CHAPTER 27: A KING'S MOVE IN THE DARK

Location: Pete's Father's Private Study

Dim lights. Expensive whiskey. Mahogany walls.

A phone call. Short. Precise.

> "Yes. Proceed. Make it clean."

He ended the call without another word.

Outside the door, the house echoed with laughter—Pete and Mek, playing some stupid card game, throwing popcorn at each other.

But Pete's father?

He was done pretending.

---

Flashback – Two Days Earlier

Pete's father sat in a boardroom.

Across from him, a man in a navy suit. Sharp eyes. Cold grin.

> "You said you wanted him gone?"

The man flipped open a file. Mek's file.

Photos. School records. That time he got suspended. The trauma. The therapy visits. The attempted runaway.

> "You give me five days. He'll walk out of your son's life himself."

Pete's father didn't blink.

> "Don't hurt him. Just… remind him. What it's like to be unwanted. The world will do the rest."

He poured a drink.

> "My son will thank me later."

---

Present Day – Mek's Phone Buzzes

Unknown number.

Text:

> "We know who you are. You'll never be enough for a family like his."

Another.

> "You think love protects you? It doesn't. Not in this world."

Mek's hands trembled.

Pete walked in, grinning. "I just beat you in Uno, by the way. Officially the king—hey, baby, what's wrong?"

Mek shoved the phone into his pocket.

> "Nothing. Just tired."

He forced a smile. But his chest was tight.

His head screamed: They're right. You're just a burden. A weakness.

And Pete?

He didn't notice—yet.

---

Meanwhile – Pete's Mom's Bedroom

She watched from the window as Pete and Mek curled up together on the couch downstairs.

She saw the way Mek clung to him tighter than usual.

And she knew.

She stormed into her husband's study.

> "You said you were done meddling."

He didn't look up from his files.

> "I said no such thing."

She stepped closer.

> "You're going to lose your son."

He finally looked at her. Calm. Cold.

> "No. I'm going to save him. From a mistake he'll regret for the rest of his life."

She slapped the desk.

> "You don't get to choose who he loves!"

He stood.

> "And you don't get to cry when this all falls apart and ruins him."

The silence that followed?

Deadlier than any threat.