Aiden Knight's POV
"The truth?" I met Director Chen's calculating stare without flinching. "The truth is that some people are born weak. Others are forged in hell."
Director Chen's fingers stopped drumming. The silence stretched between us like a blade.
"Hell has many forms, Mr. Knight. Which particular version shaped you?"
I leaned back in my chair. This man wanted answers I couldn't give. Not because I was unwilling, but because the full truth would sound like madness.
"My family was slaughtered. I survived. Someone found me and decided I was worth salvaging." Each word came out flat and emotionless. "Five years of training. Five years of learning that weakness is a choice."
"Someone." Director Chen repeated the word like it tasted bitter. "This mysterious benefactor has a name, I assume?"
"Everyone has a name."
"But you're not sharing his."
"No."
