Under The Veil of Night

Hospital

In the hospital, Neo had woken up. He had started to type on his laptop again after Lou informed him regarding Kevin’s instruction. He sighed to himself that his work would never end at this rate.

"What have you found so far?" Lou asked as he wiped the sweat on his forehead. The room used an air conditioner, but the work that he did made him sweat a lot.

"Megara’s trace disappeared from yesterday. The last time he’s seen is in the morning in Lima School. After that, there’s no trace about him at all," Neo replied as he tried to find the man. It was exceptionally hard to check on every camera that he managed to hack.

Mike looked at the two of them with bewilderment. "It’s already late at night, when will you sleep?"

"We still have work to do, Mike."

"Can’t you do it tomorrow? It’s not like they’re going far away from this city. Jason had told us that the little girl from Nali Family has blocked all access to get out of this city, right?"

"It won’t last long, so we have to use every means we have to make sure that we can find them," Lou replied.

Mike watched the two of them as he shook his head lightly. He would never understand why these two loved to stay behind their laptop so much. If it was him, he wouldn’t even last a few minutes. Rather than playing with those weird codes on his laptop, it would be better for him to run in the field and exercise his body.

Standing up from his bed, he walked to the table and poured a drink for himself. His eyes noticed a young girl passed in front of the door. For a moment, he almost thought that he had seen Kanae walking.

’Ah, that girl’s hair is straighter than Kanae. Besides, Kanae usually wears her glasses.’

It was then that he remembered that Kanae didn’t wear her glasses at all during the fight. Trying not to think too much, Mike walked back to his bed and pulled his blanket. Ignoring the two noisy typing sounds from the two men not far from him, he fell into slumber.

The one that Mike saw was not Kanae, but Laura. Hurriedly pacing through the hallway, Laura made her way to the VIP room. Her eyes lit up when she saw the number that the doctor told her.

"Jason, I’m coming inside."

Laura opened the door and saw the man on the bed. Slowly, she made her way to the bed. Seeing the tired complexion on Jason’s face, she sighed internally. The doctor told her that this man forced himself to stay awake because he was waiting for his friend’s examination result.

She raised her hand and poked Jason’s cheek. "You’re making me worry so much. Do you know how much I panicked when the meeting is over and there’s a call from the hospital about you?"

Even though she knew that Jason was part of the underworld, this man was also one of the leading figures in this city. He has a much more important position rather than fighting in the dangerous places with his friends and all.

"I really can’t understand why you love to stay in Black Street so much."

The dangerous life never suited her because she was always being protected. Even though she could stand on her own, she wouldn’t be able to stand against those who used violence. After all, it was hard to protect herself when she didn’t have much skill in martial arts.

Sitting down on the chair, Laura watched Jason’s face. He looked so peaceful, sleeping without caring about the world at all.

"Why is it that everyone around me always stays in the dangerous world more than the peaceful world? I really wish that the city can change," Laura muttered to herself as she looked at Jason with a complicated expression. Numerous thoughts emerged in her mind, swirling around and around.

After an unknown amount of time, Laura stood up and walked out of the room. She wanted to know more about Jason’s condition and what the man required in the morning.

As she walked in the hallway, her eyes caught the sight of Kevin walking out from the bathroom. He was covered in bandages, but his eyes were still as deep and firm as before. The two of them stopped their steps when they saw each other.

"Miss Laura?" Kevin called.

Laura stared at the young man before her. Their last meeting ended rather horrible because she didn’t want her sister to get close with this man and the underworld. However, it has been a long time since she accepted the fact that it was inevitable.

Besides, she knew that she and her sister had their own way to follow.

"Clan Head Kevin," Laura replied back.

Kevin nodded his head. He stayed silent for a split second before speaking up again. "I’m sorry for taking your sister away from you."

Laura chuckled. "I don’t blame you. After all, it’s partially because of me that she has to participate in the underworld activity. It’s her decision to stay with you, so I can only ask one thing from you. Will you hear me?"

"What is it?" Kevin asked. "If it’s within my capabilities, I’ll do my best to fulfill it."

"I wish you could take care of my sister and didn’t let her get hurt," Laura replied. "I have had enough of seeing her in pain because of me and many other people who want to take her life."

Kanae never told her, but it was something she had known from a long time ago. When she heard the news regarding Ferdinand on the wanted list and the destruction of Lima School, she had a hunch that her sister must have participated. And she was correct. She found the name ’Rei from Fiore Group’ in the newspaper, confirming her doubts at once.

The fact that Ferdinand was the one behind their parent’s death was not a secret anymore for her. She had learned much more than what her sister allowed her before. After all, she had grown up and faced the world at the very front.

Kevin smiled slightly, making his face look even more charming. "Don’t worry. I’ll protect her with all I have."

Never, ever again, he would let her in danger again. He would protect her with all he got and fight alongside her again.

"I’ll take your word," Laura chuckled. "I hope you don’t lie because I’ll never forgive you if you hurt her. Even if you’re someone out of my reach, I’ll never let you go if you dare hurt my sister."

"I promise," Kevin replied.

The two sisters were extremely similar in terms of protecting the ones that they loved. They cared about each other very much. He had heard from Jason how Kanae threatened him if he dared to make Laura unhappy. Now the same happened to him but from Laura.

"Now, please excuse me, Clan Head Kevin."

"Do you want to visit your sister? She’s in one of the rooms here," Kevin offered.

Laura thought about it. The one who drove her sister away was her because she knew very well that Kanae couldn’t choose. It would be a big lie if she said that she didn’t want to visit Kanae. However, it was not the right time.

She wanted to bring her sister back to Nali Family and for that, she had to make sure that she had enough power to do that. Rather than meeting in secret, she wanted to let her sister stand under the light once more because it was her who pushed her sister into this path.

"No, there’s no need," Laura replied.

"Are you sure?" Kevin asked.

Laura nodded her head. "I’m one of the factors that pushed her into this path, so I can’t see her before I can stabilize my position as the family head. She’s shining so brightly under the veil of night, so I have to make sure that I can push her to shine brightly under the light too."

The resolution in Laura’s eyes was extremely apparent. It was the same light he had seen from Kanae a few times in the past whenever that girl mentioned about Laura. He nodded his head in appreciation. "I see. Good night, Miss Laura. I wish you good luck."

"Thank you."

With that, the two of them headed different ways.