One For Three

Chapter 74: The Cold War

POV Vegas

I'm starting my fourth day in my armored house. Ever since Dad and I barricaded ourselves in one of our residential homes, each day seems trapped in thick tension, as if every room is saturated with unspoken feelings. The walls that protect us have simultaneously become our allies and our jailers.

It feels a bit like the Cold War between Dad and Uncle Gun. We avoid open conflicts, but there is this constant threat in the air. Words are like potential weapons, and every conversation is like walking through an emotional minefield.

I don't live with Dad, he stays in his corner and I in mine. We don't talk to each other, he spends his time working with his allies to make as much money as possible and put them in briefcases and keep them safe, in case Uncle Korn decides to hack our bank accounts.

We have billions of baht in notes and currency stored in the cellar, as we are about to enter into an economic war against an entire country. This scares me but I don't say anything.

Dad is on edge, I don't want to take the risk of making him angry and having him beat me.

I am totally submissive to him.

As for the house, it is unrecognizable. Dad has increased the presence of bodyguards and mercenaries all around our property. He is in the process of building entire sections of low walls, several dozen high, has invested in high-precision machine guns, in surveillance cameras and programmable motion detectors to kill anyone unknown at home.

I don't like this place. The walls of the house are both a protection, but at the same time, it creates a kind of isolation. I wish I could find a way to break down these barriers, to make things lighter. Maybe this is a time to think deeply about our family relationships, to find ways to warm them despite the challenges. I feel like the key is communication, even if it's difficult.

I don't dare go to Dad, because he's like a time bomb.

I stay in my room most of the time, working on another computer, with my cell phone next to me, which is no longer of any use to me.

My devices cannot receive the internet but I can still work normally. My communication with Pete and even Porsche is totally compromised, since Dad blocked their number. Being away from them gives me an unprecedented feeling of isolation and the worst part is that I can't escape.

I'm like a bird in a cage.

POV Pete

The tension was palpable in the meeting room. You could feel that something serious was going on. Boss Korn was sitting at the end of the table, his serious look said a lot about the situation. Porsche, Kinn and I were brought together to discuss the fact that Boss Gun and Boss Vegas have totally disappeared from our lives and that this did not herald anything good.

- Well, Pete, Porsche, Kinn, we have a serious problem in our hands. I don't know how we're going to settle this.

- The fact that Uncle Gun and Vegas have completely isolated themselves in an unknown place makes me worried, Dad.

I crossed my arms, my gaze fixed on the map spread out in front of us.

- I have no idea where they might be, sir. They chose a place off our radar and probably hidden themselves in a residence of which we do not know the existence. In any case, sir, if you wanted my opinion, Boss Vegas would not have done so, without being forced to hide.

Porsche, visibly nervous, was playing with a pen. He speaks.

- Maybe we should try to reconnect, try to understand their situation. We can't leave them in the shadows like that...