Masuk∆NO POV∆"You've got quite the mouth for someone who's about to end up in a hospital."The tallest among them let out a mocking laugh before cracking his neck. Ezekiel tilted his head thoughtfully. "I've already visited one today."The man frowned."Someone I love so much is admitted there."After a deep silence, Ezekiel sighed dramatically."I'd really rather not make myself a patient too. The food is terrible.... I'm a foodie and I can't bring myself to eat that."One of the thugs couldn't stop himself from snorting.The tallest man immediately shot him a glare. "What's so funny?""He..." The thug tried to hold back another laugh. "He said the hospital food..." "Shut up! Are you here to laugh or get rid of him for our boss?" Ezekiel clicked his tongue."See? I was trying to lighten the mood. Violence is such a terrible way to meet new people... I've been trained for years, a fight is nothing to me, why waste time on fighting with a professional when we can get to know each other
∆NO POV∆"Looks like we've done everything we can."Ryan's voice broke the silence as he pressed the final key on the keyboard before leaning back in his chair. The loading bar disappeared from the monitor, replaced by a notification confirming that the classified report had been successfully uploaded into the agency's secured database.Ezekiel walked around the desk and stopped beside him, his attention fixed on the monitor."Show me the access permissions."Ryan clicked through several security windows before opening the authorization log. Five names appeared on the screen, exactly as they had discussed earlier."My access, your access, the archive officer, the deputy operations director, and the intelligence analyst assigned to Raymond's case. No one else can even see that the file exists."Ezekiel carefully read every name once again before nodding in satisfaction."Good." Ryan glanced sideways at him and smiled faintly. "You've checked that list four times already.""I'll check
∆NO POV∆"Ryan... do you trust everyone working in this agency?"Ezekiel asked while walking straight into the room, Ryan slowly looked up from the stack of files lying across his desk, the pen between his fingers coming to a halt as surprise flickered across his face.He had expected Ezekiel to walk into his office, but he hadn't expected him to begin with a question like that.For several seconds, he simply stared at Ezekiel before leaning back in his chair."Good afternoon to you too," Ryan said with a faint chuckle. "I didn't even get a greeting before being interrogated... Well, I'm not offended!" Ezekiel closed the office door behind him. "I'm serious and I've no time for greetings or anything else, just straight to the point, since we need to finish it off before it is too late...." Ryan's smile faded almost instantly, he had known Ezekiel for years, whenever Ezekiel wore that expression, it usually meant something had gone terribly wrong and it's time to pay more attention t
"Are you going to keep staring at that coffee, or are you actually going to drink it?"The familiar voice pulled Ezekiel from his thoughts as he stood beside the hospital vending machine, a paper cup cooling between his hands.He glanced up to find one of the nurses smiling at him knowingly."I wasn't aware I was being noticed," he replied with a faint smile.The nurse laughed softly before shaking her head."You and your sister, both are the same. Despite being tired and exhausted, always have a smile on your faces, it's a kind of smile that can enlighten anyone's day." Ezekiel lowered his gaze to the untouched coffee, if only his worries began and ended with hospital visits."It became a routine to me," he said quietly. "And, I'm fine!" The nurse looked unconvinced but decided not to argue. After a brief farewell, she disappeared down the hallway, leaving Ezekiel alone once more.The smile vanished from his face almost immediately.His grip tightened around the paper cup as his ga
∆NO POV∆"Do you really think I want any of this to happen, Maddy?" Ezekiel huffed, exhaustion seeping into his voice.The confrontation had left him drained, and even after Maddison stormed out, the words of Maddison continued to echo through his mind like a relentless haunting. Each accusation lingered, digging deeper into wounds Ezekiel had been trying desperately to ignore.Hours slipped by in a blur of uneasy silence, the apartment growing dim as evening settled over the city lights visible through the windows. Ezekiel retreated to the solitude of his room, the door clicked shut behind him like a barrier against the world. He sank onto the edge of the bed, elbows braced on his knees, mind churning through layers of deception and strategy.His phone buzzed softly on the nightstand, drawing him from the spiral. A message from Ariana waited there, a photo attachment. He opened it with trembling fingers, and the image filled the screen, it's a candid shot she'd secretly captured
••NO POV••"Sorin, are you busy?" Ezekiel asked in a light, and casual tone. "I apologize if I'm interrupting anything. I just wanted to know when Zachary will be back. I tried calling him, but he is unavailable and out of network, so I thought I'd give you a call instead."He leaned against the kitchen counter with his phone pressed to his ear. The afternoon sunlight filtered through the blinds, painting striped shadows across the polished marble floor. On the surface, his voice remained easy and relaxed, but it felt like a carefully crafted mask stretched too tightly over the tension etched into his features.However, from the other end, Sorin paused just long enough for suspicion to bleed through the line. "Since when do you call me for idle chit-chat about schedules, Ezekiel? As far as I know you don't even answer Zachary's call and you calling me by yourself is really surprising." Sorin's voice carried that familiar edge, sharp and probing, like a blade testing for weaknesses.
∆EZEKIEL POV∆"You don't have to be scared of anything," I said, leaning back against the wall, though even that simple movement made my body ache in a way I didn’t want to think about. "The only thing I want is keeping my sister alive, I won't concentrate on anything else, especially about the man
∆EZEKIEL POV∆"Say it properly, Zeke… what exactly is bothering you?"I let out a quiet breath, running a hand through my hair before finally meeting his gaze, though holding it for too long felt harder than it should have."He transferred money," I said, keeping it simple, almost too simple for so
∆EZEKIEL POV∆"Zachary you bastard!" I groaned in sleep, as a dull ache spread through my body the moment I tried to move."Are you done sleeping or are you planning to curse me again?"The voice came before I even fully opened my eyes.The voice was sharp enough to make me pause, my breath catchin
∆NO POV∆"Nothing."Zachary said it so quietly it barely cut through the heavy breathing filling the bedroom, but the single word carried weight. He didn’t elaborate. Didn’t explain what he wanted Ezekiel to be or repeat any kind of confessions. Instead, his hand slid possessively down Ezekiel’s







