Alexander's POV
Raziel's hands rested lightly on my shoulders. His touch wasn't threatening, yet I found myself removing them almost immediately before taking a slow step backward.
For several seconds, neither of us spoke. The only sound inside the boardroom was the faint hum of the air conditioner.
I studied the man standing before me.
The last time I had seen him, he had been a quiet boy who barely spoke above a whisper. But now, he stood before me with calm eyes that revealed absolutely nothing.
Fifteen years had changed him, just as they had changed me.
Finally, I broke the silence.
"Why now?"
A faint smile touched Raziel's lips.
"I wondered which question you'd ask first."
"I didn't come here to play games with you."
"I know."
His answer came so naturally that it irritated me.
I folded my arms across my chest.
"You disappeared."
"I did."
"You left without saying goodbye."
"I did."
"You allowed fifteen years to pass without even sending a letter to me."
"I did."
Every answer was curt, as though the years between us carried no weight at all. A humorless laugh escaped me.
"I expected something better than one-word answers."
Raziel's smile widened slightly.
"You've become impatient."
"I learned not to waste time."
"I noticed", his expression softening.
The room became quiet again. I watched him carefully. Everything about him felt familiar yet nothing about him felt the same.
"You attended a meeting with the Five Foes", I said coldly.
"So you know", he said as the smile disappeared from his face.
"I know enough."
"And yet you still came", he chuckled lightly.
I held his gaze.
"I came because I wanted to see whether my childhood friend was still alive...", I paused, "...or whether he had become someone else."
For the first time, something flickered inside his eyes then it vanished almost as quickly as it appeared.
"I suppose that's fair."
I took another step forward.
"You realize I could have this building surrounded before you reach the elevator."
"I know."
"I could have you arrested."
"I know."
His calmness only sharpened my suspicion.
"So give me one reason not to."
Instead of answering immediately, Raziel reached for the glass of water on the table and took a slow sip. Only after setting it down did he look back at me.
"You won't."
"What do you mean?", I narrowed my eyes.
"I am very certain you won't arrest me", he said, adjusting his posture and taking yet another sip from the glass of water.
The room fell silent.
"What makes you so certain?"
A faint smile returned to his lips.
"If you truly intended to arrest me...", he glanced toward the closed boardroom doors, "...Sebastian would've walked through them beside you."
My expression remained unchanged. But within me, I knew he was right. I hadn't brought Sebastian because I wanted this meeting to remain between the two of us. Raziel had seen through me within minutes.
"I haven't forgotten the way you think, Alex."
Neither had I forgotten, and that troubled me greatly. It was very dangerous that this man hadn't forgotten any single thing about me since childhood.
I looked at him quietly.
"What do you want?"
His expression became unreadable once again.
"Nothing."
"I don't believe that."
"You don't have to."
I uncrossed my hands and clenched my fist as I stepped closer.
"You asked me to come here."
"I did."
"So stop beating around the bush."
Raziel lowered his gaze briefly before walking toward the window overlooking the city. For a while, he simply stood there. When he finally spoke, his voice was quieter.
"There are people watching."
I frowned.
"Who?"
"I can't tell you."
"Then why mention them?"
"Because one day...", he slowly turned to face me, "...you'll meet them."
His words lingered between us. I didn't respond but he continued.
"When that day comes, remember something", he said as his eyes locked onto mine. "Not everyone standing beside you is your ally."
A muscle in my jaw tightened.
"I already know that."
"I know you do."
His gaze drifted toward the city once more.
"But this time...", he paused, "...the person you love the most may become the price."
The atmosphere inside the room instantly changed. Every instinct I possessed screamed at me to question him further. But logic whispered to me to remain still.
"If that's supposed to be a threat..."
"It isn't."
"...then what is it?"
"A warning."
I stared at him.
"Why warn me?"
A faint sadness crossed his face.
"Because despite everything..."
He looked directly into my eyes.
"...I never forgot who stood between me and a group of bullies."
Silence filled the boardroom. Then, without another word, Raziel reached inside his beige suit. Every muscle in my body tensed.
But instead of a weapon, he removed a weathered envelope. The paper had yellowed with age, and the corners were worn as though it had been carried for many years.
He placed it gently on the conference table between us.
"I believe this belongs to you."
I looked down at it. There was no name written on the front. Only an old handwriting that had begun to fade with time.
Slowly, I reached for it. The moment my fingers touched the envelope, a strange feeling settled inside my chest.
"What is this?"
Raziel didn't answer immediately. His eyes lingered on the envelope before returning to me.
"It was written by your mother."
My breath caught in my throat as my pulse raced. I looked up sharply.
"What did you say?"
"I've kept it safe for a very long time", he said calmly.
Questions exploded inside my mind. Why did he have it? How had he gotten it? Why hadn't he delivered it years ago?
I looked back at the envelope resting in my hands. It suddenly felt far heavier than paper ever should.
When I raised my head again...
Raziel was already walking toward the door.
"Raziel."
He stopped. Without turning around, he spoke quietly.
"You don't have to trust me."
His hand rested on the doorknob.
"But if you value your life..."
A brief silence followed.
"...and the life of the person you love the most..."
His voice became almost a whisper.
"...don't wait too long before opening that letter."
He walked out of the board room.
I remained standing in the middle of the boardroom with the envelope in my hands. For the first time in years, I was afraid of what a single letter might reveal.