"You’re here."

Gustav paused as he opened the door to his office, finding Lukas standing by the floor-to-ceiling window with a cup of coffee in hand.

Gustav shrugged and walked inside, heading straight for his desk.

"You sure you should be here?" he asked while checking a file he’d picked up from his department. "From what I know, you should be somewhere else getting yourself together."

Lukas rolled his eyes and turned toward him. "It’s my shift today."

Gustav paused and frowned.

Their eyes met.

The tension between them was almost tangible.

"I’m not going to screw it up." Lukas broke the silence and jerked his chin toward the thin file he had placed on the other side of the desk.

Then he walked toward the door.

"I’ll get myself together, but..." He glanced at Gustav over his shoulder. "That doesn’t mean I’m going to go easy on her. I get that she saved us once, but that doesn’t mean I have to like her. For some reason, I just can’t."

With that, he resumed walking.

Gustav followed him with his eyes before speaking.

"Lukas." The latter didn’t stop. "Nikki and Tinie are here. I wouldn’t be surprised if Jony shows up soon."

This time, Lukas halted.

"You better make sure that if you’re going to criticize her, you do it the same way you’d criticize the Master," Gustav warned, his eyes dangerously sharp. "Because if you let your feelings cloud your judgment again..."

His voice lowered. "...I’ll have to end you myself."

This wasn’t just about Ashley.

It was about Dominion.

"The High Chamber is already watching her," Gustav added. "Don’t become the crack they can use to bring her down."

Lukas clicked his tongue and glanced back.

For once, he didn’t argue.

At this point, he had no right to, considering the papers he had sent to Ashley.

"Don’t worry," Lukas said as he resumed walking. "My work won’t become your burden."

"I wasn’t the one burdened by those papers," Gustav replied, staring at Lukas’s back as the man reached for the doorknob. "It wasn’t my workload that increased."

His eyes darkened.

"It was hers. She’s the one staying late because you failed to do your job properly."

Lukas’s jaw tightened. He glanced back but said nothing.

Then he walked out.

Gustav watched him through the transparent wall of his office, seeing him head straight toward Ashley’s office.

A deep sigh escaped him.

"I doubt he sees the difference," Gustav muttered. "He only looks at the surface."

Still, that wasn’t his problem right now.

"If anything, he’s going to lose his mind once he finds out she’s transferring authority over that project."

The dynamics within the office had changed drastically.

Back when Lucian was around, Gustav and Lukas often argued. But those arguments had been about work.

Now things felt personal.

And Ashley sat at the center of it.

Gustav sighed for what felt like the hundredth time before picking up the file Lukas had left behind.

The size alone felt familiar.

After all, only files of this thickness ever made it out of Lukas’s office and onto either Gustav’s desk or Lucian’s.

Normally, Lukas rejected almost everything at first glance.

Only during the rare periods when he worked day and night did he produce this much.

When Gustav opened the file, the corners of his lips lifted.

"I guess a day was enough." Then he frowned again. "I just need to make sure Nikki’s presence doesn’t affect him."

*****

Meanwhile, Ashley sat behind her desk, working through the documents before her.

Unlike her first few days in the office, the pile had shrunk dramatically. Now the files looked like proper reports worth reviewing rather than mountains of clutter.

A knock sounded at the door.

"Come in," she said without looking up.

The door opened. Then closed.

Several seconds passed in silence.

Even after Lukas stopped in front of her desk, neither of them spoke.

"I’ll be working with you today," Lukas finally said. "If there’s anything you need, send it to my office. I’ve already requested your schedule."

Ashley nodded without looking up.

Lukas clicked his tongue softly but ignored her lack of reaction.

"I won’t make the same mistakes again." His voice remained proud. "I went through some of the files I sent to this office, and I..."

He trailed off. The words "I’m sorry" seemed physically incapable of leaving his mouth.

In the end, he exhaled sharply and abandoned the attempt.

"It won’t happen again."

"Even with Nikki here?" Ashley asked. Only then did she raise her head.

"Even with the person you..." She tilted her head. "Feel so strongly about?"

Lukas took a deep breath and held her gaze.

"Even if she’s here." His expression remained firm. "It won’t happen again."

Silence settled between them.

Ashley studied him carefully.

She could see the struggle and hesitation in his eyes. But she could also see the determination.

Lukas was a proud man.

She had known that from the beginning.

And learning that he had been that troublesome boy from her childhood only helped her understand him better.

More importantly, Ashley understood what it felt like to feel strongly about someone.

Whether it was admiration, resentment, loyalty, or hatred.

For most of her life, the only people who had ever stirred such strong emotions within her were Marshal and the Di Carpios.

Only in this lifetime had she begun feeling something different.

And last night, Lucian had helped her see that.

Her pain and trauma still existed.

But so did her life with him.

"I’m taking your word for it." Finally, she nodded.

Then she opened a drawer and pulled out a file.

"Work on this."

Ashley slid it across the desk and leaned back.

Lukas frowned before opening it. The moment he saw the contents, his lips curled downward.

"I just gave you my word," he said through gritted teeth. "I said I wouldn’t make the same mistake."

"I know."

"Then why are you handing me a minor project?" He raised the file. "A charity project? Even the Master has been putting this on hold."

Ashley smiled. "I’ll count on you for it."

"You—"

"If that’s all, leave." She jerked her chin toward the door. "I have a schedule to keep. Get to work."

Displeasure was written all over Lukas’s face. He left with a heavy heart and countless complaints he kept to himself.

Yet just as he reached the door, Ashley stopped him.

"Lukas."

"What?" he asked, turning back with visible irritation.

Ashley studied him briefly. Then she spoke sincerely.

"Remember this."

Lukas frowned.

"Lucian can’t die." Her voice remained calm. "He can’t fall."

Her eyes softened. "Because it’s something I’ll never recover from. Never."

Silence followed, her soft voice echoing.

Ashley nodded once.

"That’s why I’m keeping you as much as I can." She held his gaze. Her expression turned serious. "So he doesn’t end up handicapped."

Lukas froze.

For the first time that morning, he couldn’t think of a single thing to say.

"Don’t forget my words," she added. "I mean them."