Devil

I lean against my steel desk, my knuckles white as I grip the edge. My office is dimly lit, the only light coming from the city outside the tall windows. The cold steel of the desk is the only thing keeping me grounded as my fury burns through me like wildfire. In front of me, a row of my guards stands with their heads bowed, shame etched into their faces. None of them dare to look up, knowing the wrath they are about to face.

“How?” I begin, my voice sharp and cutting. “How the hell did this all happen in your presence?!” my words slice through the air like a blade, and the guards flinch, but none of them respond.

The silence is deafening. I push myself off the desk as I ask “Do you have any idea how important those documents are? How close we came to losing them?”

The guards remain silent, their eyes fixed on the floor. I know they feel the weight of their failure, but it does little to quell the anger boiling inside me. I approach one of the guards and stand in front of him, my eye