Love Unspoken

Walter momentarily faltered, but his smile quickly returned. "Is that so? I'll review it again," he said, his tone light and casual. He scooped up the documents, adding, "I'll make the revisions and have you look it over." Alexander offered no response, his silence serving as tacit agreement. Walter collected the document and exited the room, leaving Alexander alone. The latter loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt, his face expressionless. He sat in the conference room, his gaze distant and unfocused.

His solitude was interrupted when Ruby knocked and entered the room. "Alexander," she began, her tone professional, "I couldn't reach you by phone yesterday, so I went ahead and met with the client. We sealed the deal. Here's the contract for you to review."

Alexander accepted the contract, flipping through it casually. "Okay, you keep handling it," he instructed. Ruby nodded, her eyes lingering on him a moment longer than necessary.

"Alexander, is something bothering you?" she asked hesitantly. He looked up, his surprise evident. "Is it that obvious?" Ruby chuckled softly, "Quite obvious. You barely flipped through two pages of this contract without really looking." Alexander remained silent for a moment before standing up and leaving the conference room....

Quinn awoke on the cold, hard floor, her body aching from the previous night's trials. The chill of the floor numbed her cheek, which was pressed against the ground, devoid of any sensation. She glanced around, finding herself in the same room as the day before, her wrists still bound.

leftovers had been placed in front of her. Despite the chill of the food, the lingering aroma tantalized her taste buds, saliva

bowl, her lips twitching. After a few seconds, she closed her eyes and turned her head away. Her will to live seemed to wane,

of her, his head slightly tilted as he studied her. His slightly curled, short hair cast a gentle shadow across his face, giving him an air of

softly, "You do have some spirit." His words weren't complimentary, and as if to prove it, he grabbed

face pale. Her veins rippled, distorting her features. "With such a backbone, how can you still stay by Alexander's side and be a tail-wagging dog?" he mumbled,

of rice and brought it to Quinn's mouth, his voice still soft, "Eat, or you'll starve." He laughed, "You can't die." His laughter was soft, but his actions were cruel. He forced her face into the bowl of food, blocking

her head down, her coughing shaking