{Ava... you do realize you’re crossing a line, right?}

Ava smirked as she stepped out of the building, hands tucked casually into her pockets. "What? Seeing my wicked side for the first time?"

{I knew you could go far to hunt your prey, but this is something else. You actually forged a warrant just to get the suspect’s address?}

Ava let out a low chuckle as she opened the car door. "That’s the advantage of a reputation like mine, midget. Show people something stamped with authority, and they stop questioning."

The warrant she had shown Mathew carried a fake seal, carefully arranged to corner him into cooperating.

"Though honestly," she added as she slid into the driver’s seat, "even without it, I had a feeling the old man would’ve helped me anyway."

{I reviewed Kyle’s past reports. The psychologists who evaluated him all reached the same conclusion. Domestic abuse.}

Ava laughed under her breath. "No wonder he clicked with that runt." She shook her head slightly before asking, "So, what about the area? How does his new place look?"

{It’s a high-security apartment complex. Fingerprint access at the entrance, and an additional passcode required to operate the elevator. Chief, there’s a risk of exposure if I attempt to breach the system.}

Ava’s expression darkened. "I don’t like hearing that from you."

{Even for me, infiltrating without detection would be difficult. There may not be any visible alarms, but whoever monitors the system would definitely notice an unauthorized entry.}

Ava clicked her tongue in irritation.

If Kyle sensed that she had tracked down his new residence, he would disappear again.

And this time, even Mathew might not be of any use.

She needed to be careful.

"Vi, check the external surveillance around the building. See if there’s any nearby structure that can give me access to his floor."

{Ah... got it. Understood. Honestly, you’re a genius.}

....

After lunch, Melissa asked to be dropped home, saying she wasn’t feeling well.

They had originally planned to take her along to see Kyle’s new house, but her condition changed the plan.

As they arrived at Maylith’s manor, Melissa stepped out and said, "Bye, Kyle."

"Goodbye," Kyle replied with a small smile and a nod.

She exited the car, and Amanda followed her out.

Amanda walked up to her sister and placed a hand on her shoulder. "If you’re not feeling well, tell someone, okay? Don’t just try to sleep through it. You hear me?"

Melissa stayed silent for a few seconds. Then, glancing over Amanda’s shoulder to make sure the car window was closed, she spoke quietly,

"Amanda... did I do something to offend him?"

Amanda blinked, caught off guard. "What do you mean?"

Melissa gave a small shrug. "It just felt like he was different with me today compared to yesterday. Maybe it’s just me... but if I did something wrong, tell him I didn’t mean it."

With that, she turned and walked into the mansion, leaving Amanda standing there in stunned silence.

For someone who acted like she didn’t care about others, even a slight shift in Kyle’s behavior had clearly affected her.

Shaking her head, Amanda returned to the car. "Let’s go."

Kyle started the engine, completely unaware of the conversation that had just taken place.

After a short stretch of silence, Amanda finally spoke, "Kyle... did something happen between you and Melissa yesterday? Did she say something that upset you?"

"No, not at all. In fact, I like her personality," Kyle replied. Then, realizing what she meant, he added, "You’re talking about how I acted around her today, right? Just how big of a shift was it?"

Amanda leaned back in her seat, recalling the atmosphere during the meal. "It wasn’t a huge change... just that you were holding yourself back. You felt a bit reserved around her, even though you two seemed to get along well yesterday."

Kyle understood.

It was time.

He had planned to tell her anyway, and this misunderstanding only made it more necessary.

Without saying anything, he turned the car into the underground parking of a nearby shopping complex.

Amanda glanced around, confused. She had assumed they were heading out to buy things for his new place.

But when he parked in a secluded corner and didn’t step out, instead remaining seated with his hands on the wheel, her concern deepened.

"Kyle?" she called softly. "What’s wrong? You’re starting to worry me."

Kyle took a breath, his fingers tightening slightly around the steering wheel before he finally spoke,

"Alright... time for a confession."

Amanda’s eyes widened instantly. "P-Proposal? Wait—my heart isn’t ready—"

"It’s not that," Kyle said with a small, wry smile. "I told you that my powers awakened out of nowhere... but that’s not entirely true. There’s a story behind it. How everything actually began."

Amanda blinked, caught completely off guard.

She hadn’t expected this at all.

....

Veronica sat in her office, trying to get in touch with Ava.

There had been no response to her call that morning, and Ava hadn’t reported her plans to the base either.

She was supposed to be working alongside them, yet with the reputation she carried, she moved freely, doing whatever she pleased.

"What exactly is going through your head?" Veronica muttered under her breath before calling her secretary.

"Last night, did Ava come to my office?"

{No, Commander. She didn’t enter the base. She waited outside for you and then left.}

Veronica frowned and ended the call.

So she came all the way here... just to pass on information?

Turning to her computer, Veronica pulled up the surveillance footage from the previous night.

Ava had been standing outside for nearly half an hour.

But why?

She watched closely.

There she was, speaking briefly with Ava before walking away, leaving her behind.

Ava then moved toward her car. She paused there for a few seconds... and then walked to the other side.

Veronica’s frown deepened as she switched to another camera angle.

But none of the cameras covered that exact spot—

Except one.

The one installed directly above her car.

Veronica immediately switched the feed.

No signal.

Her eyes widened as she rose from her chair.

"...This."