𝐂𝐚𝐭

The room smelled faintly of antiseptic and metal. The soft beeping of machines echoed against the sterile walls of the private hospital room. Ohm sat on the edge of the bed, his face pale but his eyes-still sharp, still burning with that same stubborn fire-stared out the window where the morning light filtered in through the blinds.

A faint mechanical hum followed his movements. Where his right leg once was, now stood a prosthetic-lightweight titanium with polymer joints designed for stability and endurance. It gleamed dully under the light. The doctors said it would take months of physiotherapy before he could move normally again.

For Ohm, that was irrelevant. He'd been shot, blown up, broken-yet none of it ever stopped him. This wouldn't either.

Chimon stood near the counter, arms crossed, his face tight with exhaustion. He had been the one who pulled Ohm out of the warehouse before it went up in flames. Joong hadn't made it out.

The silence between them was heavy-too full of the things neither wanted to say.

"Chief's furious," Chimon said finally, voice low. "He knows everything. The off-record operation, the surveillance, the warehouse... and Joong." His throat tightened at the last word. "You're suspended for six months. They'll investigate everything."

Ohm gave a bitter chuckle, adjusting the edge of his prosthetic. "Six months? He can suspend me for a lifetime if he wants. I don't care."

"Don't say that," Chimon snapped, stepping closer. "You're lucky you're even alive, Ohm. You lost a leg-damn it, you nearly lost your life!"

"But we still have it," Ohm hissed, looking up sharply. "The shipment. The drugs-they're out there. Don't you get it? We didn't end anything. We just made them angry."

Chimon clenched his jaw. "Ohm, stop. You've done enough. You need to rest-heal-before you-"

Before he could finish, the door burst open.

A young officer stumbled in, panting, his face ghost-white.

"Sir-" he gasped, nearly tripping over his own words. "Sir, we just received a report from Pattaya-"Ohm straightened instantly. "What happened?"

The officer swallowed hard, trembling as he spoke. "The cargo. The one in the water near Pattaya- it's gone. The entire shipment, all of it, is wiped out."

Chimon blinked. "Gone? What do you mean gone?"

"I mean-" the officer's voice cracked, "-there's nothing left. No drugs, no crates, not even a single seal left floating. It's like the ocean swallowed it whole. But that's not the worst part..."

Ohm's eyes narrowed. "Then what is?"

The officer's lips quivered. "The guards-sir, over a hundred men were stationed to protect that cargo. Every one of them is dead."

The room went silent. Even the machines seemed to pause.

Chimon felt the blood drain from his face. "Dead? All of them?"

The officer nodded shakily, his voice dropping to a near whisper. "Brutally. Their bodies-" he hesitated, unable to form the words, "-torn apart. Like animals got to them. But no-no animals could do that."

Ohm leaned forward, his hands gripping the metal railing of the bed. "And?" he demanded. "What else?"

The officer's voice broke as he forced the words out.

"In the middle of the deck... someone piled all the bodies together. They formed a word with them."

Chimon's heart pounded. "A word?"

The young officer nodded slowly, horror flickering in his eyes. "Just one letter, sir."

Ohm's breathing stilled. "Which one?"

"R," the officer whispered. "A giant, blood-soaked R."

The silence that followed was suffocating.

Ohm's expression went blank, but his grip on the railing turned his knuckles white. He didn't say anything-didn't need to. Both he and Chimon knew what that single letter meant.

Somewhere out there, someone was sending a message.

And it wasn't over yet.

The sea was quiet now.

Waves lapped lazily against the side of the cargo ship, now nothing but a floating graveyard beneath the dull dawn sky. The air stank of salt, blood, and gunpowder.

Red stood at the very edge of the deck, the wind tousling his hair, his coat brushing against his legs. His gloved hands were steady-too steady for someone who had orchestrated this massacre just hours ago. Behind him, the faint hum of his men clearing the last traces of evidence mixed with the distant cries of seagulls circling the wreckage.

The morning light caught the crimson streaks that smeared across the deck, the letter R glistening like a mark of warning rather than victory.

One of his men approached cautiously, bowing slightly. "Sir, we've finished. No traces left. Pattaya port will believe it was an ambush by pirates."

Red didn't turn. "And the shipment?"

"Recovered, sir. Safe on the sub, on its way to the reserve dock."

For a long moment, Red said nothing. Then a small, satisfied smile curved his lips-cold, sharp, merciless.

"Good. That's what happens," he murmured, voice barely above the whisper of the sea, "when they forget who they're dealing with."

His eyes-once a soft, thoughtful brown when around Nani-now gleamed like sharpened glass.

"They touched what's mine," he continued softly, almost conversationally, "my people, my network, my balance." He tilted his head slightly, as if speaking to the horizon itself. "So I reminded them. I don't threaten. I end."

The man beside him swallowed hard, unsure whether to respond or keep quiet. Red's calm tone was far more frightening than any shouting could ever be.

After a beat, Red finally turned away from the sea. "Inform Sky," he said, pulling a cigarette from his pocket, lighting it with a steady hand. "Tell him his shipment is safe."

He exhaled a thin cloud of smoke, eyes drifting back to the fading R on the deck. "And tell him," he added with a low chuckle, "that the sea is clean again."

Then, without another glance at the bodies, Red walked toward the waiting helicopter, his coat catching in the wind like a shadow.No guilt. No hesitation. Only the quiet certainty of a man who would destroy entire worlds if it meant protecting what was his.

The penthouse was chaos in motion-technicians moving in and out, security checking routes, and the faint hum of the underground elevator constantly echoing through the glass walls. The air was thick with tension and caffeine.

At the center of it all sat the three most dangerous men in Bangkok-Sky, William, and Red-casually gathered around a polished black table stacked with sealed boxes worth more than a small country.

"Alright," Sky muttered, leaning back in his chair with that lazy authority of his, "if these things don't open now, I'm calling the manufacturer and asking for a refund."

William snorted, tossing a peanut into his mouth. "You can't refund stolen goods, genius."

Sky gave him a look. "I didn't steal them. I reclaimed them."

"Right," William said, feigning deep thought, "like how Red didn't massacre an entire cargo ship-he just... cleaned it."

Red didn't even look up from the snow leopard sprawled across his lap. "Don't mock my cleanliness, Will. I even used bleach."

Sky groaned, dragging a hand down his face while William broke into laughter.The snow leopard-Klein-purred softly, stretching before blinking open his silvery eyes. His thick white fur glowed under the chandelier light, elegant and utterly spoiled. Red leaned down, cooing softly, "Baby Klein, open your eyes, sweetheart. Show them how it's done."

Klein blinked once, slow and majestic, then lazily turned his head toward the sealed box. A faint green laser scanned across his eyes-and click, the lock light turned green, hissing open with a mechanical sigh.

Sky froze. "You're telling me we built million-dollar biometric locks that open with his cat's eyes?"

William burst out laughing, clutching his stomach. "Oh my god, Sky-your empire's secured by a cat."

Red smirked proudly. "Correction-by my son."

Sky looked like he was reconsidering his life choices. "You're insane."

"I prefer emotionally creative," Red replied, scratching Klein under the chin. "Besides, no one suspects a snow leopard. Who's gonna scan a cat for a code?"

"Fair point," William admitted, leaning forward to check the contents. "Everything looks perfect. Guess the little prince did his job." He leaned over and planted a kiss on Klein's forehead.

The cat blinked and gave a little sneeze, flicking his tail in annoyance.

Sky chuckled. "See? Even the cat's judging you."

"Jealous much?" William teased. "He likes me better."

Red raised a brow, his tone mock-serious. "Over my dead body, Will. He's already got your personality-chaotic and needy. I don't need him picking up your habits too."

William gasped in fake offense while Sky leaned back, smirking at both of them. "If anyone ever records us during a deal, no one's gonna believe we run the biggest underground network in Asia."

Red gave a lazy shrug, petting Klein again. "That's the point. The devil always hides behind laughter."

For a moment, they all went quiet-the sound of Klein's soft purrs filling the silence. It wasn't just business anymore. It never was. They had been through hell together, crawled through blood and betrayal, and yet here they were-still breathing, still laughing, still family in their own twisted way.

Finally, Sky broke the silence with a grin. "Alright boys, let's wrap this up before my husband storms in here with a frying pan."

William smirked. "Knowing Nani? He'll aim for your head and mine both."

Red chuckled, standing up with Klein in his arms. "Then I'm definitely leaving first. I have no interest in dying twice."

Sky rolled his eyes, but his smile lingered. "Thanks, Red. For everything."

The mansion was quiet when Sky stepped in-too quiet. The kind of silence that made him grin because he already knew what it meant.

Someone was sulking.

He slipped off his jacket, rolled his sleeves up, and loosened the first few buttons of his black shirt as he walked through the dimly lit hallway. The faint scent of Nani's perfume-sweet and sharp like citrus and honey-lingered in the air. It led him straight to the bedroom.

And there he was.Nani sat cross-legged in the middle of the bed, arms folded, lower lip jutting out just slightly. His hair was still damp from his shower, a loose white robe tied carelessly around his waist. The bedside lamp cast a soft golden glow on his skin, making him look unfairly beautiful.

Sky leaned against the doorframe, taking his time to appreciate the view. "You look like you're plotting a murder, baby."

Nani didn't even look up. "Maybe I am."

Sky's grin widened. "Should I be worried?"

"You should," Nani said flatly. "You promised you'd be back by dinner."

"I know." Sky pushed off the doorframe and sauntered closer, his tone dipping lower. "But you also kissed me eight times before I left. I got delayed halfway trying to remember which one meant 'come home early.'"

That earned him a glare and the tiniest, reluctant twitch of Nani's lips.

Sky climbed onto the bed, kneeling behind him. "Still mad?"

"Yes."

"Even if I tell you I missed you every minute?"

"Yes."

He leaned in, lips brushing the shell of Nani's ear. "Even if I brought your favorite chocolate?"

A pause. Then softly, "...Maybe."

Sky chuckled, wrapping his arms around him and resting his chin on Nani's shoulder. "You're impossible, you know that?"

"You're late," Nani murmured, trying not to melt into his touch. "You promised you'd come back early. You said the deal would be short."

Sky kissed the curve of his neck, slow and deliberate. "I know. But everything's done now. No more shipments, no more late-night calls. I'm all yours."

Nani turned slightly to face him, eyes soft but still faintly accusing. "You always say that."

"And I always mean it," Sky said, brushing his thumb over Nani's jaw. "But this time..." His voice dropped lower, sincere. "This time, I'm staying."

Nani's expression wavered-the edge of irritation giving way to that telltale warmth that always made Sky's chest ache.

"You're unfair," Nani whispered. "You know I can't stay mad at you for long."

"That's my secret weapon," Sky teased, pulling him closer until their foreheads touched. "I use charm as a shield."

Nani huffed a small laugh despite himself. "And what if one day it stops working?"

"Then I'll just kiss you until it does."

Before Nani could reply, Sky tilted his chin up and kissed him-soft at first, then deeper, more desperate, like he was making up for every second he'd been gone. The kind of kiss that erased distance and time.

When they finally broke apart, Nani's voice was barely a whisper. "You smell like danger."

Sky smiled, brushing a stray strand of hair from his cheek. "That's just the cologne of a man who loves you too much."

Nani rolled his eyes but his cheeks were pink. "You're ridiculous."

"And you're perfect," Sky murmured, pressing another kiss to his temple before pulling him down into his arms. "Now, go to sleep before I start worshiping you properly."

Nani laughed quietly against his chest. "You already do."

Sky smiled into his hair, whispering, "You have no idea."