"I'm aware," Rebecca replied coolly, her voice steady without breaking her meditative posture, her breathing rhythmic and controlled amid the chamber's oppressive quietude.
"And I warned them," she continued, a hint of exasperation threading through her words. "Did I not?"
"You did indeed," Number One conceded, though his expression remained stern, etched with lines of concern and unwavering loyalty, his massive frame blocking the faint light filtering through a narrow slit in the wall.
"But yet, you harbor this unusual fondness for this particular being," he pressed on, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Is this merely curiosity, viewing him as a potential pawn to manipulate in your grand designs? Or is there something more at play here?"
"I don't recall having to answer to you," Rebecca stated coldly, her eyes snapping open to meet his gaze with piercing intensity, the air between them crackling with unspoken authority and tension.
