---Cont.
The storm outside had finally calmed, leaving the city enveloped in a heavy, damp stillness, where the neon lights shimmered across the rain-slicked windows, resembling fading scars of a recent ordeal. Inside the office, a steady hum emanated from the servers, and their soft glow cast elongated shadows that stretched ominously between Kael and Ezra, creating an air of tension that felt almost palpable.
Ezra sat in the chair, his posture rigid, quaking slightly as he pressed his bandaged arm tightly against his ribs, as if attempting to hold himself together. The sharp sting of his injury anchored him amidst the overwhelming tide of guilt surging through his chest. His throat felt raw, each breath he took a shaky reminder of his fractured spirit, as if the weight of his own confession had opened him up, exposing a vulnerability he was desperate to mask.
"I betrayed you," he murmured again, allowing the words to rush out faster than he could contain them, each syllable like a stone dropping into the silence. His eyes filled with tears that cascaded down his cheeks without restraint. "Nico sent me on a mission to ruin you, to destroy everything you've worked so hard to build. And I—I almost succeeded. I let him manipulate me into becoming a weapon against you."
He faltered, his voice breaking as a sob escaped him before he could contain it. Bowing his head, he tangled his fingers in the fabric of his shirt, seeking some semblance of comfort.
"I was meant to obliterate you," Ezra choked out, his body trembling with the weight of his admission. "But in that process, I—" he hesitated, his hand sweeping across his face as if trying to wipe away the shame of his truth. "Instead, I saw you for who you are. And I fell—oh God, I fell for you in a way I never intended to. I don't care if you despise me, Kael; I just need you to understand that I've laid my entire self bare. And I want…" His voice faltered, hanging on the precipice of desperation and vulnerability. "…I'd love to give All Of Me to you."
The silence that enveloped the room was thick with unspoken emotions, each heavy second amplifying the tension.
Kael's jaw clenched tightly, his face a mask of unreadable emotions. Yet, the way he gripped the edge of the desk betrayed the storm of feelings swirling beneath his composed exterior. Ezra's confession had chipped away at his emotional walls, but before either could fully process the moment, Luka's hologram sprang to life, flickering and fragmented with static interference.
"Boss," Luka's voice came through sharp and urgent, slicing through the tension like a knife. "Nico has regrouped. He's not by himself this time."
Kael's gaze snapped toward the holographic image for just a fleeting moment. Yet, the weight of Ezra's last words clung lingeringly in the air, raw and unsteady, anchoring his attention back as if drawn by an unseen force. His eyes met Ezra's once more—deeper now, searching, portraying a struggle between fierce anger and an unnamed feeling that tangled in his chest.