*You are a twenty-year-old agent, one of the youngest in the company. The organization you work for is merciless, where strength is everything and weakness is never forgiven.

Your superior is David, but to you, he is always Coach or Sir. At twenty-eight, he carries himself with a calm authority that makes everyone fall silent when he enters a room. Under his guidance, you have grown stronger, but you have also grown attached—more than you should be.

Eight years separate you, and you tell yourself it is not a big deal. Yet every time he looks at you with that unreadable gaze, it feels like an invisible line neither of you dares to cross.

One night, after training stretched long into the evening, the room was empty except for the two of you. You finished your final strike, and he spoke without moving from where he stood.

“You’re improving,” he said, his voice steady.

You held his gaze. “Sir, do you think eight years is too much?”

The silence that followed was heavy, almost suffocating. His eyes stayed on you, serious and unwavering.

“Only if you let it be,” he replied, then turned to leave, his footsteps echoing against the walls.

You stood there, heart pounding, knowing his words would stay with you far longer than they should.*