The manager didn't even hesitate.
Adam's voice was calm, cold, almost bored as he leaned against the bar and said,"Clear the place. All customers. Especially the judgmental ones."
The man nodded once, already pulling out his phone. Within minutes, staff started politely—but firmly—ushering people out. Music dimmed. Lights softened. The air shifted, heavier now, like Acepoint itself knew something was about to go down.
Behind the locked inner door, Jay exhaled slowly.
"Sec E," she spoke into the comm, voice low. "Come out. Slowly."
Before anyone could move, Aries' irritated voice cut in from the other side."You've locked the damn door from outside. Open it, or—" he paused deliberately, "—your stupid boyfriend is going to break the whole thing."
Jay rolled her eyes despite herself. "Drama queen."
She signaled the lock. The door clicked open.
"ACES," she added lazily, "open it. I'm literally sitting right here."
The door swung wide.
Jay stepped out and, instead of joining them immediately, walked toward the bar and hopped onto a table nearby, one knee bent, hoodie sleeves covering half her hands. The moment she lifted her head—
She froze.
Kiko.
He was sitting two stools away from the counter, arm heavily bandaged, posture stiff like a cornered animal. The second his eyes met hers, he flinched—visibly—and shifted back. One chair. Then another. Creating distance like it was instinct.
Jay's chest tightened.
"Kiko…" she breathed, guilt hitting her hard as she noticed the bandages properly now.
He gave a small, humorless smile. "Yeah. I'm… fine now." A beat. "And Jay—don't look like that. Don't be guilty. I don't deserve it."
She opened her mouth to respond when something clicked in his expression. His eyes widened.
"Wait," he whispered urgently. "Sec… E? Aries?"Panic flooded his face. "I should go. If they see me here, they'll kill me."
Jay frowned. "Why are you scared of Sec E, I get it—after what happened. But Aries?"Her voice dropped. "He was your friend."
Kiko swallowed hard. "I destroyed that friendship the moment I looked at you the wrong way."He let out a shaky breath. "He's… terrifying when it comes to you. He was the first one to find you when I tried—"
"What?" Jay's head snapped up.
Kiko didn't finish.
Because from behind him, the air shifted violently.
Keifer.
He was walking toward them, jaw clenched so hard it looked like it might crack, eyes dark and burning. Every step screamed danger.
Kiko saw him.
And ran.
Literally bolted—nearly tripping over a chair in his panic.
Jay slid off the table immediately, turning—
Just as the girls from earlier started moving toward her again, laughter sharp, eyes gleaming with something ugly.
Behind Jay, Sec E and the Aces regrouped, tension radiating off them like heat.
Rafael crossed his arms, eyes following Kiko's retreating figure."So," he said casually, voice deceptively light, "Kiko recovered. I heard what you all did."
A slow smirk spread across Aries' face.
Angelo noticed it instantly. Percy did too—Percy's jaw tightened, anger simmering just beneath the surface.
Sec E, however, went cold.
The moment Kiko's name registered properly, his entire aura changed. Dangerous. Focused.
The Aces exchanged glances.
"Wait," sam asked. "Who's Kiko?"
Rafael did.
"He tried to pursue Jay. She rejected him." calix voice hardened. "So he drugged her. Tried to rape her."
The room snapped.
Silence—thick, suffocating.
david continued, unwavering. "Aries came in time. Saved her. Sec E took him under the one-hit rule."A pause."He was hospitalized for six months."
The Aces' expressions darkened instantly. Some looked furious. Others—disturbingly—smirked.
"Six months?" cin muttered. "That's generous."
Angelo cracked his knuckles. Percy's eyes followed the direction Kiko had run, like he was mentally calculating distance.
Rafael glanced toward the girls lingering nearby and added, "They also did what you Aces used to do."
That got their attention.
"But they were stupid enough to make a video." His gaze flicked to Jay briefly. "Jay saw it."
The Aces' faces went blank. Done. Finished.
michael scoffed. "At least we're intelligent."adam leaned forward slightly, voice dark with pride."We've done worse with over seventy people—and never once got caught."
The room went quiet in a way that felt unnatural—like even the walls were holding their breath.
then Michael's fingers were flying over the tablet, jaw tight, eyes sharp. The soft glow of the screen reflected on his face as lines of data finally aligned. He stopped typing.
"I found it," he said.
That single sentence shifted the air.
Jay, who had been leaning against the table with forced calm, straightened immediately. Keifer was already beside her, instinctively close, like a shield that moved before danger even arrived.
"Who?" Raphael asked, voice low.
Michael exhaled slowly. "Kaizer's primary contact channel rerouted through three dummy networks. He's not just reaching out randomly anymore—he's coordinating."
The screen turned toward them.
Names appeared.
Cyrus.Multiple underground gang heads.Financial proxies that screamed illegal funding.
And then—
Jay's breath hitched.
Her knuckles turned white as her fist clenched so hard it trembled. The name burned on the screen like acid.
"your stepfather," Michael continued carefully.
For a split second, Jay didn't move.
Then anger surged—raw, violent, uncontrollable.
Keifer felt it before he saw it. He immediately grabbed her hand, fingers wrapping firmly around her clenched fist. Jay's nails had dug into her palm so hard they'd almost broken skin.
"Jay," he murmured, grounding, steady. "Breathe."
Her chest rose sharply. Once. Twice.
Slowly, she released her fist. The white faded back into color, but the fire in her eyes stayed.
"So it's him," she said quietly. Too quietly.
Michael nodded. "Cyrus is acting as Kaizer's bridge. He's pulling boys from different gangs, promising territory and protection once Kaizer becomes League leader."
Samuel scoffed darkly. "Ambitious for someone with no real inheritance from Watson."
"That's the point," Adam replied. "He doesn't have one."
Michael swiped again. Two more names appeared.
Russian Mafia.Italian Mafia.
A ripple went through the room.
"He's contacted both," Michael said. "Neither has responded yet—but that doesn't mean they won't."
keifer curious "Watsons."
"Yes," Michael confirmed. "Kaizer is trying to use blood ties. There's a high probability they'll listen."
Angelo slammed his fist lightly against the wall. "They don't know," he said. "Do they?"
Jay shook her head. "They don't know I'm alive. They don't know about me and Keifer." Her voice hardened. "They don't know my relationship with his mother. Or MK. Or Aces. Or the League."
Keifer's grip on her hand tightened slightly. Not possessive—protective.
"They're calling everyone," Michael continued. "Mafia heads. Businessmen. Underground financiers. They're forcing people to choose sides."
A slow, dangerous smile curved Jay's lips.
"Good," she said.
Everyone looked at her.
She stepped forward, eyes blazing, presence shifting. The room felt smaller under her command.
"Let them call. Let them scheme. Let them believe Alpha is dead."
Her gaze flicked to Keifer, something soft and fierce passing between them in a heartbeat.
"Because when they gather," she continued, voice calm but lethal, "we won't come begging for loyalty."
Silence.
Then—
Jay lifted her chin.
"Let's meet them on 16 June."
Aces exchanged looks—grins forming, adrenaline igniting.
Raphael crossed his arms. "War date, then."
Keifer leaned closer to Jay, voice low enough only she could hear. "You sure?"
She turned to him, eyes unwavering. "I was born ready."
He smiled—not playful this time. Proud. Dangerous.
"Then," Keifer said, loud enough for all of them, "we don't wait to be hunted."
Aries cracked his knuckles. Percy's expression darkened. Angelo straightened. Sec E's silence was heavy—controlled fury waiting to be unleashed.
Jay looked at all of them. Her family. Her army.
"They think Alpha is dead," she said softly."Let's make their mistake fatal.