Gabriel's POV

Getting back to normal felt good. Elliot and I were finally out of the hospital, though not without a stern warning from the medical staff. It was comforting to be home again—home being the mansion the Association had provided for us, tucked away in a secluded part of their land and surrounded by forest.

The house was massive, with numerous bedrooms and a two-storey open living area. Floor-to-ceiling windows lined the main walls, and the kitchen was a chef's dream, fitted with four ovens and a butler's pantry. We even had our own personal chefs, who lived in a separate building nearby, due to the… persistent poisoning attempts we'd dealt with over the years.

All in all, it was a very comfortable setup. Outside, there was an Olympic-sized pool, a gym and a training facility with both sauna and cold plunge pools.

It was fairly standard for high-ranking Espers and Guides to receive this level of treatment. On a good day, Elliot and I could handle four average gates on our own, whereas it normally took a team of twenty to handle just one. Because of this, we were paid extremely well, and often gifted by other nations whenever we helped close their gates. Our assets and income placed us well within the top 0.001%.

I was enjoying a light dinner while Elliot relaxed in front of the television when a call came through from our assistant, Adam.

Answering the phone, he skipped any preamble. "Evening, sir. Nathan has returned to the Association and is back in his dormitory."

Letting out a small sigh, I replied, "Thank you, Adam. Could you schedule a time for us to thank him—somewhere away from prying eyes?"

"Of course, sir. I'll book something for 10 a.m., after Elliot's morning training. Is there anything else you need?"

"Yes. Could you also prepare a portfolio of our current assets? We're thinking of offering him a property as a gift."

There was a slight pause before he answered, "Of course, sir. I'll compile one—it may be rather extensive. If I may suggest, you might want to bring the chequebook along. Receiving a mansion as a gift can be overwhelming. The maintenance and taxes alone could become more of a burden than a kindness."

Grunting in agreement, I said, "Alright, we'll offer a few options. Maintenance would already be covered, but it's good to be prepared in case he's not interested in any of them."

With that sorted, I hung up and dropped the phone on the counter. "Hey!" I called out to Elliot. "We're meeting the guy who helped us tomorrow morning at ten. Don't be late, alright?"

He grinned over his shoulder. "That's great! I promise I'll be on time!"

Nathan's POV

After returning to the Association, I fell asleep almost instantly. My mind was still buzzing with worries about money and how to get more of it.

I got up early and went straight to work, heading to my supervisor—a man who was always straight-laced and fair. After assigning my duties for the day, he handed me a post-it with a time and room number scribbled on it.

"You'll need to be in conference room 2.3 this morning at ten," he said, not looking up from his computer.

My brow furrowed. "Do you know what it's about?"

Without missing a beat, he replied, "Not exactly. Probably something to do with the resolution of that recent incident. Nothing to worry about."

I nodded, hesitating for a moment longer. "Just one more thing… would there be any additional shifts or after-hours work available?"

He turned slightly to jot something down in his notebook. "I'll make a note of it and let you know if anything comes up."

From there, I headed off to the kitchen and got to work—cleaning, peeling, chopping an absolutely unreasonable amount of onions and potatoes. The onions had my eyes watering like mad. At this rate, I should probably just get my tear ducts surgically removed, given how much crying I'd done lately anyway.

As the clock neared ten, I finished up and made my way towards the conference room. It was located in a more administrative part of the Association, so I had to head up a few floors.

When I reached the right area, a male receptionist sat behind the front desk. I walked up with a polite smile.

"Hello, I'm here for a meeting—my name is Nathan Newman."

He looked up and nodded professionally. "Thank you, Mr Newman. The room is the third on the right down this hallway."

Murmuring my thanks, I walked in that direction, trying to calm myself with a few deep breaths.

You can do this, I told myself. You've handled worse. Melly's the one really suffering.

Whatever was behind that door… I'd face it head-on.