1 Chapter 1: New Appointment

KILLIAN’S POV

“Linus Bai, I know you have some news to share since you walked into my office. Just spit it out. If someone has pissed you off, I will put a bullet through his head,” I retorted while I sipped the bitter-sweet coffee my PA had placed on my desk.

“Killian, I am not sure how to report this news to you,” Bai muttered while he fidgeted with a file in his hands.

Linus Bai was the chief accountant of Ryuu Group Holdings. He was an orphan who put himself through school and excelled in his elementary and high school years. He handled both the legal business and the mafia business. He graduated from Harvard University with top honors grades and I was lucky to have him as a friend and colleague at work.

“Bai!”

“Our informant in the CIA has reported that the Deputy Director in the CIA has not been promoted as we thought. A new CIA director has been appointed and will be coming to the New York office by the end of the week. He has been appointed from the Washington D.C office,” Bai muttered.

“How the f*ck is that our problem?” I retorted.

“I read his file,” Bai stated and placed the folder he was holding on my desk.

“And?” I raised my eyebrows.

“He is a different kind of breed,” Bai responded.

His statement made me smile. Bai’s way of describing people was always comical.

“I am too lazy to read his file. Give me a brief,” I demanded.

“Vance Adira. He is twenty-eight years of age. We graduated from the same university, but he studied criminology and justice. He also went ahead to add another degree in forensic science. He is smart and talented.”

I leaned back on my chair and waited for Bai to continue.

“His work has a one hundred percent success rate. He is a cutthroat straightforward officer. Since he joined the force three years ago, he has made credible contributions and won many awards. And you know that the mafia needs someone who will look the other way, especially with our business. And this guy, he is not bound to look away, but rather bulldoze his way in.”

“Bai, you sound like a fan girl. Are you actually praising him?” I smirked.

“Killian, this man is like a detective god. No one has been able to tame him. Even the higher-ups fear him. Rumor has it that he has the support of the White House.”

Bai’s last statement aroused my sense of interest. “The White House?”

“It's an unconfirmed rumor but you know that for the business we can't let information get out regardless of whether it is a rumor,” Bai affirmed.

“Fine. I will go through his file and take heed to your warning,” I nodded.

“Thank you, boss.” Bai smiled appreciatively.

“Any news from the branches? The council meeting is scheduled for next week,” I inquired.

“The reports should be trickling in by the end of the day tomorrow. I will then work on compiling them. I know that Zoya is also finalizing her reports,” Bai explained.

Zoya Mio Ryuu was Uncle Nemesio’s adopted daughter and the legal advisor of Ryuu Holdings. While everyone praised and smiled at her, Bai always kept a distance from her. And I had always learned to trust Bai’s instinct when it came to people.

“Great. I have a dinner meeting with one of the automobile companies. Do you want to accompany me?” I jested.

“No,” Bai responded. “You know how much I hate those dinner meetings, Killian.”

I knew Bai well. He hated how everyone pretended to like me and rubbed shoulders.

“I will be home, resting,” he stated before he turned around and left my office.

Bai has been with me through thick and thin. I remember it like yesterday when I crawled into Bai’s home with my younger brother, Caylian, and baby sister, Amanda. It was in the middle of the night just after I graduated from high school, when I had a commotion downstairs.

I rushed to the door and saw Ma carrying my baby sister Amanda and she was pulling Caylan with her other hand.

“Killian, come here,” she commanded in a whisper.

I rushed over and took Amanda from her hands “What is going on?” I whispered in a hushed breath.

“We have intruders. I need you to take your siblings and run,” she instructed.

“No,” I answered in defiance.

“You will.” Her eyes blazed. “You must ensure you protect your siblings until we come to find you.”

She pulled me through the secret door near the corridor and instructed, “Follow the stairs. They will lead you through a secret exit.” I already knew the secret exit as I had been sneaking out of the house since I turned sixteen to go to Bai’s dorm or parties.

“Ma, promise me that you will find us.” My eyes teared up.

She pulled out her ring and handed it to me, together with the family seal that she had hidden in her pocket. “Keep this safe for me,” she requested as banged the door closed.

The feeling of dread washed over me, and I left the manor in secret. The sound of yelling and gunshots made me burst into tears as I walked into the bushes and hid. Caylan’s eyes were filled with tears while Amanda sucked her thumb and whined.

We remained hidden for almost an hour until I heard the sound of a siren nearby. I took the secret path and walked for over an hour, remaining hidden. Caylan complained he was tired, and I ended up carrying both of them until I got to Bai’s dorm.

I banged on his door and when he opened it, his eyes widened in surprise. “Killian, what's wrong?”

A choked sob escaped my mouth and Bai pulled us into the house. Half an hour later, we had already put Caylan and Amanda to bed. I narrated to Bai what happened, and he advised that we needed to stay put until the police found us.

I remember laying on the couch in tears not knowing what had happened to my parents until Bai woke me up. “Killian, wake up. Your uncle Nemesio is here.”

I stood up and faced Uncle Nemesia. “Where are Pa and Ma?”

His dismayed eyes and the way he shook his head made me realize that the intruders had killed my parents. It was such a gruesome moment as I walked into the morgue to identify my parents’ bodies and prepare their funeral with Caylan and Amanda not knowing what happened.

The mafia families had organized an apartment since we could not move back to the main house. I had dragged Bai along and he had not complained at all.

A month later, the mafia families had set up a meeting for the reading of the will. My parents had left everything to us. But the will would only come into effect if the Ryuu family's seal was found. Uncle Nemesio was the first person to announce that he would take care of his brother's children and assume leadership of the mafia family.

This was the first time I realized that Bai's instincts were always correct. He grabbed my hand and announced, “Killian is of age; he will be able to manage his parent's businesses since he had the seal.”

The announcement shocked everyone who was present and the angry look on Uncle Nemesio’s face told me that he was not to be trusted.

“You have no right to speak,” Uncle Nemesio had scolded Bai.

One of the family's elders asked Uncle Nemesio, “Do you have the Ryuu family heirloom? The ring determines who is the new leader.”

“The intruders must have taken it,” Uncle Nemesia responded.

But Bai was undeterred and stated, “Killian has the ring.”

Their silence in the room was deafening and Uncle Nemesio’s plan seemed to have been foiled.

“Child please show us the ring and the seal,” one of the elders stated.

I took out the ring and seal from my jacket and placed them on the table. The hushed gasps were confirmation that the person who assassinated my parents was after them.

All the elders stood up and bowed to me. Uncle Nemesio remained seated while one elder announced, “Killian Ryuu, the mafia council declares and pronounces that you are the new Mafia King. With our guidance, we shall train you and support you as you take over from the late Marcelo and Genevieve Ryuu. May their souls rest in peace.”

Bai beamed while Uncle Nemesio stood up and walked out of the room. Our lives had changed in an instant. We went through university while I trained for my position in the group and assumed leadership. Step by step, I blended in and learned how to manage the mafia families and my parent's business.

Looking back, I would not have been successful without Bai. Though he looked cold and crude, he was the only person that I could rely on to get by. Caylan and Amanda grew up so fast, and later we moved to a new house and settled.

Uncle Nemesio remained cold and distant, though he was a key decision-maker when it came to the family business. I had learned how to deal with him or avoid him depending on the situation. Our relationship had not gotten any better since then.

A ding on my phone snapped me out of the past. Checking the caller I.D., it was Amanda calling. “Baby sister, to what do I owe this pleasure?”

“Killian, did you reduce the limit on my credit card?” she complained.

“Yes, I did,” I retorted.

“Killian, come on!” she continued to whine.

“No, Amanda. A high school student cannot spend so much in one day because she wants to entertain her friends,” I scolded her.

“Killian,” she murmured, “I promise to only spend a thousand dollars.”

“What?” I yelled over the phone.

“Do you want my friends to call me a liar?” she whispered. I could hear her voice shaking and knew she was about to cry.

“This is the last time, Amanda,” I stated and disconnected the call.

The damn brat was always blackmailing me. She knew how much I adored her. I logged into my bank account and added one thousand dollars to her card. A minute later, she sent me a text message. ‘Love you, Killian. You are the best.’ The message was accompanied by so many hearts it made me laugh.

I shook my head in disbelief and picked up the file Bai had left on my desk. I opened it and the picture of Vance Adira on the first page made my heart stop. The man was absolutely ethereal.

Time stood still.

His nose was just shy of being wide. His full lips were pulled down at the corners but didn't hide the fact that his mouth was wide. His eyes were the color of the setting sun's rays, and dark brown. His ebony hair fell past his shoulders in shiny, silken waves. His shoulder blades were wide, and his arms looked strong. Was he in the wrong place? Did CIA officers look like this?

He was truly a sight to behold. Handsome and masculine and I could tell that he worked out. I imagined his mouth on my c*ck and fire burned within me. This was the kind of lust that I had never felt.

I never hid the fact that I was gay, but I rarely dated as I never had time for the hustle. Images ran through my mind of me tying him up and him begging for release. How would it feel to conquer such a man?

His eyes unsettled my nerves, and I knew there was more to him. I would bet on it, but I knew my c*ck was the one placing the highest bid.

“Vance Adira,” I whispered to myself. “One look at you and I am whipped. I’m looking ward to meeting you in person.”