A dramatic introductionHottest News Today began its broadcast. The polished globe logo spun into focusglow
On the left sat a fair-skinned, brown-haired male anchorsleek, dark suitserious expressiongravity
On his right sat Nikitabold lookcurly black haircomplexion was a striking bilge tonedeep red dressform-fitting one-pieceplunging surplice necklineedgy sophistication
Ankus straightened his posture, his eyes locking onto the camera as he began the broadcast.
He gave a quick nod to his co-host before refocusing.
Nikita interjected, an expressive tiltplayful smirkgrave tone
Her words punctuated the statement with a wide-eyed, exaggerated gesturedramatic flair
The perspective gradually shifted, pulling back from the mobile screen to reveal DavidarmchairJoseph's officeMeTube, holding his phone and watching the news.
David's lips curled up in amusementdramatized detailschucklelast night's event
Just then, the door to Joseph's office swung openJoseph stepped into the roomcoat draped over his armworkbench chair
Joseph narrowed his eyes, a playful smile
David glanced up; his eyes gleaming with mischiefsly grin
Joseph chuckled, raising an eyebrow as he walked over.
But as he leaned over to glance at the news on David's screen, his cheerful expression falteredcrater at Nirvana Cliffaerial viewdepths casting dark shadowsjagged, craterous pattern
Joseph's smile faded, his face falling into a blank, unreadable stare
TOTAL SILENCE
The silence lingered, each moment stretching uncomfortablypoker-faced reactionloud, booming laugh
"BAHAHA!"
His laughter echoedfilling every corner
After he'd laughed as much as he could, he straightened, wiping away tears as he mimicked Joseph's voice with a perfect impression.
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He said, his voice trailing off in a fit of chuckles. Joseph's initial look of annoyancesmiling along
With a hint of sarcasm, Joseph replied,
The words hung in the air, a gentle jabimmobilized stancerendered immobileDemon General manipulated time
David crossed his arms, pouting
defiantly
Joseph raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms to mirror David's stance.
amusement colouring
David glared at him; eyebrows drawn in mock angeroffquiet realization
breaking through
Joseph's expression shifted as he processed David's words.
hint of worry
David nodded slowly, humming in agreement.
With a sigh, he turned his chair back to face the news, eyes flickering back to the crater on the screenclose-up viewinitial amusement fadedgrowing unease
PAPER RUSTLING, CLOCK TICKING
Meanwhile, in the downtown offices of , Thomassea of paperworkfiles on high-profile casesrecent incidentspracticed easepreoccupiedpieces of a puzzle
THUCK
His pen tapped rhythmically against the desk.
THUCK
Thomas's thoughts raced like a Jett
jaw clenched
His thoughts swirled around Josephreliabletrustworthyvaluequestions gnawed
The idea was troublingunthinkable
DOOR THUD OPENING
Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted as the door to his office swung open with a loud thudyoung womanhair long and straightfairrectangular glassessharp featuresdetermined expressionformal white shirtdeep blue blazermatching skirtdark blue tie
Her name tag half visible because of the room light reflection reads: Senior Reporter: Amayra --
She stepped into the office with purposeunreadable but intense
Back in Joseph's office, the light-hearted atmospheresubtle hum of conversationoccasional chucklestrangely stillheavy silencerhythmic ticking
Joseph found himself glancing toward it more frequentlytapping absentlypolished surfacequiet tension
David, seated across from him, took note of the restless energyamusingimpatient
David leaned back in his chair, a knowing smile
hint of amusement
Joseph exhaled sharply, nodding as if to acknowledge David's words, but his expression remained tense
His eyes never left the door. His mind was already racing
Was she caught up with something urgent?
Had she decided not to come?
Was she in trouble
The thought sent a small ripple of unease
The soft glowshadows creeping10 o'clock
A sense of dread settled over himslow-moving stormunbearably longer
David observed the shift in Joseph's demeanorgenuine concern
Joseph didn't answer, and just gave a little nod. His phone sat idle on the desk, as Joseph looked on his phone.
The weight of unspoken questionssuffocatingsilence
The morning had brought two uncalled questionsunease growingSenior Reporter Amayrasharpdeliberateweight of an unspoken words