‼️ PAUSED ‼️ ❝ 𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐀 𝐋𝐄𝐆𝐀𝐂𝐘 ❞ ~ [ᵂᵉˡᶜᵒᵐᵉ ᴴᵒᵐᵉ/ᴿᶠ ᵂᵃˡˡʸ ˣ ᴼᶜ]

[𝟏.] 𝐇𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬

"Making amends with one another is a difficult journey, but it has the power to illuminate a new path filled with hope and the gentle grace of forgiveness."

            _______ 💉 ______

  
  
  
Vincent left the office feeling frustrated after a heated conversation, his patience wearing thin. He walked through the busy hallways, hardly noticing the people he bumped into or the heavy steps he took, his grim expression remained.
  
  
Whilst brooding over the encounter, he lets out a sigh, casually tapping his fingers on his arm as he waits for the elevator to drop him to the place where he was assigned at.
  
  
Upon reaching the designated area, he heard the familiar DING from the elevator. He stepped out, holding onto his rifle case straps, and trotted his way towards the spot where he knew that person would be.
  
  
  
"This damn collaboration, aren't my efforts enough? Why him..." He shook his head with yet another sigh.
  
  
  
His lilac eyes traced the familiar bold words written on the lab signage; 'RF Lab Department. 14'.
If it ever makes sense, then perhaps this Rainbow factory should've never been called a 'factory' if it has labs all over the place.
Then again, there's no use crying over spilled milk...
  
  
He was then interrupted with a hiss, seemingly from gaseous results.
It only dawned on him that the lab doors were slightly opened.
Vincent cautiously pushes the door open, expecting another set of a fitting hiss from whatever was going on the other end.
  
  
Instead, and now that the door was wide open, - he was met with a frustrated groan of a man inside, who had their back turned, seemingly disinterested in acknowledging his presence, as always.
  
  
An uncomfortable silence envelopes the entire lab, both individuals not daring to break it.
After a pregnant pause, Vincent proceeded to clear his throat softly.
Without turning around, the person in a lab coat released a weary sigh.
  
  
  
"What brings you here, Vincent?"

He asked abruptly, clearly irritated, with a hint of venom in his voice as he mentioned his name.
The hissing flask by the table only worsened the situation.

  
  
  
Whatever reason that the former was here, it has to be reasonable enough for the latter to listen.

  
  
"The Head Director assigned me to form a collabor-"
  
  
"No."
  
  
  
His eyes went slightly wide as his statement got interrupted the second he was determined to get to the point.
He felt a growing twinge of unease, aware of the tension in the air.
  
  
  
"... And why is that?"
  
  
  
The man finally turned around, and adamantly replied that he is capable of handling the task on their own.
He clicked his tongue in response to the latter's unwillingness for their collaboration.
  
  
  
"I'm only asking for you to consider this, it's not on me to decide but the Head Director himself."

Vincent insisted, his jaw tightened as he impatiently tapped his boot.
  
  
His response caused the latter to sigh as he ran his prosthetic arm through his unruly pompadour, causing loose hairstrands to fall over his face.
  
  
  
"I don't need your help, and I certainly didn't ask for it."
  
  
Despite the unwillingness of the latter's cooperation, he pressed on again.
  
  
  
"Listen, the Head Director informed me that whatever this factory has to offer, in any assistance, he assigned me to help you again and it's proven efficient if we both can get the jobs done with combined coordination."
  
  
  
"'Combined coordination'? Or are you trying to prove something here like last time?"
He shot back, his tone accusatory as his temper gets the best of him.
  
  
  
He felt a surge of anger growing inside him, but he took a deep breath, trying to remain composed.
  
  
  
"It's what the Head Director wanted, and no, this isn't about trying to prove anything here - it's about teamwork, nothing more, I'm here to make things right."
  
  
  
Words were exchanged like arrows, each sentence a testament to their differing perspectives and clashing egos.
  
  
In the end, the lab fell into an awkward silence, the tension lingers around as it slowly fades within the passing time.
The latter's unwillingness remains unyielding.
With both of their patience running thin, he breathed a disappointed sigh.
  
  
  
'What can I expect... Of course he refused to work with me again.' Thought Vincent, suppressing himself the urge to roll his eyes.
  
  
  
His means of professionalism fell into nothingness, even the mention of 'Head Director' wasn't enough to convince this man into shaking his hand for a collaboration.
  
  
  

  

  
  
They stood silently, facing each other uncomfortably.
The two locked their gaze with one another, almost in a way where he wanted Vincent to leave.
His gaze shifted slightly, his sense of frustration was cleared out the moment he realized that the latter wasn't leaving so soon.
  
  
A faint frown crossed the man's face, he interpreted his actions as someone who was being stubborn and persistent, or daring even.
  
     
  
"What're you still doing here? You're not planning on giving up, are you?"

  
  
  
"Until you realize how important it is to tackle challenges by any efficient means and strategy, then I might leave."
  
  
  

"Oh, so you think I couldn't handle any task alone?"
The man retorted with a glare, a touch of defensiveness laced into his voice.
 

 
  
  
Vincent began to click his tongue, his lips pursed from the irrational choice of his words.
He breathes in, carefully picking the right words to summon.
  
  
  
"I mean to say, that you and I, can handle any challenges by working together again and by combining our strengths - or whatever works that counts.
Look, just ... Give me another chance here."
  
  
  
With a subtle sigh in surrender, he turned on his heels and walked over to his desk.
He rummaged through the neatly stacked papers until he found what he was looking for - a folder containing the details of a new assignment.
With the folder in hand, he extended it for Vincent to take, but he was met with a look of confusion plastered around his face.
  
  
His stern expression remained unchanging, as Vincent took the folder and waited for the latter to explain himself.
  
  
  
"Consider this as your assignment, then.
If you manage to successfully complete this task to my satisfaction, then we can talk about collaborating, nothing else."

The words were delivered with a matter-of-fact tone, leaving no room for misinterpretation nor arguments.
     
  
  
He briefly glanced towards him.
"And if I succeed?"
  
  
  
"Then, and only then,"

He emphasized, "Will I consider working together with you again.
You wanted to make things right the way it is like last time, right?
So, if you're serious about this and that you're not all talk like what these people have been seeing you as, get to work."
  
  
  
  
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
‼️This chapter has been rewritten for the sole purpose of renewing the plot of this story.
I would like to advise readers, -who had been reading this book for a few months-, to reread the newer version of this book.
Thank you and have a great day, readers!
(⁠/⁠･⁠ω⁠･⁠(⁠-⁠ω⁠-⁠)