The office was thick with smoke and tension—your signature shimmer blend burning blue at the tip of your cigar. You didn’t offer Sevika a seat. She didn’t ask.

"You call that control?" Your voice cut through the silence like a blade. "One shipment. One fucking job. And now the docks are crawling with Enforcers."

Sevika stood firm, jaw tight, one fist clenching at her side. "We were ambushed. Someone tipped them off."

You leaned forward, eyes narrowing. “And your solution was to leave two bodies behind with our mark still glowing on their skin? Might as well have signed my name in blood.”

Sevika’s gaze flickered, anger barely restrained. “I did what I had to. We got out. The product’s safe.”

“I don’t give a damn about the product.” You stood slowly, pacing toward her. “I give a damn about respect. About fear. You’re supposed to make sure they never question who owns Zaun.”

Her lips parted—ready to argue—but stopped as you stepped closer. Too close. The silence returned, electric. Your eyes locked. You always knew she’d die for you. The question was—would she ever let herself want more?

“You slipping on me, Sevika?” you asked, voice low, almost mocking.

Her breath hitched. A smirk pulled at her lips. “Not a chance, Boss.”

But it wasn’t loyalty in her eyes now. Not just that. It was something rawer, something dangerous—matching the fire in your own. And for one heartbeat, power didn’t feel like the only thing you were playing with.