CHAPTER 5: NCEZID

Jamarion's expression filled with delight as he saw the gloom that enveloped Daniel. Jamarion Massey laughed like crazy: “Now save the best words for our wedding ceremony. Naomi will choose for you a neat and decent outfit. That day, come and find a girl! Don't handle it on your own anymore, Daniel! Let your boy find something new, not your hand. God bless you!”

Jamarion felt so good that he downed his glass of wine and tried to throw another one to his heart's content. Naomi Williamson continues to talk about her auspicious and romantic marriage journey with Jamarion Massey.

The long trips and the warm and sweet honeymoon that Naomi paints make Daniel uncomfortable. Naomi Williamson's and Jamarion Massey's smiles were embedded in the faint food smoke like an earthquake that struck Daniel Lopes's heart.

Very soon, Jamarion Massey grabbed Naomi Williamson's hand and pulled her outside because a phone call that seemed quite mysterious had darkened his face. Daniel Lopes didn't notice, but Millie sensed something was wrong.

Jamarion kept cowardly hiding from the person on the phone: “I'll do my best. Surely I will never let the Director down. The director believes in me! This is very easy. Everything will be okay.”

Naomi kept holding on to Jamarion's arm. Millie Williamson shook her head, turned to pat Daniel Lopes on the shoulder, and said: "It's time for you to accept this, Daniel."

He looked at Millie Williamson, who was smiling happily at Jamarion. In an instant, Daniel understood that no matter how hard he tried, she would never be by his side as the lover he had always wanted. Daniel nodded softly and fell into silence.

Naomi Williamson just walked into the bathroom to put on her makeup, even though he knew the food here was the main factor. Millie Williamson had to answer the phone from her superiors. Only Daniel Lopes and Jamarion Massey were left sitting across from each other with his extreme awkwardness.

Of course, Jamarion couldn't pass up the chance to sarcastic, tease, and test Daniel's last patience. Jamarion spoke loudly enough for Daniel Lopes and those around him to hear as clearly as possible.

Jamarion said: “Come on, Daniel, you know well enough that your life is a pile of crushing defeats. You can see that everything you dream of is finally in my hands. You better learn to accept that as a fact of life!"

Daniel Lopes was furious, clenched his fists, ready to attack Jamarion: “You son of a bitch! You better keep your mouth shut! Or I'll stuff all the Tabasco vials here in your ass!"

His gaze was fierce enough to make Jamarion Massey momentarily down. But right after that, he laughed again and rushed to grab Daniel Lopes by the collar and shove him up high.

Jamarion looked deep into Daniel's eyes and gritted his teeth: "Either you learn to accept reality... or you learn to let go... some things will never belong to you."

Suddenly, Daniel's eyes became darker than ever. Before Jamarion could get over his shock, Daniel suddenly grabbed his wrist forcefully. He exerted enough force to push Jamarion Massey down. He closed his eyes in pain. Daniel chuckled and looked at Jamarion Massey.

Daniel gently grabbed Jamarion's shiny hair and whispered: "Looks like you've forgotten the evening of your happy eighteenth birthday, haven't you? Jamababy… right? Do you need me to tell this to Naomi, Jamababy?"

Daniel's words immediately had a radical effect in quelling Jamarion Massey's grotesque attitude. Jamarion was shocked, his eyes widening at Daniel. Jamarion's face became increasingly haunted and filled with fear. Jamarion's eyes fell into a bottomless pit of chaos.

Jamarion was silent, turning his face the other way. As soon as Naomi and Millie returned, the atmosphere was rather strange. Naomi didn't want to see Jamarion and Daniel fighting again like last time. Naomi did not want to prolong the date, so she said goodbye to Daniel and promised to see him again at the wedding.

At this time, Jamarion asked Millie to take Naomi home because Jamarion had urgent work at the company to deal with. Millie Williamson replied, “No way! I also have urgent work. Or is…"

“It's okay, boys! I can't expect the three of you to bring me home with all the wine I've been drinking. The taxi is coming!” Naomi smiled. She didn't want to get involved with Daniel Lopes.

Daniel, Naomi, and Millie realized that Jamarion's face was completely different. He became strangely scared and worried. But no one wanted to mention it to make him more awkward.

Naomi Williamson and Jamarion Massey all said their goodbyes and left. Millie was just about to leave when she suddenly saw Daniel Lopes's sad face, so she said: "Hey, do you want to come with me or not? There's a rather serious case going on to your liking."

Daniel Lopes was about to refuse, but Millie Williamson dragged him to the car. A silver-gray car also started up from a distance, slowly following behind.

Millie Williamson appeared cheerful, always smiling at Daniel Lopes, trying to save Daniel's miserable mood. Millie said: “We're going to the Los Angeles airport together. We can roam around as we please if we're done early."

Daniel Lopes looked at Millie Williamson with grateful eyes. He said, "I'm just afraid of disturbing your work. But you don't think the CDC has to work all the time, do you? Ever since the epidemic passed, they seem to have been working administrative shifts.”

“Don't talk like you have a lot of free time! Virus little devils never have the concept of office hours or morning and evening shifts." Millie chuckled. She recalled the time Daniel Lopes had helped her at work.

That made her always feel obliged to repay him, more or less. Millie only regrets that Naomi - her sister, is always the one who makes Daniel heartbroken.

"Come on! You've raised your opinion about the CDC too much. If your agency had done the right thing, America wouldn't have been in a disaster for a year." Daniel Lopes tilted his head sarcastically.

Millie laughed, finally able to distract him from Naomi's business: “God, you're so mad at me! Anyway, I'm just a moron. But I have to thank you so much for the previous cases. Your judgment and reasoning are always a gift from God. I only regret that you do not want to join a financial company or become a financial and economic consultant. Do you know they always need talents like you?”

Daniel Lopes raised an eyebrow. He was always bored with things related to money. He never had and certainly never wanted to force himself into it.

Before Daniel could say anything, Millie changed the conversation to another topic: "Daniel, remember the outbreak in Beverly Hill last year? If I hadn't resorted to your deductions. The city of Los Angeles would have been buried with that virus by now."

Millie Williamson details the outbreak a year ago when she was just an ordinary civil servant for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, commonly known as the CDC.

At that time, Millie and the whole CDC were crazy about a new virus outbreak that caused severe brain complications called Brainew.

It is a strange virus that, until now, the US Department of Health and Human Services and leading pharmaceutical companies have only been able to inhibit but have not studied further.

Daniel Lopes' complaint stopped Millie Williamson's story. He babbled with a faint smile as if everything in the world had poured into his life: "You'd better stop trying to put my name on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Look at me now. Isn't it pathetic?"

Millie Williamson was utterly silent. She knew the troubled relationship between Daniel Lopes and Naomi Williamson. Although Millie knew that Daniel Lopes loved her sister very much, there were fundamental issues related to respecting each other's life decisions. Millie can only be a friend by his side to share with him and can't do anything else. More than anyone, she understood that rule.

Their car stopped right in front of the Los Angeles airport gate. Directly ahead, barriers were all over the place, and Millie had to signal Daniel Lopes to get out of the car and join her. This scene immediately caused Millie to tell Daniel that she was pretty insecure. He saw not only the CDC but many other Federal Government forces also appear.

An LAPD officer suddenly stopped both of them and demanded documents. Millie quickly pulled out her employee ID card to the front, her action long enough for Daniel Lopes to see her title. That's the deputy director of the National Center for Emerging Infectious and Zoonotic Diseases - which includes the Global Migration and Quarantine Division, which issues quarantine orders - one of the long-named agencies.

And even if it's abbreviated, it's difficult to pronounce - NCEZID Center.