Keifer's POV
I was sitting in front of demons.
Correction-one demon and two men who pretended to be calm while judging me with their eyes.
Angelo sat opposite me, arms crossed, posture relaxed but aura lethal. The kind of calm that warned you not to test it.
Rory leaned back on the chair, fingers tapping on his knee, mind clearly running faster than his mouth.
Edrix sat straight, quiet, eyes lowered-but that silence of his was never empty. It was heavy.
Yuri wasn't here.
"He's busy," Rory had said earlier. With Yuri, busy could mean anything from training to disappearing into shadows. I didn't question it.
Angelo broke the silence.
"So," he said slowly, voice smooth, dangerous. "You called us. That means something's wrong."
I exhaled through my nose.
"Something's very wrong."
My jaw tightened without permission, and before I realized it, my mind dragged me back.
Flashback
I was still in shocked watching kerien hugging jay when...
My phone had buzzed while she was talking to Cien. I told her I needed to take a call and went upstairs, closing the door behind me.
Detective agency.
The one Rory trusted.
The one everyone said was untouchable.
I didn't even wait for formalities.
"Any update?" I asked the second the call connected.
A pause.
Then, "We're sorry, Mr. Watson. We can't help you."
For a second, I thought I misheard.
"...What?"
"We can't take this case."
Something snapped.
"What do you mean you can't?" I snapped, voice rising. "You're one of the best agencies out there."
Another pause. Longer this time.
"Still," he said carefully, "we can't help."
I clenched the phone so hard my knuckles went white.
"Do you even know who I am?" I hissed. "I'm a Watson. Money isn't a problem. Name your price."
That's when his tone changed.
Cold.
Serious.
Almost... afraid.
"Sir," he said quietly, "this isn't about money. This is about survival."
My heartbeat slowed. That scared me more than anger ever could.
"What are you saying?" I demanded.
"We can't help you in this case. For our own safety."
Before I could say another word-
Call ended.
I stared at my phone, chest tight, blood roaring in my ears.
For a moment, I wanted to destroy something.
For a moment, I wanted to burn the world down until answers fell at my feet.
Then I remembered-
Jay was downstairs.
So I inhaled.
Once.
Twice.
I forced my face back into calm, tucked the storm inside me where it couldn't reach her, and went back down like nothing had happened.
Present...
Angelo's voice dragged me back.
"You're clenching your jaw like you want to punch a wall," he said flatly. "Talk."
I leaned back, staring at the ceiling for half a second before looking at them again.
"The detective agency refused," I said.
Rory straightened instantly.
"What? That doesn't make sense."
"They said they can't help," I continued. "Not because of money. Because of survival."
Edrix's head snapped up.
Angelo didn't react immediately. That was worse.
After a moment, he asked, "Did they say whose case it is?"
"No."
"Did they say why?"
"No."
Silence spread between us.
Rory ran a hand through his hair. "For an agency like that to back off... this isn't small."
Edrix spoke quietly, almost to himself.
"That means whoever is involved doesn't just erase people. They erase systems."
For a few seconds after I finished speaking, no one said anything.
The room felt... stunned.
Not loud shock. Not anger.
The kind of silence where everyone is calculating the same danger at the same time.
Angelo broke it first.
He turned to Rory, eyes sharp.
"Your father. Is he back?"
Rory blinked, then nodded.
"Yeah. Landed about an hour ago."
I straightened immediately.
"Then call him. Now."
Rory didn't argue. He pulled out his phone, fingers moving fast, the earlier confidence on his face already cracking. The call rang twice before it connected.
"Dad?" Rory said. "How are you?"
A pause.
"Yes, yes, I'm fine too."
He glanced at me, then continued, "Keifer Watson is here. He wants to talk to you."
Rory stood up and handed the phone to me.
I took it, put it on speaker, and said evenly,
"Good evening. This is Keifer Watson."
There was a brief silence on the other end, then a professional voice replied,
"Yes, Mr. Watson. Tell me."
I didn't waste time.
"I want your agency to inspect an enterprise-Hapipi Enterprises."
The moment the name left my mouth, something changed.
The silence that followed wasn't technical.
It wasn't thoughtful.
It was... heavy.
Seconds passed.
Then his voice came back, slower than before.
"I think," he said carefully, "I can't help you."
Angelo's head snapped up.
The phone was still on speaker.
"Why?" Angelo asked flatly, not even bothering with introductions.
There was no hesitation this time.
"Investigating Hapipi Enterprises," Rory's father replied, "means threatening one's own survival."
My jaw tightened.
"So first one of the best detective agencies refuses," I said coldly, "and now you too?"
His answer came immediately, firm, almost warning us.
"No one can dare to investigate them," he said. "They don't just hire the world's best agencies-
they own them."
Rory froze.
Edrix's fingers curled into fists.
Angelo didn't blink.
"If anyone even tries to investigate Hapipi Enterprises," the voice continued, "they won't just be stopped.
They will be ruined."
The call ended.
No one moved.
No one spoke for a few seconds after the call ended.
Angelo was the first to move.
He leaned back in his chair, arms crossing slowly, eyes dark and unreadable. If anyone thought he'd step back after hearing that... they clearly didn't know Angelo.
He looked straight at me.
"Call Uncle Keir."
I exhaled sharply.
"What?"
"Now," he said, voice firm. "Tell him we know Hapipi Enterprises is involved. Ask him why he didn't tell us. Ask him what the hell is really going on."
There was no suggestion in his tone-only command.
I didn't argue.
I pulled out my phone and dialed Uncle Keir's number. It rang once. Twice.
He picked up.
"Keifer," he said calmly, as if he had been expecting this call all along.
That alone irritated me.
"I'll go straight to the point," I said, keeping my voice steady. "We know Hapipi Enterprises is involved. Somewhere. In all of this."
Silence.
"Why didn't you tell us?" I continued. "And why does it feel like everyone knows more than we do? What is really happening?"
He sighed on the other end-slow, controlled.
"I knew," he said, "that you wouldn't be able to sit quietly for long."
That sentence hit harder than I expected.
"But listen carefully," Uncle Keir went on. "Don't overthink Hapipi Enterprises being involved."
I frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"It has nothing to do with you directly," he said calmly. "And no-this isn't a threat."
I clenched my jaw.
"Then what is it?"
There was a pause. Just long enough to raise my pulse.
"...It could be a help."
Before I could fire a dozen questions at him-
Before Angelo could snatch the phone and yell himself-
The call disconnected.
I stared at the screen.
Call ended.
I slowly lowered the phone.
I didn't feel relieved.
I felt like we were being guided-
not protected.
And whatever Hapipi Enterprises truly was...
It was already moving pieces on the board
we hadn't even learned how to see yet.