That wasn't the answer she expected.
Alice smirked.
"People like him are hard to kill."
Nish actually laughed.
A rare sight.
Raj made a mental note to remember it.
The commander collected the empty folders.
"I'll update you if anything changes."
Then he left.
The office became quiet again.
For a few moments nobody spoke.
Then Alice suddenly looked at Raj.
"By the way."
Raj narrowed her eyes.
"What."
"Did you know Kai sleep-talks?"
Raj froze.
"...What."
Alice grinned.
The kind of grin that meant trouble.
"A maid told me."
Raj immediately regretted asking.
"What did he say?"
Alice leaned forward.
Dramatically.
Then lowered her voice.
"He kept saying..."
Raj waited.
Alice pointed toward herself.
"'That red-haired bitch.'"
The office was silent.
Then Raj burst out laughing.
Alice looked offended.
"Why are you laughing?!"
"Because that's absolutely something Andre would say."
For the first time that morning—
Even Alice laughed.
Outside the office, the city continued moving.
Unaware that beneath the jokes and paperwork—
Everyone was quietly waiting for news from the sewers.