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"No beauty shines brighter than that of a good heart."

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The training for this undercover job was rigorous. Hours upon hours I would mix hundreds of drinks, I would recite my lies regarding my hidden identity until my tongue was numb, and of course I would get asked questions that I would most likely get while doing the job.

And the question at the top of the list just happened to be that one.

Why no social media?

It was an obvious question that I knew would be handed to me at some point because really, why didn't I have one? Everyone has social media these days wether it's to keep up with friends and family, to post half naked photos for male validation and then claim it's not and that it's 'just for me' - which is a load of bull - or simply to document life experiences to convince the world that life wasn't boring.

And you know who doesn't have social media? The older generation who hardly know how to use it, people with something to hide, people who are trying to hide, and introverts - but even they lurk every once in awhile out of curiosity.

I could have easily gone with option three, trying to hide. I could've said — hiding from a crazy ex, hiding from a controlling family, etc. but that could lead to many questions afterwards like; 'Why?' 'What did they do?' 'What did you do?'... and when it comes to undercover jobs it's best to be as simple as possible and not draw too much attention.

Now I actually happen to be number two, but he can't know that. So luckily, I came prepared with a response to this question - earning me my own category which doesn't beg any follow-up questions.

I looked away from the laptop and met his curious blue eyes, then I smiled, "Well if you must know, I don't have any because I'm not a fan of social media," I shrugged, "I had one for awhile at some point but I got tired of all these fake people posting their edited photos and these fake lives to appear more interesting, when in reality they're just as normal and boring as the rest of us." I explained and his expression turned into one of intrigue, "So yeah call me old school, but life just feels more fun and less pressured when I'm not feeling the need to compare myself to anyone online." Each word left my lips with confidence, and not once did I stutter. And what makes this lie the best, is that it's not entirely a lie. Yes I had social media before, but I never really used it for those exact reasons.

And the way Anakin was looking at me, I can only describe it as fascination. Which made me feel smug, knowing he believed every carefully constructed word, "That's an interesting take, I never thought about it like that. You never fail to fascinate me (y/n)." He smirked while putting emphasis on fascinate.

"I hope that's a good thing," I leaned back in the chair and crossed my legs. I saw his eyes drop to the skin that was exposed due to my skirt riding up my thigh a little higher. But he looked away as quickly as he could; either out of respect or worry of being caught ogling. I'm not sure when it comes to him, he seems so —different. Obviously he's human and us humans are all sexual beings so of course he's going to look, but he has never once done it in a way that made me want to cower away and prepare my mace.

"It is," He responded with a shy smile.

Shy... maybe this crush is actually a good thing if it helps him be less suspicious of me since he's too busy admiring me.

"But now I have a question," I said and he gestured for me to speak my mind, "Why were you looking for me, boss?" I tilted my head with a growing smile, and it wasn't hard to notice his cheeks tinting into a rosy red.

"Um," He cleared his throat as he turned the laptop back around, "I wasn't- I mean I was but not for what you're thinking," He waved his hand as he awkwardly adjusted his position in the chair. I made him feel nervous, making him just a little easier to manipulate, "I always look up my new employees, it helps me learn more about who I have around me." He finally said, this time his voice calmer and less filled with nerves.

"Well you can learn more about me the old fashioned way, just ask." I shrugged with a bit of a flirty smile - might as well use it to my advantage.

He shyly laughed as he dropped his head down and closed his laptop, "Noted Ms.Winters, um you're free to go now by the way - sorry to bother you with a stupid question."

"It's not stupid, it's basic human nature to be curious about things that fall out of our norms," I uncrossed my legs and stood up from the chair, "And you can call me (y/n) you know, Ms.Winters feels too formal for my taste."

His infatuated eyes followed me as I stood, "What are you studying in school again?"

"Psychology and communications," I responded. That was actually something I wanted to study at some point, but switched to to criminal justice at the last minute.

Maybe I'll do that in another lifetime.

He nodded with a hum, "It shows in your words, you speak with such grace and intelligence, if that makes sense."

"It does." I smiled. I get that a lot, since I really did study communications while in high school when it was offered.

"Alright, I'll leave you to go back to work before I get a call from Piett for keeping you, seeing as it's a busy night," He chuckled as he slid a few papers in front of him, "And remember to stay away from Clovis. Avoid and don't talk to him, Piett will take care of his bottle service for the rest of the night."

"Yes sir, and can I bother you with one more question before I go?" I asked.

Now that we were on decent terms, I was starting to feel more comfortable to approach him about certain things. That doesn't mean I'm going to run up and start bombarding him with a million questions, that would be going too far and pushing my luck. But asking little things here and there is a great start and I happen to have a question that's been bothering me.

"You're no bother (y/n), ask away."  He gestured with a pen in his hand as he leaned into his chair that creaked with his movements.

"Earlier when Ahsoka was warning me about Clovis, she said something that was very vague and I wanted to know what it means," I began and took a small pause when I noticed his jaw clench at the mention of either his sister, or Clovis - possibly both. He might be having a bit of a reminder of what Clovis said about her earlier which was completely out of line and I'm surprised Clovis doesn't have a bullet to the head, "She said that he's no stranger to taking what he wants." I emphasized, "What did she mean by that? And should I be worried about my well-being when he's around?" The worried damsel card, works every-time.

(TW: Mentions of sexual abuse, no details)

Immediately he shook his head, "No, you'll be okay. I wouldn't let him do anything to you, nor would Piett or any of the bouncers here." He assured me with a stern gaze, "And as for that," He sighed, disturbance followed by loathing flashed across his features before he continued , "There was an incident here awhile back involving him and a dancer that I hired for one of the Sunday night special event parties. She said no and he was having trouble with his hearing apparently," He spoke the words low, like he was afraid of the affect they'd have on me, "But it won't ever happen again."

"So he-"

Anakin held his hand up before I could finish, "I put a stop to it when I learned what was happening. She's okay, but was traumatized into into changing her profession." He dropped his hand down, "I'm paying for her school too, it's my way of trying to make amends since I blamed myself in a way." He sighed.

"You're a good guy," I said without thinking, and honestly, I meant it. Yeah he's most likely participating in money laundering and what-not, but he doesn't strike me as a bad person. Or at least not as bad as I was led to believe.

He smiled, "You say that like you're surprised. Should I be offended?"

"No," I laughed with a head shake, "I guess I just didn't expect you to have such a kind side, being the big boss and all."

His smile slightly faltered, but he remained holding a half-smile, "I have many sides, you'll learn soon enough." He said low as he broke our eye contact and glanced down to his paperwork. I took that as our conversation coming to end.

"I'm gonna go now and don't be afraid to call me if you want a refill on your water," I emphasized, letting him know that's the only drink I plan to bring him.

He didn't say anything, but I saw his lips tug into a smile as I exited his office before gently closing the door behind me.

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One of the worst jobs to do when it's clean-up time, is taking out the trash. Normally Piett would do it or even one of the bouncers, but unfortunately they were occupied with getting Clovis and his drunk, high, friends out of the club. I guess in a way, he's also taking out the trash.

So now it was up to me since Ahsoka thinks we're in high school and saying 'not it' is valid. And thank the gods I was a strong woman because some of these bags were so heavy you would think that there was a body in some of them.

I kicked open the back door that lead into the alley where the dumpsters were and threw the bags outside one at a time. Although this sucks,
it was giving me one hell of a work-out and working out is something that I've missed doing.

I left the the door open as I picked up the bags and took them over to the dumpster where I dropped them in. Instantly, I was hit with a god awful smell that rose bile to the back of my throat, but I swallowed it down and continued throwing the bags away with a scrunched nose.

This dumpster smells awful, like worse than any dumpster I've been around. And being a cop who has been in a few foot-chases before, I've found my fair share of perps hiding in dumpsters which is the most clique place to hide. But you know low-level criminals, they aren't exactly the brightest.

But anyways, this smell didn't smell like those at all. In fact, it actually reminded me of a crime scene I was at one time where- I paused when realization slapped me in the face and I dropped the bag I was holding onto the concrete floor.

(TW: Death)

I quickly dug into my apron and pulled out a small flashlight, and lit the inside of the dumpster. I moved it around in my search, hoping I wasn't going to find what I think I was going to find. But that hope was very short-lived when the light crossed over a face.

"Oh fuck," I whispered when my theory switched over into a fact.

There was a body, and not just any body. But this was the same man from yesterday that Anakin had threatened when he was refusing to pay for his drink.

So I guess my criminal boss isn't as kind as I thought.

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If you're wondering how she could be so calm over seeing a dead body, remember she's a cop and has seen dozens. Anyways I hope you liked it! I actually had fun writing this one hehe❤️
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