~LIAM.

I always thought I was a rational man.

In all my thirty years of life, I'd never let jealousy crawl under my skin. Why would I? Relationships weren't part of the plan. They were distractions. Messy, emotional time bombs I was trained to avoid.

After Marcus pulled Jake, Kelvin, and me out of that hellhole at eighteen, everything became singular: serve the Foundation, bleed through the training, and rise to the top. Attachments? Never in the blueprint.

Sure, I had flings. Easy. Forgettable.

No mess. No risk. No one who mattered.

So someone explain to me...

Why did I have this burning urge to smash this kid's face in?...