The timing was almost painfully ironic.
Kaya had barely finished her thought about no one coming to kill her when a sharp, deliberate knock echoed against the heavy mahogany doors of her office.
Kaya paused. The faint, relaxed nostalgia that had briefly softened her features instantly vanished, replaced by the freezing, impenetrable mask of the Vanguard CEO. Her eyes darted to the top of her desk. Resting in plain sight were the academic reports detailing Veer and Cutie's incredible physical anomalies, their fabricated backgrounds, and their biometric data from Astor College.
Moving with terrifying, practiced speed, Kaya grabbed the folders. She pulled open the bottom drawer of her desk—a biometric-locked, lead-lined safe—shoved the documents inside, and slammed it shut with a heavy click.
She leaned back in her plush leather chair, her posture flawlessly professional and utterly relaxed.
"Come in," Kaya called out, her voice a smooth, cold bell.
