LOGIN∆EZEKIEL POV∆The fire crackled softly inside the stone fireplace, its warm glow washing over the quiet guest house. Outside, the wind whispered through the pine trees, but inside, only the gentle ticking of the old clock disturbed the silence.Neither of us had spoken for several minutes.I sat at one end of the large couch, absently turning my phone over in my hand before slipping it back into my pocket. Every passing minute brought Headquarters closer, and no matter how hard I tried to focus on the present, my thoughts refused to leave the operation unfolding beyond these walls."You've been staring into that fire for a suspiciously long time…. Is everything okay?” I looked up. "What?"Zachary was watching me with quiet amusement, one arm resting comfortably along the back of the couch. "You've hardly said a word since we got here.""I'm just tired.""Hm."He didn't sound convinced, before I could react, he reached for my wrist and gave it a gentle tug.I lost my balance with a
∆EZEKIEL POV∆"So, you seriously booked the entire place just to spend with me?" Zachary asked as he looked around the quiet guest house, a trace of amusement lingering in his voice while we stepped through the wooden entrance together.I nodded after locking the door behind us. "I wanted somewhere no one would disturb us."The words slipped out before I could stop them.For a brief second, neither of us spoke.A slow smile spread across Zachary's face as he turned to look at me."That sentence sounds far more dangerous than you probably intended."I felt warmth creep into my face and immediately looked away."I meant... I just wanted somewhere quiet.""I know.".His smile only deepened. "I simply enjoy watching you panic."I sighed in defeat. "You really do have too much free time.""And yet," he replied smoothly, "you still choose to spend yours with me."There was no answer I could give to that.Instead, I walked farther into the guest house, pretending to admire the interior even t
∆EZEKIEL POV∆"Where are we going?"Zachary asked in a usual calm voice, with full of amusement as he stepped away from the table, effortlessly slipping his hands into the pockets of his dark coat.The waiter had already cleared away our coffee cups, and the rooftop restaurant had begun to empty as the night grew deeper. Warm lights reflected across the polished floor while the cool breeze carried the distant sounds of the city below.I picked up my car keys from the table, trying not to let my nervousness show. "I need you to come with me."One of Zachary's eyebrows rose almost immediately. "That sounds suspicious.""It isn't.""It definitely is."A faint smile tugged at my lips despite the storm raging inside my chest. "I'm serious.""So am I." He stepped closer until only a short distance separated us. "You ask me to follow you somewhere without telling me where we're going, and then you expect me not to be suspicious?""I didn't say you couldn't be suspicious." I tried to force a
∆EZEKIEL'S POV∆"You're early."The familiar voice pulled me away from the thoughts that had been tormenting me for the last twenty minutes.I looked up from my wristwatch and saw the waiter standing beside my table with a polite smile. He held a glass bottle in one hand and a menu in the other."You've been checking the time every few minutes," he continued kindly. "Would you like me to bring you anything while you wait, sir?"I forced a small smile."Just coffee."The waiter nodded before disappearing toward the counter, leaving me alone once again.I leaned back in my chair and slowly exhaled, letting my gaze wander around the quiet rooftop restaurant.It wasn't crowded.A handful of couples occupied the tables near the edge, their conversations blending softly with the gentle melody playing through the hidden speakers. Warm golden lights hung overhead, swaying lazily whenever the evening breeze drifted across the rooftop. Beyond the glass railing, the city stretched endlessly ben
∆NO POV∆"Let me make it clear to you," Ezekiel said as he moved around the table. Stopping beside the map, he placed both hands on its edges before pointing at two locations marked with red circles. At first glance, they looked almost identical, but to him, they served two entirely different purposes.Ryan pushed himself out of his chair and walked over, studying the markings with a slight frown. "They look almost the same," he observed. "What's the difference?"Ezekiel tapped the first location with the tip of his pen. "This is the information Raymond will receive." His voice remained calm and measured as he continued, "I'll tell him Zachary is expected to stay at this particular place at eleven o'clock tonight…. I'll make the report sound urgent enough that he'll believe he has to take control of the operation himself instead of leaving it to someone else, since he is the one who wants to eliminate Zachary.” Ryan nodded slowly before shifting his attention to the second mark. "And
∆NO POV∆"I think I'm late," Ryan said as he stepped into Ezekiel's apartment, his voice sounded casual, though the concern beneath it was impossible to miss. He quietly stood in the same place for a few seconds, before glancing at the clock mounted on the wall. "Or should I say…. you're still awake?"Ezekiel didn't answer immediately.He remained standing beside the large table in the middle of the living room, completely absorbed in the sea of maps, files, photographs, and surveillance reports spread out before him. Every inch of the tabletop had disappeared beneath neatly arranged documents marked with red circles, arrows, and short handwritten notes in his precise handwriting.Ryan let out a low whistle as he slowly approached."I leave you alone for one evening," he muttered, looking over the mountain of paperwork, "and you turn your apartment into a war room."Only then did Ezekiel lift his head.A tired smile flickered across his face before disappearing almost as quickly."I
∆NO POV∆"Did you really enjoy getting pampered by a Mafia King?"The question settled heavily inside the room like a stone dropped into still water.For a brief moment, Ezekiel genuinely wondered if he had heard Raymond correctly. The words hung in the air, sharp and deliberate, cutting through th
∆NO POV∆"So you're the weakness… to a monster like him. Interesting." The voice drifted softly through the darkness of the bedroom, cold, smooth, and utterly wrong.Ezekiel stirred faintly beneath the blankets before slowly opening his eyes. For several seconds, his mind remained trapped somewhe
••NO POV••"Ezekiel… wake up."The quiet voice slowly pulled him out of restless darkness.For one horrifying second, Ezekiel’s body reacted before his mind could catch up. His eyes flew open violently while his breathing turned sharp and uneven. He jerked backward instinctively against the bed, p
∆NO POV∆"Ezekiel, are you going to open this damn door or not?" Zachary’s voice thundered through the locked bathroom door, rough with a mixture of fury and something dangerously close to fear. Rain continued to lash against the windows outside, but inside the room, the tension had become suffoc







