can make that happen. And if you want to live with me, I can arrange that too. But right now, your priority should be your Princeton application.”


    “Got it.”


    Frank Morgan sat in his battered pickup truck outside the workce, tears welling in his eyes as he spoke to his son.


    I’m sorry, Max. I failed you kids. Couldn’t give you the life you deserved.”


    “Dad, you did your best,” Max assured him. “You never yed favorites like Mom does. You treated us all equally.”


    ‘Your sister Jade… is she doing okay? I worry about her.”


    “She’s amazing, Dad. You wouldn’t believe how well she’s doing.”


    Frank sniffled, wiping his eyes. “That’s great.”


    “Dad,” Max said firmly, “you deserve to be happy. If divorcing Mom will give you a chance at a better life, do it. Start


    over.”


    Frank’s voice broke. “You’re a good son, Max. When you go to Princeton, you listen to your sister, you hear me? Jade knows what she’s doing.”


    17:14 Wed, Sep 24 <b>B</b>…


    As Max hung up, he stared at his phone, wondering how his dysfunctional family had produced someone as extraordinary as Jade.


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