JAY'S POV —
No one ate.
The cutlery lay untouched, silver catching light like it was waiting for blood.
Kaizer noticed.
Of course he did.
Men like him always did.
He sighed theatrically and snapped his fingers once.
The sound echoed.
A door opened somewhere behind us.
Footsteps approached—measured, heavy, deliberate.
A man in a black suit placed a thick folder on the table in front of Keifer.
Not slid.
Placed.
Like a verdict.
Keifer didn't look down.
Kaizer did.
"This," Kaizer said calmly, "is the solution."
Keifer laughed.
Once.
Low. Broken. Almost disbelieving.
"You drag my brothers in bruised," he said, voice shaking now despite his control, "you put guns on my friends, you insult the dead—and you think there's a solution?"
Kaizer leaned forward. "I think there's a choice."
Keifer's fingers tightened.
Against my ribs, my gun felt heavier.
Kaizer tapped the folder. "Sign it."
Keifer finally looked.
I saw his breath hitch.
Just once.
Kaizer spoke like he was reading a grocery list.
"You voluntarily relinquish all rights to the Watson name. To inheritance. To claim. To position."
Section E shifted as one.
Keiran shot upright. "What—"
A gun cocked.
He froze.
Kaizer didn't even look at him.
"You walk away," Kaizer continued. "You disappear. You stop embarrassing this family."
He smiled at Keifer.
"And everyone here walks out alive."
The word alive landed like a threat, not a promise.
Keifer stood.
Slowly.
He picked up the folder.
For half a second, hope flickered in Kaizer's eyes.
Then Keifer threw it.
Hard.
It hit Kaizer square in the face.
Paper exploded everywhere.
Silence detonated.
"You don't own me," Keifer said, voice raw, feral. "You never did. And you sure as hell don't get to trade my people like currency."
Kaizer didn't smile this time.
He stood.
And when Kaizer Watson lost his temper, the room moved.
"Enough," he snarled.
That was all it took.
Everything broke.
Guns came up.
Chairs slammed back.
And Section E—
Section E exploded.
Cin tackled the nearest guard like a missile.
Felix swung first and thought later.
Rory grabbed a plate and shattered it across someone's head.
Edrix moved fast and quiet—dangerous fast.
Denzel and Drew fought back-to-back without even looking at each other.
Blaster laughed once—wild, unhinged—before taking someone down twice his size.
Calix yanked a gun away and slammed it into the floor.
David and Eren moved like they'd rehearsed this in another life.
The room became chaos.
Glass. Shouts. Pain.
Kaizer's men were trained.
But Section E?
They were loyal.
Keifer was everywhere at once—fury incarnate. A punch. A kick. Blood on his knuckles that wasn't his.
But my eyes—
My eyes were on Keiran and Keigan.
They were targets.
I moved.
Now.
I grabbed Keiran's wrist. "With me."
Keigan didn't hesitate.
I pulled them through the chaos, ducking behind pillars, slipping into a service corridor no one was watching because everyone assumed I was just a girl.
Good.
Let them.
I shoved the brothers into a storage room and locked it from the outside.
"Stay," I ordered quietly. "No matter what you hear."
Keiran stared at me. "Jay—"
"Stay," I repeated.
They did.
I turned—
And froze.
Cold metal kissed my temple.
The room fell silent behind me.
A man had a gun pressed to my head.
Everything stopped.
Keifer's voice broke the air.
"Don't," he said.
Every eye snapped to us.
The gun didn't move.
Kaizer stepped forward slowly, eyes glittering.
"Well," he said softly. "That escalated."
I didn't move.
Didn't blink.
Inside my sleeve, my watch vibrated once.
Signal sent.
Stand by, Damian.
Kaizer tilted his head. "You see, Keifer? You force my hand."
Keifer's hands were raised now.
Not in surrender.
In restraint.
"I'll sign," he said hoarsely.
My heart slammed.
"No," I breathed.
He didn't look at me.
"I'll sign," he repeated, louder. "Just let them go."
Kaizer smiled again.
Victorious.
A pen was thrust into Keifer's hand.
My chest burned.
This wasn't how it was supposed to go.
The man behind me tightened his grip.
I felt the pressure increase.
Keifer bent over the table.
The pen hovered.
And something inside me snapped.
"Shoot," I said.
The word cut through the room like a blade.
Everyone froze.
Keifer looked up.
"Jay—"
"Shoot," I repeated, louder now, turning my head just enough to look Kaizer dead in the eye. "Go ahead. Do it."
The gunman hesitated.
Kaizer's smile faltered.
"You think I'm afraid of dying?" I asked quietly. "I've been living with ghosts longer than you've been pretending to be a king."
Keifer shook his head violently. "Jay, stop—"
"You pull that trigger," I continued, voice ice, "and everything you've buried comes out. Every deal. Every body. Every lie."
Kaizer's eyes narrowed.
"You don't know what you're saying."
I smiled.
This time, real.
"Oh," I whispered. "I know exactly what I'm saying."
Outside—
Multiple Cars wailed.
Close.
Very close.
Kaizer's head snapped toward the windows.
Too late.
Because this was never about dinner.
And it was never about inheritance.
This was about ending a monster.
And monsters?
They never see the knife coming—
Until it's already in their shadow.
The doors opened again.
Heavier this time.
The kind of silence that comes before men enter.
A guard hurried to Kaizer's side, pale. Shaken.
"Sir," he whispered. "Kyle is here."
The name hit the room like a dropped weapon.
Kaizer's spine straightened.
Then—he smiled.
Wide. Triumphant.
He turned toward Keifer, toward all of us, and spread his arms like a man already celebrating.
"Well," Kaizer said loudly, voice ringing with false confidence, "let's see how I don't get my signature now."
Footsteps echoed.
Slow.
Measured.
Deliberate.
Kyle walked in.
Tall. Broad. Built like violence given permission to breathe. His presence bent the room—guards stiffened, guns lowered without realizing it. Power didn't need to announce itself.
My breath didn't change.
I recognized him instantly.
The scar at his jaw. The way his eyes missed nothing. The way men like Kaizer mistook him for a weapon instead of a will.
Kyle's gaze swept the room.
Then—
It landed on me.
For half a second—
His face broke.
Not fear.
Not confusion.
Recognition.
Shock.
Respect.
His mouth opened.
I lifted my hand.
Just slightly.
Two fingers.
Downward.
Quiet.
Kyle froze.
Then he nodded—barely visible, but absolute.
Good.
Kaizer stepped forward, clapping once, pleased with himself. "Kyle! My friend. Perfect timing."
Kyle didn't smile.
Kaizer gestured around. "These are my guests. A bit of… family trouble."
Kyle's eyes never left me.
"Is that so," he said slowly.
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
Kaizer laughed. "Yes, well—perhaps you can help persuade my son to sign a simple document."
Kyle finally looked at Keifer.
Then Section E.
Then back at me.
Understanding clicked.
I tilted my head once.
Another signal.
Kyle exhaled.
Then turned sharply to his men.
"Clear the room," he said.
Kaizer blinked. "What?"
Kyle's voice hardened. "Everyone. Out. Except her."
A pause.
Kaizer laughed again—uneasy this time. "Kyle, this isn't—"
"Now."
The word was a command.
Kyle's men moved instantly.
Guns raised—not threatening, just final.
Section E reacted at once.
Keifer lunged forward. "Jay—!"
I didn't look at him.
Didn't dare.
"Get out," Kyle repeated. "And lock the doors."
"No!" Keifer shouted, fighting against the grip. "You don't touch her—!"
"Keifer," I said.
My voice cut through everything.
He froze.
I finally looked at him.
Held his eyes.
Steady. Unafraid.
"I'm okay," I said softly. "Trust me."
His chest heaved.
Every instinct in him screamed no.
But he nodded.
Once.
They were dragged out—shouting, resisting, furious.
The doors slammed.
Locks clicked.
Silence fell like a held breath.
Only four forces remained.
Kaizer.
Kyle.
Me.
And the men who suddenly didn't know who they worked for.
Kaizer turned slowly, confusion creeping into his expression. "Kyle," he said carefully, "what exactly are you doing?"
Kyle didn't answer.
He walked past Kaizer.
Stopped in front of me.
And then—
He bowed.
Not deep.
Not theatrical.
But unmistakable.
Respect.
Submission.
Kaizer went white.
"What—" he breathed. "Kyle?"
Kyle straightened and finally looked at him.
"You summoned the wrong storm," he said calmly.
Kaizer laughed weakly. "This is a joke. She's just a girl."
Kyle's eyes hardened.
"She's not just anything."
I stepped forward.
The gun at my ribs finally felt unnecessary.
"You threatened my people," I said quietly. "You used my past like a toy. You thought money and fear made you untouchable."
"Yes."
Kaizer snapped. "You work for me!"
Kyle smiled.
Cold.
"No," he corrected. "I tolerated you."
I stepped closer.
Close enough that Kaizer could see his reflection in my eyes.
"And that tolerance," I whispered, "just expired."