"All I know about them is the name of their organization." Calyx finally spoke, his voice low but heavy with unspoken weight. "It's Shadestones."
A sharp silence followed before the room burst into motion. From the shadows, Uno and Kaiser emerged without hesitation, their footsteps controlled but urgent. I wasn't surprised—they had been listening the entire time, waiting for Calyx to spill something useful. And now that he had, they wasted no time making their presence known.
"The hell?!" Calyx recoiled, his body tensing as he took a step back. His eyes darted toward Kaiser, his own cousin, as if trying to process his sudden appearance.
"I thought you were asleep," Calyx muttered, eyes narrowing.
Kaiser didn't spare him a glance. Instead, he moved swiftly, grabbing my laptop off the counter and settling in front of us. His fingers flew over the keys, his focus razor-sharp.
"He might be your cousin, Calyx," I said, watching Kaiser work. "But you don't know him as well as I do."
Calyx exhaled, rubbing his temples. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
I crossed my arms. "It means that unlike you, Kaiser has been in my corner from the beginning. He's not just a relative I barely see at family gatherings. He's someone who actually knows what I'm capable of."
Calyx's jaw clenched. He looked like he wanted to argue, but he didn't. Maybe he knew it was pointless. Maybe he was finally realizing that I wasn't the same girl he thought needed saving.
Kaiser, still absorbed in my laptop, suddenly stilled. His expression darkened as his eyes scanned the screen.
"This just got a whole lot worse," he murmured.
I leaned in. "What did you find?"
Kaiser turned the laptop toward us, his face unreadable. "Shadestones isn't just any organization. It's tied to something bigger. Something our families have been trying to bury for years."
"I think we need to call for reinforcements," Uno said, his tone firm. "And your brothers should know about this too."
I clenched my jaw. "But they told me at the Gala that I need to fix this on my own."
"Yes," Uno agreed, nodding. "But that was before. Before you knew that Shadestones was involved. Before we found out they had a direct connection to your parents' deaths. And let's not forget—you and Calyx are getting divorced. This isn't just about your personal affairs anymore. This is about an organization that has been operating in the dark, and it's a hell of a lot bigger than just you and him."
The steady sound of Kaiser typing on my laptop abruptly stopped. He lifted his gaze, his eyes sharp and calculating. "You know about Shadestones?"
Uno exhaled, leaning back against the counter. "It was Dos' first mission," he admitted. "I had to help him."
I frowned, recalling every conversation I'd had with Dos. I thought back to the way he looked at me at the Gala—the weight behind his words when he told me I didn't know shit.
"That's why he said that," I muttered, realization settling in. "He knew."
"And if Dos knew, then there's no way Sebastian and Steven don't," Kaiser added. His fingers tapped against the laptop absentmindedly. "They've known all along."
Before I could even react, Calyx's voice cut through the tension.
"Wait a damn second." His tone was sharp, almost panicked.
For a moment, I had forgotten he was even there.
"What the hell are you all talking about?" he demanded, his brows furrowed in pure confusion. "What do you mean Dos' mission? What do you mean your brothers knew? Are you saying this goes deeper than just some underground organization?"
Kaiser exchanged looks with Uno before turning to me.
"This isn't just about revenge anymore, Sev." Kaiser's voice was calm, but there was an undeniable intensity behind his words. "This is about something much, much bigger than any of us thought."
Calyx abruptly stood up, his chair scraping against the floor as he ran a frustrated hand through his hair. His eyes darted between me, Kaiser, and Uno, searching for some kind of explanation that made sense. But there was none—at least, none that he could grasp at the moment.
"I don't understand you anymore." His voice was strained, edged with frustration and something else—betrayal, maybe?
His gaze landed on me, his expression darkening. "All this time, you've been keeping secrets from me too, haven't you?"
I exhaled sharply, gripping the edge of the table. "You're one to talk, Calyx." My voice was calm, but there was an undeniable sharpness beneath it. "You knew about Shadestones, yet you let me figure things out on my own. You knew my parents' deaths weren't just an accident, yet you kept your mouth shut. So don't act like you're the only one being left in the dark."
His jaw clenched, and for a second, I thought he was going to argue. But he didn't. Instead, he ran a hand over his face, looking more exhausted than ever.
"You think I wanted to keep this from you?" His voice was quieter now, but the weight behind it was still there. "I was trying to protect you, Sev."
"Well, I don't need protecting." I met his gaze, unwavering. "I need answers."
Kaiser let out a quiet sigh and leaned back against the counter, watching the exchange unfold. "We don't have time for this." He cut in, his voice smooth but firm. "Calyx, you either sit down and listen, or you walk away. But know this—Severa is going to uncover the truth, with or without your help."
Uno crossed his arms, nodding in agreement. "And from the looks of it, she's not backing down anytime soon."
Calyx looked at me, something unreadable flickering in his eyes. Then, with a slow exhale, he pulled his chair back and sat down.
"Fine." He muttered. "Tell me everything."
I told Calyx half of the truth—or maybe just the surface of it.
I didn't see the point in hiding everything anymore, but there were still parts I had to keep to myself. Pieces of the puzzle he wasn't ready for.
I started with the organization—the one Graham built from the ground up. It was powerful, operating in the shadows, but not in the way people might assume. It wasn't about crime or corruption, and it certainly didn't deal with the usual underworld activities. Instead, it worked behind the scenes, influencing, protecting, and controlling aspects of society that most people never even noticed.
"It runs underground, but it's not illegal," I told him, my voice steady.
I saw the way his brows furrowed, confusion mixing with skepticism, but he stayed quiet, listening.
"I'm part of it," I continued. "My code name is Nine."
His gaze snapped to mine, as if processing that for the first time. I didn't give him a chance to dwell on it.
"Kaiser is part of it too," I said, glancing at his cousin, who remained impassive. "So are Uno, Dos, and a few others you've met before. Every single one of us has a role, a purpose. And before you ask—no, not everyone in our world knows about this."
Calyx's grip tightened on the edge of the table. "And you've been doing… what, exactly? Keeping secrets? Playing some underground game while pretending to be normal?"
I exhaled, shaking my head. "It's not a game, Calyx. We have rules. We have responsibilities. We were trained for this."
"Trained for what?" His voice was sharp now, edged with something close to frustration.
I hesitated. That was the part I couldn't fully explain.
"To ensure balance," Kaiser finally spoke, his voice even. "To protect people who need it, to control the ones who pose a threat. To handle situations before they spiral into something bigger."
Calyx let out a quiet, humorless laugh. "And let me guess—you're telling me just enough to keep me from asking more."
"I'm telling you enough to make you understand." I met his gaze. "I can't tell you everything, Calyx. There are things even I don't have access to. But what I do know is that this organization—our organization—is connected to Shadestones. And whether you like it or not, that means you're connected to it too."
Silence stretched between us. I could see the war going on in his head—the part of him that wanted to demand more, and the part that knew I wouldn't give him anything else.
After a long moment, he exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "And what exactly do you plan on doing next?"
I leaned back, my fingers drumming against the table.
"Finding the truth."
Calyx shook his head, trying to process everything.
"How is Shadestone connected to your organization? And to me?"
All of us instinctively turned to Uno. Based on everything we had uncovered so far, Shadestone was undeniably linked to our organization, but I still didn't know exactly how. What I did know was that it had been Dos's first mission, and Uno had been involved as well. Meaning, Uno knew more than the rest of us.
"Shadestone is the opposite of our organization," Uno finally answered. "Dos's mission was only to infiltrate them when they first started making waves in the underworld. But things went south fast, and I had to step in to get him out."
"So, they're an illegal organization," Kaiser concluded.
"They are."
I frowned, my mind racing. "And how exactly are they connected to Calyx?" I asked, turning to Uno.
For a moment, he hesitated. But we made it clear we weren't going to drop this topic until we got answers.
With a heavy sigh, Uno finally admitted, "Lockhorst is the front company for Shadestone. I don't have solid proof yet, but based on everything I've gathered so far…" He looked directly at Calyx. "Your mother was the daughter of Shadestone's founder."
Calyx froze. His entire body tensed as if the weight of Uno's words had physically struck him.
"What?" His voice was barely above a whisper, yet it carried a sharpness that cut through the air.
No one spoke. No one moved. Even Kaiser, who was usually the quickest to offer a sarcastic remark, remained silent.
Calyx shook his head, as if trying to reject the information before it could settle in. "No. That—that doesn't make sense." His fists clenched on the table. "My mother had nothing to do with any of this."
Uno exhaled, rubbing a hand down his face. "I told you, it's just a suspicion. But if I'm right, then you're more connected to Shadestone than you realize."
"That's bullshit." Calyx stood up so suddenly that his chair scraped against the floor. "She was—she was just a businesswoman. She built Lockhorst. She—" He stopped himself, inhaling sharply.
"She built Lockhorst." Uno repeated, his tone calculated. "A company that, as it turns out, is the perfect cover for Shadestone."
Calyx's eyes darted between us, looking for any sign that this was a joke, a mistake—anything but the truth we were slowly unraveling in front of him.
I leaned forward, my voice quiet but firm. "Calyx, I know this is hard to accept, but we need to face the possibility that your mother might not have been who you thought she was."
"No." He was quick to cut me off, shaking his head in denial. "You don't get to say that. You don't know her."
"Neither do you," Uno countered. "At least, not completely."
Calyx took a step back, his breathing uneven. His hands curled into fists at his sides, but he didn't lash out. Instead, he turned his back to us, staring at the darkened windows of the villa as if seeking an escape.
"If this is true," Kaiser said, watching him carefully, "then Shadestone isn't just some faceless enemy to you, Calyx. It's your family."
Silence.
A suffocating silence.
Calyx let out a shaky breath, gripping the edge of the counter like it was the only thing keeping him steady. "I need to think." His voice was hoarse.
I exchanged glances with Kaiser and Uno. We knew better than to push him further. Not yet.
"Alright," I said, standing up. "But Calyx—whatever you decide to do next, just know that you're not in this alone."
He didn't respond. Didn't turn around.
But the way his shoulders stiffened told me he heard me.