A lead to her

In an abandoned building, the men averted their gaze as Mikhail relentlessly pummeled the traitor. Though accustomed to witnessing their underboss in such brutal confrontations, this time was different. Previously, he favored using a metal pipe, hammer, or firearm, but, Mikhail, now more merciless, delivered punches until the traitor appeared half-dead.

Once satisfied, Mikhail seated himself on the fallen man, extracting a cigarette with a casual air. Exhaling a plume of smoke into the air, he questioned, "Any lingering issues in the business? More mice to catch?"

"No, sir. It's resolved. All the traitors are in the Boss's hands," Kira responded, referring to Mikhail's grandfather.

"Good. That means nothing hinders me from finding her here," Mikhail declared.

"I've instructed our men to scour the city for information about her," Kira assured.

Mikhail rose, flicking his cigarette at the unconscious man. "Clean this up," he commanded his men. "Let's go," he directed Kira.

While in the car, he stared out the window, reflecting on the months that had passed since he promised to find her. Despite relentless efforts, there was no lead. Each day, thoughts of her consumed him – wondering about her well-being, what she's doing right now, and whether she missed him.

"Ensure you gather information about her within three days," Mikhail instructed.

Kira adjusted his glasses. "We'll do our best, sir."

.

.

....

Kaye and Timothy were having dinner at the VIP section of a famous restaurant. Kaye sighed, setting down her fork and knife.

"What's the problem? You don't like the food?" Timothy inquired.

"No, the food tastes great. But..." she looked away.

"Tell me," Timothy urged.

"Next time, can we eat in a simple restaurant? We can have inexpensive food; that's fine with me. I don't want you to spend so much money on me. Just look at the cost; it's almost my one-month salary," she explained.

"But I don't eat cheap food," Timothy stopped eating.

"W-What?" she was surprised.

She still didn't know him well. She had no idea he didn't eat inexpensive food.

"I don't eat anything people offer me. I carefully pick and buy my own food to make sure it's clean and safe," he explained.

"I'm sorry. But you see, this is too much," she said, lowering her head.

"It's alright; it's my treat, so you don't have to worry about it. Just enjoy the food," he reassured.

She sighed, excusing herself to the ladies' room. Staring at herself in the mirror, she questioned her relationship with Timothy. He always does what he wants and he decides on his own without even asking her. She understood his preference for better quality food but wished he'd choose a less expensive place.

She composed herself and exited the ladies' room.

"I'm sorry, but something came up, and I need to return to my office for an emergency meeting," Timothy explained.

"It's alright. I can take a taxi home," she said.

"No, I already called someone to pick you up," he replied.

While walking down the hallway, a waiter accidentally tripped, spilling the tray of drinks onto Timothy.

"What the!" Timothy shouted.

"I-I'm very sorry!" The waiter hurriedly grabbed a napkin to clean Timothy's suit.

"Don't touch me!" Timothy yelled, anger evident on his face.

"I'm very sorry!" The waiter bowed.

"Tsk. Are you blind? Why can't you do your job well?" Timothy gave him a death glare, attracting the attention of other customers.

"Do you still have time? You can go home and change. Please don't be mad at him," Kaye pleaded.

"It was an emergency meeting, and I have to be there as soon as possible!" Timothy snapped.

Kaye was taken aback when he raised his tone.

"I-I'm sorry..." she fidgeted.

Timothy sighed. "Now you're apologizing as well?"

Unable to bear it, he grabbed her hand and swiftly left the restaurant.

The driver was already waiting outside.

"Drive her home," he ordered, quickly entering another car without a word to her.

Kaye sighed, entering the car.

Returning home, she checked her phone, finding no message from Timothy. She lay on her bed, closed her eyes, realizing she didn't truly know him well.

.

.

....

"Hey, are you alright? You look down today," Tin commented, sitting down beside her.

"It's about Timothy," Kaye said.

"Why? Did you two fight?" Tin asked.

"No. We don't fight," Kaye answered.

"Then what's going on with him?" Tin inquired.

"I'm just thinking that I still don't know him well." Kaye replied.

"Isn't that the reason why you two are dating? To get to know each other more?" Tin asked.

"Yeah, but... He doesn't like to share stories about his life. I feel like he doesn't trust me," Kaye expressed.

"Maybe he's still not ready; please be more patient. Sooner or later, he will open up to you and tell you everything about him," Tin reassured, trying to cheer her up.

"I hope so," Kaye sighed.

"By the way, have you heard the rumors?" Tin asked.

"About what?" Kaye inquired.

"I heard from PD that the Fuentebella family is now in our city," Tin disclosed.

PD, stands for the production director.

"Fuentebella?" Kaye asked, confused.

"Ehh? You don't know them? They were the most powerful mafia family in the country," Tin replied.

"What? A mafia? Aren't they dangerous?" Kaye questioned.

"Yeah, I just heard that they're here, but it's none of our business to know why they're here," Tin explained, looking at her computer. "But I heard that their underboss is a hot and handsome man."

"You're speaking as if you're not getting married soon," Kaye teased.

"Haha, c'mon, my fiancé is more handsome than anyone. I love him so much. I just mentioned those mafia to warn you to be more careful at night," Tin said, continuing her work.

Tin was a typesetter.

"Don't worry, I'll be more careful," Kaye assured, refocusing on her drawings.

.

.

....

"We can't do anything about them; besides, according to the report, they just visited the city because of business. We can't dig further into what they're doing," Timothy said.

The vice mayor nodded. "I understand. But we still have to make sure that they won't create problems in our city."

"As if we can touch them," Timothy replied, showing a stern look.

The vice mayor sensed the heavy atmosphere and decided to leave his office. Timothy stared at his phone.

Kaye messaged him, asking if he was mad at her because he's been ignoring her messages. She did nothing wrong; he was just not in the mood to talk to anyone right now.

.

.

....

Kurtis and Tristan went to the mall, hoping to see Kaye, but after hours of searching, there was still no sign of her.

"I guess she won't be coming today; we already scanned the whole building, but she's not here," Kurtis concluded.

"Can't we wait a little more? What if she comes?" Tristan suggested.

"Alright, we took our leave of absence today, so it's fine to wait until evening," Kurtis agreed.

Twelve hours later, both Tristan and Kurtis sighed in disappointment. They had failed to find her that day and went home disheartened.

Kurtis entered his house to find the living room messy. Going upstairs, he discovered Cedie playing computer games.

"Yahooo! I won again!" Cedie exclaimed.

"How long have you been on the screen?" Kurtis asked, leaning against the door.

"Y-You're home? What time is it?" Cedie looked at the time, realizing it was already 9 pm. "H-Hehe..." he scratched his head.

Kurtis flicked his forehead. "I already told you not to play too much. Don't you have assignments?"

"Ouch! That hurts!" Cedie complained.

Cedie, also known as Hachi, joined them to find his master in this world. He now inhabited the body of an eleven-year-old boy. Cedie, an orphan, crossed paths with Kurtis in the hospital where he was recovering from the effects of an earthquake. Many at the orphanage believed Cedie wouldn't survive, having been in a coma for an extended period. Miraculously, he woke up, thanks to Hachi. When Hachi saw Kurtis, he affectionately called him dad. The orphanage director, facing challenges after the earthquake, assumed Kurtis was Cedie's father and allowed them to live together without inquiries. The dire circumstances led the orphanage to seek people willing to adopt the children, making Kurtis and Cedie's unique situation possible.

Due to Cedie persistently referring to him as "dad," hospital staff assumed Kurtis was genuinely his father. To prevent Cedie from feeling lonely in their home, Kurtis chose to enroll him in school.

"Go wash up; I'll prepare dinner," Kurtis said.

Cedie stood up. "By the way, have you found master?" he asked.

Kurtis frowned. "No," then left the room.

Cedie sighed, missing his master dearly.