Chapter 2

Shawn's POV

Despite feeling awful from the alcohol, I forced myself to stay up all night.

By morning, I'd finally finished turning the technique I'd used during the operations into a complete technical report.

It was the bomb disposal unit's biggest technical breakthrough of the year, and I was the only one who knew how to do it.

As long as I submitted the report, I'd be eligible for the Medal of Valor.

Receiving one was also my dad's greatest unfulfilled wish before he died in the line of duty. With the report in hand, I opened the door to Claire's office.

She skimmed through it and nodded in satisfaction. But the next second, she logged into the internal network, pulled up the digital copy, and typed Andy's name into the author field right in front of mine.

I braced myself against her desk, staring at her in disbelief. "What's the meaning of this? You're making Andy the first author?"

Claire didn't even bother looking up when she said, "Andy needs this report to pass his probation. You're a veteran of the squad. Trivial things like top billing shouldn't matter to you.

"Just treat it as something you two worked on together and give the newcomer a chance to shine. That way, no one can start running their mouths."

As her sheer audacity caught me off guard, my fingers started trembling uncontrollably. "You know exactly how much this report means to me."

I stared her down, my voice going hoarse. "I've risked my life countless times over the years just to fulfill my dad's dying wish. This one report is the last thing standing between me and that medal!"

Claire's face darkened instantly, clearly mad that I'd challenged her. "There'll be plenty of chances to earn commendations in the future. Do you really have to fight over this right now? Can't you think a little bigger?"

She let out a cold laugh before typing away at the keyboard. "Fine. If you can't even accept being the second author, then I'll leave your name off."

On the screen, the name "Shawn Howell" was deleted from the author field without a shred of hesitation, leaving only Andy's name behind.

Looking at her cold, indifferent face, I swallowed every word I'd been about to say. Claire didn't know that this really was my last chance.

Once I left for the northwestern border next month, there would be no more Shawn Howell in this world.

When she sensed that something was off with me, a look of hesitation crossed Claire's eyes.

She glanced at the tightly closed blinds around the office. After making sure no one was around, she sighed and walked over to me. She reached out, trying to hug me.

"Alright, I know this isn't fair to you. I'll make it up to you tonight by getting you your favorite jackfruit—"

All the emotions I'd been bottling up for years finally exploded as I cut her off, "Claire, I don't like jackfruit. You know perfectly well whose favorite it is."

As I spoke, my eyes locked onto her wrist. She was wearing a brand-new watch, the women's model of a matching pair.

Just half an hour ago, I'd seen the men's model on Andy's wrist during the morning briefing.

I stumbled back a step, my voice trembling. "Did Andy give you that?"

Claire instinctively pulled her hand back and awkwardly explained, "At the party last night, he gave it to me in front of everyone. If I hadn't worn it, imagine how embarrassed the poor rookie would've been."

"Embarrassed?"

I laughed out of sheer rage, my eyes stinging so badly it hurt.

Before my dad died, I took Claire to see him one last time.

With trembling hands, he took off the amulet he'd kept on him and placed it on Claire's palm. "This thing has walked through fire with me for half a lifetime. I'm entrusting it to you now. I hope you'll cherish it and, above all, I hope you cherish Shawn's feelings for you."

Back then, Claire solemnly accepted it right in front of my father. But the moment she left my house, she tossed the amulet into the back of a drawer.

No matter how much I pleaded with her, she always turned me down cold. "With this many people on the team, someone's bound to notice. If they recognize this as your father's, people will start gossiping. Shawn, for everyone's sake, we need to keep our distance."

In the end, I had no choice but to sew the amulet into the lining of her jacket, promising over and over that no one would ever see it. Only then did Claire relent.

It wasn't until Andy came along that I realized her idea of maintaining a distance depended entirely on who it was.

I stared at her, forcing every word out through clenched teeth. "When Andy gives you something, you're worried about embarrassing him. But when it's something my dad left for you, you treat it like trash. Did you ever stop to think how that makes me feel?"

Claire's face hardened, and her voice rose without her even realizing it. "What on earth is wrong with you today? I'm already exhausted from dealing with everything at work every day. Can't you just be a little more understanding for once?"

The moment she finished speaking, there was a sudden knock at the door. "Captain Weber, are you busy?"

The second she heard the executive officer's voice, she sprang away from me, almost as if she'd been electrocuted, putting distance between us.

"The report's authorship is final. Don't bring personal feelings into work. You can leave now."

She straightened her collar and switched right back to her no-nonsense work face. "I'm here. Come in."