The ballroom fell silent.
Ochieng's grip on the glass tightened. The mere mention of his parents ignited a slow, controlled fury within him.
Who dared to bring them up now?
The man in the white suit stepped down the marble staircase, his presence commanding yet unfamiliar. His sharp jawline, graying temples, and the insignia on his cufflinks—a golden dragon entwined with a dagger—identified him immediately.
Kaito Ryūjin.
One of the most feared figures in the underworld. The man who controlled half the Asian syndicates and had deep roots in the Eight Major Provinces.
But what connection did he have to Ochieng's past?
Ochieng placed the untouched glass on a nearby table and adjusted his cufflinks. His voice was calm, dangerously smooth.
"Speak carefully, Ryūjin. My patience is short tonight."
The older man chuckled, exhaling smoke from his cigar. "Oh, I know, Ochieng. But some truths have waited long enough."
He gestured toward a private lounge, where a mahogany table set with aged whiskey and sealed envelopes awaited.
"Shall we?"
—
Ochieng followed Kaito into the soundproofed lounge. Only a few were permitted to enter this space—a sanctuary where secrets were laid bare.
Kaito poured himself a glass of Yamazaki 55, the world's rarest whiskey, then slid a sealed dossier across the table.
"Open it."
Ochieng's sharp eyes didn't leave Kaito's for a second, but he picked up the envelope. The paper felt old, fragile.
With a single motion, he tore it open.
What he saw inside stilled his heartbeat.
Photographs.
His parents—his real parents—standing in front of a mansion he had never seen before.
Dates scrawled at the back. Decades-old records.
And then, at the very bottom…
An autopsy report.
Ochieng's jaw clenched. His pulse roared in his ears.
Cause of death: "Officially, a car accident."
Unofficially… homicide.
His fingers curled around the page, crushing it slightly.
Kaito took a slow sip of his whiskey. "They didn't die in an accident, Ochieng. They were murdered."
Ochieng's head lifted, his gaze now burning like a storm set ablaze.
"Who?"
Kaito exhaled. "The very people who sit at the top of the Eight Provinces."
Silence. Then, a slow, eerie smile curved on Ochieng's lips.
"Then it's time I take back everything."