The morning felt strangely calm.
Sunlight filtered softly through the tall windows of the mansion, warming the polished wooden floors and the quiet halls. It was the kind of peaceful morning that almost made Evie forget the dangerous world she actually lived in.
Almost.
She sat at the long dining table with a cup of coffee in her hands, staring down into the dark liquid as if it might somehow answer the questions swirling in her mind.
Across from her, Alexander leaned back in his chair, watching her with that familiar unreadable expression.
Evie had learned something about Alexander over time.
He observed everything.
Even when he looked relaxed.
Even when he looked distracted.
He noticed things most people missed.
Which meant she had to be careful.
Very careful.
"You look tired," Alexander said casually.
Evie blinked and looked up.
"Do I?"
"A little."
His voice carried a hint of amusement.
"You should sleep more."
She forced a small smile.
"I slept fine."
Alexander studied her for another second before reaching for his coffee.
But Evie could feel his attention lingering.
It made her uneasy.
Because her mind had been far away since last night.
Far away in that safehouse room.
Far away with Liam.
The moment replayed again in her head.
The gunshot.
The impact.
The blood spreading across his jacket.
He took the bullet for me.
She tightened her fingers around the coffee cup.
Why?
That question had been sitting in her mind all night.
Liam had brushed it off like it was nothing.
But it wasn't nothing.
People didn't throw themselves in front of bullets for "nothing."
Evie exhaled slowly and tried to push the thought away.
She couldn't afford to think about Liam too much.
Not here.
Not in this house.
Because every second she spent in the Quinn mansion meant she was playing a role.
The girl Alexander trusted.
The girl living inside his world.
The spy.
Alexander suddenly stood from his chair.
"Come with me."
Evie looked up.
"Where?"
"I want to show you something."
His tone was casual, but there was a subtle firmness to it.
She followed him through the quiet halls of the mansion and out toward the back garden.
The air outside was warm and bright.
Birds moved between the tall trees lining the property, and the distant sound of the city hummed beyond the walls.
Alexander walked ahead of her with his hands in his pockets.
Evie watched him carefully.
He had been… different lately.
More relaxed.
More present.
And that made her mission harder.
Because it was easier to lie to someone who treated you like a stranger.
It was much harder to lie to someone who treated you like you mattered.
Alexander stopped near the edge of the garden.
"Do you ever feel like you're living two lives?" he asked suddenly.
Evie's heart skipped.
For a split second, panic flickered through her chest.
Did he know?
Had he figured something out?
But Alexander was looking out toward the trees, not at her.
His expression looked distant.
"Sometimes," she said carefully.
Alexander nodded slowly.
"It gets exhausting."
Evie stayed quiet.
After a moment he turned to her again, the faintest smirk touching his lips.
"But that's life."
He began walking back toward the mansion.
Evie followed.
But her thoughts were spinning.
Because for a moment…
It had almost felt like he knew something.
Across the city, Liam sat alone in his apartment.
The room was quiet except for the faint hum of traffic outside the windows.
He leaned back on the couch, staring up at the ceiling.
His bandaged ribs still ached slightly whenever he moved.
But the pain wasn't what was bothering him.
It was the realization he had come to the night before.
Evie.
Liam ran a hand through his hair.
This was bad.
Very bad.
Because feelings complicated everything.
And his job didn't allow complications.
Especially not when those feelings involved someone who was actively infiltrating one of the most powerful crime families in the city.
Alexander Quinn.
Just the thought of that name made Liam sigh.
Alexander wasn't stupid.
If anything, he was one of the sharpest people Liam had ever encountered.
Which meant the longer Evie stayed close to him…
The higher the risk became.
And now Liam had a new problem.
He cared too much.
That realization sat heavily in his chest.
Because it meant his decisions were no longer purely strategic.
They were personal.
And personal decisions in this world often got people killed.
Liam sat up slowly.
Maybe the smartest thing he could do now…
Was put some distance between them.
Just until this mission was finished.
Just until things were under control again.
Yes.
That was the logical choice.
He reached for his phone.
Then hesitated.
Because a small, irritating part of his mind didn't like the idea of staying away from her.
Liam exhaled sharply.
"This is ridiculous."
But the truth was unavoidable.
For the first time in years…
Something in his life wasn't entirely under control.
Evie noticed the change almost immediately.
Liam was different.
Not dramatically.
Not in an obvious way.
But something had shifted.
The next time they met for a mission briefing, he was quieter than usual.
More distant.
His usual relaxed humor was gone, replaced by a colder professionalism.
Evie noticed it within minutes.
They sat across from each other at a small table inside a quiet café used as one of their meeting points.
Liam slid a folder across the table toward her.
"New intel," he said.
His tone was calm.
Neutral.
Too neutral.
Evie opened the folder, scanning the documents.
Shipping routes.
Financial transfers.
Names connected to the Quinn family operations.
But her attention kept drifting back to Liam.
"You're acting weird," she said finally.
He didn't look up from his coffee.
"No I'm not."
"Yes you are."
He raised an eyebrow.
"Define weird."
"You're quiet."
"I'm always quiet."
"No you're not."
He gave a small shrug.
"Maybe I'm tired."
Evie studied him carefully.
Something was definitely off.
Usually Liam made sarcastic comments during briefings.
Usually he teased her about something.
Today he was acting like a completely different person.
Evie leaned back in her chair.
"You're avoiding something."
"I'm not."
"You are."
Liam finally looked at her.
For a brief second something unreadable flickered in his eyes.
Then it disappeared.
"Focus on the mission, Evie."
The formal tone of her name caught her slightly off guard.
He rarely called her that during private conversations.
It felt… distant.
Cold.
Evie frowned slightly but looked back down at the folder.
"Alexander is expanding the shipping routes," she said.
"Yes."
"That means he trusts me more."
"Which is good for the mission."
Evie nodded slowly.
But something inside her felt unsettled.
Because Liam wasn't looking at her the way he used to.
There was a barrier there now.
An invisible wall.
And she didn't understand why.
After a moment she closed the folder.
"Is this about what happened at the warehouse?"
Liam's fingers paused briefly around his coffee cup.
But his voice stayed calm.
"No."
"You got shot protecting me."
"I told you it was nothing."
Evie studied him carefully.
People didn't change their behavior like this over "nothing."
But Liam clearly had no intention of explaining.
So she decided to let it go.
For now.
"Fine," she said quietly.
They sat in silence for a moment.
Outside the café window, people walked past on the busy street, completely unaware of the hidden war playing out in quiet conversations like this one.
Evie gathered the papers from the folder.
"I'll continue observing Alexander," she said.
"Good."
" And l guess am now remaining with four weeks, for the other veil agents to be sent here. And l don't want to disappoint Him. I am going to end this quickly." I said.
" That's even better."
She stood from the table.
But before leaving, she paused.
For some reason, she felt the urge to say something else.
Something she didn't fully understand herself.
"You should take care of that injury," she said softly.
Liam nodded.
"I will."
Their eyes met briefly.
Then Evie turned and walked out of the café.
Liam remained sitting at the table long after she left.
Staring at the empty chair across from him.
Distance.
That was the safest option.
The smartest option.
But as he sat there alone, Liam realized something frustrating.
It didn't feel like the right one.