"I t Carlos’s grandmother today," Casaio said into the phone as he lowered himself into a chair. "She’s a kind woman. Her health isn’t great, but she’s insisting on helping. Now I understand why Carlos wanted to handle everything on his own."
On the other end of the line, Gabriel asked, "And what did Carlos say about it?"
"Well," Casaio replied, "since his grandmother was desperate to see Alie, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse."
"Then do as Carlos says," Gabriel instructed. "And... thank you."
There was a brief pause before Casaio’s voice softened with concern. "Gabriel, are you getting enough rest?"
"It’s not the ti to rest. You already know what kind of danger is hovering above Alie. I am still looking for Ophelia," Gabriel said, leaning against the desk while facing the window.
"For a good fight, a good rest is needed," Carlos remarked.
"Thanks for the wisdom, Brother. I’ll hang up now. Good night." Gabriel ended the call and set the phone down on the desk, his eyes still fixed on the night beyond the towering windows of his study.
A soft knock broke the silence. He turned his head slightly to see Zilia standing in the doorway.
"What do you have to say?" Gabriel asked with impatience.
Zilia stepped into the room, halting a few paces from him. "Alie is sleeping soundly. She tried to stay awake to wait for you, but eventually, she gave in." Her voice softened. "You’ve been out since evening. Did you find anything about the witch’s den?"
"If I had, I wouldn’t be here," Gabriel replied flatly.
"I want to help, Gabriel," Zilia said, her expression tightening. "But you keep shutting out."
"If anything happens to you, Casaio will be shattered," Gabriel said firmly. "That’s why you’re staying out of this. He’s already unraveling because of you."
"Are you still upset with ?" Zilia asked quietly.
Gabriel’s gaze hardened. "Hmm. I couldn’t punish a spy." His voice was calm, but the edge in it cut deep. "I don’t care about your past. What matters is that you never tried to understand Casaio. Let’s stop talking before my words hurt you more than they already might."
"You’re brutally honest," Zilia murmured. "But your harsh words only show how much damage I’ve done to Casaio."
"I need not tell you about it," Gabriel stated. "I would like to be alone for a while. You should retire for the night."
Zilia nodded and simply walked away, leaving Gabriel alone in his thoughts.
"I should call Dad again in the morning," Gabriel murmured to himself. "I don’t think he even noticed I tried earlier."
He was about to head toward his bedroom when his phone buzzed. His brows knit together at the caller ID. Lifting it to his ear, he answered quietly, "Mom... why aren’t you asleep at this hour?"
"Why didn’t you call even once?" Mabel’s voice ca through the line, tinged with sothing between hurt and fatigue. "I waited for you to call ."
"You didn’t answer my question," Gabriel replied evenly.
"Yell at ," Mabel said, her tone strangely sounding hollow.
Gabriel exhaled, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "What’s gotten into you at this hour? If you have nothing important to say, I’m hanging up."
There was a pause, and when Mabel spoke again, her voice was softer, almost breaking. "Gabriel... I will make everything right."
"What?" Gabriel scoffed. "What did you say?"
"I-I will turn everything right," Mabel stated.
"Don’t do anything, which make hate you even more. You’ve done enough damage to . You chose to believe Ophelia and sidelined . If I began complaining, I think the morning will co. So, it’s better we don’t speak about it. And you... Stay away from my life."
With that, Gabriel disconnected the call and put it down. He took a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair. "Fuck!" He cursed and turned around.
"I was supposed to ask her about the image, but I ended up arguing with her," he mumbled.
Then, lowering his hand to his side, he grabbed his phone and went upstairs to his room.
~~~~~
Katelyn sifted through the stack of docunts. By now, her neck was stiff and her back was throbbing in protest. The clock had long since passed midnight, yet the mountain of work before her showed no sign of shrinking.
"I’m quitting," she muttered under her breath, slumping back into her chair. "Sage did this on purpose. He wants to feel pathetic... insignificant."
Her eyes drifted up to the ceiling, the weight of exhaustion pressing down on her. But then sothing flashed in her eyes, and she straightened in her seat. "No. I’m not quitting. I’ll get through this."
She bent back over the desk, fingers moving steadily across the keys. Another hour passed before the report was finally complete. With a tired sigh, she decided she’d earned the comfort of her bed.
The room fell into darkness as she switched off the light, only for her phone to suddenly ring, its screen glowing in the shadows.
"Who’s calling at this hour?" she muttered, picking it up. Her eyes widened when she saw the na. "Sage? Seriously?"
A bitter little laugh escaped her. "Guess he forgot I don’t take his calls outside work hours." Without hesitation, she declined the call and climbed into bed, letting sleep take over her.
anwhile, Sage stood on his balcony, holding a file in his one hand. He dialed Katelyn’s number again, only to be t with the automated ssage that the number didn’t exist. A low chuckle escaped him.
"She’s truly fierce," he murmured, amusent flickering in his eyes as he looked straight ahead.
From where he stood, he had a clear view of Katelyn’s balcony. Her lights were off. He smirked, realizing she had already gone to sleep.
Walking back into the room, he lowered the file to the table and went to his bedroom. Lying down on the king-size bed, he wondered, ’What does she hate about ?’
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