The room fell into a tense silence.
All eyes were on Joseph.
Anthony was the first to speak.
"…He's a traitor."
Leo adjusted his glasses slightly.
Cold eyes fixed forward.
"…He disappeared at night. Came back, Then acted like nothing happened."
Maya crossed her arms.
Clearly annoyed.
"…And he didn't deny going to her."
Marcus leaned against the wall.
"…He fought us just to escape. That says enough."
Elena stayed quiet for a moment.
Then.
soft voice.
But serious.
"…He told her."
Silence again.
Joseph didn't move.
Didn't react.
Just standing there.
"…So."
He finally spoke.
Calm.
Too calm.
"…Our little guest."
A faint smirk.
"…chose a side."
Anthony clenched his jaw.
"…Give the word. I'll kill him."
Joseph raised his hand slightly.
Stopping him.
"…No."
They all paused.
Joseph turned.
Walking slowly.
Thinking.
"…If he told her…"
A small smile.
"…then she's already preparing."
Leo nodded.
"…Which means our current plan is useless."
Joseph stopped walking.
"…Exactly."
He looked at all five of them.
"…So we change it."
Maya tilted her head.
"…To what?"
Joseph's eyes darkened slightly.
"…We don't attack the building."
A pause.
"…We make her leave it."
Elena's eyes narrowed.
"…How?"
Joseph smiled.
Wider now.
"…We give the Emperor…"
A slight tilt of his head.
"…something she can't ignore."
Silence.
Anthony smirked.
"…A trap."
Joseph looked at him.
"…No."
A colder smile.
"…A message."
The air felt heavier.
Marcus spoke quietly.
"…What kind of message?"
Joseph's eyes sharpened.
"…One that forces her to come to me."
A pause.
Then.
"…Alone."
----
The room was quiet.
Heavy.
Dim light spilling across the table.
Emma stood still, arms crossed. Kane leaned against the wall. Mostang sat forward, elbows on his knees.
Liam stayed a bit far.
Bandages wrapped around his arms… a slight limp in his step… but his posture?
Still straight.
Still dangerous.
Mostang looked at him, eyes narrowed.
"You fought all of them… and managed to escape?"
Silence.
Liam didn't answer immediately.
He glanced at Emma for a second.
She didn't look back.
"…Yeah."
Mostang exhaled, almost like a scoff.
"All of them? Joseph's group isn't weak."
Liam shrugged slightly.
"Didn't say it was easy."
Kane smirked a little.
"I heard about Leo. Slammed him like nothing."
No reaction from Liam.
"Anthony too," Kane continued. "Knee to the chin. Clean."
Still nothing.
Mostang's eyes sharpened.
"And Marcus?"
A pause.
"…Temporary."
Liam finally spoke.
"Won't see right for a bit. That's all."
Emma's gaze shifted slightly.
Just slightly.
Mostang leaned back.
"And Maya?"
Another pause.
"…Didn't want to hurt her."
Kane chuckled quietly.
"Still hit her though."
"…Kidney. Once."
Silence again.
Then—
Mostang's tone changed.
Colder.
"And Elena?"
That one… lingered.
Liam's jaw tightened.
"…She held me."
A beat.
"I got out."
Emma finally spoke.
"…She shot."
Liam looked at her now.
"…Missed."
Emma's eyes locked onto him.
"…No."
A small pause.
"You dodged."
Another silence.
Kane crossed his arms.
"So."
He looked between them.
"Joseph thinks you're a traitor."
Mostang added quietly—
"And honestly… from their perspective?"
He stared at Liam.
"It makes sense."
The room tightened.
Liam didn't react.
Didn't defend himself.
Didn't explain.
Emma stepped forward.
One step.
That was enough.
"He's here."
Her voice was calm.
Flat.
"But absolute."
"That's all that matters."
Mostang watched her.
Then Liam.
Then back to her.
"…You trust him that much?"
Emma didn't hesitate.
"Yes, I can see his intentions."
No emotion.
No softness.
Just certainty.
Kane smirked.
"…Damn."
Mostang exhaled slowly.
"…Then it's simple."
He stood up.
"Joseph's group isn't going to let this go."
His eyes moved to Liam.
"They'll come for you."
A pause.
Then—
"For all of us."
Silence filled the room again.
Liam smirked.
"…Let them."
---
A few days later.
Silence.
Too much silence.
Emma sat in her office, eyes fixed on the monitors.
One screen.
Two.
Ten.
Every angle of the building.
Hallways.
Entrances.
Rooftop.
Outside perimeter.
Nothing.
No movement.
No unfamiliar faces.
No signs of Joseph's group.
…That was the problem.
Emma leaned back slightly in her chair.
"…Quiet."
Her voice was low.
Thinking.
Calculating.
She replayed footage.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Still nothing.
No patterns.
No glitches.
No hidden entries.
Clean.
Too clean.
Her fingers tapped lightly on the desk.
"…They're not the type to wait."
A pause.
"…Unless they already moved."
Her eyes narrowed.
She switched cameras faster now.
Checking blind spots.
Corners.
Angles most people would ignore.
Still.
Nothing.
Behind her, the building remained calm.
Students asleep.
Guards relaxed.
Even the air felt normal.
Emma stood up slowly.
Walked closer to the main screen.
Her reflection faintly visible over the footage.
"…This isn't caution."
A quiet breath.
"It's preparation."
She turned slightly.
Looking toward the hallway outside her office.
Empty.
Silent.
Then.
She reached over.
Turned off one monitor.
Then another.
Leaving only a few active.
Less noise.
More focus.
Her instincts weren't calming down.
Even if everything looked fine.
"…They're watching."
A beat.
"…Or waiting for me to stop."
And for the first time in days.
Emma stepped away from the screens.
Not fully relaxed.
But just enough.
Just enough to look human again.
Yet
As she walked out of her office…
One of the cameras flickered.
For a split second.
Barely noticeable.
Then.
Back to normal.
Like nothing ever happened.
---
Late night.
The building was quiet again.
Too quiet.
Emma's phone vibrated on the desk.
She glanced at it.
Unknown number.
…
She picked it up.
"Speak."
A short silence.
Then.
Joseph's voice.
Calm.
Almost amused.
"We can make this simple."
Emma didn't react.
Didn't blink.
"A one versus one, Me… and you."
Her grip on the phone tightened slightly.
"No guards, No teams, Just a death match."
A pause.
Then his tone shifted.
Colder.
"One walks out alive."
Silence filled the room.
Emma's eyes darkened.
Joseph continued.
"Either you accept…"
A faint chuckle.
"…or I bomb everything."
Emma didn't move.
But something in her expression changed.
Slightly.
Dangerously.
"Your building, Your people, Innocents."
Another pause.
"I don't care anymore, Arrested or not… doesn't matter."
The line went quiet for a second.
Like he was waiting.
Watching her reaction through nothing but silence.
Emma finally spoke.
Flat.
Cold.
"…Location."
Joseph smiled on the other end.
You could hear it.
"Heh… I knew you'd say that."
Emma's eyes narrowed.
"Tomorrow night." "Old industrial zone." "Abandoned factory."
A beat.
"Come alone."
Silence.
Then.
The call ended.
…
Emma slowly lowered the phone.
Her expression unreadable.
But her mind.
Moving fast.
Too fast.
A trap?
Obviously.
But the threat.
Real.
Too real to ignore.
She turned.
Walking toward the window.
Looking out into the dark city.
"…One versus one."
A quiet breath.
Not fear.
Not hesitation.
Just calculation.
"…Fine."
Her reflection stared back at her.
Cold.
Unshaken.
Deadly-
The door slammed open.
Kane.
Mostang right behind him.
Both of them heard enough.
Kane stepped forward immediately.
"You're not going alone."
Emma didn't even look at him.
Mostang stayed quieter—but his eyes were sharp.
Watching her.
Calculating.
Kane continued.
"I don't care what he said. It's a trap. Obviously a trap."
Silence.
Emma stood near the window.
Still.
Cold.
"I said I'm going."
Kane scoffed.
"No. You're not. We're coming with you—"
"—No."
Her voice cut through him.
Flat.
Sharp.
Final.
Mostang exhaled smoke slowly.
"…It's risky."
Emma turned slightly.
"That's the point."
Kane stepped closer.
Frustration building.
"You're not thinking straight."
That—
Made her look at him.
Directly.
Cold eyes locking onto his.
"…I'm thinking perfectly."
Kane clenched his fists.
"No. You're not. This is suicide—"
"Enough."
Mostang spoke this time.
Low.
"…She gave an order."
Kane snapped his head toward him.
"You're just gonna accept that?!"
Mostang didn't answer.
He already did.
Kane turned back to Emma.
Still not backing down.
"No. I'm not letting you go alone. I don't care if it's an order."
Silence.
Tense.
Heavy.
Emma stared at him.
For a second.
Two.
Then—
Her voice changed.
Not louder.
But heavier.
"Shut up."
Kane froze.
"…No."
A mistake.
Emma's eyes sharpened.
Danger rising.
"I said—shut up."
Kane stepped forward again.
"No. Listen to me for once—"
"SHUT UP."
The room went dead silent.
Even Mostang stopped moving.
Emma took a step forward.
Her presence—
Crushing.
"Diana was like you."
Kane's expression shifted.
"…What?"
Emma's gaze didn't waver.
"Against vencor."
"She argued."
A step closer.
"She insisted."
Another step.
"She didn't listen."
Her voice dropped.
Colder than before.
"…You know how she ended up."
Silence.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Kane's fists slowly loosened.
His anger—
Still there.
But shaken.
Emma stood right in front of him now.
Looking straight into his eyes.
"This is not a discussion."
A pause.
"It's an order."
…
Mostang looked away slightly.
Taking another drag.
Kane…
Said nothing.
For the first time—
He couldn't.
Emma turned her back to them.
Conversation over.
Decision made.
And final.
Chapter end