In response to Elisa's question, Delaney did not answer immediately. Instead, his eyes shifted toward Damian and lingered there for a second longer than necessary. There was hesitation in that look, but beneath it was something close to pleading.
He had already learned his lesson.
Originally, he had thought introducing the mysterious man would be simple. His colleagues had been obsessed with the impossible recovery he displayed and naturally wanted answers.
Delaney himself had expected some resistance from Damian, but not what happened afterward. Just making that request had earned him humiliation severe enough that he still unconsciously straightened his posture whenever he remembered it.
That encounter had made one thing painfully clear. The masked man was not someone Delaney could summon. If anyone here wanted access, it had to go through Damian.
Damian caught the old man's expression and understood instantly.
