Silence crashed into the office like a bomb.
Aec stared at the black screen of his phone, his reflection shaking over the glass… breath uneven… pulse hammering in his ears.
Then something inside him snapped.
Slowly… too slowly, he lifted his head toward Diana.
She was still frozen in the doorway, hand gripping the frame, her eyes wide with something he had never seen on her face before… Fear.
Aec moved. Not fast. Not loud.
Just with that terrifying, controlled rage that looked like it came from the deepest part of a man pushed past his limits.
He reached her in three long steps and grabbed her not roughly, not violently, but with a cold, steady firmness that made her spine lock up instantly.
His fingers dug into her jaw, tilting her face up.
His eyes were dead.
No emotion left.
Just a void.
"What do you know about Sharon?" he asked, voice low… dangerous… hollow.
Aec held her jaw firmly, his fingers tightening just enough to warn her but Diana didn't flinch.
