Chapter 82
The Meeting
Jay's POV
I hated mornings.
Actually, scratch that.
I hated people.
Mornings were just unfortunate enough to exist at the same time as people.
I walked into the classroom carrying a coffee and what little remained of my sanity.
The moment I stepped through the door, Ci-N looked up from his seat.
Then he froze.
Then he pointed dramatically.
"Oh my God."
I stopped walking.
"No."
"Guys."
"No."
"GUYS."
I closed my eyes.
The class immediately looked over.
Ci-N stood up.
"Jay looks like she lost a fistfight against life."
The entire class stared at me.
Then nodded.
"Yeah."
"Definitely."
"She looks dead."
"Are we sure she's alive?"
I threw my notebook.
It hit Ci-N directly in the chest.
"OW!"
"Not enough."
"Violence isn't the answer."
"It is when you're involved."
The class burst out laughing.
Ci-N looked deeply offended.
Which made my morning slightly better.
Only slightly.
I dropped into my seat and placed my head on the desk.
Maybe if I pretended to be unconscious, nobody would talk to me.
A wonderful idea.
Unfortunately...
"Good morning, Jay."
Keifer.
I lifted my head slightly.
The idiot was smiling.
How was he smiling at eight in the morning?
Psychotic behavior.
"Go away."
"That's rude."
"I know."
His smile widened.
I hated that smile.
Not really.
But still.
Before I could say anything else, the teacher entered.
Saving me.
For once.
---
The first period passed painfully slowly.
Every second felt like an hour.
Every minute felt like a century.
I was halfway through wondering whether jumping out the window counted as a reasonable life choice when my phone vibrated.
Aurora.
One message.
Meeting tonight.
I stared.
Then another message arrived.
Everybody is attending.
My stomach tightened.
That wasn't normal.
Justice Veil rarely gathered everyone.
If Aurora wanted every member present...
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
"Miss Mariano."
I blinked.
The classroom was staring at me.
Wonderful.
The teacher adjusted her glasses.
"Would you like to share the answer with the rest of us?"
Oh.
Right.
Class.
I glanced at the board.
Then at the textbook.
Then at Rory, who discreetly pointed at the correct paragraph.
Bless him.
I answered.
The teacher nodded.
The lesson continued.
But not before I noticed something.
Keifer was watching me.
Not staring.
Watching.
The difference was important.
And somehow more annoying.
---
Lunch arrived.
And with it came chaos.
Section E had successfully transformed the cafeteria into a war zone.
Blaster was yelling.
Drew was begging for money.
David was asleep.
Josh looked disappointed in everyone's existence.
A normal day.
Ci-N immediately stole food from somebody's tray.
I wasn't even surprised.
"Give it back."
"No."
"Ci-N."
"No."
"Ci-N."
"I'm hungry."
"You have food."
"I want better food."
"That's my chicken."
"OUR chicken."
I reached across the table.
He immediately moved the plate.
The little demon grinned.
I hated him.
Suddenly somebody grabbed the chicken.
The entire table froze.
Keifer.
The absolute audacity.
He casually took a bite.
Then looked at me.
Then smiled.
The idiot smiled.
Section E lost their minds.
"OH MY GOD."
"HE STOLE HER FOOD."
"SHE DIDN'T STAB HIM."
"THIS IS CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT."
"I'M SO PROUD."
I wanted new friends.
Immediately.
---
The rest of the day passed surprisingly fast.
Too fast.
Because before I knew it, I was standing in front of a private elevator in one of Sebastian's buildings.
The top floor.
Justice Veil headquarters.
The elevator doors opened.
Chaos greeted me.
"THE GRUMPY QUEEN HAS ARRIVED!"
Noah.
Of course.
I threw a folder at his head.
Unfortunately, he dodged.
Again.
"Violence!"
"Not enough."
"You missed me."
"I didn't."
"You wound me."
"Good."
Aurora pinched the bridge of her nose.
Matteo looked one second away from murder.
Sarah was reading documents.
Mia was drinking coffee.
Adam was on his laptop.
Chloe looked completely done with everyone's nonsense.
A normal meeting.
At least until Sebastian stood up.
The room immediately quieted.
And that scared me.
Because Sebastian only got serious when things were bad.
Very bad.
He placed several files on the table.
Nobody spoke.
Aurora folded her arms.
"Talk."
Straight to the point.
As always.
Sebastian nodded.
Then looked around the room.
"Kaizer Watson is moving again."
The room became silent.
Completely silent.
Noah stopped smiling.
Matteo sat upright.
Even Aurora's expression darkened.
Because everybody understood exactly what that meant.
Kaizer Watson.
Keifer's father.
The man responsible for Serina Watson's death.
The man who cared more about power than family.
The man who should have stayed quiet.
But hadn't.
Sebastian continued.
"For the last six months, he's been meeting with investors, lawyers and private consultants."
I frowned.
"That's not illegal."
"No."
Sebastian nodded.
"It isn't."
He slid another file across the table.
"But this is unusual."
Aurora opened it first.
Her expression changed immediately.
Not fear.
Not shock.
Something worse.
Concern.
That got my attention.
Because Aurora Sinclair wasn't easily concerned.
I took the file.
Read it.
Then read it again.
And slowly felt my stomach drop.
Every meeting had one thing in common.
No electronic devices.
No digital records.
No assistants.
No witnesses.
Nothing.
It was almost impossible.
People always left traces.
Always.
Yet somehow...
Kaizer hadn't.
Noah leaned forward.
"That's creepy."
"For once," Matteo muttered, "I agree with him."
Sebastian nodded.
"It gets worse."
Wonderful.
Exactly what everyone wanted to hear.
"It took us three months to discover the meetings."
Nobody spoke.
Because three months was insane.
Justice Veil wasn't stupid.
If it took them three months...
Whoever was helping Kaizer knew exactly what they were doing.
Aurora finally spoke.
"Who is backing him?"
The room waited.
Sebastian looked down at the final file.
Then back at us.
And for the first time that evening...
He hesitated.
A terrible sign.
"We don't know."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
"Excuse me?" Aurora asked.
"We don't know."
That was impossible.
Justice Veil always knew.
Not immediately.
Not perfectly.
But eventually.
Yet this time...
Nothing.
No names.
No connections.
No identities.
Just shadows.
Sebastian's jaw tightened.
"The problem isn't Kaizer."
Nobody interrupted.
Because everybody already knew.
The real danger wasn't the man.
It was the person standing beside him.
The person hidden behind the curtain.
The person powerful enough to stay invisible.
Sebastian looked directly at us.
Then spoke the words that made the room feel colder.
"Kaizer Watson isn't acting alone."
And suddenly...
The meeting became far more dangerous than any of us had expected.
---