Country Q.

"Earnest, what the hell are you talking about? You've handled worse than the Clydes. You deal with the Crofts, so what's the problem here?"

A man in a navy suit glared at his clueless twin brother who was giving every ounce of his attention to his phone on the couch like the news and chaos meant nothing to him, and maybe it didn't.

"Irving! LEVIENNE CLYDE KILLED AZALLYN CLYDE!!! DO YOU EVEN KNOW HOW POWERFUL THAT MAKES HER?!?!" Earnest was tugging at his head while screaming at his annoyingly calm brother who hadn't taken his eyes off his phone for the hour they had been talking.

"Yeah, and?"

Earnest felt as he would faint right there in front of his brother who had no remorse nor the kindness to comfort the panicking boy in front of him.

"Irviiiiiiiiiiing!!!! Help me...pwease??" Earnest begged, lying his head on Irving's stomach while speaking like a puppy asking for a treat. Irving, who was being incredibly patient with him, only sighed, "Are you saying that something like family drama is the worst thing you've heard in life?"

Earnest stared at Irving, motionless. He knew what Irving's point was and he suddenly felt Irving's eyes to be filled with hate. Lifting his head and sitting up properly, Earnest collected himself, "I know. I'm sorry-"

"Why the hell are you apologizing? Just stay professional and don't make business personal. That's all."

Irving put his phone in his pocket and grabbed his black zip-up jacket and cap before heading out for work while Earnest just sat there on the couch. Earnest ran his hand through his hair while thinking about his work. With the upcoming meetings that Levienne Clyde had demanded with Daimon Croft, the most powerful man in Country Q, Earnest hadn't been able to sleep comfortably for an unhealthy amount of time.

'If only Irving would be there with me' thought Earnest, releasing a deep sigh. While Earnest was his own boss, he often worked along with Daimon Croft who was more than just a fellow business man but a close friend. But Irving despised the man which was one of the main reasons he refused to work with Earnest, knowing that he would have to see Daimon more often than he wanted which was never.

"Daimon?" Earnest answered his phone which started ringing right after he got comfortable which always seemed to happen, and Daimon was always the one calling.

"Earnest, we need you. She's brought a new girl, about six years old. She's different."

The call ended immediately after Daimon finished his terrifying words. Earnest knew well of how Daimon Croft ran his multi-billion dollar company, which was in the most terrifying way. Without fear, without a second thought and without any regrets. Daimon's sudden and rather disturbing call had Earnest feel like his stomach was being twisted.

"A six-year-old girl? Why would she bring a child to Daimon of all people?...and during the day..." Earnest crossed his arms and looked out the glass doors leading to their balcony where the sun was high in the sky, but it didn't bring the usual warmth. Maybe he was just on edge, but Earnest felt a cold chill run down his spine while the hairs on the back of his neck stood straight.

Irving always walked no matter how far he needed to go. Knowing this, Earnest bolted to the car to head to the Croft building that towered over the large city.

Once Earnest parked at the entrance, he tossed the keys over to the man in a black suit who always took the car off to the garage for Earnest who was a "special guest" since he was a special person to the driver's boss. Earnest's worries almost instantly dissipated when he heard a familiar and incredibly shy voice:

"Mr. Quinn! Ah...oh please, follow me!" a bony, younger lady was shaking violently and from the cold, seeing as it was over sixty degrees. Seeing her awkward but warm smile always calmed down Earnest, making it impossible for him not to smile with her. As Earnest followed Miss. Mason to the entrance, he couldn't take his eyes off of the top of her head. Her bright blonde hair was glowing under the sun. Each step echoed in Earnest's ears the closer he got to the tall glass doors, distracting him from the beautiful sight in front of him.

The two took the glass elevator up to the third floor where Daimon's office was.

"I um... shall wait to escort you... t-to the exit once your business is finished!" Miss. Mason's voice was always so shaky that it was a bit difficult to understand what she was saying but Earnest only gave her a warm smile and pat on her head before heading inside the office reading the name: Daimon Croft.

"You really should give her a raise, or just...you know...food."

"She refuses to eat even when she is so young and in need of energy, nutrients, etc. It is not my responsibility to make sure she's eating enough. But anyway," Daimon stood from his chair and made eye to eye with Earnest, showing how serious the situation was and how important it was that Earnest was there by his side, "she brought her target to the underground level to prepare her for a quick session and I want you to be there too. My assassin says it's most likely trauma but there could be more or something else entirely."

Earnest looked away from Daimon's unwavering gaze to look at the picture on Daimon's desk. A clear picture of what seemed to be a little girl clutching her head with two bloody bodies lying dead in front of her.

"Where was this taken?"

"At Sunset Casen Elementary."

Earnest stared at Daimon who was sipping his wine.

"Sunset Casen??" Daimon nodded before setting down his glass, "This girl isn't even attending the school. She's an orphan but there are no records of her. No one has any information about her and with a report telling me that even she may not know anything about her, well that's information I want to know."

Earnest calmed his confused and alarmed expression to curious, "You WANT to know?"

Daimon stepped over next to Earnest, leaning against the desk, "You know what happens when I set my eyes on something. After all, you'd know that more than anyone." Earnest stared deeply into Daimon's clear eyes which were fixed on the floor.

"Daimon, how long are you going to live like this?" Earnest put his hand on Daimon's shoulder, trying to get his attention with not only his words.

"The way I live is up to me and I am fine with my life as of now. I have everything I need and can easily get everything I want. I find no problem in that." he spoke coldly but Earnest couldn't help but feel bad for his ice prince of a friend. But knowing that this conversation was going nowhere, Earnest simply sighed and headed for the door, "Let's get going then. We can't keep her waiting forever, children can be impatient."

Daimon nodded and the two men in their fancy suits entered the elevator, their minds racing and their expressions blank.