Morning light filtered through the high windows of Shadowfront HQ, casting long shadows across the hardwood floors. Mira sat alone at her desk, flipping through mission reports, but her eyes weren't reading. Her mind was somewhere else.
Kaen.
The way he handled power with ease. The way he challenged Zian yet protected her. The quiet confidence that wasn't arrogance—it was certainty. Mira didn't understand him, and that terrified her. But lately, she found herself watching him more than she wanted to admit.
She sighed and pushed her reports aside. "What am I thinking..."
Just then, Kaen strolled into the office, a lazy grin on his face. "Skipping breakfast again?"
Mira blinked. "I—I was working."
He leaned over her desk, his face inches from hers. "You need to take care of yourself. Can't run a company with a fainting COO."
Mira's cheeks flushed. "I'm not your employee."
Kaen shrugged. "You're right. You're family. That's why I brought this." He dropped a neatly wrapped sandwich on her desk.
She stared at it, then up at him. Her heart skipped. "Thanks... I guess."
He winked. "Anytime."
Zian passed by the door, catching a glimpse of their interaction. Her expression unreadable, she continued down the hallway.
Later that day, Mira found herself watching Kaen from the meeting room window as he trained with Leon and a few junior recruits. His movements were fluid, dangerous—like a shadow in motion.
Selene's words echoed in her head: "Stop hiding in the shadows of weaker people."
"I'm not hiding," Mira whispered. "I just... don't want to lose again."
Down in the courtyard, Kaen looked up, as if sensing her gaze. He smiled.
Mira quickly stepped back, her heart pounding.
In the growing silence of the afternoon, something had changed. Feelings buried deep had begun to surface. And she could ignore it for long.