The Unspoken Oath
The Unspoken Oath
Jake opened the door and stepped closer to Bruno, his tone strained with anxiety. "Something completely unexpected happened, Boss... Specialized Capital Guard units have been formed under the name 'Anti-Gang Task Force.' They're wearing different uniforms, hunting down our men, and they've already captured several of our guys!"
Bruno stood up from the sofa, a look of utter astonishment washing over his face.
His mind immediately flashed back to that wretched conversation that had taken place between him and his father, Thomas, years ago—in the inner hall of the mansion, within earshot of everyone.
Conar... his wife... Aaron, Eve, and even little Wendy.
Bruno gritted his teeth, his voice laced with venom. "I want to take back what is mine... what belongs to me and my mother."
"Go right ahead...!" Thomas replied coldly, raising an eyebrow before repeating himself. "Go ahead—if you can."
Bruno tried to suppress his mounting fury. "So you won't return it to me directly. A predictable response."
"I won't. I still consider you nothing more than a renegade from this family. A complete stranger to us."
"I didn't come here trying to prove my innocence, nor do I care about that in the slightest. I came for my right, and I will reclaim it. I am more than capable of doing so...!"
Bruno stared provocatively at Conar, who matched his glare with equal hostility. "I will reclaim everything, and I will climb right back to the top of the mountain you threw me from. I won't stay in this valley for long..."
Conar spoke up, his voice carrying an edge of nervous bravery. "And are you going to bring a great army to fight us? Try proving your innocence first, then crawl back to your place!"
"I will bring an army, Conar, if necessary! I will march my army to the peak of that mountain. And if I can't... I will blow that mountain to pieces until the entire thing collapses!"
Thomas slammed his hand against the table with a deafening thud. "How dare a traitor like you speak such words...?! Aren't you overestimating yourself?" Thomas's eyes darkened with bitter resentment as he continued, "If you're going to return, then do it your way. Try, if you can. I won't even oppose you if you build an army, just as you say... Show me what you can actually do!"
Conar shouted angrily at his father, "This bastard Bruno already has a gang! What do you mean you won't oppose his actions?! What if he uses his force to take whatever he wants?!"
"I won't oppose it... as long as I am in a mood that permits it."
Bruno snapped back to reality, a wide, dark smirk spreading across his lips as he whispered under his breath, "So... your mood has finally soured, Thomas."
Bruno then barked out a strict order, "Command everyone to stay inside the building! And those who own their own houses must stay inside them as well... No one is allowed to step outside!"
Clarity opened the front door of his house quietly. The door creaked and rattled continuously, looking as though it might collapse at any given moment. Well... it hadn't ended up in this state because of that recent fight; the door had been in a dilapidated condition for a very long time.
An echoing memory of his mother’s shouting voice drifted through Clarity’s mind: "Clarity! The door is going to fall off any second... Go fix it!"
Clarity smiled softly as he remembered, whispering to himself, "And that bastard Clarity... still hasn't fixed the door until now..."
Taking a deep breath, he muttered softly, "I'll fix it right now."
Aaron stepped into the grand mansion that served as his family home. He gazed around the vast, silent halls as he walked, whispering under his breath, "My punishment must be over by now."
He raised his head upon noticing his mother standing at the end of the corridor. She looked genuinely relieved to see him. He rushed toward her, pulling her into an apologetic embrace.
She ran her hand gently through his hair, whispering, "Seeing you here has become one of those rare things that actually brings joy to my heart."
"Well, that sounds nice."
"How could it be nice when I’m burning to see you and your sister? This place is unbearable."
"So, I just dropped by randomly," Aaron remarked. "And now I'm wondering if my punishment period is officially over."
"It's over—and even if it wasn't, I’d end it my way."
Aaron smiled. He then crouched down slightly as he caught sight of his little sister, Wendy, sprinting toward him to throw her arms around him tightly. The poor child had no real concept of what a proper family was meant to be... her entire childhood had been spent amidst the dysfunction and chaos that plagued this vast mansion.
Wendy pulled back slightly, her small hands clutching tightly to his clothes. "You're not leaving the mansion anymore! I won't let you...!"
Meanwhile, Clarity began repairing his front door, followed by the floorboards and the furniture. He did his best to fix the shattered pieces and threw away what was beyond saving.
It was safe to say the house had practically restored its former state, save for a few minor changes.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Clarity wiped the beads of sweat that had formed on his forehead, muttering, "It took me four hours. That's record time."
The sun had completely set.
Clarity collapsed onto the sofa, utterly exhausted. He had fought through his continuous, dull pain just to finish this work... so perhaps he could finally catch a little sleep?
Aaron placed his bag onto his bed. His room was designed with simple, unpretentious elegance despite its vast size.
He sat on the edge of the mattress, pulling out his smartphone. He began browsing through a collection of photos he had taken previously—pictures of confidential files, strange phrases he had stumbled upon within Ari's notebooks, and images retrieved from her phone. His gaze locked onto one specific photo that had been weighing heavily on his mind—a puzzle he was determined to solve before anything else.
It was a photo of an official identity card: a name, a birthdate, personal details, and an attached photo. Yet... who did this card belong to, and why had Ari been keeping it all this time...?!
Aaron looked up as his mother entered the room, accompanied by one of the servants. She looked thoroughly displeased. "Your grandfather wants to see you."
Aaron stood up from his bed, pursing his lips in silent annoyance. He muttered under his breath, "An inevitable reality."
He made his way toward his grandfather Thomas's room, stepping inside with slow, measured strides. He approached the massive window at the center of the room, which overlooked the mansion’s sprawling inner gardens. Even though night had fallen, the view outside remained captivating and atmospheric.
Thomas stood there, staring thoughtfully out the window.
He turned his attention to Aaron, who stood quietly across from him.
With terrifying speed, Thomas closed the distance and raised his arm, striking Aaron across the face with a heavy, sharp slap.
Aaron didn't react, even as his cheek flushed bright red from the force of the strike.
Thomas gritted his teeth, his voice dripping with anger. "How dare you attempt to murder your uncle?!"
Aaron replied in a flat, composed tone, "I was wrong, and I've realized the gravity of my mistake. Even though Bruno isn't really considered an uncle to me—being banished from the family on your orders—my action was completely reckless. I am sorry, Grandfather."
Thomas took a deep breath, looking at him with a skeptical frown. "When did you learn how to apologize?"
"Recently... I've met a lot of people to whom I owed an apology."
Thomas reached out, patting Aaron’s shoulder firmly. "You know very well that I hate bloodshed. Let your father settle the outstanding matter between him and Bruno peacefully. In the end... there is no victory or loss to be gained from a war between brothers."
"Then..." Aaron hesitated briefly before pushing forward, "why don't you put an end to this conflict?"
"I will end it soon," Thomas said sternly. "Bruno must stop and turn back... because I will never allow him to return to the mansion. He seems to be walking down a completely wrong path—a group of killers, drug trafficking, an outlawed gang... I will certainly put a stop to him."
"You won't allow his return... even if he manages to reclaim... his properties?"
"He won't be able to."
"Well, it's great that you won't allow his return... but, Grandfather... try looking into the matter of their drug possession and trade again, as well as them being just an outlawed gang. Because no such gang actually exists... I've searched extensively, Grandfather, and I found nothing."
"What are you implying?"
"What I mean... is that you should find a concrete proof showing that Bruno is committing a fatal mistake that prevents him from returning to the mansion."
Aaron whispered softly under his breath, "And you won't find that proof."
Aaron had wanted to say it out loud, but he settled for a whisper... He had given Bruno his word—a promise to conceal Bruno's true stance from everyone, especially Conar and Thomas.
With that, he remained silent and quietly exited his grandfather's room.
Aaron walked out into the vast gardens surrounding the mansion. The scent of rain that had just ceased falling hung thick in the air, and a cold breeze rustled through his hair.
As he walked, Aaron sank deep into the absolute truth he had recently come to realize:
This is the absolute truth... There is no drug trade over there; it might just be isolated, uncontrollable actions by individuals.
There is no actual organized gang... They are merely followers of a man trying to give them hope to continue their lives, providing them with shelter and work.
He might possess his own personal goal and desires, but he has never forced them upon anyone. They follow him out of sheer loyalty, nothing else.
He might have his own motives, but he strives to change this closed world built by those flawed policies.
This is the man I have chosen to follow... and I will fight to return him to his rightful place.
Aaron raised his gaze toward the dark sky, whispering softly, "You would have done the exact same thing... Yohan."
Back at the gang's headquarters.
The main doors were locked shut, and no one was permitted to leave.
Jake stood in the central hall of the building, surrounded by roughly twenty young men from the group. He was delivering a brief speech, issuing necessary instructions and guidelines to navigate the current crisis.
Once Jake finished speaking, the young men dispersed throughout the facility, each heading to his designated room.
Taking a deep breath, Jake made his way toward the Boss's office. Finding the door open, he stepped inside quietly.
Bruno was pacing back and forth across the room, completely consumed by his thoughts.
Jake approached him, attempting to offer reassurance. "Everyone inside is safe for now. The ones who were captured were prominent and well-known figures around the Capital."
"Did they have... those illicit substances on them?" Bruno asked sharpely.
"I don't know... but they were arrested under those charges. It was claimed that drugs were found in their possession... so we have no legal standing."
"Aren't those things strictly forbidden?" Bruno muttered angrily. "It seems I wasn't paying enough attention to things like contraband, so they used it against us."
"I had already put a strict end to that previously," Jake explained. "But... I don't know about the recent period. I wasn't the one in charge back then."
"It was Apollo..." Bruno sighed heavily. "So I'm the one at fault again."
"If they just remain silent, they’ll be sentenced according to standard laws and released after a short time..."
"And do you really think this so-called 'Anti-Gang Task Force' is a legitimate legal group?" Bruno scoffed, his eyes narrowing. "I highly doubt it... They just emerged today and immediately rounded up ten of my men. And those men don't belong to an actual gang. I never once declared us a gang... There are nearly fifteen organized gangs operating across the Capital, and I doubt any of them were even touched."
"You mean this unit was formed specifically to target us?"
"Without a doubt," Bruno replied grimly. "I contacted Eric, and he confirmed the exact same thing... except only two people were captured on his end."
Bruno's phone suddenly rang. He picked it up, muttering in confusion, "What is this strange ringtone? Is it because the phone is new?"
"You can change it," Jake whispered.
Bruno brought the phone to his ear, answering with a cold, "Yes."
It was Eve calling. She bombarded him with anxious, breathless questions.
Bruno kept his responses brief and flat: "It's fine." "I'm okay." Then he whispered, "Understood. I'll check on it."
He ended the call and turned to Jake, a sudden thought striking him. "Is... Clarity with you?"
Jake looked surprised. "No. I assume he's at the Institution where he usually works."
"He didn't return to the Institution."
Jake frowned, trying to rationalize it to reassure himself. "It's almost midnight now. He must be at the Institution."
"The call was from the Institution..." Bruno's voice dropped. "Clarity hasn't returned at all."
Jake slammed his fist against the wall beside him, the realization crashing over him in terror. "Don't tell me... that he might have been... arrested?!"