Raja let out a slow, calculated breath, his hand still resting on Tales’ waist. His voice, when he finally spoke again, was steady—but there was something sorrowful beneath it. Something painful.“I followed you,” he admitted, his grip tightening slightly. “After I found you in that café, I followed you.”Tales inhaled sharply, but he didn’t move.“I watched you leave, just… sipping your coffee like nothing had happened.” Raja’s tone was quiet, but the bitterness was unmistakable. “Like you didn’t spend years trapped in hell with me. Like you never made that promise.”His fingers twitched against Tales’ skin, his nails almost digging in. He's careful not to hurt Tales. “So I followed you. To your apartment. To your school. I watched you live your life—this peaceful life. You had friends. You laughed. You went out, went to class, walked around like you didn’t have a single goddamn worry in the world.”Tales can only close his eyes as he imagined Raja's statement and play it in his mind
The first thing Tales noticed when he woke up was warmth. A steady, solid body—presence beside him.For a moment, he forgot where he was. Forgot everything that had happened the night before. But then he felt the slow rise and fall of Raja’s chest against his back, the steady rhythm of his breathing, and it all came rushing back.The confessions. The anger. The pain. The decision to move forward.'We did it.' Just the thought of remembering their steamy was enough to make Tales blushed yet he immediately composed himself.Tales blinked at the morning light filtering through the window blinds. He was still wrapped in Raja’s arms, his back pressed against the other man's chest. Their legs were tangled beneath the sheets, and Raja’s hand rested loosely against his stomach.His entire body felt sore, but strangely… he didn’t mind. He bit his lower lip and slowly place his hand against Raja's. The feeling of disdain was nowhere to be found. That's strange but just now, he's just relieved.
The tension in the dining hall had evolve into something heavier— anticipation to achieve freedom but dreadful to the chance that they'll not survive. However, the decision had been made. They would all follow Raja and severe ties with Father. But now came the true test of their resolve.But before Raja could begin discussing strategies, an uneasy voice broke the silence.“Um…”All eyes turned toward Liam, one of the younger members of Unit 1. He was usually quiet, never one to speak up in these meetings. His fingers fidgeted against the rim of his cup indicating how frightened he is but at the same time, he wants to know. His face was slightly pale, as if he had been holding in his question for too long.“Liam?” Raja prompted, raising an eyebrow.Liam hesitated, clearly regretting speaking up after meeting Raja's cold gaze. He swallowed hard, avoiding eye contact. “I—uh—about the… the six punishments…” He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, rubbing the back of his neck.Raja’s eyes na
The sun hung lazily in the sky as Raja and Tales drive through the road, their pace was neither fast not slow. The world they passed by bustled with life—vendors shouting, children laughing, the scent of street food filling the air.Tales leaned against the window, watching the scenery shift from clean roads to rougher neighborhoods. He exhaled slowly, fingers tapping against his thigh.Raja, on the other hand, was anything but tense.He drove with one hand on the wheel, the other casually resting on Tales’ knee.Tales glanced at him. “Hands. Off.”Raja just chuckled and didn't take his hands off. Instead his fingers enveloped to Tales' fingers too. Tales had already guessed where they were going. The familiar roads and infrastructure give away hints. And as much as he didn’t want to set foot in that house again, he didn’t resist when Raja tugged him along.Surprisingly, Tales didn’t hate it.He's being insufferably clingy.He leaned into Tales’ space with every opportunity he got li
That voice—He turned, eyes widening slightly.Ria.She stood a few feet away, her expression shifting from disbelief to relief.“Tales!” She hurried toward him, looking him over like she couldn’t believe her own eyes. She immediately wrap his slender arms towards Tales' body out of excitement.Tales stiffened. “Ria?”Ria clench his teeth. She don't know what to say to Tales but one thing she knows is that she doesn't want to let go of Tales. She look up as if to touch his face, then hesitated, her brows furrowing. “I’ve been looking for you!”Tales blinked. “Looking for me?”'Why would she look for me when I clearly told her that I'm moving out?'Raja, who had been silent until now, tilted his head slightly, his sharp gaze settling on the woman in front of them. He don't what he's feeling but he's sure it's not happiness. He's not happy in the slightest to see this woman.Ria finally seemed to notice him, her eyes flickering to Raja.And then… narrowing slightly.Her entire posture s
Raja moved through the crowd, his pace slow, unhurried to avoid being notice. But inside, his blood was boiling. His hands itched to wrap around the throats of the men walking ahead, completely unaware that death was already watching them.Then, his phone vibrated in his pocket. His eyes flicked down as he be look at the screen. Zaden.He answered without breaking stride. “What did you find out?"Zaden’s voice is still professional and cold. “Right. You told me to dig into the gangs operating around Tales’ hometown. See if any of them were involved in… well, you didn’t give me details, but I assumed it was bad.” A pause. “I found something.”Raja’s grip on the phone tightened as if he had been waiting for this moment. “They were known as the Crows. They ran the underground trade in that area. Small-time, but brutal. They sold people off for slavery in illegal auctions , extorted businesses, took what they wanted. Word is, a woman with a gambling problem sold her own kid to them.”Raj
Raja stood in the alley, surrounded by bodies. The air smelled like blood, thick and full of tension. The fight had been quick—too easy. They had begged, made excuses, tried to run. For Raja, it didn’t matter.They were dead now.He rolled his shoulders, wiping the back of his hand against his cheek. A smudge of blood smeared across his skin, but he didn’t care. His focus was elsewhere."In order for me to locate them, tell me your location."Raja can't believe what he was hearing. Apparently, Zaden thinks that he's a fool. Wow?! Licking father's ass made his head got bigger, huh?"Where are you?" Zaden's voice was indifferent, accompanied by the faint clacking of a keyboard in the background.Raja smirked slightly. "Close."More typing. "That's not an answer.""Don't need to answer if you already know," Raja muttered, his tone just as flat.A brief silence as if proving Raja's words. Then, Zaden continued. "You're near the location. Their boss is hiding in an old gambling den—still a
“Raja.”A voice.Familiar. Firm.He stopped.Slowly, he turned.Tales stood a few feet away. His face was tense, his eyes locked onto Raja like he was trying to read him. His breathing was steady, but there was something behind it—something controlled, like he was forcing himself to stay calm. Raja on the other hand was surprised. But he chooses not to let Tales' know through his expression.Raja raised an eyebrow. “You followed me.”Tales stepped closer. “I’m not an idiot.” and walked slowly towards where Raja and Clein is. Tales’ gaze flicked to Raja’s hands—his sleeves, stained with blood. His expression darkened. “You found them.”Raja didn’t answer because it's obvious.Tales clenched his fists. “You killed them.”Raja shrugged. “Of course, I did.”Tales stared at him, his throat bobbing. He don't know what to feel. He's thankful but at the same time he's uneasy. “I never asked you to do this.”Raja let out a quiet laugh, one without humor. “You didn’t have to.”Silence. Tales f
Jake’s resentment festered like an untreated wound.For years, he swallowed the bitterness, forced himself to held his head high in front of Oliver, forced himself to play the loyal unambitious son, even as something in him curdled and rotted with every passing day.He should’ve given up. He should’ve accepted it. Raja became Oliver’s favorite. Raja became the chosen one. Raja was the one who mattered.But Jake wasn’t built to accept. He wasn’t built to be cast aside. He was trained for survival. So if Oliver didn’t see him as his son—Then Jake would make sure Oliver had nothing left to see at all. If he couldn’t be Oliver’s greatest creation, he would be his greatest failure.However, that alone wasn’t enough to burn Oliver’s empire to the ground. Being a disgrace would only give a little to no impact towards Oliver and the organization. No—Jake wanted to carve it apart, piece by piece, while Oliver was still alive to witness it crumble.And so, he planned.He started with Victor.
Jake had always done exactly as he was told.From the moment he could walk, Oliver had shaped him like a blade—sharpened his mind, hardened his body, stripped him of anything weak. And he had obeyed. He had followed orders. He had killed. He had smiled when Oliver wanted him to smile, knelt when Oliver wanted him to kneel, and suffered when Oliver wanted him to suffer. Because that was what a son was supposed to do.He was not loved.He was not special.He was a project. A tool. A thing to be possessed and used.Jake learned early that love was something you had to earn. That it wasn’t given freely. That if he did everything Oliver asked—if he followed the rules, if he never mess up or doubt, if he obeyed—maybe then he would hear something kind. Maybe then his father would look at him like he mattered. Maybe his father would look at him with love.So he obeyed.The first time Oliver threw him into a fight, Jake was seven. Small, underfed, shaking. His opponent was older—twelve, bigger
The night air was suffocating as Raja approached the entrance of Jake’s hideout—a rotting industrial complex left behind from another era. The rusted metal and broken windows appeared like coarse teeth in the dark. Raja's boots crunched over debris as he stalked forward, carrying a gun and a long knife in both of his two hands, his breathing slow and controlled despite the ache in his battered body. Blood—dried and fresh—clung to his clothes. He looked like a man crawling out of hell. Maybe he was.This was it. The end of the line.He passed the first perimeter silently, his blade and gun glinting faintly in the moonlight. Jake's guards had been stationed like cattle, unaware that the slaughter was coming.He was just announcing himself walking with his head held high, however seems like the security is too lax.Raja didn't waste time.The first man barely made a sound as Raja’s knife sliced clean through his throat. The second caught the glint of blade too late, a gun halfway raised
Raja’s boots crunched against the sand as he stepped out of the vehicle, the engine still running behind him. The houses infront of him are mostly made of bamboo and are practically glued yo each other. Slums near the ocean. He surveyed the houses with no light, he walked and walked until... he found it. In front of him, a house stood crooked, its rusted tin roof bent inward, peeling paint clinging stubbornly to the rotting wooden walls. It was the kind of place most people wouldn’t give a second glance, and for a moment, Raja wondered if he’d come to the wrong place.But no.This was Zaden’s hideout. His sanctuary. Tucked away in the forgotten corners of his hometown. Raja had expected something more refined, something cleaner. But looking at it now, it made sense.Zaden couldn't care less.Raja approached the door with slow, deliberate steps, his breath steady but his pulse quickening. Without hesitation, he raised his foot and—BANG!The flew violently as he kicked it open. The old
The first swing of the hammer crushed Raoul’s kneecap with a sickening crunch. Raoul screamed—raw, high, desperate. His body convulsed violently as he slumped on the floor. But Raja was already raising the hammer again.“Where is he?!”“I don’t know!” Raoul sobbed. “I don’t know!"Raja crouched down and stare at Raoul. A question once again occured in his mind. He don't know why this man betrayed him. Hr notice how all of his movements was observe and reported but he didn't know it was Raoul. He just thought that it's one of his men who's lower rank, but to think its Raoul?The hammer fell again, this time slamming into Raoul’s hand, shattering the bones with brutal efficiency. Raoul’s screams echoed off the cold concrete walls, but Raja didn’t flinch.“You told Jake I killed Oliver,” Raja said slowly, his voice low, controlled. “I won't even ask you why you betrayed me. I don't care about that nor I care about you working with him. Just tell me where Tales and I'll give you a painles
Raoul stood ten meters away from where is Raja standing, looking at its phone. He was analyzing Raja's expression to predict what will be his next move. That's the only thing he could do since Raja has sharp senses and moving close to him is like announcing his presence. He'll be killed in an instant. He gritted his teeth. Raja had been their leader for a long time but he need to think for himself. His phone was pressed on his ear. His expression was unreadable, calm even. Jake’s voice filtered through the line. “Everything’s set?”Raoul exhaled slowly. “I think he's on his way to find Zaden. You’ll have time to move all Father's confidential documents and analyze the vaults left by him.”Jake chuckled softly. “Good job. You still have one task left, come here immediately after sorting things.”Raoul’s fingers tapped the metal railing beside him. “Alright.”A pause.“Good,” Jake said. “You’ll get your reward soon.”Raoul hung up. He closed his eyes for a moment. “Forgive me,” he wh
Tales moved quickly, his footsteps is light and careful against the cold steel of the floor. Every breath was measured in the fear of being noticed....Strange! How come it's so quiet? Like no one's here?!Every corner he passed by was clear before he stepped forward. The building had gone too quiet.No guards.No Jake.Nothing.He should have heard something. The faint buzz of radios informing other guards of his escape, the stomp of boots, anything.But the silence was heavy. Almost Oppressive.Where is he?Where was Jake?The man who never left him alone. The man who enjoyed watching his unyielding facade, the man who wants him to bleed and suffer.Tales’ grip tightened on the bent fork in his hand.The air tasted wrong.As if something had already happened—or was about to.But he didn’t stop.He needed escape and find Raja.He needed to get the hell out of here.MEANWHILE...The office was a war zone.Shattered glass littered the floor. Bullet holes flashed in the walls like some
Raja lunged forward, his muscles screaming with effort as he cut through the space between them. He could still hear Oliver’s mocking tone, could still see Lila standing there like a puppet on a string. He didn’t hesitate.His breath came out ragged, his heart pounding like thunder in his chest. There was no more thought. No more strategy.Only instinct.Only rage.He lunged.Straight for Oliver’s throat.But the moment his foot hit the marble floor in a sprint, the click of guns being released echoed through the room. Lila’s guards—hidden in the darkened corners—raised their weapons.Then—Gunfire erupted.Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!Bullets shot through the air, shattering glass, biting into the walls around him. Raja’s body reacted on instinct. He twisted hard and dove behind one of the thick marble pillars as chunks of stone exploded around him from the shots. Sharp fragments cut across his face, but he didn’t stop moving.He counted the shooters—six. No, it's eight.
Raja stormed down the hallway, his bloody shoes slamming against the marble floors, leaving behind a trail of blood. His body keeps aching, bruises forming beneath his torn clothes, but he barely felt it. It's like he's become numb. The rush of adrenaline drowned out the pain, leaving only rage. His eyes are bloodshot, devoid of any unnecessary emotions. His hands twitched, eager to wrap around Oliver’s throat and end everything.He stop after sometime. Facing the black huge door in which inside, Oliver is there. He gritted his teeth upon remembering how they got played by Oliver. He can't wait to kill him. But he needs to calm down. He needs to or else he'll be defeated. With a sharp exhale, he walked near the heavy double doors of Oliver’s office, grabbing the handle —only to stop when he realized that he didn't need to be so polite. He didn't hesitate.BANG!Raja kicked the doors open, the wood slamming against the walls with a deafening crash.The scent of expensive cologne and bu