Chapter 27
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Our entire second-floor inventory was drained by the older members of both Crimson and Bangtan. During the entire course of the meeting, Eun-Lee and I were busy pouring alcohol for the mafia as part of our policy. We were actually excited about finally being able to use the second-floor bar to its full potential. Up until now, this space has been sitting empty, void of any people, but now it’s bustling with life. I’ll be it, it was under intense circumstances, but it was still being used.

However, the topic we were discussing as a group, it was a serious one. It was something none of us could ignore because we could literally be swallowed up whole if we turned a blind eye. The threat that was slowly looming over us, it was more serious than keeping our identities as Crimson a secret. The enemy we were facing in the oncoming war, we need to be cautious and smart about what we plan on doing next. That’s how threatening our enemy was, we will have to closely monitor who comes into our club during business hours. Despite being heavily protected in both times of emergency and casual business, we became very conscious of the people passing through our doors.

Heck, even the Bangtan Mafia warned us. When four leaders of a powerful mafia warn you about something, take it to heart. It was nice of them to offer their protection, and we took it within a heartbeat. Both of our groups were in this neck deep, we can’t abandon each other, especially not now. Meaningful connections and reconnections have been made between us, we don’t want to give that up. During business hours and before and after, a few people from the mafia would stop by and watch over us. We weren’t afraid to admit that when it came to manpower, we lacked it. Everyone understood this, and they offered their time to us. I could tell that Namjoon was desperate to offer some of his men, being that us women meant a lot to them.

Our discussion drifted to out last assassination mission- killing Judge Minseok, and the CEO and attorney of Sapphire Limited. We’ve reviewed what we already knew from Hyungsik, Carmine having a brother who easily took over the company after the man’s death. However, whether we would be surprised about this next piece of information is up for debate- Jaesuk being a puppet for a higher power. Whether it's intended or not, it’s either you’re the person on top or work for said person. Jaesuk made a deal with the devil, (according to Joon) and with that deal came protection from the man on top while Jaesuk built his drug monopoly. But who would have guessed it, it was a given that at some point, Jaesuk would meet a similar fate to his brother. We’re still working towards that point, but it’s something that needs to be done.

How we planned to take down the man behind all of this- the man named Robyn Alistair- we needed to think about this as if it was a game of Jenga. Robyn had many businesses that keep his power afloat. All of that revenue, all of that manpower comes from the corrupt people in charge of those branches of his enterprise. They form a competing mafia named Draco. We haven’t heard about it until now, but now that we have, I can tell it isn’t good. Just the distaste and anger behind the men’s tones was a sure sign of what we were facing. Namjoon has been facing this threat since the beginning of his leadership, he needs help with this.

We decided to take a break from the meeting to gain our composure and have a little breathing space after discussing who we were facing and what the problem at hand was. It was a lot of information to take in, and we all needed some time to process it.

As I was cleaning a spillage of vodka with a black rag, Namjoon came up to the bar. I was thinking he was going to ask for something to drink, but the look on his face told me otherwise. His eyes, I couldn’t decipher the emotions behind those orbs. Something was definitely wrong.
“Sweetheart, I need to talk to you,” he spoke, leaning over the counter to whisper in my ear. “Alone.”
Namjoon’s voice sounded like it was about to cave in at any second. He was scared of something, and it looked like it affected both of us.
“Okay Joon,” I obeyed.
I quickly notified Mae-Lin of where I was going, and she nodded in understanding as she poured a glass of whiskey for Jin oppa.

As I led Namjoon up to my bedroom, he latched our hands together. The warm of his palm licked my skin, however it concerned me when I felt it quiver. I looked back at him with concerned eyes, worried that he would pass out on me. Before I could, I quickly brought him over to the pair of chairs by my bedroom window. Once he was comfortable in a chair, he seemed to have relaxed slightly. Before we started to talk, Chopa slipped into the room, dashing towards my brother. My corgi booped his shin with her black nose, wanting to be picked up and set down in his lap. Namjoon obliged silently, wrapping his hands around her torso before setting her on his legs.

Namjoon sighed tensely as he ran his hand along Chopa’s back. He slowly met my gaze and my eyes widened as I saw the emotions burning in his orbs. My brother, he looked terrified and sorrowful, and it shocked me. What he was about to tell me is serious.
“Baby girl, there is something else I haven’t told you yet,” he confessed, his voice growing softer but strained.
“Joon, what is it?” I asked, slowly reaching for his hand and gently palming it.
“Promise me that you’ll listen first?”
I nodded.

The moon began to ascend higher and higher into the sky, the soft glow cascading down on us. Though time was passing around us, it felt like it froze inside this room. A single breath became caught in my throat, and it felt like it was choking me. The words that fell from his lips made the blood inside my body to run cold and my heart to stop beating.

“No… No, Namjoon that…” I whimpered, my eyes becoming blurred with tears. “It can’t… no…”

Namjoon slowly reached towards me, engulfing me in a tight hug. I automatically buried my face into his shoulder, crying and wailing. He soothingly rocked me from side to side, quietly shushing me. My brother tried his best to comfort me, but his words will scar me forever.

Robyn Alistair… our fucking uncle and the man responsible for our parent's deaths.