JAY'S POV —
Kaizer still didn't move.
Still didn't back down.
Even with the room turned against him, even with Kyle standing beside me like judgment given form—Kaizer Watson clung to arrogance the way drowning men cling to air.
So I smiled.
Slow.
Sharp.
Kyle already knew.
He dragged a chair out for me without a word and placed it behind me, careful—respectful.
I sat.
Crossed one leg over the other.
Then I reached into my jacket.
The gun came out smooth as breath.
I aimed it straight at Kaizer's chest.
No tremor.
No hesitation.
The room went deathly quiet.
"Let everyone go," I said calmly. "Cars are already outside. You will stay away from Keifer. From his brothers. From Section E."
Kaizer barked out a laugh. Loud. Ugly. Desperate.
"And why," he shouted, "should I listen to you?"
He barely finished the sentence.
Kyle moved.
One brutal step.
His hand connected with Kaizer's face in a clean, vicious strike.
The sound cracked.
Kaizer stumbled back, crashing into the table, blood blooming at his lip.
Silence screamed.
I didn't flinch.
I tilted my head slightly.
"You don't listen because you want to," I said softly. "You listen because you don't get choices anymore."
Kaizer spat blood and laughed again—hoarse, cracked.
"You think you've won?" he sneered. "You don't even know who funds my operations."
I leaned forward, elbows resting on my knees, gun still trained on him.
"Then tell me," I said gently. "Who do you answer to?"
His eyes gleamed.
"Someone you can't touch," he said. "Ever heard of the Ravens?"
For a second—
Nothing.
Then—
I laughed.
Not loud.
Not cruel.
Certain.
Kyle froze.
Then he laughed too.
Low. Dangerous.
So did his men.
Kaizer's smile faltered.
"What—" he started.
I stood.
Slowly.
"Ever heard of them?" I echoed softly. "Kaizer… I didn't hear about the Ravens."
I tilted my head, eyes locking onto his.
"I am the Ravens."
The room broke.
Not chaos—certainty.
Kyle's laughter stopped instantly.
He straightened, eyes blazing with something close to reverence.
Kaizer's face drained of color.
"No," he whispered. "That's not—"
"You sold lives thinking the shadow above you was protection," I said. "You never once asked who cast it."
I turned my head slightly.
"Kyle.Tell him who do you work for!? "
He nodded immediately.
"Listen Watson, she is the one the ruthless mysterious head of The Ravens, Even I have to bow for her, her one command and I can even kill myself without a second thought, and you had the guts to challenge someone like her... You courted your own death Kaizer.. "
"I am the UNDERDOG but she is the WHOLE GAME"
"Take him," I said. "Quietly. Permanently. Remove him from this country. Strip everything. Accounts. Names. Contacts."
Kaizer tried to scramble back.
Hands grabbed him.
Hard.
Final.
"No—wait—Jay—!" he screamed, voice cracking into panic. "We can talk—we can—"
I leaned close one last time.
"You should've stayed a businessman," I whispered. "You chose monster."
They dragged him out.
His voice faded.
The door closed.
Locked.
Silence returned.
I exhaled.
Then I turned to Kyle.
He stood straight, waiting.
"You did well," I said.
He bowed again—deeper this time.
"Always," he replied. "What are your next orders?"
I glanced at the door—the one separating me from Keifer, from Section E, from the people who didn't yet know what I was.
"Let them go," I said. "Clean exits. No tails. No questions."
Kyle nodded. "And your identity?"
I paused.
Then shook my head once.
"No one," I said quietly, "needs to know who saved them tonight."
Kyle smiled faintly.
"They'll feel it anyway."
Maybe.
Kyle didn't move at first.
Just watched me.
Really watched me.
"No, Jay," he said quietly.
"I need to," I replied.
His jaw tightened. "I won't hurt you."
I almost smiled.
"I know," I said. "That's why I'm asking."
He shook his head once. Firm. Final. "No."
So I didn't argue.
I turned slightly—just enough.
And drove my fist into the edge of the marble table.
Pain exploded up my arm, sharp and blinding. I sucked in a breath through my teeth as heat flared across my knuckles. Before it faded, I slammed my shoulder back against the pillar.
Once.
Twice.
Enough.
Kyle swore under his breath and grabbed my wrist instantly. "Jay—"
"I'm fine," I said, steady despite the burn. "Just… sell it."
He searched my face, anger and something like helplessness flickering there.
Then he nodded once. Tight. Controlled.
"You always were," he muttered. "Impossible."
I straightened my jacket, flexed my fingers. The sting grounded me—anchored me back into the role I needed to play.
Just a girl who got caught in something too big.
Nothing more.
Kyle stepped back. Professional again. "Doors are unlocked."
I nodded. "Thank you."
He bowed—not as Ravens to leader.
As soldier to storm.
I turned away before he could say anything else.
The doors opened.
Noise rushed in.
Shouting. Footsteps. Panic half-cooled into confusion.
Keifer was the first thing I saw.
Not his face—his posture.
Rigid. Coiled. Ready to burn the world if I wasn't breathing.
I took three steps forward.
He saw me.
And something in his chest seemed to break loose.
"Jay—" he breathed.
I swayed—just slightly.
Enough.
Strong arms caught me before I could fake another step.
David.
His hands were firm at my elbows, steadying, grounding. "Hey," he murmured, eyes scanning me fast. "Easy. I've got you."
I nodded once. "Thanks."
Keifer was already there, hands hovering like he didn't know where to touch without hurting me.
"You're bleeding," he said hoarsely, eyes locked on my knuckles, my shoulder.
"It's nothing," I replied softly. "I'm okay."
He didn't believe me.
Keigan and Keiran didn't give him time to argue.
They slammed into him from behind, arms wrapping around him hard—desperate, shaking, alive.
Keifer closed his eyes and grabbed them back, forehead dropping to theirs for a second that felt sacred.
I looked away.
Section E gathered instinctively—forming a loose wall around us without realizing it. Bruised. Bloody. Furious.
But standing.
Alive.
Kyle's men opened the front doors.
Night air rushed in.
Freedom.
We walked out together.
No one spoke.
The driveway was filled with cars—engines running, doors open, Damian standing near the lead vehicle, eyes sharp, relief flickering when he saw me upright.
He caught my gaze.
I nodded once.
We were done here.
As we reached the gates, I felt Keifer's presence beside me—close, protective, silent.
He didn't ask questions.
Didn't demand answers.
He just walked with me.
And in that moment, under the open sky, bruised knuckles throbbing and heart still racing—
I knew one thing with terrifying clarity.
I had walked back into their world.
And someday—
They would find out what walked back with me....