(Before, I move on, to the story, I want to pull your attention to the beautiful cover art by Yazhin my friend, thank you dear, for this beautiful creation😍)
Mr. Alvarez: He is dead.

Jacob: The closest thing we had, got ruined.

Mr. Alvarez: Do you have anything to say on this?. 

Jacob: I take full responsibility of this. I missed that damn pill of cyanide hanging off his bracelet. 

Mr. Alvarez supported his hands on the brim of the table as he looked up at Jacob, he kept his face hung low, in an attempt to hide his frustrated eyes.

Mr. Alvarez: That was a mistake. A terrible rather. But, we can't sulk on this forever. It's been two days. 

Jacob: We have to come up with a new plan.

Mr. Alvarez: When? 

It was two days, after the interrogation disaster, when the team gathered in Mr. Alvarez office for a weekly review of the mission. 

Mr. Alvarez: I am taking up, from now. The week long hospital vacation did take a toll on me. We will get into a formal meeting today at 6 pm. I need to know, every detail, without any cover. I hope I am clear?

Jackson: I would suggest something, Thompsons. You better  have strong backup plans this time. Because, time and environment are always waiting to screw up your plans, while dressed up as your friend. Right, Ms Parc?

Madeline looked up at Jackson and creased her eyebrows, to show her disapproval. Jackson rolled his eyes and left the place. Everyone in the gathering got distracted by his words and turned towards Madeline. Jacob understood the gravity of the situation as he let out a tensed breath. Madeline walked out of the room in a haste. 

Mr. Alvarez trying t simplify it and spoke: What exactly, did I miss?

Jacob looked up at Mr. Alvarez, but did not utter a word. 

Madeline thumped in anger towards Jackson, who was walking through the busy workstations, towards the exit. Madeline walked past him, grabbed him by his arm and tried to pull him with herself towards the exit. Jackson repulsed immediately.

Jackson spoke in a low voice: I am not upto any form of drama. So, just back of. 

Madeline: NO! We need to have some serious talking now. 

Jackson: I don't change my word.

Madeline: REX!

Jackson glared, pointing a finger towards Madeline.

Jackson: DON'T CALL ME THAT.

After, a few seconds, they realised, that their words were loud enough to pull everyone's attention, as both scanned around to find clueless eyes pointing towards them.

Jackson gave her a disgusted look, before he left the place. 

Madeline followed him outside the gate.

Madeline: You didn't just hint at me, at the meeting. Stop playing the victim card, when you know nothing. 

Jackson stopped and turned towards Madeline, who was standing at the glass entrance. 

Jackson walked towards Madeline, and scanned through the street until his eyes caught a small park. 

Jackson: Let's go to that park, shall we? Grab some take out, and enjoy the drama. eh?

Madeline: What on earth are you talking about? I am not getting distracted, okay? I am not going anywhere with you. You will talk, that's it.

Jackson: That's it. Right. Follow me. 

Jackson turned around and walked away as Madeline followed him clueless.

Jackson entered the gate of a garden, with lush green grass covering the place, and short height grasses hiding just the sole of the shoes as they walk through the park. Jackson took a room in the closest bench, he could see, and Madeline walked slowly and stood near him. Jackson kept seated on the bench, with a death stare on the ground as Madeline waited for him to talk.

After sometime, Madeline broke the silence: Rex.

Jackson rose up, at once, as he towered Madeline: I told you once. I am telling you, again. Don't call me that. I am not Rex. Rex is a no one. Do you understand? And we? We are nothing but enemies. Even after knowing that, if you are trying to puddle me, then stop before you see the worst of me. No one got away with that. Get that pinned inside the freaking brain of yours.

Madeline(giving out a sarcastic laughter): Look who's talking. Get this pinned into your head, too. I am not scared of you, whoever you are. 

Jackson: Why are you even trying? What are you even trying?

Madeline stayed still, as she least predicted this question, out of him. She took some time, before she almost whispered.

Madeline: I don't know. 

Jackson sensed through her voice, as he now softened his expression.

Jackson spoke in a softer voice: I was ready to shower, everything I had to myself, on you. I tried everything, I could do, to save you from Cody's killer. Amidst, the grief of the death of my Best friend. Just to realize it, after two months, that the one who stabbed my back, is the one I trusted so much. 

Madeline crossed her hands across her chest: After that you decided to finally pull that invisible blindfold off my eyes, just to kill me with your own hands. Did you count that?

Jackson: You hid your identity from me. You knew, who I was the whole time.

Madeline: Well, you did, too. 

Jackson:......I was about to tell you eventually. 

Madeline: What? That I was one of the sluts of a gangster? Let me take you to that fairy tale flashback. You made some fake promises, to keep me into that spell. You slept with me, and you went AWOL, till the moment, you tried to kill me. That night, you did not even give me, the time to explain myself. YOU FREAKING PROMISED TO......STAY.

Jackson: WELL, I WAS NOT GOING TO "STAY" WITH THE PERSON, WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MY BEST FRIEND'S DEATH. 

Madeline: I was doing my job, okay?

Jackson: Assassinating. Right? I want to know, how your department explains assassination. Turning a person, into a living dead?

Madeline: Are you done exaggerating?

Jackson: Wow. That's what you call it? Lovely. 

Madeline(sighed): R....Claros. Had, I known, who you were, the day I met you, would have been the last day, we talked.....Your best friend was assumed to be a part of the racket, so he was marked to be assassinated. That doesn't explain, what I am. 

Jackson: Really? Let me remind you. He was killed the same day, I took you to the corner of the city. Doesn't that explain, what you are?  You are just a manipulating scum, who is ready to go to any extent, to get her purpose accomplished. Even, if it means acting to be in madly in love. You mocked all those moments, I embraced you. You put all the affection, i bestowed on you, into a trash can. You made a game out of my life, if that means, it lets you win against me. Even, when I thought of pushing you out of my life and moving forward, you reached the most filthiest extent, by drawing that kid into this game, why? because she is "related to me." You did everything to break me down. Even after that, hysterically, you are alive, and look at me. STANDING UNARMED, LIKE A MAN IN. FRONT. OF. A. LYING. BITCH. OF. YOU. You talk about promises? Are yours on a freaking vacation?

Madeline moved her head from side to side: I never promised you anything. Because, I know, I would never have a normal end of my life. I did not tell you about myself. You know why? I FEARED GETTING JUDGED. I FEARED YOU WILL JUDGE ME, FOR WHO I AM. BECAUSE, I CARED THAT MUCH, ABOUT HIS HEART. BECAUSE, I CARED THAT MUCH, ABOUT WHAT REX THINKS OF ME. Yes. I lied. BUT, EVERYTHING I FELT FOR THAT PHANTOM, WAS NEVER A LIE. YOU BLOODY FUCKING ASSHOLE.

Jackson: You are not stripping that mask off, right? You know what? Forget it. This is just a waste of time. No word will go through that thick skin of yours. But,........ one thing, Madeline.

Jackson took steps towards Madeline, who kept standing where she was. He walked up to her, till there was no distance left between them, as he towered her, looking down at her, with eyes filled with rage, just to get mirrored looks.

Jackson: If you want to play against me. Play fair. You want to stab me? face me first. An honest enemy is much more respected than a deceiving friend, in my world.

Madeline: I would suggest you the same.

Jackson let out a subtle frown: YOU, HAVE STEPPED ON THE WRONG FOOT, MADELINE, BY MESSING UP WITH ME. I AM WARNING YOU, FOR THE LAST TIME. STAY OUT OF MY WAY. 

Madeline: Or else? You'll kill me this time, for real?

Madeline's POV;

He went into silence, as the words left my mouth. He  pierced his confused gaze into my eyes. As if searching for his own answers into mine.

Jackson softened up, as she let out the biggest question, questioning everything that surrounds him.

He spoke in a lower voice:...........Had it been........(sigh) Put an end to this game. Because, the end,......... you won't like it. 

Jackson's POV;

She loves to challenge. She loves to exploit the demons, one prefers to hide. She loves to play with the devil. That brings out the most enchanting factor in her. The more addictive, to be more accurate. I kept staring at her eyes, she did not look away. The more colder I turn into, the more fearless she becomes. As, if she balances. As if, she maintains the harmony. The harmony between fire and ice. I could feel a crazy heat, beneath my skin. The hatred that toxicated me long back, and the heat emanating off the closeness, the way she always made me feel. I could feel myself burning down and I don't even know, how good or how bad, it is for me. I don't know, where it would take me. 

Madeline's POV;

When, I put up the question, I expected him to snap out, or stay silent. But, what I saw, was conflicting to my thoughts. I was taken aback. He said, those unexpected words, as his breath hit my face, and a shiver went down my spine. I immediately regretted my act. I felt him scan through my face, I seized to feel my feet. Yet, I stood still, holding that same rage burning in my eyes, fixed into him. Slowly, his gaze shifted to my lips, and I swallowed a hard gulp. It was clear, he was  resisting. But, this distance, we are not allowed to remove. Irony, right? He craved for me, as much as I craved for him, yet we are complete strangers. There was no physical distance between us, yet we are miles apart. As, if an imaginary wall, built between us, which would never break, even if we wanted to. By a smooth motion, he walked back, a few steps from me, and turned and left me, without any further word, messing up all of my composure, and trapping me into the cage of emptiness. My emotions won over me, by that time, I saw him moving away from me, as I stood there frozen, as tear glided down my eyes, masking my cheeks with the salty water. 

We were two miserable pieces a glass, that had a harsh break, leaving us, with sharp, rough egdes, with tiny pieces of us, scattered somewhere, never to be found, leaving us in ugly shapes, with no hope of getting mended, completely.

----------------------------------------------------

"Sometimes, we are inflicted with unbearable pain, but we have no one to blame. The only keepers being the fate, we are born with, and the time we encounter things in. Can we complain?  Will our complaints, be addressed? Will it be turned into a mockery, leaving us trapped inside the echo of heartless laughter? We will remain just toys to this uncertainties, for an indefinite period. We never know, when we can free ourselves from these. We never know, if we can ever free ourselves from these. Whilst everything, these thoughts are always there, eating us alive:

"If only, things worked out differently. If only the lies were less. If only our lives were a bit less complicated. If none of that, If only, we never met."