As always, Darius sat alone in his office. His eyes were locked on the files on his screen, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the desk. A silent question echoed in his mind: "Nira is here. But why now?"
A knock on the door.
Without waiting for an answer, Nolan walked in.
– "I brought your reports," he said, placing the folders on the desk.
Darius glanced at the papers, then at Nolan.
– "Sei and Kael will be working outside today. Watch them," he said. His voice was calm, but something else was buried beneath it. Curiosity? Or calculation?
Nolan raised an eyebrow.
– "Is that necessary?"
– "Everything is necessary," Darius replied coldly.
---
Meanwhile, Sei was reluctantly preparing for the mission with Kael. It was a field assignment—outside the company. Kael drove in silence. A deep, weighty silence.
– "Did you fasten your seatbelt?" Kael asked, voice calm but firm.
Sei clicked it into place, offering no reply.
– "Silence used to be comfortable between us," Kael murmured.
– "Everything used to be different," Sei replied—cold, but not cruel.
Tension filled the car like a fog. The past still clung to both of them. Kael loosened his grip on the steering wheel for a moment.
– "Darius might be using you," he said suddenly.
Sei turned to him, eyes narrowed.
– "How do you know?"
– "Because he used to do the same with me."
Silence filled the car once again—this time heavier than before.