Elite Saphhie Penthouse, 23:00;

Xi Yuan placed the car keys over the table next to his door, as he stepped into the house and took in a long breath. He hadn't heard from Rong Xinghe yet, but he'd presumed that she was still at work, provided she was preparing for a battle to come.

The sound of soft sobs reaching him, from the hall, told him otherwise, though.

"Xinghe?", the man walked into the dimly lit, eerily quiet room, worried, "What is it, Baby?", he questioned, striding towards her after he'd confirmed that it was indeed his Xinghe. "And where the hell is the butler?! Or, other housekeepers? Why haven't I been informed that you're-"

"Hey.", the girl cut in, crashing her lips against his, "I dismissed them for some time. It's okay. I am okay."

"No, you are not.", the man looked straight into the girl's eyes, "What happened?"

"Nothing. You'll think I am stupid.", Rong Xinghe bit her bottom lip, looking down at the book in her hand. This time, Xi Yuan didn't say anything. He simply stared at her, leaving her with no choice but to speak. "I've been reading this book. Okay? 'The Last Girl'. It's an intimate memoir of survival, in which, a former captive of the Islamic State, Nadia Murad, tells her ultimately inspiring story.

"I was just reading an emotionally intense part of the novel, that's it. Sorry, I worried you."

"You did worry me.", Xi Yuan agreed, tucking one of the girl's hair strands behind her right ear, a wry smile forming across his lips.

"I know.", the girl laughed weakly.

"Not because of you crying.", the man added, "But because you are lying, Xinghe.

"No. I...", the girl tried to say something but nothing came out of her mouth.

"I see through all your pretenses, Ma'Jolie. Always. And you know it. You could dodge the question, or you could divert the topic. But since you chose to lie, that worries me more than anything. Something terrifying must be haunting you. So tell me. What is it, Love?", the man repeated his concerns.

Rong Xinghe put the book away, her face inches apart from Xi Yuan's. He was right. She couldn't lie to him. She'd never been able to. He was her confidant, an attentive, rapt listener, and her most trustworthy friend, after all. She just didn't wish to burden him with her issues right after he'd returned back from work.

But then again, he was her partner, wasn't he? In grief, and in triumph.

Nodding faintly, the girl placed her hands into the man's, "In Military, we hire citizens, civilians from almost every sector of the society, every corner of the country, to forewarn us regarding any unusual activity they might notice in their vicinity. The insiders, or the inside informers, we call them.

"One such girl is Andrea. She wasn't born in Country X. She was bought off as property by some businessman, assaulted, abused, and then left here. When we were looking to hire from the Red Light area, the infamous Supaku Lane, I came across her. One glance at her, and I felt a connection between us. She is so courageous, you know. So positive, and chirpy.

"She had the chance to get out of there. Unlike other girls, who're born there, trained for prostitution, she wanted out. She did, more than anyone. But she still decided to stay. You know why?"

Xi Yuan shook his head, his expression earnest, one of his hands caressing the girl's hair.

"She wanted to play her part in fighting terrorism.", Rong Xinghe resumed, "Apparently, the businessman who bought her was associated with a terrorist organization too, and used to trade ammunition to those animals. Through her time, being sold and purchased by those filthy men, she realized just how much lust resided in the world of terrorism.

"Pleasure is just as much a desire to them, as spreading fear in every living soul's heart is. And she was right. No other inside informer has been as useful to the Army as her. She was the one who'd helped me decode Abraham Fadhil's initial plan too; hence protecting Bro Mo and Bro Al that night.", the girl stopped talking after that, fixing her gaze at her and her darling's entangled hand.

"She seems to be an incredible lady.", the man finally said after a silence of roughly two minutes, "Did something happen to her?", he'd figured out as much by then, obviously.

It was immensely rare for Rong Xinghe to get attached to anyone so deeply. And by the looks of it, Andrea was no less than any other Military subordinate, or even sister, to his girl. If that were the case, he genuinely hoped that this woman was fine. Rong Xinghe was fierce enough when it came to protecting her country, every single person inhabiting its land. But she was so much more when it came to her family. One blow at her Bro Mo and the Ripper had unleashed, casting hellfire upon everyone and anyone in her path.

He didn't care about the people she'd hurt. He knew that, even in her devil-form, she'd never harm the innocent. What mattered to him was what all that Ripper-ness did to her. He didn't want her to think of herself as a monster, or some evil incarnate like she did when she first told him about it. He hated when she doubted or looked down upon herself.

"She lost the child in her womb.", the girl's lips quivered, trembled, tears slipping down her eyes, "And guess why. Because she tipped me off with that info, that protected my family and this entire country. That's what you get for being selfless in this world. That's what costs you. A life that hadn't even been formed entirely, Yuan.

"When I got to that hospital, she was just lying there, unconscious. Lifeless. With no knowledge of her loss. She didn't deserve this, Yuan. She just didn't.

"She was a good person.", the girl's cries got louder as her hands clutched around her darling's suit collar, "Why? Why did this happen to her?"