The girl stood in the middle of the broken doorway, her bright blue eyes scanning the small, messy room. Her long dark hair framed a confident expression, and even in the cramped space, she seemed larger than life.
"My name is Neo," she said calmly.
John crossed his arms, still annoyed.
"That's nice," he replied. "But you just broke my door."
Neo ignored the comment, her gaze fixed on his face, lingering on his eyes.
"You know about Xenia, right?" she asked.
John shrugged.
"Of course. Everyone studied that in history class. Xenia and Foxi discovered timeline travel."
Neo smiled faintly.
"Yes. But I think you understand that story better than most college students."
John frowned.
"What are you talking about?"
Neo stepped closer, her voice calm but insistent.
"Because you're not just some random person."
She paused, letting the weight of her words sink in.
"You are Xenia's grandson."
John froze.
"What?"
Neo continued, unwavering.
"And my grandfather was Foxi."
John stared at her, his mind spinning.
Neo's gaze held his as she explained.
"The timeline research didn't stop after their discoveries. There are organizations still working on it. My grandfather believed that Foxi contributed about 40 percent of the breakthrough…"
She pointed lightly at him.
"And Xenia… about 60 percent. That's why I came here."
John blinked, trying to process the enormity of it.
"So… why are you telling me this?" he asked, voice barely above a whisper.
Neo smiled, sharp and confident.
"Because I want to offer you a job."
The room fell silent. Dust motes floated lazily in the sunlight through the broken doorway, but for the first time that day, John felt like his ordinary life might be about to change completely.