There's a kind of silence in the mafia you learn to listen to.The silence before a coup.Before a bullet.Before betrayal.
Day knew that silence well.He grew up with it whispering behind doors.
And now? It was everywhere.
He stood alone in his father's private office—hardwood floors, steel vaults, gold-rimmed liquor shelves. The air smelled like old paper, ink, and blood that had been cleaned too well.
He was supposed to be reviewing ledgers.
Instead, he was digging.
Thirty minutes into his search, he found it—buried beneath a false drawer in Lucien's encrypted desk system. Password-protected. Triple firewalled.
But Day hadn't been raised to knock politely. He broke through in six minutes.
And what he found made his blood freeze.
A list. Names. Dates. Surveillance logs.
Not of enemies.Of allies. His own inner circle.
Men who were loyal—to Day, not Lucien.Marked. Flagged. Watched.
Silently, efficiently, his father had been documenting every man Day trusted.
And beneath that:A file. Labeled simply "PROJECT: STRAY DOG"
He opened it.And the first photo he saw was of Sky.
Smiling in a crowd. Walking home. Reading a book by a shop window.
Every step, every moment—documented. Time-stamped. Cross-referenced.
Day's hands clenched.
The notes beneath were clinical:
"Emotional tether identified.Target exhibits high influence over Daewon Heir.Strategy: contain, observe, neutralize if leverage fails."
Then:"Contingency Plan activated: Phase I complete."
Day's stomach dropped.
Phase I.Meaning: Phase II was already moving.
He stepped back from the screen, heart pounding—but not with fear. With clarity.
He turned sharply and exited the room, calling Kwon as he walked.
"Meet me in the red briefing room. Now."
"You found something?" Kwon asked.
Day's voice was low. "No. I found everything."
Ten minutes later, they stood in the old soundproof chamber, the one used for war planning during the turf wars.
Kwon crossed his arms. "What the hell did Lucien do?"
Day dropped the folder of printed intel onto the table.
"He's not testing me," Day said. "He's sabotaging me."
Kwon flipped through the files. His face tightened.
"This is a kill plan," he muttered. "Clean, legal through shell corps. No blood on his hands."
"Sky's in danger," Day said. "Not just as leverage—he's the example. My father wants to cut out what makes me human. Publicly."
Kwon looked up. "And what are you going to do?"
Day's voice was razor-sharp.
"Turn the whole damn empire inside out."