Kael didn't wait for Iren to stand.
He turned toward the door as if the matter was finished, coat already in hand. The guards outside straightened the moment he moved, their attention snapping into place without a word exchanged.
"Come," Kael said.
It wasn't sharp.
It wasn't raised.
It carried the same calm certainty as everything else he'd said tonight.
Iren hesitated, then followed.
They moved through the corridor in silence. The building felt different now less unfamiliar, more closed. Like it had already decided where he belonged.
The elevator doors slid shut behind them.
Kael pressed the button without looking.
"You'll be moving residences," he said casually.
Iren blinked. "What?"
"Tonight," Kael added, eyes forward. "Or early morning, depending on how quickly you pack."
Iren let out a breath. "Wait, moving where?"
"My place."
The words landed too cleanly. Too easily.
"I thought this was about fixing the debt," Iren said. "About stopping the investigation."
"It is."
"Then why-"
"You signed," Kael interrupted, not unkindly. His tone didn't change. "This is part of it."
Iren frowned. "You didn't say anything about living together."
"I didn't need to."
The elevator hummed as it descended.
"I should at least be able to ask questions," Iren said.
Kael glanced at him then, briefly. Not annoyed. Not defensive.
Measured.
"You can ask," he said. "You should understand, though, that most of them won't change the outcome."
"That's not reassuring."
"No," Kael agreed. "But it is efficient."
Iren folded his arms, trying to ground himself. "I have my own place. My job. My routine."
Kael nodded once. "Which is why this will help."
"How?"
"No commute," Kael said calmly. "No unexpected expenses. No time wasted correcting problems before they appear."
Iren stared at him. "You're talking about my life like it's a schedule."
Kael's mouth curved slightly. Not a smile. Something thinner.
"Life works better with structure," he said. "Chaos is expensive."
The elevator stopped.
The doors opened into the underground parking area. A black car waited, engine already running.
Iren didn't move.
"This isn't what I agreed to," he said quietly.
Kael paused beside the car door.
"You agreed to resolve the situation," he said. "You didn't specify how."
"That doesn't mean you get to decide everything."
Kael studied him for a moment, eyes steady.
"Resistance," he said, "is inefficient when the problem has already been solved."
Iren felt something cold settle in his chest.
"You keep saying that," he said. "Like I don't get a choice."
"You had one," Kael replied. "You used it."
The driver stepped out and opened the back door.
Kael gestured, patient.
Iren hesitated only a second longer before getting in.
The door closed softly behind him.
As the car pulled away, the city blurred past the windows familiar streets slipping into unfamiliar directions.
"Where are we going?" Iren asked.
"My penthouse," Kael said. "Your things will be collected afterward."
"My things?" Iren turned sharply. "I didn't say you could-"
"They'll only take what you need," Kael interrupted, voice calm. "Clothes. Work materials. Essentials."
"I'd rather pack myself."
"You will," Kael said. "With supervision."
Iren laughed under his breath. "You make it sound like I'm being arrested."
"If you were," Kael said, "this would be much less comfortable."
The car fell silent again.
Iren watched the city lights, trying to slow his breathing. This was happening too fast. Faster than he could catch up to.
"This feels extreme," he said finally.
Kael didn't look at him. "So did your situation before tonight."
That shut him up.
They arrived at the building within minutes. Security greeted Kael by name. No checks. No delays.
Inside, everything smelled clean and faintly metallic. Polished surfaces. Muted colors. Control built into the walls.
The elevator ride up was longer this time.
When the doors opened, Iren stepped into a space that didn't feel like a home so much as a decision already made.
Floor-to-ceiling windows. Low lighting. Furniture arranged with intention, not comfort. Nothing out of place.
"This is temporary," Iren said, more to himself than to Kael.
Kael removed his coat. "Most arrangements are."
He walked deeper into the space, gesturing lightly. "The bedroom is there. The study is off-limits unless invited. Meals are handled."
"Handled how?"
"Scheduled."
Iren exhaled slowly. "You're very sure about all this."
"I don't like uncertainty," Kael said. "It creates stress."
"I didn't agree to schedules."
"You agreed to stability."
"That's not the same thing."
Kael turned to face him fully now.
"It is," he said. "In practice."
Iren opened his mouth to argue then stopped.
Because part of him could already feel it.
The relief.
No rent to worry about. No bills stacking up. No calls he couldn't answer. The edges of his panic were dulling, even as something else tightened in its place.
"This isn't a negotiation," he said quietly.
Kael's gaze softened, just a fraction. "No," he said. "It isn't."
He moved toward the door again. "Rest. Tomorrow will be busy."
"Busy with what?" Iren asked.
Kael paused with his hand on the handle.
"Adjustment," he said. "You'll adapt quickly."
The door closed behind him.
Iren stood alone in the quiet penthouse, surrounded by a life that wasn't his.
After a moment, he reached into his pocket.
Empty.
His brow furrowed. He checked again. Then his bag.
Nothing.
He swallowed.
The contract.
"I don't even have a copy," he murmured.
The realization settled slowly, heavily.
Whatever he had signed
Whatever he had agreed to...
He no longer had proof of where it ended.