"Jax! Jax!" Marley's voice pierced through my thoughts, and I jolted upright, my entire body trembling. "Jackson!"

"Marley..." I looked up, surprised. "I thought you were supposed to come next week. Did you finish your mission already?"

"Are we seriously going to ignore what just happened?" Her expression was one of fury. "Jax, what the heck happened to you?"

"It's nothing significant," I shrugged, feeling drained and not in the mood for idle conversation. "And shouldn't you be reporting first instead of talking about trivial matters? Remember, I'm your boss."

"Fuck off, will you?" Marley took a few steps back, throwing herself into the chair opposite me. "Were you on drugs again?"

"I haven't touched any in a week," I decided to be honest with her. I wasn't in the mood for pretenses. "I think it was more of a psychological episode."

"And you're just brushing it off like it's nothing!" Marley seethed, her anger palpable. Under different circumstances, I might have cared more, but the images I had witnessed mere moments ago still haunted me.

"It's not nothing," I responded, my voice growing colder with each word. "But for you, it should be."

"Jax, I'm worried," she said, her tone sincere. She was one of the few people who could handle my shifting demeanor without flinching. "I'm your sister, after all."

"Dawn," I sighed, tilting my head back. Whenever I tried to distance myself from her, she would remind me of our familial bond. "Right now, I am Dusk. Why is everyone so careless with my name?"

"Damn it!" Marley quickly realized her mistake. "It's your fault, truly. It's all because you treat it so carelessly!"

"It's mine. I can do whatever I want with it," I looked away, a sudden wave of nausea washing over me for no apparent reason. "I'll make a statement soon. Just be cautious with my name."

"Is that an order?" Marley scoffed.

"Yes," I responded firmly. "I won't tolerate any more mistakes in this regard."

"Will you talk to me at home?" Marley asked. "Sir Dusk?"

"I won't be coming home tonight."

"It's been so long," Marley looked hurt. I knew she understood the reason behind my absence. "Everyone's going to throw me a 'mission accomplished' party..."

"So, everyone knew you were coming except your brother?"

"I only called Drake and informed him," Marley avoided my gaze. This woman... "He said he would inform you. I guess he forgot."

"Dawn," I sighed, unsure of what to say. "Shouldn't you let go already?"

"I'm going to take off," she deflected the question, rising from her seat. "I have something I need to attend to in the city."

This damn love triangle. Simon is a womanizer. Drake is infatuated with Simon, and Marley is in love with Drake. Meanwhile, my foolish secretary, Nick, is in love with Marley.

I'm almost certain that if I dig deeper, I'll discover someone who's also in love with Nick. And I'm pretty sure that someone has been involved with Simon at least once. It's a tangled mess where everyone is interconnected, making this whole situation even more absurd than any mission I've ever been on.

Sigh... My foolish sister... And she looks so melancholy over that idiot.

"Marley," I whispered her name, the sound catching her attention before she could reach the door. "You've been taking your medication for some time now, right?"

"Ah," Marley glanced down at herself, her newfound curves, and a small smile graced her lips. "Yes. I look more like a girl now, don't I?"

"Come on," I tried to smile at her despite the whirlwind of thoughts swirling in my mind. "You've always been a girl. Your body was just a little slow to catch up."

"Thanks, big bro," Marley chuckled, closing the door behind her. The sound of her laughter lingered in my mind.

At least she has that to bring her happiness, I thought, trying to find solace in her joy.