*Charlie's P.O.V*

The guards take me to Igor's office, where four other men, including Mr. Yeltsin, are. Igor summons me to his lap. I oblige despite their stares.

"Sir, not now -" one speaks.

"Is your software done checking?" Igor cuts him off, wrapping his hands around me. The man nods and hands Igor his laptop. Igor gives it to me.

"Their system might be complex for the boy, sir."

"So?" Igor starts scrolling anyway. My eyes gloss over what is on display only to realise the man is right; I am not even good with technology, and I am supposed to understand database system software.

I look up. Three pairs of eyes are on me. I look down and gulp.

OK, what now, Charlie?... Should we just click... let's click something.

I click somewhere, and another window opens an account.

OK, at least we get this one a bit... urm... factory overheads; we know that... umm... miscellaneous?

"What is miscellaneous?"

"Are you asking for the meaning of a word, boy?" The fattest in the room laughs.

I grimace. "No, I mean, what is their miscellaneous account for?"

"Miscellaneous stuff," another in glasses jests.

I turn to Igor, and he booms, "Hey, answer his question, motherfuckers!"

Dead silence.

The accountant - I presume from how the other men tilt to him- clears his throat. "Urm, sir, if it is something we should worry about, the software would have alerted us-"

"People."

"Huh?" Igor reverts to me.

I say again, "People. They don't care about lives anyway, so ... it could be people."

"What people? Their victims?" Joe sits up.

I shrug and click away. Gibberish appears.

Help me! What are you doing, computer? You're supposed to help me, not give me what- what is this, even? Cake... bread... fruits- is this a joke?

Clicking 'fruits' in frustration, I see icons of different fruits beside significant figures. I am scrolling in more profound confusion when something comes to mind.

Leo.

Instantly, I find the pineapple icon. It opens another account with actual names.

Finally!

Adrenaline kicks in as I zoom through the names. Igor draws closer. I push against him, so he sits back.

Will you let me focus, you monster?!-

Then, a name catches my eye. "Sir Joe?"

"What is it?" Mr. Yelstin gets up instantly.

The moment he sees it, too, colour drains off his face. Igor and I watch as he opens windows at break-neck speed.

"Why? What is it?" The accountant stands. Joe holds up a finger, bellowing, " They paid Albert $7 million!"

"Hey," Igor pats his shoulder while Joe continues to boil. "The-they think Loré is only worth 7 million?!"

"7 million?" The fattest guy in the room frowns. "Wait, that's rather too much to dispose one person -"

"Hey, watch your mouth!" Igor blasts, instantly holding back Joe's fist under the desk.

I sneak a peek since everyone else is oblivious, and the accountant is already chiming, "To be fair, it doesn't make sense to have spent that much money, sir. How did they kill her again?"

"She was shot and then burnt with some guy in a vehicle," Mr. Fat guy states.

"So that will be what? Roughly 3 million for the hitman doing the job and ... like a couple of thousands for handling cops, and the vehicle costed what?" The accountant picks a pen and paper, jotting down figures.

Joe scratches his head and turns to Igor, who sighs, "I'll ask my sister. Hold on." Then he pulls out a phone. When he dials a number, and no one picks, everyone huffs in annoyance.

I shake my head and grab a pen and paper. After writing down the licence plate and car brand, I tap Joe.

"Oh, yes," Joe affirms before passing the paper on.

Mr. Accountant receives it, pulls out his laptop, and gets focused. All eyes fall on him again. Minutes pass as he types and writes, much to Igor's exasperation.

"What are you doing?"

"Finding the actual cost, Sir Igor. It seems they've grossly overstated it." Mr. Accountant muses.

Igor grunts and, out of nowhere, pushes me off him. "Let's go," he says to me only. No one talks as we walk out. Igor shoves me into a bedroom upstairs, and before I know it, he's taking off my shirt.

I blackout.

All I hear is kissing sounds.

Then, a drawer opens.

"Here," Igor moans, giving me something.

I beg my eyes to look down at it, a condom. My fingers twirl it, and my head rises. "Too small."

"Have you worn a condom before?" Igor asks. I shake my head.

"Shut up and wear it first!"

"But -" Before I can finish, Igor grabs me, forcing open my flyer. I scream, and he barks, "SHUT UP!"

"IGOR, PLEASE, PLEASE -"

"What!" Mr. Yelstin barges in. Igor's grip loosens, so I smack his hand and scurry under the bed when imaginary Sil appears.

She blinks at me and covers her mouth. I do same. Tears fall.

*

"Oh, my fucking goodness. Will this kid stop crying?!" Igor fumes from the mirror chair. "Make him stop."

"I'm trying," Joe grunts, bending. He spares me a glance and lifts his head to say, "He looks dead, though."

"Good. But, then, why am I hearing his whimpering?"

"Good?" Joe grimaces. "You realise the boy has saved us $7 million, right? And we aren't even done yet."

"We don't need him. My accountant can handle the rest."

"Sure," Joe mutters sarcastically. Igor flips him the bird, and Joe responds, "We're not kids anymore. Put your fucking hand down and help here."

"I have a meeting." Igor rises.

"Which you'll need him present for."

There's a pause.

Joe ducks again, this time crawling to my side. "Hey, kiddo," he quirks, "bad day, huh?"

I am whimpering. What do you think?

Joe sighs and climbs out to say, "Call for 43."

Ten minutes later, 43 climbs under the bed. He smiles at me and says, "Hey, want candy?" Then he sits a container of toffees on his tummy. I shake my head as he unwraps one.

"Come on," he attempts, putting it in my mouth. My hand blocks the way. 43 tries to widen his beam. It just looks sadder, though.

"Hey, they'll give us names."

I already have a name. I blink at him, and he mouths, "Please, don't let them kill us. "

Ok.

*

Before the closure meeting, 43 does my makeup and everything. My eyes are all red and puffy, so he takes over two hours to finish.

In the meeting, I try to listen. I pick up a little about the cartel wanting Igor to sell their dragons. Igor doesn't say anything - no mention of the $7 million even.

Joe is also quiet. After the meeting, he gets on a plane with me, still mute. He starts snoring beside me when I realise this trip was unfruitful.

All I got from it was pain, and it still hurts. My lungs are caving in. Let this all be a nightmare. Let me shut my eyes and open them to see myself at home.

Joe lets out a weird sound as if he's dreaming. I reckon the briefcase is above us. Look at the bodyguards in the farthest seats. They will notice if I steal the briefcase, but I have to try something, anything. I can't leave without evidence.

Slowly, I climb on top of Joe.

"Mn... Maria."

"Mhmm." I caress his neck, thinking of when my sister and I caught a glimpse of one of Sydney's films.

Sil said, "She was allowed to grind this lad?! Oh my- the way she is rocking her hips on him! Oh God, I'm never having sex - Has dad seen this?"

"Turn it off," was my reply.

Today, I am turning it on.

"O-uh, Maria... F- AH-" Joe shivers under my caress. The instant he feels my flat chest though, his eyes snap open.

"What the fuck -" He pushes me off him. Landing hard on the floor, I wince, saying, "Mind your language, sir."

"Excuse me?!" He barks. I repeat myself just as guards come around.

"Sir, do you ne-"

"GET OUT!"

"Yes! Sorry, sir," the closest one backs everyone away. As we are left alone, Joe gapes at me in utmost horror. I wipe my lip, and he glares. "What do you want?!"

"Briefcase."

There's a lengthy pause.

"Fine, take it," he pants, defeatedly. "The numlock is 3421."

"Thank you -"

"Hey, hey, don't come near me!"

"Ok, sir." I step back. Joe sizes me before staggering to a seat further away.

I get up. Exhale. Start transferring all the papers from the briefcase into my school bag. Glance at Joe once in a while.

The man looks haunted.

When the plane lands, we don't say a word. He drives me straight to his house and gets me a taxi.

"Don't ever come near me or Igor again," is his final remark.

*

Leo runs to me the instant I get home.

"Where have you been -"

"Did you go to the lakehouse?!"

"Yes, I got all the DnD I could find -" Before he can finish, I grab his hand and march him to his room. "Is your mom home?"

"No."

"Good." I sit him down. "What are they?"

"I don't know yet," He unzips his bag and pours the game pieces out. I put one in my mouth.

"Maybe we should - hey!" His eyes widen, and before I know it, his fingers touch my teeth. "Spit it out!"

"MM-" I close my mouth just as his fingers leave.

"Charlie, open your mouth -"

"MMMM -"

"Have you gone crazy?! SPIT IT OUT!"

Why yell? I spit it on his palm.

"Goodness! What's wrong with you?" Leo stands. I shrug, and he storms into the washroom.

A few seconds later, he yells, "It's a key!"

"Pardon -"

"It's a key!" He returns shrieking. In his palm, there appears what looks like one of his house keys. I squint up at Leo, and he says, "Are you thinking what I am thinking?"

" Do you think it opens somewhere in the house?"

"Ur," he muses, "I know every inch of this house, and ... he doesn't keep his secret stuff in his study ever since I found out, so, like... where?"

I also wonder until it dawns on me. "The floor."

"The floor?"

"Yes. Let's... walk around," I say, "maybe you can even bounce your ball around, and if you hear any creak, yell for me."

"Urm, ok." Leo obeys.

We do this for about an hour and hear creaks twenty-four times. Dividing the work equally, we remove the tiles, fail, and fail until -

"Found it!" I gasp. Leo instantly hurries to my side, seeing a hole, too. He gets a ladder, so we climb down. Our torchlights illuminate dusty shelves full of papers.

"Bruh-" Leo coughs. I give him a handkerchief and tie one over my nose. Walking through the shelves, we encounter a door. Leo sticks in the key, and it unlocks.

"Hoo," he utters as a comfy home office appears. As I step in carefully first, my eyes zone in on some metal poking behind the mini-fridge.

"Leo," I tug him towards it. Despite its heaviness, we shift the fridge quickly and then exhale at the safe we find.

"Do you know how to unlock it?" I ask

"Na, lemme try my name," Leo types in 'Takeru', but it proves invalid. He tries his mother's birthday next, but it doesn't work.

"Try pineapple."

"Why would he use something I'm allergic to -"

"Just try it," I insist. He does. It's still incorrect.

"We got two more attempts, and then it locks." Leo motions to the red warning on display.

I huff, "For how long?"

"I don't know," he sighs. "Hey, maybe it's not related to the family." Then, he empties his pocket. After handing me back my phone, Leo scrolls through his.

"What are you searching for?"

"Urm... I'm seeing if I can ask one of his pals..."

"And you think you can trust them?"

"Hmm," Leo looks up at me. I furrow my brows, only for him to raise his. He dials someone suddenly.

"Leo -"

"Wait... Hey, Uncle Willie!"

I exhale. "Ask him if Syd and Sil are fine."

"Ok," Leo mutters, putting the line on speaker. Sir Willem says Syd has spoken to him but refuses to visit my sister.

I frown. "You- it's fine. Urm, sir, please, we need your help."

"Ya, Dad locked his WiFi, and now I desperately need it for research," Leo lies.

"Isn't he there, though?"

"No."

"Really?... He's still not back?"

"Mhm." Leo shudders. I rub his shoulder as he sets his phone on his thigh.

"Oh ok -" The line breaks. We wait for some minutes before Sir Willem starts saying, "2efhehf#6jik-"

"Huh?" Leo voices my thought.

"That was your father's password back in law school. Maybe it'll work ..."

Pressing buttons, Leo makes a face to which I chuckle.

It works.

As we see what's inside the safe, Leo cuts the call. "Oh God."

*

*Mia's P.O.V *

The festivities are ongoing. Everyone is outside, happy.

I'm inside, alarmed. While letting me say hello to Uncle Igor, Granny acted like no one was behind him. I don't get it, but right now, my main concern is Charlie.

I call him, and Leo picks up.

"Oh, Mia, right?"

"Yes," I say, "is Charlie with you?"

"Yes."

"Can I speak to him?"

"Na. He's sleeping right now."

"Oh, okay," I exhale. "Tell him I called, ok?"

"Sure. " Leo chirps, "Hey, why do you sound scared, though? Is something the matter-"

"Mia!" My aunt's yell intrudes. Instantly, I tell Leo goodbye and run down the stairs.

Guests are all over, sipping champagne and babbling. It takes me great effort to find Aunt Joe, but when I do, I run into her arms.

"Oh- hey, kiddo!" My aunt Joe beams.

I say, "How was your trip?"

"Very productive," she quirks.

*

However, in the evening, Joe will find her meeting with Granny very unproductive. Dolph will be by her side, also listening to Granny whining in Russian. "... So, you were busy fucking a man that won't marry you yet, huh?"

"Pom, this is not the time -"

"You have two more years till the next board elections. Make time." Granny will interrupt.

Joe will scowl.

"And anyway, why don't you want to help run the family business?"

"Because I already have a job, remember," Joe will say in a 'duh' tone.

Granny will flare up, so Dolph will interject, "What about Igor? He's working right now, and you want Joe to take his spotlight?"

"It's better for all of us," will be Granny's remark.

Dolph will tense. Joe will ask, "Why? Has he screwed up or something?"

There'll be a pause.

"No." Granny will stand. "If you don't want the position and -" She looks at Dolph. "You want to buy a dying pharmaceutical company, fine. Then get your brother a wife. A brilliant one. And hot."

Joe will nod. "Ok... I can ask Mr. Joe-"

"No! " Granny's eyes will widen. "Don't involve him."

"Why not?" Joe will ask, "Igor trusts him more than anyone -"

"Enough. If you can't find your brother a wife yourself, go marry." Afterwards, Granny will ask to be left alone.

Joe will grab her elder brother, shove him into a spare room, and frown.

"Why are you quiet?" Joe shall ask Dolph.

"It's happening again," he'll reply.

"What? What is happening again?"

"... Fyodor."

"Bro, why are you mentioning Dad?" my aunt will ask.

"Because... he ... New boy 342 -" Dolph will shake his head.

"I don't get what you are saying, Dolph."

"If you are that oblivious - never mind."