Lily (17)

When Lily fell asleep, Gale called Iris over. "Thanks for today," he said in a low voice by the door. "I'm sorry about my uncle."

"Uncle?" Iris asked as she came to stand by his side and looked over at him.

"Kyro didn't tell you? It was an uncle of mine that you met. He was busy with stuff on the other side of the city, so it took him some time to rush over after hearing the report of Lily having left the house."

His soft voice didn't diminish the shock that Iris experienced. That creep was his uncle? "How do you know that's what happened?"

Gale smiled slightly, but there was no humor in his expression. "I know my family. They'll do anything to take Lily back, but they were planning to storm the apartment and weren't ready for you just leaving on your own." He chuckled at Iris' horrified face. "Don't worry, nothing will happen here. I have my ways to ensure that. Just stay home for the next couple days until we solve everything."

"I hope you can do it." Iris didn't know what they were planning. They might be on the verge of victory already, or have zero chance to win for all she knew, but she hoped it was the former. The little girl needed to have a chance at better life.

After a moment, Iris turned back to Gale. "Why do they do that? How can they push their own children this much?"

"Because they're vermin, feeding off others." Gale pushed away from the door frame and left, throwing a goodnight over his shoulder. But his voice no longer held the warm tone from before.

'I shouldn't have asked that…' Iris sighed and entered Lily's room, closing the door behind herself. Tomorrow, she'd have to come up with stuff to do in the apartment and curve back her curiosity.

---

While sitting in his office, Kyro looked over the documents he'd received in the morning. It seemed that Gale's uncle had been in a meeting yesterday to secure a business deal that his company had been working on for the last couple months. It wasn't anything major, but this deal would allow them to enter the deeper waters.

For the moment, they worked solely on phone accessories, but if the deal went through, they'd be able to branch out. At first, it would be just making phone components, but there were rumors about the two companies joining to create their own phone model.

The success of this wasn't guaranteed, what with there being plenty of giants already settled in that market, but both companies had good reputation and resources. If they made a good design, there was a chance they could rise to prominence.

Kyro had never planned to join such ventures, but he was tempted. His competitive streak urged him to do something about that uncle character, to destroy him. Fools that didn't know what was good for them didn't deserve a good ending.

But lately, the Brons situation was never far from Kyro's mind. He remembered Frank that had barged into his office with pure hatred, the story he told. The many things he left unsaid but Kyro had found online.

He didn't want another disaster like that. His unbridled actions had caused enough collateral damage for one lifetime. Not only had he destroyed the Brons family, many other people had lost their jobs and their futures because of him.

And yet the temptation was strong. He picked his phone and made a call.

"John Lewis, who am I speaking with?" an annoyed middle-aged man's voice asked.

"Kyro Hemming."

There was a light gasp on the other side, and the tone of voice changed in an instant, becoming respectful. "Mr. Hemming! It's a pleasure to hear from you, what may you be interested in?"

"I have an offer. Are you willing to listen?"

"An offer?" Confusion was in the man's voice. "I was just about to sign— Oh, is it about the deal I didn't sign with Jared Mosley today?"

Power gave one the ability to be truthful. "Yes. If you want, I'm willing to give you a better offer."

"And that is because…"

"You can already guess, can't you? I have a disagreement with that particular Mosley, and I preferred if he was distracted for the moment."

The direct words were both crazy and comfortable. It wasn't often that Kyro had a chance to speak his mind openly, and he treasured this opportunity. "If you choose to stay with him, I won't get in your way. But if you go over to my side, you will get the protection and funds of my group for as long as you fulfill your obligations. You won't get abandoned midway whatever the reason I contacted you, since I don't work with people I think have no chance to succeed."

Silence reigned for a time, then the man let out a deep breath. "I have to say you caught me off guard, Mr. Hemming. I don't even know what to think. How soon do I need to give my answer?"

Kyro smiled. He had already won. "For as long as you don't sign anything with anyone else. If you want, I can have a first draft of the contract drawn and sent to you in a few hours so you have some numbers to mull over."

"I'd be grateful, Mr. Hemming. I'll give you my final decision once I discuss it with the board."

"All right. It's a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Lewis. Goodbye."

Once the call was over, Kyro looked at his phone for a moment. 'I didn't make a mistake this time, right?' His action wouldn't destroy Jared Mosley's company, just prevent it from growing. It would be a hard blow to the man and his aspirations, as well as those of the people working under him, but they would be able to stand up from it.

After a long while. Once they learned who they should not cross. Assaulting women in broad daylight was an action that begged a good beating, and Kyro had done just that. In his own way.