Page 127 of Scaled Daddy's Secret Heir

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Kalev doesn’t move at first. Just straightens.

My gut goes tight before I even know why.

We both stand at the same time.

He crosses the room in silence, every line of him going alert, predatory.

I step to the side, just like always, slipping into the corner near the console where I have partial view of the door—but not ofme.

He flips the privacy shutter open.

On the other side stands a man who could disappear in a crowd.

That’s what makes him dangerous.

Neutral suit. Pale shirt. No tie. His hair is tidy, parted like he’s just left a bureaucratic meeting.

He’s smiling.

Notfriendly.

Just enough to look like he’s not a threat.

“Mr. Vair,” the man says smoothly. “Apologies for the intrusion. I’m Handler Thale.”

Kalev doesn’t answer.

“May I come in?”

“No.”

A small pause. The handler seems to consider pushing. Doesn’t.

Instead, he holds up a small round disc between his fingers. “Official ID. I’m here on follow-up, not enforcement.”

I canfeelKalev’s spine stiffen.

“You’re not cleared for Glimner jurisdiction,” he says.

“Which is why I’m here unofficially,” Thale says lightly. “A courtesy visit. Friendly check-in. Nothing more.”

Kalev steps out just enough to block the door fully. “Get to the point.”

The handler’s smile holds, but something behind it sharpens.

“Your mission parameters remain active,” he says. “We understand the value of reentry periods. Emotional entanglements. But a delay is not the same as a deviation.”

Kalev’s silence is thunderous.

My breath stutters in my chest.

The handler’s eyes flick, subtle, toward the hallway—toward the back rooms where Clancy plays in the garden.

He doesn’t see me.

But I know what he’s looking for.

What heexpectsto find.

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