( Luke's POV )
As Luke and Amanda rushed to work, their worst fears were immediately realized when the people around them recognised the pair as Leo's acquaintances.
"Hey, aren't you the guys who always hang out with the number two player Leo Skyshard? Where is he? Where is Leo?"
"Do you know what his secret is? If you tell me what his secret is, I'll spend MP to buy you a delicious meal...Did you know that they have Pizza's in this arc ship? For 0.4MP you can have a nice warm pizza~
Tell me his secret and I'll share half with you-"
"Heyya girl~ aren't you the pretty one that Leo hangs out with everyday….. is he your man? If not please introduce me to him, do this sister a favor"
Luke and Amanda became practically buried in requests almost as soon as they showed up for work and they weren't even Leo himself.
Thankfully, the two of them had the foresight to force Leo to take a leave of absence for the day, as there was no way in hell that this wild crowd was ever going to leave him in one piece without trying to figure out the reason behind why he suddenly shot up to the number two spot in the rankings had he shown up for work today.
In reality, not even Luke or Amanda knew why Leo suddenly shot up to the number two spot, as during the limited conversation that they had, they could not ask Leo about it and hence when the two of them said that they had no idea about any of Leo's secrets, they were actually not lying at all.
"SILENCE, EVERYONE, SILENCE-" The sector C supervisor finally screamed, when things seemed to be getting out of control, as the entry of Luke and Amanda in the attendance queue seemed to have disrupted operations completely.
He had not faced such pure chaos ever before, as usually everyone took their work behavior very seriously and tried not to antagonize their superior.
"Nobody will bother those two about Leo Skyshard anymore.
My attendance register shows that Leo has taken a leave of absence today and we will end today's topic at that.
Now queue up properly and in pin drop silence, or else I shall start deducting performance grades" The supervisor threatened as the sector D workers instantly fell back in queue once threatened with performance grade deductions.
Thankfully, his timely intervention saved Luke and Amanda from awkward interactions with the crowd, as many around them did not seem prepared to believe that they genuinely had no idea as to what Leo's secret was, and seemed to be ready to resort to extreme measures to get Luke and Amanda to admit it.
With the supervisor's intervention however, things became orderly once again, as the queue moved forward and everyone was assigned their roles for the day.
"Luke… my best worker…. Stay around for a bit longer, I'll assign you your work later" the supervisor said when it was Luke's turn for roll call, as he gave him a side wink while muttering these words.
Luke cringed internally when he saw this, as he understood that the supervisor wanted a favor from him, however, he was helpless to deny his request.
Obediently waiting on a side, Luke received disdainful gazes from the rest of his sector D workers, who were now convinced that he was a power whore who had sold out to the supervisor in exchange for his own safety.
While the supervisor let even Amanda go, he held Luke back till the end, as only after the two of them were alone, did he reveal his true intentions.
"Luke, my most valuable worker…. Have I told you how much I appreciate your work?" The supervisor said, grinning widely towards Luke, as somehow his selfish smile made Luke's stomach churn in disgust.
"While the others might not notice, I certainly notice on this roll call list that your name is listed as 'Luke Skyshard' as in the same 'Skyshard' as 'Leo Skyshard' and the two of you seem to be acquainted as well.
Which leads me to believe that you are brothers…." The supervisor said, as Luke let out a deep sigh.
Shifting uncomfortably on his feet, Luke looked around, as the emptiness of the attendance ground around him coupled with this intense conversation, made him feel exposed.
He was indeed Leo's brother and denying it outright would be stupidity, however, he did not wish to admit it either as he nervously tried to avoid eye-contact, hoping to deflect the underlying question in the supervisor's statement.
The supervisor continued, seemingly oblivious to Luke's discomfort. "Imagine, Luke, what a little bit of shared knowledge could do for your standing here. Leo's secrets, his strategies—just think about the doors that could open for you."
Luke maintained a neutral expression when he heard this statement, though his mind raced in panic.
"I'm not sure what you mean, sir. I really don't have any special information." He said, hoping to end the conversation here, however, failing to do so.
The supervisor smiled listening to his response, as he continued in a silky smooth tone "Oh, come now, Luke. A smart man like you? You should KNOW how much I can help you.
Perfect evaluations everyday…. The best and easiest deployments…. I can do a lot for you-" he paused, letting the implication hang in the air for a moment before adding, "There could be a nice bonus in it for you. Or perhaps some other perks you'd find...
beneficial." He said, his gaze suggesting an array of unspoken promises, each one more enticing than the last, prompting Luke to take a deep breath, as he chose his next words carefully.
"Honestly, sir, I don't have the insights you think I do. Leo hasn't shared those with me yet-." Luke confessed, as he tried to decline the supervisor's offer as politely as he could.
The supervisor studied him for a long moment and then nodded slowly.
"Very well, Luke, I'll not pestet you anymore today. But remember, my offer stands. Should you find yourself remembering something worthwhile, you know where to find me." He said, before walking away as Luke felt the weight of the conversation settling on his shoulders.
The patience of the supervisor was thin and while he met Luke today dangling the carrot with patience.
Should Luke not cooperate with him, he would soon use the stick and start reducing his evaluations on purpose.
Because of Leo, he now found himself in deep, tricky waters that undoubtedly needed to be traversed very carefully.
'Oh Leo, what a mess have you created?' Luke wondered, as he felt enraged at Leo's stupidity for creating a gaming ID under his real name.
He tried to justify Leo's decision with a rational mind, however, no matter how hard he tried to justify it, he couldn't help but feel that his brother was truly dumb for creating a gaming ID under his real name, as no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't justify Leo's choice at all.
'Well, now I understand why you lied to me saying your name is Jin Mu….. although it sounds like a name for a fat panda, it's still better than using your real name for your gaming ID' Luke thought, as he came to terms with why Leo lied to him previously.