Cabecilla

Morning came and Kane woke up early to check if the sleeping monster outside was still alive, but he stopped midway.

The monster he's referring to was cooking. King's back was facing him, and from where Kane stands, he can see how King cooks breakfast. King would move and stop, as if he was thinking of something. Then he would move again, and then he'd stop. His shoulders were slumped, and even though Kane couldn't hear him clearly, he knew that King had been sighing repeatedly.

He wants to laugh sarcastically. Early in the morning, and this is what he'll see. Oh well, at least he's now awake, 'I can now go back.'

He had only taken a few steps towards the dining table when King immediately noticed him. King turned to face him, smiling as if greeting him good morning, but his eyes remained the same - empty.

He just glared at him and sat at the table for six people. "How's your stay?" King asked in a laid-back tone, which caused him to raise an eyebrow.

"Horrible. I want to go home now." He also answered it in a laid-back manner, earning a grin from King. "Get me out. Now."

"You need to stay here for a month." King turned his back again and went back to cooking after he said that.

Kane, on the other hand, was fuming mad. One month?! What the heck?

"Why?" He was dead serious this time. "Why don't you just kill me instead of locking me up? – just like what you did to my family" he continued. He saw how King stiffened. He didn't answer for a couple of minutes, and Kane thought he wouldn't say anything afterwards, but he's wrong.

"The black diamond painting"

It's as if he's starting a new conversation, Kane just decided to listen.

King faced him again and he's now preparing the food to set the table. "We scanned it... There's no encrypted file hidden." He chuckled. "You got me there."

Kane laughed at that. "How does it feel like?" Still dryly laughing, he mocked King. "Being fooled and all your efforts in vain. Feels good, yeah?" He gave King sharp gazes while King was just silently placing all of the food at the table and sat down in front of him.

"Yeah"

That's a blank answer. King's nonchalant responses only fueled Kane's anger. Kane took a few bites of the meal King had prepared, composing himself before speaking again.

"Why one month?"

King, who was in the middle of drinking water, stopped. "You're safe here" He said and drank again.

He grimaced in annoyance. "How can I be safe here, when you're the danger yourself?" He wryly said. He doesn't get the point at all. "Are you protecting me now?" He snapped at King. He felt like punching King again, but remembering what he saw yesterday, so he just looked away instead.

"Kane... I will tell you everything"

Kane's gaze quickly returned to King's due to his words, and their eyes met once again. Those amber eyes, usually empty, now held a hint of pain as King stared at him. Kane looked away, unable to bear it. "But are you even willing to listen?" King asked.

"We have all the time in the world. You locked me up, I deserve an explanation."

King smiled and returned to eating before speaking again. Kane expected him to start explaining, but instead, he said, "Your friends were safe. It was just a threat. I just want you here for a month, that's all I ask."

Kane let out a sigh of relief at King's words. He seems sincere, but all the sincerity he's showing doesn't answer the questions running in Kane's mind.

"What are you even doing here with me? Who's managing the company?"

King took a deep breath. "I'm sure you already met Raze. He's managing it for the meantime. I need to be here with you. I need to protect you."

The words echoed in Kane's mind. "And why do I need protection? Coming from you?"

King discarded all his sarcastic remarks and just smiled at him dryly. Kane couldn't bear the questions swirling in his head that King wasn't directly answering. He took a moment to calm himself before speaking again. "You told me you'll tell me everything. I'm all ears."

King profusely nodded in agreement and cleaned the table since they were done eating.

When both of them settled at the sofa face to face, Kane felt the tension. King was staring at him intently as if he's thinking of something while looking at him, and it made him feel quite anxious and irritated.

"Spill," Kane said curtly, looking away.

King began, "An underground organization was searching for you." Kane's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "If they catch you, they'll kill you," King continued.

"Why? What did I do?" He asked innocently, with a hint of curiosity.

King gave him a stern look. "You stole, you sell, and you fool." He said this with full sarcastic enthusiasm. "You stole some significant items, you sell some of those to black markets, and you keep some. The rest? You used them to threaten me and earn from me."

"And since I'm a fan of your work, I always do your bidding." King winked at him, which made him scoff.

"So what? Is there even a connection to that underground organization?"

"Yes, there is." His eyes were hollow. His face was stoic, and his voice was cold.

"I thought you already knew. I am their Cabecilla, aren't I?"

Kane raised an eyebrow. He knew King was the Cabecilla, but he was referring to his role in the company - the company he stole. King Enterprise had a good and bad reputation, and the bad reputation stemmed from rumors that the company was involved in money laundering, human trafficking, arms smuggling, corporate espionage, bribery, and corruption. That made him the Cabecilla - the leader of misconducts. Because of this bad reputation, Kane's anger rose even more, as the company his parents worked hard for was now involved in illicit crimes.

He didn't answer King, regardless of his thoughts; he wanted to listen and gather all the information he could.

"I am the Cabecilla - I am the front man of that underground organization." Kane felt stunned, his confusion deepening.

'You're the front man, and you're protecting me from your own organization?!'

He desperately wanted to voice his thoughts, but he didn't want to miss the chance to understand the situation. Every time he tried to ask a question, he noticed King becoming even more tight-lipped. So, instead of asking, Kane waited for King to continue speaking.

"That's all I can share for now," King said. "I know you're curious, but this is for your safety. Just give me a month to fix everything outside, and after that, you can try to bring me down again. Do what you want." Kane's jaw clenched in frustration, and King noticed it. Kane still wasn't getting the answers he wanted.

"I am protecting you because I care for you. I hope that answers your question." He left after saying that and didn't give Kane a chance to ask further questions.

Kane was left hanging and dumbfounded.

A couple of hours after their talk, King went to his secret fortress underneath the mansion after ensuring Kane was resting in his room.

He grabbed Kane's phone, lying on the sofa, and put the battery back to check the messages and ensure nothing concerning had happened. After securing things, he removed the battery once again. He did the same with his phone and called Raze.

"We have to plan his death now. We only have a month."

King's voice was cold, calculated, and stoic. He was one of the coldest people Raze had ever known, and serving him and being a loyal soldier to him could be described as eating poison on your own accord and letting it kill you slowly every day. Not because of his indifference - but because he's becoming a friend that you can't save, no matter how hard you try. All you can do is watch him as he bleeds, but you can't be there to tend and cure him, let alone be with him and comfort him.