Secrets of Protection

"I don't personally know them, Severa. Trust me. Believe me," Calyx said, his voice rough, as if the words were being dragged out of him like shards of glass tearing through his throat.

But I wasn't listening to the pain in his voice. I was too fixated on the truth behind his words.

He didn't say no.

He didn't deny it.

And just like that, it hit me—like a sudden, violent storm crashing against the shore.

He knew.

Maybe not their names, maybe not their faces, but he knew who was responsible for my father's death. The same people who stole both of my parents from me, who left my brothers and me with nothing but bloodstained remnants and unanswered questions—he had known all along.

And he never told me.

The betrayal burned through my veins, a wildfire consuming every rational thought left in my mind. My body moved before I could even think.

I shot up from my seat, the chair scraping against the floor, but I barely heard it over the pounding in my ears. My hands trembled with pure, unfiltered rage as I kicked the table with everything I had. The impact sent plates crashing onto the ground, silverware clattering, but it wasn't enough—not nearly enough to extinguish the fury suffocating me.

A scream tore from my throat, raw and uncontrollable, filling the night air like a wounded animal caught in a trap.

I didn't care if Kaiser and Uno heard me. I didn't care if the whole damn world did.

I had spent years drowning in unanswered questions, in sleepless nights spent wondering why. Why my parents had to die. Why there were no bodies. Why no one ever gave us the truth. And all this time, someone—Calyx—had held even the smallest piece of that puzzle and kept it from me.

My hands clenched into fists as I glared at him, my breath uneven, my heart a hammer against my ribs. "You knew," I whispered, the words sharp as a blade. "You knew all this time, and you said nothing."

Calyx clenched his jaw, his hands balled into fists as he held my gaze. He wasn't saying anything—refusing to say anything—and that only made my anger explode further.

"Tell me who they are!" I yelled, stepping closer, my hands gripping the front of his shirt. I wanted to shake the truth out of him, rip it from his throat if I had to. "Stop protecting them, Calyx! They killed my parents! Who are they?"

His lips parted as if he was about to speak, but then he shut them again. A flicker of something—guilt, hesitation, maybe even fear—flashed in his eyes.

And that was enough to break whatever restraint I had left.

I shoved him. Hard.

Calyx barely stumbled, his stance solid, but I could see the muscles in his neck tighten. My fingers itched to do it again—to make him feel even a fraction of the rage and helplessness I'd carried for years.

"Severa, stop."

I barely registered Kaiser's voice before strong arms wrapped around me from behind, yanking me away from Calyx. I fought against the hold, thrashing, but Kaiser didn't let go.

"Let me go, Kaiser!" I hissed, struggling against his grip. "He knows! He fucking knows, and he's just standing there—"

Uno stepped in front of me, his expression unreadable, but his voice was firm. "Enough, Sev."

I shook my head, my breathing ragged. "You don't understand—"

"We do." Kaiser's grip on me tightened slightly. "We do understand. But this isn't how you'll get answers."

Calyx remained silent, his eyes dark with something unreadable. He didn't move, didn't fight back, didn't even flinch at my outburst. And maybe that pissed me off even more.

"You're a coward," I spat at him. "A fucking coward."

His jaw twitched, but still, he said nothing.

I finally stopped struggling, my body suddenly feeling too heavy, my anger draining into something colder—something more painful.

Kaiser slowly let go of me, but Uno still stood close, as if expecting me to lunge at Calyx again.

I swallowed hard and took a step back. "If you won't tell me now, Calyx… I swear I'll find out myself."

A shadow passed over his face, but before he could respond, I turned on my heel and stormed away.

Because if he wouldn't give me the truth—I would tear the whole damn world apart until I found it myself.

–

Calyx was still in the villa when I finally emerged from my room. The clock had long passed midnight, but I barely noticed. After our conversation earlier, I had locked myself away, burying my frustration in relentless searching.

I had combed through files, traced digital footprints, and scoured Calyx's company database for anything—any trace of the people responsible. But it was spotless. Too clean. As if someone had gone to great lengths to erase every possible lead.

The ache in my fingers from hours of typing was nothing compared to the gnawing frustration in my chest. Even when Uno came in, silently placing a plate of steak beside me, I barely acknowledged it. Hunger didn't matter. Sleep didn't matter. Only the truth.

But after hours of getting nowhere, exhaustion finally set in, and thirst dragged me out of the room.

That's when I saw him.

Calyx was seated at the kitchen island, one hand wrapped around a glass, the other drumming lightly against the counter. The dim light overhead cast sharp shadows across his face, accentuating the tension in his jaw, the exhaustion in his eyes.

He wasn't just sitting there. He was waiting.

He looked exhausted, his broad shoulders slumped slightly as he absentmindedly ran his fingers along the rim of a half-empty glass. The dim kitchen light cast shadows on his face, highlighting the tension in his jaw and the tired lines around his eyes.

I hesitated for a moment, debating whether to ignore him and just get my drink, but something in the way he sat there—silent, unmoving—made me stop.

"You're still here," I finally said, my voice quieter than I intended.

Calyx didn't look up immediately. He took a slow sip of whatever was in his glass before setting it down with a soft clink. "Yeah."

I stepped toward the fridge, grabbing a bottle of water. Twisting the cap open, I leaned against the counter, studying him. "You don't usually stick around unless you have a reason."

He let out a dry chuckle, shaking his head. "Maybe I just wanted to make sure you didn't burn yourself out trying to find something that doesn't exist."

I stiffened at his words. "You don't know that."

He exhaled heavily, rubbing a hand down his face. "Severa, I'm telling you, you won't find anything. They've buried their tracks too well."

I scoffed, taking a sip of water. "Then I'll dig deeper."

Calyx finally met my gaze, his eyes dark and unreadable. "And if you don't like what you find?"

I clenched my jaw. "I don't care. I need to know the truth."

Something flickered in his expression—something almost like regret. He looked away, swirling the liquid in his glass before taking another sip.

"You're too stubborn for your own good," he muttered.

I let out a humorless laugh. "And you're too much of a coward to tell me what you already know."

His grip on the glass tightened, but he didn't respond.

Silence stretched between us, heavy and suffocating.

And for the first time, I wondered if I'd ever really get the answers I was looking for—or if Calyx was just another locked door standing between me and the truth.

A few minutes passed, and I grew tired of staring at him, waiting for him to speak. He wasn't going to. So I did what I always did—I took matters into my own hands.

I turned on my heel, headed back to my room, and grabbed my laptop. If I couldn't get answers from Calyx, I'd force him to face what I had instead.

Returning to the kitchen, I set the laptop between us and clicked on a folder—the one we had never been able to open. The one that had been sitting there like a locked door, taunting me with the secrets inside.

I tapped the screen. "Read it."

Calyx hesitated before leaning in, his brows furrowing as his eyes scanned the text. His expression shifted the moment he read the name.

"Severa Gabrielle 'Nine' Graham-Trexler," he murmured. His gaze snapped to mine, confusion flickering in his dark eyes.

"You're a Graham too," he said, as if the realization had just now dawned on him.

I let out a short, humorless laugh. "You're only realizing that now? After meeting Sebastian and Steven?"

His silence told me everything. He hadn't put the pieces together before.

But now, he had no choice but to see the whole picture.

"My family is far more complicated than you think, Calyx," I said, my voice steady but laced with exhaustion. "My brothers—they could protect me without question, but they could just as easily destroy me if they wanted to."

I met his gaze, watching the flicker of emotions cross his face—shock, disbelief, maybe even frustration.

"So don't stand there acting like you're the only one who can keep me safe. Whatever you're trying to shield me from? It's useless. I've been in the middle of this storm long before you ever tried to play the role of my protector."

"I promised your father, Severa," Calyx said, his voice tight with something between guilt and determination.

I exhaled sharply, gripping the edge of the table. "I know," I admitted. "But keeping secrets from me won't save me either, Calyx." I turned to face him fully, my eyes locking onto his. "So tell me what you know."

He hesitated. I could see it—the war inside him, the weight of whatever truth he was carrying pressing down on him like a boulder. But I wasn't going to let him hide behind promises anymore. Not when my father's death, my family's past, and the danger surrounding us were all tangled together in a web I could no longer ignore.