CHAPTER 95: The Voice in the Mirror

CHAPTER 95: The Voice in the Mirror

The silence in the office was almost absolute, broken only by the scratch of Enid's pen as she signed the last documents of the day. The dim light of the desk lamp bathed the polished marble in gold, while outside the city slept. Enid looked up for a moment, her tired eyes meeting her own reflection in the large mirror hanging on the wall.

But this time, it wasn't a simple reflection.

The woman on the other side of the glass smiled maliciously, tilting her head as if she had been waiting for her for hours.

"My, my… tired again from playing 'the understanding one'?" said the voice from the mirror, cold, sharp, devoid of all warmth.

Enid frowned and set the pen down on the desk.

"Don't start," she replied in a weary tone. "I don't want to argue with you now."

The figure in the mirror let out a dry laugh.
"Argue? I don't argue, Enid. I just show you what you deny. You've been soft with him. That wolf… that man. Phoenix is not your equal. Before being your partner, he was your employee. And you should never have forgotten that."

Enid stood up slowly, approaching the mirror. Looking at herself there was like facing a soulless version of herself: the same eyes, but colder; the same mouth, but hardened by a lack of compassion.

"I… love him. That doesn't change anything," Enid whispered, as if those words were a dangerous secret.

The reflection shook its head calmly, with an air of superiority.
"Love is weakness. Don't you understand that yet? You don't love, Enid. You only desire to possess. And Phoenix… is yours. Your toy, your creation. A dog that forgets his leash too often."

The real Enid lowered her gaze, hesitating. The mirror leaned forward, as if it could pierce the glass to devour her.

"Listen to me carefully," the icy voice continued. "We are so close to fulfilling our plan. There's just one step left: to dominate him. Make him understand that you are superior, and that the superior always prevail over the weak. He must surrender to you, Enid. Not as a partner… but as his owner."

Enid's heart beat fiercely. Her breathing became heavier, almost trembling.
"No… I don't want him to fear me. I want him to be with me."

The mirror smiled, revealing teeth that seemed sharper than her own.
"*With* you? Being with you means obeying you. Being with you means serving. The wolf cannot be free… or he will devour you. You know this. You are the only one who can tame him."

The real Enid clenched her fists. Part of her wanted to reject those words, but another… another was starting to accept that poisonous logic.

"He… is mine," murmured Enid, as if the phrase anchored her.

"Exactly," declared the reflection with a triumphant gleam in its eyes. "Your dog, your property, your weapon. And if he ever forgets his place, you will remind him. Because the weak deserve nothing more than to kneel before the strong."

The room fell silent, save for the sound of the clock ticking away the seconds. Enid breathed deeply, swallowing her doubts. Her lips curved into a faint, resigned smile.

The voice in the mirror had won.