Liv kept walking, but her mind stayed behind.
In that room.
At the empty spot where someone had stood… and disappeared.
Leon.
Her steps remained steady and controlled, as always. From the outside, nothing had changed. But the further she walked, the clearer one thing became — something she could no longer ignore.
She didn't imagine it.
She saw him.
Liv stopped briefly at the end of the corridor, as if giving herself a moment she didn't actually have. Her breathing stayed controlled. Her expression returned to normal, revealing nothing.
But this time, she was holding back more than she should.
"Liv."
Kai's voice came from behind her, close — too close. Like he had never intended to give her space in the first place.
Liv didn't turn immediately. She already knew he wouldn't let this go.
"You're avoiding me."
Not an accusation. More like something he had already decided before asking.
Liv finally turned, meeting his gaze with the calm expression she had rebuilt.
"I'm heading to a briefing."
"We just came from there."
Kai's tone was flat, but he clearly wasn't accepting that answer. The distance between them was close enough to strip away any formality.
"You want to say something?" he continued.
Liv shook her head slightly. "I've said what I needed to."
Kai watched her for a few seconds longer, as if trying to push past that answer and find what she was deliberately hiding.
"You don't stop in the middle of a corridor without a reason," he said.
Liv didn't reply.
Kai stepped closer, enough to nearly erase the space between them without actually touching her.
"And you don't look like that."
"Like what?"
"Like someone who just lost control."
The words weren't loud, but they shifted the air between them.
Liv held his gaze, calm on the surface, closed off as ever, even though something inside her hadn't settled back into place.
"You're reading too much."
"And you're holding too much back."
The response came fast. Too fast.
A few seconds passed in silence. Neither of them looked away.
Kai exhaled slowly, then tilted his head slightly, as if choosing a different approach.
"Fine," he said. "If that's not what you want to talk about… We'll talk about the system."
Liv didn't react.
"Rian sent the logs you saw," Kai continued. "And it doesn't make sense."
"Because it's not a normal entry point."
"That's not it," Kai cut in. "It's how he got in."
A brief pause.
"He didn't just find a gap. He knew where to look."
The words hung between them.
Liv didn't answer.
Kai watched her reaction — or more precisely, the lack of it.
"That's not something an outsider pulls off in one attempt," he continued. "That requires internal knowledge of our system."
Liv held her breath for a second, steady, controlled, even as one name kept resurfacing in her mind.
Leon.
"Your conclusion?" she asked.
Kai didn't answer immediately. He leaned slightly closer, just enough to lower his voice, more personal now, more direct.
"There's someone who's been inside this system before," he said quietly. "Or someone who used to work with us."
The sentence settled between them.
Liv didn't move. But something inside her tightened — and even if it was slight, Kai saw it.
His gaze sharpened.
"You're thinking of someone."
Not a question.
Liv shook her head. "I'm thinking of possibilities."
"You're lying."
This time — no layer. No restraint.
Liv met his gaze without stepping back.
"You're crossing a line."
"Maybe," Kai replied. "But I don't care if it means I stay one step ahead of something that's already getting too close."
His voice wasn't raised, but the pressure in it was clear.
"Especially if it has something to do with you."
That landed heavier than anything before.
Liv didn't answer.
Kai studied her for a few more seconds, then finally stepped back half a step, enough to give space — but not distance.
"We're auditing the entire system," he said, his tone returning to control. "And I'll find out who got in."
A pause. His eyes returned to hers.
"With or without your help."
Liv gave a small nod. A safe answer. One that gave nothing away.
Kai didn't look satisfied. But he didn't push further. Not yet.
"I'll be in the briefing room," he said.
He turned and started walking away.
But before he was fully gone, he stopped without turning back.
"And Liv…" His voice dropped, quieter now. Sharper. "If there's something you're hiding from me…" A brief pause. "…it won't stay hidden for long."
His footsteps faded, leaving Liv alone in the corridor again.
Silence returned.
Liv didn't move right away. Her gaze stayed empty for a few seconds before slowly dropping to her hands, still steady, as if nothing had happened.
Even though everything had changed.
She saw him.
Not a shadow. Not a memory.
Leon.
And now, Kai was moving in the same direction.
Liv took a slow breath, then turned and continued walking, as if everything was still under control.
Even though it wasn't.
Because for the first time in three years, Liv began to realize one thing —
Leon didn't come back without a reason.
---