"Not obeying direct commands. . acting on your own. . .impertinently." Chief Lexis raised his eyebrows while giving out a deep sigh. "Say, what will be your punishment, Andy?" He continued as he sat down behind his desk.

"Punishment?" I scoffed lightly. "What about the appreciation of working smartly and efficiently? What about catching the actual culprit?" I took a step forward.

"You should be aware that appreciation is not recognized or expressed in this setting." Chief Lexis stood up and placed his hands on both ends of the table.

"Many people fail to appreciate the importance of hard work and effective methods." I countered back.

Chief Lexis stared back at me with a phlegmatic expression.

I sighed heavily. "I was the one who placed a GPS tracker on his collar, which made it easy to track him. Additionally, I was the one who called for backup when the need for help arose."

"Are you suggesting that success can be achieved simply by accepting 'appreciation'?" Chief Lexis asked in a calm and smooth tone. He walked towards me until he was standing directly in front of me.

"Oh, how wrong you are." He whispered with a stone face.

"I just want you to-"

"What? Do you expect me to acknowledge you and overlook the mistakes you have made?" Chief Lexis said briefly. I looked back at him hesitantly.

"Do you realize how stupid you sound right about now?" He appeared to be completely bewildered.

"I just-"

"What would he think about it?"

He. . .of course, he's talking about him, Lucifer Lockwood, one of the brothers of Chief Lexis himself. I met him once during one of my missions. I admired him for his intelligence and his efficient methods. Ever since Chief Lexis ascertained that I admired him, he has been using that against me.

The silence in the room was broken by the sound of the door opening behind me.

"Sir?" Chief Lexis nodded his head slightly while staring at me. The agent walked in and whispered something in Chief Lexis' ear.

"If you'll excuse me, Anderson, I must attend to something more important than this discussion." And with that, he left. That was harsh.

After contemplating my thoughts for a few more minutes, I left the office. It was about 8 PM when I headed home. I was already so exhausted. I flopped down on the couch after getting myself tea. I was seeking solace through this before the phone rang.

I groaned loudly and stood up to where the phone was. I picked it up and answered it.

"Hey." A mischievous voice said.

"Rick?" I answered in utter disappointment.

"I heard you got called to the principal's office?" Rick chuckled softly.

"Very funny," I said in a bored tone. "You seem happy for someone who almost just lost an arm."

"Ah. Things happen, people die, arms break, so what?" Rick laughed once again.

"Oh God. Get help." I laughed.

"Seriously though, what you did back there was heroic."

"Please refrain from demonstrating any appreciation towards me. Trust me, it's not worth risking Lexis's wrath." I scoffed.

"Oh, so this is the problem. Bro, Lexis has always been this way. He won't change a bit whether you say something to him or you don't." Rick said casually. He is right. The four brothers have always been obstinate. I have never met the other two, but I suppose none of them are different from the other.

"Yeah. You're right." I answered while contemplating my thoughts.
"You get some rest now. We have a long day tomorrow." Rick said.
"Yeah. Bye." I said as I ended the call. I sat back on the couch and finished my tea. I went to my bedroom and before I knew it, I fell asleep.