The shredded tie sat on Keifer's mahogany desk like a taunt. He had spent the last six hours staring at it, his mind a chaotic storm of memories and corporate data. He was the "Cold King," the man who could read a market shift before it happened, yet he couldn't read the woman sleeping in the room next to his.
"Felix is in a holding cell at the Charing Cross station," Felix's voice—wait, no, it was David calling from the Philippines, his voice distorted by the distance. "He's being charged with trespassing and assault, Boss. They say the Watson lawyers are pushing for the maximum sentence."
Keifer gripped the phone. "I didn't authorize that."
"Then who did?" David asked, his voice cold. "Because the paperwork has the Watson Global seal. If it's not you, Keifer... then who is running your empire?"
Keifer hung up, his fist slamming onto the desk. He felt like a puppet whose strings were being pulled by a ghost.
Keifer turned to his private terminal. He was a tech genius—Section E's finest strategist—but every time he tried to trace the "Asset Seizure" or the messages Jay-jay received, he hit a wall. A wall made of Watson encryption.
"Access denied," the screen flashed in red.
"Impossible," Keifer whispered, his fingers flying across the keys. "This is my server. My code."
But the code was shifting. It was as if his own grandfather had anticipated every move he would make. He tried to access the security feed from the elevator panic attack, but the footage was "corrupted." He tried to track Jay-jay's phone, but it showed she was in the library when he could clearly see her silhouette on the balcony.
He was the King, but he was trapped in a palace of mirrors.
He couldn't take it anymore. He stormed into Jay-jay's room at 2:00 AM.
Jay-jay was sitting up in bed, a single lamp casting long shadows over her face. She didn't look surprised. She looked like she had been waiting for the executioner.
"Tell me," Keifer commanded, stalking toward her. He didn't stop until he was looming over her, his shadow swallowing her small frame. "I searched the accounts. I searched the surveillance. I even tried to bypass the Grandfather's firewall. Nothing makes sense, Jay."
Jay-jay looked at him, her heart breaking. She saw the desperation in his eyes—the boy who just wanted to understand why his world had fallen apart.
"Why did you sign the papers for Felix's arrest?" Keifer hissed, grabbing her wrists. "I know you, Jay-jay. You cried for a shredded tie. You don't put your best friend in a London jail. Who is making you do this?"
Jay-jay felt the heat of his hands, the familiar scent of him, and for a second, she almost screamed the truth.
But she saw the red light of the smoke detector blinking in the corner. A camera. A microphone.
"I signed them because he was an embarrassment to the firm," Jay-jay said, her voice monotone, though her wrists were trembling in his grip. "He attacked me, Keifer. In a professional environment. I'm protecting the Watson brand, just like you taught me."
"You're lying!" Keifer shook her, his voice cracking. "I can see it in your eyes! You're terrified!"
"I'm not terrified of you, Keifer," Jay-jay lied, looking him dead in the eye. "I'm terrified of how weak you've become. You're chasing ghosts because you can't accept that I simply chose a side. And I chose the side that wins."
Keifer let go of her wrists as if they had burned him. He backed away, his face contorting into a mask of pure, unadulterated agony.
"I tried," Keifer whispered, his voice sounding hollow. "I tried to find a reason to save you. I tried to find a reason to believe you were still my Mutya."
He turned toward the door, his shoulders slumped. "But you're right. Maybe there are no ghosts. Maybe you're just... gone."
As the door clicked shut, Jay-jay collapsed back onto the pillows, burying her face in her hands to stifle her sobs. She had successfully pushed him away again. She had protected him.
But as she looked at the blinking red light of the camera, she realized the Grandfather wasn't just watching her. He was enjoying the show.
Keifer, she prayed into the darkness. Please, don't hate me so much that you don't come back when the truth finally comes out.