The knock came again.
Firm…Controlled…Inconvenient.
Leo and Kobi were standing far too close to each other, the air between them charged and unstable, like lightning deciding where to strike. Their fists were clenched. Shoulders tight. Breathing uneven. Not fully transformed, not yet reckless, but dangerously near that line.
The interruption was badly timed.
"Enter," Leo said coldly, without breaking eye contact.
The door opened.
Milo stepped inside.
Her gaze moved once around the room, sharp and efficient. The displaced chair. The faint crack splintering the edge of the desk. Kobi's tense stance. Leo's composed stillness that was only convincing if one did not know him well.
She inhaled once.
"You guys," she said dryly, "this is not the time."
Neither responded.
"There is movement in Finance."
That shifted everything.
Leo turned and returned to his seat, smoothing his cuff as if moments ago he had not been one breath away from violence.
"Explain," he said calmly.
"The internal transfers flagged by the accountant," Milo replied. "They have accelerated."
Kobi's expression sharpened.
"How much?"
"Enough," Milo said evenly, "to suggest whoever is responsible knows they are being watched."
Silence followed.
That meant one thing.
The culprit had noticed the new accountant.
Kobi folded his arms slowly. "All the more reason I should work with her."
Leo's gaze snapped toward him.
"Shut your mouth," he said quietly, "or leave."
Kobi's lips curved faintly. "You are underestimating the risk."
"And you," Leo replied sharply, "are underestimating yourself."
He leaned back in his chair.
"You do not blend."
Kobi laughed softly. "Neither does she."
That was unfortunately accurate.
Leo's tone lowered.
"She will not work with you."
The authority in his voice was absolute.
Kobi held his gaze.
For now, he said nothing.
On the eighth floor, Kira was attempting to pretend she worked in a normal corporate office.
Normal offices did not feel like they were constantly listening.
Since morning, she had been reviewing transaction histories for the fourth time. The numbers were clean on the surface.
Too clean.
Small percentages shaved from large transfers. Spread across multiple departments. Adjusted timing. Reduced frequency.
Not enough to alert automated systems.
Just enough to grow quietly.
It was intelligent.
It was patient.
It was deliberate.
Her fingers hovered above the keyboard.
She had seen this kind of manipulation before in training modules, hypothetical fraud scenarios designed to test alertness.
But this was not hypothetical.
This was real money.
Real risk.
Real consequences.
Her stomach tightened.
A shadow fell across her desk.
She nearly jumped.
Milo stood there.
"Mr. Leo requires your preliminary report by this evening," she said.
"This evening?" Kira blinked.
"Yes."
"That is efficient."
"He values productivity."
Of course he did.
Kira nodded quickly. "I will finish it."
Milo studied her for a moment.
"You seem distracted."
"No," Kira replied too quickly.
"You broke a vase yesterday."
Kira swallowed. "That was an accident. I am very sorry."
"Accident," Milo corrected flatly.
"Yes."
A pause.
Then Milo's lips twitched, barely noticeable.
"Focus on your work, Ms. Ellis," she said. "It would be unfortunate if you failed."
Unfortunate.
That word again.
When Milo walked away, Kira stared back at the spreadsheet.
They know something is happening.
And whoever was stealing from the company likely knew she was the reason older accounts were being reopened.
Her pulse quickened.
She was not just auditing anymore.
She was interfering but that's part of my job.
Back upstairs, Milo completed her report.
"The pattern is tightening," she said. "If the culprit panics, the transfers will become sloppy."
Leo stood by the fish tank, watching goldfish glide through the water.
"And if they do not panic?" he asked.
"Then they are experienced."
Kobi leaned against the wall, arms crossed.
"So do not panic them," he said lightly.
Leo did not turn.
"That," he said calmly, "is exactly the problem."
Kobi's voice lowered.
"Let me work with her."
Leo turned slowly.
"This corporation already has enemies," he said evenly. "I do not want to add your name to that list."
Kobi smirked. "You think I will ruin it."
"I think," Leo replied, stepping closer, "you lack restraint and you are thick minded."
That landed.
Kobi's expression hardened.
"You are protecting her."
"I am protecting this company."
"From me?"
"Yes."
Silence followed.
Then Kobi tilted his head.
"Your mother was human."
The temperature in the room dropped.
Leo's voice turned lethal.
"You will not speak about her. Did I not tell you?"
"Despite being mixed blood, you are leading us," Kobi said quietly. "And now one human is a liability?"
Leo stepped forward.
"She is Lucas's employee, and he wants his employee alive and healthy. Go talk to him."
The words were soft but mocking.
Kobi scoffed. "That is good. I want the same."
They stood face to face, and neither stepped back.
Late afternoon.
Kira printed her preliminary report.
Her hands were steady.
Her thoughts were not.
She walked toward Leo's office, remembering the vase incident vividly. She felt embarrassed and silently prayed that she would not break anything inside that office and would come out alive with her dignity intact.
The hallway always felt colder.
She knocked.
Inside, three heightened senses registered her presence immediately.
"Enter," Leo said.
She stepped inside.
Leo.
Kobi.
Milo.
All present. She could sense the tension in the environment.
That could not be good.
She approached the desk cautiously. She did not have the courage to look Leo in the eyes.
All of a sudden, Kobi stepped forward and pulled a chair out for her to sit.
She looked at him. "Thank you."
"Oh, it is my pleasure, Ms. Ellis. You are my savior. I will be your servant for the rest of my life," Kobi said with the sweetness of honey. Just minutes earlier, he had been thumping his chest in front of Leo.
Milo blinked at his sudden shift in personality.
Leo was giving him a death stare.
Kira felt something was off. She immediately went into survival mode and pushed the chair back slightly.
"I finished the report," she said, offering the file like a peace treaty.
Leo took it.
Kobi watched her far too closely, almost as if trying to scent her. It made her uncomfortable.
"You found something," Leo said after scanning the first page.
"Y… yes," Kira replied, trying to create distance from Kobi. "The transfers are increasing. Whoever is doing this knows we are reviewing older accounts."
Kobi's eyes gleamed.
"Smart," he murmured.
Kira kept her gaze lowered, remembering Leo's warning to stay away from Kobi.
"They are adjusting timing and distribution," she continued. "But the pattern remains. It is just tighter."
Leo looked up. He was still staring at Kobi, but it had no effect on him.
He cleared his throat and looked at Milo.
Milo stepped forward. "Kobi, I need your help with something. Can you come for a moment?"
"Yes, sure. Give me a few minutes, and we can leave with Ms. Ellis," Kobi said calmly.
Leo and Milo exchanged a brief look of silent resignation.
Kira tried to maintain distance, but Kobi shifted closer, closing every inch between them.
"And what does that suggest?" Leo continued.
"That they are watching," she said quietly.
Silence filled the room.
Leo closed the file.
"From tomorrow," he said calmly, "you will not work alone."
Kira blinked.
"Excuse me?"
Kobi straightened.
Milo's eyes flickered.
Leo's gaze remained on Kira.
"Someone will be assigned to you."
Her stomach dropped.
"Oh no."
And judging by the faint curve of Kobi's smile, tomorrow was about to become significantly worse.