The week passed in silence. Not peace—just silence.
Arvi didn't talk much. He gave orders. Looked at her like she was just a moving part in his machine. Cold. Sharp. Always watching. But never truly seeing.
Rose did her work quietly. She learned fast. Memorized names, routes, codes. She stayed late, never complained. But every night, she went home exhausted—mentally, emotionally.
Her nightmares came back. The crash. The blood. Her sister's hand going limp in hers.
Still, she showed up.
She wanted to leave, but something inside her whispered, Stay.
On Thursday night, a storm rolled over the city. The sky cracked open, spilling rain onto the dark streets. Arvi called her into his office.
"Drive with me," he said.
Rose blinked. "Excuse me?"
He didn't repeat himself. Just walked out, expecting her to follow.
The car was a sleek black beast. The driver didn't speak. Neither did Arvi. He sat beside her in the back seat, quiet and unreadable. The silence was suffocating.
"Where are we going?" she asked softly.
He looked at her. "You ask too many questions."
She clenched her hands. "You ask for loyalty. But you give no trust."
That made him look again. A longer stare. Not angry—but like he was measuring something.
Finally, he said, "We're going to clean up a mess."
Her stomach dropped.
The warehouse they pulled up to looked abandoned. The driver opened her door. Rose hesitated, rain soaking through her coat.
"Stay in the car," Arvi ordered.
She obeyed—at first.
But twenty minutes passed.
Then thirty.
Screams echoed from inside the warehouse.
Something in her broke. Curiosity. Fear. Worry. She stepped out into the rain.
Inside the warehouse was chaos. Men yelling. Blood. Guns. The smell of death in the air.
And in the center—Arvi. Standing over a man tied to a chair. His shirt was stained with blood. His knuckles were red. His face, calm. Too calm.
Rose stumbled forward, gasping.
He turned.
And she saw it—what he really was.
Not just a cold boss.
Not just a powerful man.
A monster.
A man who could kill without blinking.
"Get her out of here!" he snapped.
But Rose couldn't move. Her legs wouldn't listen. Her eyes were stuck on the blood dripping from his hand.
And then—her world spun.
The blood turned into screams. Her past came crashing back. Her knees buckled.
She hit the ground.
When she woke, she was back in the car. Her head on something soft—his jacket.
The first thing she saw was Arvi's face. He looked… distant. Not angry. Just staring at her like she was something he couldn't understand.
"I told you to stay in the car," he said quietly.
She turned her face away, ashamed.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
There was a long pause.
"You saw what I am now," he said. "You should quit."
She shook her head. "I already saw it before."
He frowned. "What do you mean?"
"You hide it behind silence. But I've seen monsters before. You're just better dressed."
For the first time, his eyes widened—just slightly.
And for the first time… he said nothing at all.