Matteo flinched, his fake sincerity faltering. "That's not… Elias, I was looking out for you. Victor's framing me, trying to make you choose him by…"
"Victor?" Elias cut in, disbelief sharpening his tone. "Why would you do it, Matteo? I refused your dates, your attempts to get closer more times than I can count. I thought you'd know me better than this."
Matteo's mouth opened, but Ashwin's palm stayed exactly where it was, an unmoving barrier that made the space between them feel like a locked door. "You've said enough," Ashwin told him, voice calm but with an edge that left no room for argument.
Elias didn't wait for a reply. He stepped sideways, forcing Matteo to either move or be brushed aside, and walked on without looking back. Ashwin fell into step beside him, his presence a wall between Elias and the man still standing in the corridor, staring after them.
They were almost to the end of the corridor when Ashwin's gaze flicked past Matteo's shoulder.
