Koruna

Blast from the past

Chapter 23
Blast from the Past

R'ao stiffened at his words and shrugged which made Moses chuckle at him.

"I understand having doubts and trying to have one final bout before being tied up. What I would not stand for is utter disrespect and hurting my daughter, do you understand me R'ao Ark?" He did his best to sound threatening and intimidating but it had no effect on R'ao.

R'ao knew what Makin was capable of, underneath that small body is a petty, vindictive and cruel man. The only reason he withstood this was because of his father, they had to gain concrete evidence to nail him or at least a reason to get rid of him. Makin had many Elites in his pocket, his unpopular reputation in the underworld as an organ and sex trafficker was almost an open secret. People were wary and scared of him as he had many of them under his thumb especially with his access to their secrets and hidden desires.

Sex trafficking was a business that no one dared openly indulged in, the Elites have a certain discretion regarding image and good standing, the Flames had suffered many losses with regards to missing men and women but nothing can be done which is exactly why he was such a successful businessman. R'ao had few theories as to why his family became a target for Makin, he strongly suspected that Makin was nervous around them and had none of their secrets with their growing influence, he needed to keep them grounded even if he had to fake scenerios.

People were always eager to believe bad news, it didn't have to be true. Rumors had a way of destroying people and his father would rather die than anyone trample on the name they have worked so hard for. Aside from that, Jacob had a soft spot for the Flames, he could not bear that people were disappearing in his name. He had always been proud of their root and legacy, hence he was ready to do all it took to protect that name and his people.

R'ao bowed in respect and in acknowledgement of his threats, Makin hated R'ao, his silence drove him mad, he decided to keep his cool until it was time to put Ark family in their place. R'ao couldn't wait for the sham of a party to be over, he had a headache and wanted to close his eyes. He couldn't do that as he was the reason for the party and at that point, he decided to take the risk and get to the bottom of this mystery once and for all so he could have his life back. It was like for every layer he uncovered, there was another. So far he was only able to make out Makin as part of the people responsible but he knew that he couldn't do it alone, it was too perfect and neat to be just him. There had to be other families involved with the grand scale of the crime, that kind of order and confidence to carry out something of this proportion despite its levity meant there were Powerful people at play.

Once they had it all, they wanted more... The power that came with owning people and using them for all their pervasive desires was not something R'ao was unfamiliar with, he had seen different things over the years and had become desensitized to how depraved people can be, this was why he did his best to stay away from Koruna. If anyone knew how much she meant to him, it would be dangerous for her, he knew it was selfish but he could not stand the thought of her being with another person. It took him three years to find her, he would not lose her again even if it meant going against his family.
...

Koruna came down from Ati's bike and handed over the helmet to him at the front of the Ballan's castle. "Thank you for being the best company."

Ati grinned at her "Give me your phone."

She brought it out of her purse and handed it to him, he gave her his number. "Call me anytime you need my help or when you want to grab dinner."

"Ati..."

"Koruna"

"I like someone else, I have seen the way you look at me and I am flattered but it wouldn't feel right leading you on."