The wall-sized screens in the war room have been divided into four smaller screens, each of them showing the same news. In the background of differing reporters, the hangar I've been to just last night is lit in shades of blue and red lights.

"Naevis, enlarge KBC network and turn up the volume."

Almost immediately, one of the screens took up the whole wall and the voice of the reporter filled the room. 

"... the arrest of Zyron Evanschel, CEO of Angle Pharmaceuticals, in his private airport just after the charity auction at the Diamond Tower. Evanschel is also being investigated for fraud, embezzlement, forgery, and illegal possession of priceless art pieces."

I glance at my teammates who each bear a smile on their faces.

"Well done," Kalyn says, breaking the silence.  They clap between themselves, satisfied. "Your shares for this job have been sent to your respective bank accounts. Our commissions for the other items will be sent as soon as they are sold. Rest assured, it will come. Now get some rest everyone. You deserve it."

When Kalyn sees my face, her smile disappears. There is a question in her gaze.

"Who wants to go shopping with me?" Erraiel asks. I look away from Kalyn and face Erraiel who looks at me with that sickeningly sweet puppy eyes of hers.

"I think I'll stay in today."

"Oh come on, you promised you'll go shopping with me after you turned me down last time."

"I don't remember promising anything to you."

She rolls her eyes at me. "What about you, Kalyn?"

Kalyn shakes her head, already heading for the door. "I have somewhere else to be. I won't be coming home tonight."

As soon as the door closes on her way out, Erraiel turns to me. "Do you think she's sleeping with someone?"

"No."

"Then where do you think she'll be spending the night?"

"I don't know. And it's none of our business."

She clicks her tongue. "Wenzie, Wenzie. Always so obedient. I wonder why you're so obedient to Kalyn?" When I don't say anything, she adds, "Is it because of your parents? A father, most likely."

My entire body grinds to a halt at the mention of him. I can hear my heart panicking inside my head. I try to convince myself that she doesn't know and manage to respond without a shaking voice. "You don't know what you're talking about."

She chuckles a low sound that makes me nervous. "Trust me, Wenzie. You might feel like you're doing a good job at hiding your secrets, but I can read you like a children's rhyme.

She doesn't know. Not even Kalyn knows the whole story. She's just trying to get on my nerves.

I exhale, loosening the tension in my shoulders from when Erraiel brought up my parents. I was stupid enough to give away so much by going quiet. Forcing my eyes to meet hers, I say with a grin, "I'm still not coming to the mall with you."

"Fine, it was worth a shot." She stands up and leaves me in the room. I don't miss the knowing look that she gave me before the door closed. As if she knows that she hit the mark earlier.

Neiv probably slipped out while we were still talking.

Relieved to be alone, I clench and unclench my fist, counting the seconds in my head. I tell myself there's nothing to worry about. She doesn't know who I was before I came here. If there was one person capable of digging all of our life stories, it would be Neiv, but I doubt she'll cross that ethical line.

I leave the war room as soon as I feel calm enough to stand. Sensing my departure, the lights in the room switch off.

I've grown used to the silence of the house. Most days, I'm the only one roaming its empty halls like a haunting ghost. Neiv rarely comes out of her lair and the other two always have something to take care of outside the house.

Instead of heading to the bedroom like I initially intended, I head downstairs to the gym.

"Naevis, open the curtains and put on my workout playlist."

"The current temperature is 25 degrees Celsius. Would you like me to make adjustments?"

"It's fine, Naevis."

As the first notes of my playlist come in, I begin stretching my body, feeling each fibre be stretched to its limits. There is something comforting about physical exertion. There are no worries about a past I can't return to, a present that's out of my hands, and a future I can't anticipate. There is just the pain, the sweat, and the numbers as I push through one set after another, from one form to the next.

It's a lot like meditation, only with a hell lot of movements.

It helps that each exercise demands my full focus so I don't have time to think. Or it should have.

I try not to think about my parents but since Erraiel brought them up, I can't take my mind off of them. Every day has been a challenge to forget them and the life I lived before today. If only there was a way to erase a past you never wanted a part in, I would've taken it with no hesitations. There was none, so I took the closest thing to it: the chance to run away.

Kalyn gave me that chance. For over six years, I trusted her to do what was right. But I can feel it changing between the two of us. Lately, I notice how secretive she's becoming. Even more so than usual. Whenever I try to talk to her, she deflects my question and immediately ends the conversation.

Like that time she came home with a bruised neck. It made me curious and furious — the latter emotion inspiring a torrent of questions. Questions that had too much to do with Kalyn. Emotions that are too muddled to even think about.

By the time I finished my usual routine, my lungs are screaming for air. I can feel the burn and strain on my muscles like sweet relief. Sweat soaked my clothes down to the innermost garment. 

Instead of silencing my thoughts, the whole thing only seemed to fuel my thinking. My mind ran laps around every inch of my life. It was only when I stopped moving that something hit me so hard.

As I chase oxygen with each inhale, I know I can't put the matter to rest until I know more.

I head straight for Neiv's lair, wiping the sweat on my face with a towel as I walk. If anyone has the details I need to confirm my suspicions, it'll be her. Knowing Neiv, she'll be meticulous enough to keep copies of the information we have on every single job.

There's no response when I knocked on the door. Is she sleeping?

I turn away but stopped when she called out. "Wenzie? Come in."

The door unlocks and I come inside. Without the massive monitors illuminating her lair, it looks more like a massive cavern. She's sitting on her bed in the corner of the room, quickly swiping the tears off her cheeks. Her nose and eyes look purple in the bluish lowlights.

"You didn't see anything," she says with a forced chuckle.

"If you want to be left alone, I can—"

"I'm fine. I'd rather have company," she says, resolute. It makes me wonder what Neiv has been thinking about before I interrupted her.

All of us have secrets to keep from everyone else. Kalyn made sure we won't compromise each other by ensuring there will be no bonds between any of us beyond that of our job. So I don't ask.

"Something's bothering me about Evanschel. Do you mind if I look through the file again?"

"Why?"

"I just need to check something."

Neiv's brows furrow. "The job is already done, Wenzie. We already paid. What are you going on about?"

"There's just something bothering me about the whole thing. Something just doesn't make sense?"

"Can you send me the full file?"

"Not unless you tell me why," she replies firmly.

I debate telling her. The trust I have for her is limited only to what she would do for me when we're in a job. But I need to know.

"When you looked into Evanschel, was there anything that could point to a possible accomplice?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," she replies. But with the way her expression shifts, I know doubt is already making its way to her mind. "We know he's been embezzling from his company."

"He embezzled millions, but the value of everything in his jet goes beyond that. I saw it, Neiv. It doesn't add up."

She sighs. "But it's no longer our concern, Wenzie."

I want to protest but she's right. There's no point digging deeper into it. Evanschel is a crook, and he deserves to be in jail. But as I walk out of her lair, I can't shake the ominous dread curdling in my gut like a death knell.

Later that night, a new message arrives on my phone. Neiv has sent the entire file to me.