The newly acquired house still had that unsettling emptiness—large, unfurnished spaces, the sound of footsteps echoing across the marble floors.
Inside, Felix sat on the couch, feet propped up, flipping a coin between his fingers out of habit.
Jonah was sprawled out in a chair, scrolling on his phone, while Iris stood near the window, arms crossed, watching them.
“So,” she said, breaking the silence. “Is all of this really real?”
Felix raised an eyebrow.
“What do you mean?”
“Everything Kai said. The Watchers, the reason we’re here—are you all seriously just believing it?”
Felix exchanged a glance with Jonah before smirking slightly.
“You saw what happened to Darren,” he said. “You saw the rats.”
Jonah nodded.
“And the birds. And the fact that everything Kai says somehow plays out exactly the way he says it will.”
Iris frowned, biting her lip.
“It’s just… hard to wrap my head around.”
Felix leaned forward slightly, resting his arms on his knees.
“I get it. It’s a lot. But we’ve seen proof.”
Iris glanced toward the envelope Kai had left on the table.
Jonah followed her gaze, then gestured toward it.
“If you don’t believe in him yet, believe in what he can do. He left this for us—to get what we need for the house. Security, furniture, everything.”
Jonah picked up the envelope, peeking inside before letting out a low whistle.
“Damn. This guy doesn’t play around.”
Jonah turned to Felix.
“Make sure to order everything we need to keep this place safe. Cameras, alarms, encrypted networks. If anyone even breathes too close to this house, he wants to know about it.”
Felix, already pulling up his laptop.
Iris, still unsure, exhaled.
Who the hell is Kai, really?
Meanwhile, across town, Kai and Evan stepped through the polished glass doors of Westgate Private Bank.
The air was thick with quiet luxury—dim lighting, plush carpets, and the faint scent of expensive cologne lingering in the air.
Evan glanced around, stuffing his hands in his pockets.
“Man, I feel broke just standing here.”
Kai ignored him, approaching the receptionist.
“I have an appointment.”
Within minutes, they were led into a sleek private office. A middle-aged banker in a dark suit greeted them with a professional smile, gesturing for them to sit.
“Mr. Callahan, Mr. Hayes—welcome. How can we assist you today?”
Kai settled into the chair, his expression unreadable.
“I need to open an account,” he said smoothly. “But not just for myself—for an association.”
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The banker raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
“An association?”
“That’s right.”
The banker tapped his pen against his desk, his expression carefully neutral.
“And how much are we looking to deposit?”
Kai took the pen from the desk, grabbed a sheet of paper, and casually wrote down the figure.
The banker’s face barely hid his shock.
“I see,” he said, clearing his throat. “That’s… quite a sum. Forgive my directness, but I’ll need to verify the source of these funds.”
Kai didn’t react, as if he expected this.
“Evan,” he said, turning to him. “Give us a moment.”
Evan hesitated but nodded, standing up.
“I’ll wait outside.”
Once the door shut, Kai reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a folder.
Inside were copies of his lottery win receipts, transaction slips, and official documentation.
He placed them neatly in front of the banker.
The man’s eyes flicked over them, scanning the details carefully. After a few minutes, he nodded.
“These… check out. Everything is legitimate.”
Kai sat back.
“Good.”
The banker set the papers down, steepling his fingers.
“Now, about your association—what exactly does it do?”
Kai smiled slightly, his voice calm.
“It’s private, let’s say we help people.”
The banker studied him for a long moment.
“And you’ll need complete privacy, I assume?”
Kai nodded.
“Absolute privacy. And in return, I’ll make sure you’re compensated for your… discretion.”
The banker exhaled slowly, considering.
Finally, he extended a hand.
“Westgate values privacy, Mr. Callahan. We’ll take care of your needs.”
Kai shook his hand firmly.
Evan was leaning against the car when Kai stepped out of the bank, adjusting his hoodie.
“So? Everything good?”
Kai nodded.
“It’s done.”
Evan smirked, pushing off the car.
“Damn. You really walk into places like you own them, huh?”
Kai chuckled, opening the car door.
“One day, I just might.”
As they drove off, Evan glanced at him.
“So what’s next?”
Kai’s fingers drummed against the armrest.
The low hum of the SUV’s engine filled the silence as Kai and Evan drove back toward the house. The city lights flickered past, casting shifting shadows inside the car.
Evan tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, glancing at Kai.
“So… you really not planning to stay at the house?”
Kai, sitting relaxed in the passenger seat, shook his head.
“No. I need to keep up appearances. If I suddenly move out, my mom will start asking questions. It’s easier if I act like nothing’s changed.”
Evan snorted.
“Yeah, makes sense. If I told my folks I was moving into some random house with a bunch of people they don’t know, they’d drag me back by my ear.”
Kai smirked slightly.
“Exactly. The last thing we need is family getting suspicious.”
Evan nodded, focusing on the road ahead.
“I’ll need time to come up with an excuse if I want to stay there long-term. But for now, I’ll just visit when I can.”
Kai leaned his elbow on the window, watching the passing buildings.
“That’s actually better. We shouldn’t all be seen going in and out too often. Keeps us low-profile.”
Evan chuckled.
“Man, you really think about everything, huh?”
Kai didn’t respond right away. Instead, he closed his eyes for a second, letting the weight of the moment settle.
“Not everything. Just enough.”
Evan smirked.
“Well, at least you’re making it look easy.”
Kai exhaled softly, his mind already on the next move.
This is just the beginning.
As they pulled up near Kai’s neighborhood, Evan slowed the car.
“You getting out here?”
Kai nodded.
“Yeah. Just drop me at the corner.”
Evan raised an eyebrow.
“You don’t want me pulling up to your house?”
Kai smirked.
“I’d rather not explain to my mom why I’m rolling up in a blacked-out SUV with tinted windows.”
Evan laughed.
“Fair point.”
Kai grabbed his bag, stepping out.
“See you tomorrow.”
Evan gave him a two-finger salute.
“Later, man.”
As the SUV pulled away, Kai took a deep breath, adjusting his hoodie.
The next day Kai was still lying in bed when his phone buzzed on the nightstand. He blinked at the screen—Evan.
Sighing, he picked up.
“Yeah?”
“Get up. You’re gonna wanna see this.”
Thirty minutes later, Kai was stepping into the black SUV, sliding into the passenger seat.
“Took you long enough,” Evan muttered, shifting gears as they pulled off.
Kai adjusted his hoodie.
When they arrived at the house, trucks were parked out front, movers unloading furniture and boxes.
Workers carried in sofas, beds, desks, and high-end tech equipment—items handpicked to transform the house into both a home and a command center.
Jonah was outside, checking receipts, while Felix stood by the door, overseeing everything.
“Damn,” Evan muttered, stepping out. “This is actually happening.”
Kai walked up the steps, surveying everything.
The house was changing. Becoming real.
Inside, Iris was standing near the window, watching everything unfold, still trying to process how quickly things had escalated.
Kai met the group in the large living room—boxes stacked around them, new furniture still wrapped in plastic.
He nodded in approval.
“Great work.”
The others exchanged looks, smirking slightly.
“Didn’t expect anything less,” Felix muttered.
“We move fast,” Jonah added, crossing his arms.
Kai reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out small envelopes—one for each of them.
“Here,” he said, handing them over.
Iris raised an eyebrow as she took hers.
Felix opened his immediately, eyes flicking over the sleek black card inside.
Jonah whistled.
“What is this?”
“A gift,” Kai said smoothly. “From the Watchers.”
The words sent a quiet ripple through the group.
Felix turned the card in his hand, studying it.
“They’ve been watching,” Kai continued. “And they’re pleased with the way things are moving.”
Evan smirked, slipping his into his wallet without question.
Jonah just nodded, muttering, “Guess we’re in deep now.”
Iris, however, hesitated.
“You all just… accept this?” she asked, looking at the others.
Felix smirked, stuffing his card into his pocket.
“You’ll get used to it.”
Evan nudged her.
“First time’s always weird, but trust me, after a while? You stop questioning it.”
Iris didn’t answer, just staring down at the card.
She’s still skeptical. Good.
Kai liked that about her.
It meant she wasn’t blindly following.
It meant she was thinking.
And people who thought were far more useful than people who simply obeyed.
As the conversation shifted, Felix spoke up.
“One more thing. We figured out the living situation.”
Kai nodded, waiting.
“For now, only Felix and Iris will be staying here,” Jonah explained. “The rest of us need more time to figure things out with our families.”
Kai glanced at Felix, who shrugged.
“I’m already a student on scholarship. I live on campus, so it’s easy for me to say I’m moving somewhere else.”
Then he turned to Iris.
She didn’t speak at first, just crossed her arms tightly.
“And I don’t have anywhere else to go,” she said finally, voice quiet.
Kai didn’t react.
They all knew why.
What had happened.
What she had escaped from.
“Then that settles it,” Kai said smoothly. “Felix, you set up security. Make sure every camera, every network is untraceable.”
Felix smirked.
“Already working on it.”
“Iris, consider this your home now,” Kai added, voice firm.
She hesitated for a second before nodding.
The others agreed, sealing it.
“Alright,” Kai said, standing. “This house is no longer just a house.”
He looked around at them, each person standing in his circle.
“This is the beginning.”
“This is us.”
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