Chapter 3 2

Knight JUST SMILED while Valerian looked at him evilly. They were at Thorn Calderon's Restaurant, having breakfast. Valerian has dark shadows of bags under his eyes, and he's pretty sure it has something to do with him last night. because he just arrived from Spain this morning and called him.

but no way in hell would he admit it. Not to Valerian. He likes to tease him a lot.

"The next time you come back from Spain, bug someone else!" Valerian hissed at him before sipping his coffee irritatedly. "Fuck you, you know that? Then you're going to tease me for breakfast and I'll pay for it? It's really thick." He looked down. "Who would I bug other than you, best friend?"

"That little one! You call him!" Valerian was annoyed with him again. "Your race is the same conqueror." He stopped laughing. "Shun? He doesn't want to. He's busy-"

"Oh, so I'm not busy, are you?" Valerian's eyes were almost bulging with anger, but he was still laughing. "Do you know what time I fell asleep last night? 1 AM! Then you called at 4 AM-"

"That means you had 3 hours sleep." He winked at his friend, "You're welcome." "Fuck you!"

He grinned at Valerian. "You're so sweet."

"Fuck you to hell."

"Aww... should we date?"

Valerian let out a violent breath as his shoulders slumped as if in surrender. "I hate you."

The smile disappeared from his lips. "You're hurting me now."

Valerian immediately looked up at him. "Fine. We'll be friends for one more year."

"I'm still hurting." "Two years?" "Nope."

"Fine!" Valerian huffed. "Three!" Knight chuckled. "Gotcha."

Valerian glared at him. "Go away."

"Thank you." He smiled. "Anyways, I prefer you to Shun. He teases me all the time," he tsked. "Hmm... by the way, didn't I just say earlier this evening that I was at the airport? I didn't say you were going to pick me up."

Valerian looked at him with disgust. "You're so fucking gross. And it's early morning, not early evening!" It hit him. "And why are you driving me? Are you a woman? Fuck! You make me want to fucking vomit!"

Knight stopped laughing at Valerian's angry face. "Why the hell are you mad? I heard from Shun that Grace is back."

Valerian immediately fell silent. Knight tsked. "You're such a pussycat."

Valerian cussed again. "Please let me know if she's back."

"You don't love her anymore?"

Valerian was silent again.

"Valerian has just been slain by Count Knight." He was teasing here.

Valerian glared at him again. "Don't talk to me!"

Valerian abruptly stood up and was about to leave when he murmured. "Fuck... I want some cake."

Valerian just gave him a bad look and left him, but he wasn't surprised when a few minutes later Valerian came back too-he was carrying a whole cake. He grinned at Val. "Thanks, best friend."

"Your face is still like an animal. Go back to your country."

Knight just laughed and then started eating the cake.

He was silent when Valerian spoke again. "You look sadder than usual."

He stopped eating the cake himself and looked at the person in front of him. "What gives?" Valerian shrugged. "I just know.I know you, remember?" Knight just laughed. "Don't mind me, best friend. I'll be fine."

"Don't call me your best friend!" Valerian hissed at him again. "I'm not your best friend." "Yeah, yeah..."

"Knight!" was Lander's voice walking towards him. "Good thing you're here." He reached for his driver's licence. "I got this for you last week. Happy now?"

Knight immediately grinned as he accepted the I.D. "Fuck yeah! And my car?"

"In BV, outside Volkzki's house."

Valerian frowned at Lander. "What car?"

Lander smirked at Val. "It's better than you don't know. You know that crazy person." He pointed at him before looking at him. "Anyways, I already took care of everything, including the papers and registration. All you have to do is drive it."

"Thank you!" He said with a wide grin.

Lander sat at the table with Valerian. And since that chair was just a table, he took a chair from another table and pulled it towards their table.

"You owe me breakfast," Lander told him.

"Sure." He got the waiter's attention, and when he got close, he turned to Lander. "Eat all you can; Val will pay." "What the fuck-"

"I'll pay you back." He immediately rebuked Valerian's cursing.

Val looked at him badly. "Oh, really? Where do I list this time? In the water or on the sand?"

He gave Valerian a cheeky smile. "I pick water."

"Thick face," Val hissed at him.

Knight just smiled and ordered some more after Lander ordered his food.

And their breakfast became so crowded when their other friends started showing up. From Lander to Cali Even the Coleman twins are present.

Imagine a 'for only two' table surrounded by 13 men. All having breakfast and snatching each other's food from each other's plates.

"This is fucked up," Ymar said. "Why are we eating at the same table again?" Dark shrugged. "Who knows?" This is what Lander said next. "I was here first."

"Iuhence!" Zapanta hissed at Vergara. "That's my fucking coffee! Don't you dare drink it! Too late. Vergara had already chugged it down his throat.

"Hence! Pay it!"

Vergara asked before pulling a wallet from his pocket. He looked at the wallet first. "Fuck. I only have 100 pesos." He turned to Train. "Let me lend you 50 pesos so Zapanta won't be able to sleep thinking about the coffee I drank." Without complaining, Train took out 50 pesos from his wallet and handed it to Iuhence. "When will you pay me?" "Tomorrow."

Train nodded while they all chuckled.

Therefore, 'tomorrow' means next year or the next few years to come.

While Iuhence was buying Tyron's coffee downstairs, Calyx was munching on Lash's pancakes.

Lash sighed while shaking his head at Calyx. "I envy such a thick face."

Everyone nodded, including him.

Then everyone glanced at him.

He frowned with an innocent look. "What?" Shun tsked. "Zapanta ordered a cake; you ate it. Then Wolkzbin ordered a cake; you ate it as well. Then Coleman bought a cake; you ate it too. Same with Lander's cake and Cali's cake."

His eyes widen with shock. "What the fuck... not to spoil that?" Everyone sighed.

Zapanta looked at Valerian, whose mouth was already open, to correct him. "Don't correct him. That's practizing."

Shun takes a loud breath. "Alright, Spaniard, how do you beat the cake?"

He scratched the back of his neck. Eat, of course."

Everyone sighed again, like they were giving up on him.

"It's 'that's not for me', not 'that's not for me," Valerian corrected him, looking irritated.

"Oh," Knight was holding his laughter. It's really fun teasing his friends.

He doesn't get bored because of them. It's a nice feeling.

"Would you like more cake?" Train asked him. "Vergara will buy you some since he owes you after stealing your fiancé."

He turned to Vergara, who had just returned from buying Tyron coffee. "Then I want Triple Bavarian Cake!"

Vergara looked at him flatly. "I borrowed fifty, and then you're going to buy a cake? Do you know how expensive that is?"

Knight pointed at Val. "He always buys me cakes." Iuhence snorted. "That's because you two are a couple."

Shun immediately roared. "So what am I, a third party?"

"Like three people in a relationship?" He laughed and laughed. "Isn't it called a threesome?"

Valerian's fist clenched at him. He saw it coming but didn't move; he let Valerian hit his face.

"It's called a love triangle, you idiot!"

His lips formed into an 'o' as he cupped his own cheeks. "Holy mother fucker!" He faked a gasp. "You want a threesome love triangle?"

Everyone who was there looked at them while Valerian picked up the bread knife from the table and attacked him.

"I'm going to kill you, you lunatic!" Valerian sneered at him.

He laughed and took out the pocket knife from his pocket and threw it at Valerian, who immediately caught it.

"Use that to stab me, he said with a smile as he started to run away from Valerian. "It's much sharper!"

"I will really kill you!" Valerian shouted as he chased after him.

Knight was laughing his ass off as he ran away from Valerian, who was chasing him with his very own pocket knife. He was so sad and desperate when he was in Spain; he had been punished severely again for begging, but now, while running from Val after teasing him, his heart felt lighter, he's calmer, he forgot the pain caused by the fresh wound on his back, and above all... he's happy.

... Even when he didn't deserve to be happy, he felt happy.

happy to be around his lunatic friends again.

Only if Midnight is here... then it'll be complete.

Knight didn't realize that he stopped running while Valerian stopped a few metres away behind him.

"Knight." It was Val calling his name; he rarely calls him by his name.

He looked at her with no emotion on his face. "What?"

"Your back..." his eyes were on his back, "it's bleeding."

Knight froze, then immediately looked away with shame in his face. Why did he forget? He's wearing a light-colored t-shirt.

"Don't tell them," he whispered. "Don't look..."

Valerian tsked before taking off his coat and throwing it at the back of his neck. "Cover your back with that. I'll tell Shun."

Knight obediently wrapped Val's coat around his back to hide his shirt, which was soaked with his own blood.

Am I having so much fun that I didn't feel the pain in my back? Or was it because I'm used to the pain and I felt numb-I didn't feel anything?

He saw Valerian pointing at him while talking to their friends, so he immediately smiled until his cell phone rang.

"Speak, Dimitri?" He said to the other line in a cold voice.

"Boss, Shereik Abdul is the man behind the Triad's movement in the Middle East. And his wife knows nothing of his husband's illegal deeds. Uncannily, the husband treasures his wife so much that he won't let her in into his dark world, so we can't get anything from her. As we speak, we already have people inside to infiltrate their homes."

"Why infiltrate the home?" Knight asked. "We need the husband. Use the wife."

Dimitri, his personal Ultor-his punisher in the Organosi-was silent for a second. "Boss?"

Knight smiled at his friends, but his voice was cold and merciless as he spoke to Dimitri. "Use the wife to flush out the husband."

"But Boss, she's innocent."

"Do I sound like I care?" He waved at his friends with a smile, but his voice was uncaring. "Use her. I don't care how. You can kill her if you want, I don't mind either. The important thing is that we corner her husband. I don't care who gets killed, just do the job and be done with it." when they capture Shereik Abdul as his father ordered, he will give him a hint as to where his brother is. "We have other important matters to do than infiltrate that motherfucker's house."

If he has to sacrifice and use everyone around him to see Midnight and keep his promise... then so be it.

His father was still using him, moulding him into the great noble man that he should be. After five years, the torture continues. Yes, he's now a boss, powerful, and feared, but he's still an obedient dog when it comes to his father. Because he knows very well what to say and do to get him to say yes.

If he won't do his bidding, then Midnight will be punished, wherever he is. His father still holds the ace of cards. and he's good at playing him.

"Boss, there was a threat to Mr. Volkzki's life from Abdul's friend in the Triad. Looks like they found out that you have friends," Dimitri said as if he were being warned. "It looks like they want to control your movements. What should we do?

"I don't care who they kill; they won't stop me. Everyone around me is just a pawn after all. Do your job."

"Yes, Boss." Dimitri's calm voice was forced; he could tell before he ended the call.

Then he looked at Valerian, who was staring annoyingly at Shun Kim.

In danger, huh? Well, he may still be obedient, but he's not powerless like before. He'd changed. He already lost his brother; he's not losing another one.

Knight smiled at his friends as he called one of his men. "Guard a man named Valerian Volkzki. I will send you the details later. If something bad happens to him, I will bury you and your whole family alive, understand?" "Yes, boss!"

He hung up the phone, walked back to his friends, and slumped down in the chair left earlier.

"Iuh, where did you buy this coffee?" There was a complaint in Tyron's voice. "It tastes bad."

"Outside." He grinned. "They love their coffee here." It made him laugh even more. "It's fine with Calderon. Anyway, coffee is coffee. How can that taste any different?"

Tyron just sighed before getting the waiter's attention for their bill.

Thankfully, they have their own set of bills. Calderon seems to have really trained its employees when it comes to them.

He still remembers their fight here, and no one gave up because they only had one bill. Count who ate So Calderon's staff has learned from them.

"Since you ate my cake, you will pay for it," Cali said.

and everyone followed. Everyone who orders a cake is the one who pays.

He took out his wallet from his pocket and showed the inside to his friends. "Look, I have no money."

"We accept cards, sir." That waiter

"I don't have a card." Shun glared at him. "You're counting, for fuck's sake!" He pouted. "Well, I don't have any money. Help?"

Ymar took the wallet he was holding and checked it. Ymar tsked. "You really have no shame, ever. This is a new wallet, you lunatic! It even has a price tag. And it's worth fifty-five thousand pesos. Is that the one without money?"

"It's a gift." from his father. He plans to sell it once he arrives in the Philippines.

Ymar gave his empty wallet to the waiter and said, "We'll pay with this."

The waiter frowned at them. "We don't accept things as payment, Sir."

"Why not?" they asked at the same time.

The waiter backed away from them, as if scared and worried. It's pale. "I-I-II will call the manager!" He said, then suddenly ran away from them.

"You scared the poor guy to death." Comment by Lath "This is the reason why waiters avoid us."

They all laughed and stopped when the Manager of that Floor approached them with the waiter who had run away from them earlier.

"We will accept the wallet as payment." The manager accepted the wallet. "I asked who owns this?"

"Me," he answered.

"Then I will inform Mr. Calderon immediately."

The waiter whispered to the manager, but he still heard. "Is it really okay for them to pay with a wallet?"

The Manager whispered back. "They're special cases."

He laughed, then shook his head. Thorn Calderon trained his employees well.

Review: five stars.

When they left the restaurant, everyone patted him on the back and shoulder to say goodbye, except for Shun and Valerian.

Knight has to control himself from wincing every time a friend pats his back. Fuck!

When he got into Valerian's car, he was speechless as he drove back to BV. When they arrived outside his house, Valerian looked at him curiously when he saw the car Lander was referring to earlier.

"Really?" Valerian gave him an arched look. "A Taxi?" Knight grinned. "I want to be a Taxi Driver. I saved up for that, you might think."

Valerian just tsked and shook his ear. "You're hopeless. I thought you were a DJ or some sort."

"Yeah. It's my part-time."

"And how do you explain being a waiter at some restaurant months ago? I saw you."

Knight just smiled at Valerian. "Part of my charm."

Valerian asked before entering his home. When they were in the living room, Shun came in with a first aid kit.

Knight immediately took off his top and sat on the floor, his back to the long sofa where the two were sitting.

"What did you do to be lashed this time?" Shun asked while cleaning his wound. I begged. "Nothing."

"That's always your answer," said Valerian, then left the living room.

"How many times were you whipped while you were there?" Shun asked while covering his wound with a bandage. "You have fresh and nearly healing cuts. Isn't it painful?"

"I'm used to it." Shun sighed. "Why don't you want to tell us the truth?"

He stood up and looked at Shun. Because this is the only way I know how to protect you and Valerian. If I show that I care, you will be part of my father's ace of cards, and I won't allow it. As long as my father thinks I'm lying and manipulating you two, then it'll be okay.

Knight faked a grin on his face. "Thank you." Shun glared at him. "Drop that fake smile. It's irritating."

Before he could answer, Valerian returned to the living room. I brought beer and strawberry cake for him.

"Eat and drink up, then I'll drive you to your house," said Valerian to him.

He quickly drank the beer, ate the cake, and stood up. "No need. I'm going somewhere else, eh. See you later."

"Knight, you need to rest." Valerian seriously restrained him. "Your back wound will bleed again if you move again."

"No." I have to go to HQ to talk to Cloud. "I have to go."

He was determined to leave, but before he reached the door, he felt weak and started to wobble.

He touch his head and turned to Valerian as his eyes rolled. "What did you put in my drink?"

"Sleeping pills." He then walked towards him. "I know you won't listen if we let you rest."

"Fuck..." was all he could say before he passed out.

Knight WOKE up, and it's already afternoon. He looked at his wristwatch. 4:30 p.m. He got up from the bed, took his cell phone from the bedside table, and left the room.

He's at Valerian's house. He's alone.

Walking downstairs, he checked his cellphone to see if he had received a message. He received one. An email from Cloud. ------------

FROM: CLOUD SEBASTIAN To: Minrod Subject: Meeting

Message: I received an invitation in your stead, My Lord. Later at 2 a.m. in HQ Philippines All seven bosses of the Organosi will be present. Don't be late, my Lord. ------------ Great! He'd been a boss for nearly three years now, but all seven bosses in one room haven't happened yet. This must be a very important agenda item to talk about.

When he got down to the kitchen, he saw the post-it note stuck on the table next to the food covered with a food cover and medicine. Eat up. Take your fucking medications. Don't fucking bug me. I'm fucking working. – V.'

Knight slumped down in the chair at the table and ate quietly. Then he just left the food in case he broke it when he washed it.

After leaving Valerian's house, he got into the Taxi he ordered from Lander. The key was in the ignition, so he didn't have any problems.

He drove out of BV and started working.

He stopped the Taxi in front of a group of women who were passing by and then rolled down the window of the passenger seat. "Where are you?"

Instead of answering him, the three women just stared at him. Knight just smiled. He's used to it. He's not a narcissist, but he knew that he was good-looking.

"Where are you?" He asked again. "J-just there."

The smile on his face remains. "Where is it?"

"M-Mall..."

"Hop on." He said.

The three got on board. At first, their trip was quiet, but then the three interviewed him.

Questions after questions And all of his answers were lies.

"The change is yours, Brother handsome." said one of the female passengers before getting off.

He stared at the 300 pesos in his hand and laughed. I think it's fun to be a taxi driver. It looks like he needs to work more to earn money.

And that's how his night started. driving people to their destinations with his new Taxi.

It was already one a.m. when he parked his Taxi in front of Racini's Hotel. He immediately went inside and went straight to the elevator.

He punched in his code, using the floor's number, before pressing the close button.

Then the elevator started going down.

Knight looked up at the ceiling of the elevator and closed his eyes as he felt the pain of his wound.

"Fuck," he hissed softly. "When will I stop being in pain?" Knight tsked. This pain won't stop until he becomes more powerful than his father.

But it'll be a long time, damn it!

His mind returned to the present when the elevator opened. He stepped out and punched in his code again for the double steel door to open and let him in.

While walking in, he was greeted by Cloud, who was staying at the HQ.

"My Lord," he looked at him from head to toe, "you look like shit." He grunted. "This is how handsome men look nowadays." Cloud chuckled. "The other bosses are already in the conference room, waiting."

He nodded, then accepted the stainless steel water bottle given to him by Cloud. "What's inside?"

Cloud just smiled while he had a cold poker face on as they walked. All the members of the organisation they passed looked at him and bowed, but he didn't look at anyone.

No close colleagues, no problem. He will never give another ace of cards to his father.

He opened the lid of the stainless steel water bottle and smelled the contents. He shook his head. "This is the reason why I can't fire you." He drank the beer from the Stainless Steel water bottle. "Damn, that's good."

"As if you can live without me, My Lord," Cloud retorts back. "I'm too precious."

Knight's face remains stoic. "Yeah, yeah..."

When he got to the Conference Room, Cloud opened the door for him.

Inside were six men, including himself.

"I will take my leave now, my Lord," Cloud said without waiting for him to answer. it's gone

Knight examined the men in front of him carefully, assessing their strengths and analysing their weaknesses that he could exploit in the near future. That's who he is. He was raised that way.

to think of other people as beneath him. to think that in order to control the people around him... His need to lie and pretend was necessary.

These men, these other bosses-he knew them already from reports and telltales.

"Won't you introduce yourself?" Daemon Cox, the head of South America, asked.

"Why bother?" he said in a cold, distant voice. "I'm sure you know me already."

"For formality's sake, mate," said Draco, head of Australia.

Knight didn't bother answering. What's the use? If these people get close to him in some way, they will be used against him too.

No more ace of cards, father.

"Let's start the agenda," he said.

"Hold up," Monti Parisi said. "We're still missing one boss."

that made him still. Missing one? Oh, yeah. They're supposed to be seven, but only six, including himself, were present. and he has no idea who it was because the boss of North America was newly appointed.

"That brat," Daemon tsked, "I told him not to be late. Is he oversleeping again?" He looked at Daemon. It looks like the two know each other. Well, they have to know each other. They're, after all, the closest of them all. South and North American bosses

Knight stands up and walks towards the door. "I hate waiting. Just call me when he arrives."

He was about to open the door when it opened from the outside and the newcomer entered.

"Sorry, everybody!" The newcomer sounded so cherry and energetic. "I overslept!"

"I knew it!" Daemon hissed.Everyone was joking around with the newcomer, the new head of North America, but Knight was frozen, rooted in place, as he stared at the man with the same face as his smiling and joking with Daemon Cox. "N-Night..."

Midnight glanced at him; his eyes were cold and his body movement was distant, but he still managed a smile for him.

a fake smile that he hated. "Yow."

That single word, for some reason, made a crack in his heart.

not 'Brother' but 'yow'. Like I'm a stranger.