(Keifer's POV)
The office had never felt this suffocating before.
Not even during business wars. Not during threats. Not during meetings that could destroy companies within minutes.
But this?
This was different.
Because this time, it was Jay.
The large glass windows of Tiger's Club overlooked the city below, the skyline glowing under the dark afternoon clouds, but nobody inside the office paid attention to it.
Not me.
Not Percy.
Not Aries.
Not Angelo.
Not Section E spread around the room looking exhausted after days of searching.
Nobody spoke for a while.
Phones kept ringing.
Messages kept coming.
Names. Locations. Leads.
None of them were her.
I leaned against the edge of the desk silently, jaw tight, staring at the files scattered across the table. CCTV screenshots. Flight records. Reports from contacts overseas. Every possible lead we could get our hands on.
Still nothing concrete.
It had already been days.
Days.
And somehow, Jay still managed to disappear from everyone.
Felix cursed under his breath from the couch while Calix kept refreshing something on his laptop beside him.
"She literally vanished," Drew muttered tiredly.
"No," I said quietly.
Everyone looked at me.
I slowly lifted my eyes from the desk.
"She wanted to disappear."
Silence again.
That hurt more because it was true.
Jay knew how all of us worked. She knew our systems. Our contacts. Our methods.
If she didn't want to be found—
then nobody would find her unless she allowed it.
Angelo sighed heavily, rubbing his forehead.
"She's heading toward danger injured," he muttered. "This is insane."
At the mention of injured, my expression darkened immediately.
Nobody said anything after that.
Because they all knew.
They just didn't know how bad it actually was.
A knock suddenly came from outside before one of my men entered quickly.
"Sir."
I straightened slightly.
"What?"
The man handed me a tablet immediately.
"We tracked movement from one of MCY's hidden channels."
The entire room became alert instantly.
I grabbed the tablet.
Flight details.
Private route.
Afternoon departure.
Destination:
New York City.
My chest tightened instantly.
NYC.
She really went.
"She's leaving the country?" Mayo whispered.
"No," Percy said quietly from the other side of the room, eyes fixed on the screen. "She's going to war."
Nobody disagreed.
Because everyone in this room knew what MCY meant.
Enemies.
Blood.
Danger.
And Jay walking straight into it while barely standing properly.
My grip on the tablet tightened unconsciously.
"She won't survive if she keeps moving in that condition," Angelo muttered.
I looked away sharply.
That sentence alone made something twist violently inside my chest.
Percy noticed.
Of course he did.
He slowly leaned forward in his chair, elbows resting on his knees.
"What condition was she in when she left?"
The room became quieter.
Even Section E stopped talking.
I didn't answer immediately.
Because the memory alone already made me feel sick.
That night replayed in my head too many times already.
Jay standing near the door.
Trying to act fine.
Trying to smile.
Trying not to let me notice she was already struggling to stand.
I swallowed once before finally speaking.
"She didn't eat."
Cin frowned slightly.
"What?"
"She didn't eat anything before leaving," I repeated quietly. "Not the whole day."
Nobody moved.
I forced myself to continue.
"She was already weak before that. Her body was exhausted. She kept pretending she was okay but…" I paused shortly, jaw tightening. "She couldn't even walk properly without support."
Aries' expression changed immediately.
"What?"
I laughed once softly.
Not because it was funny.
Because I still hated myself for remembering it so clearly.
"She almost lost balance twice just walking."
Nobody in the room spoke now.
I could feel all of them listening carefully.
Even breathing felt heavier.
"The stitches from her previous injury were already bad," I continued quietly. "She kept moving anyway."
Percy's expression slowly darkened.
"How bad?"
I looked down at the table for a second before answering.
"Bad enough that she was shaking."
Silence.
"Jay hid it well," I said. "But I noticed."
Of course I noticed.
I always noticed.
Even when she smiled.
Even when she lied.
Even when she pretended everything was fine.
I noticed all of it.
And I still let her leave.
My chest tightened painfully.
"She was pale," I continued. "Could barely stay awake. Every few minutes she'd stop moving because breathing hurt."
Section E looked disturbed hearing that.
Kit muttered a quiet curse under his breath.
Then Percy suddenly spoke again.
"She was already in worse condition than any of us realized."
The room stayed silent.
Nobody knew exactly what happened after she disappeared.
Nobody knew where she went first.
And nobody knew how much pain she was actually hiding.
But hearing all of this now made the fear in the room heavier.
Felix ran a hand through his hair frustratedly.
"She seriously went to New York like that?"
Nobody answered him.
Because deep down, everyone already knew the answer.
Jay would drag herself through hell if it meant protecting the people she cared about.
Even if it destroyed her in the process.
I looked away sharply, clenching my jaw so hard it hurt.
Nobody in the room spoke after that.
Because what was there to say?
Jay was injured.
Exhausted.
And currently on her way to New York to face enemies who would kill her without hesitation.
Aries suddenly stood up first.
"We leave before the flight lands."
Immediately everyone else moved.
Phones came out.
Weapons.
Contacts.
Plans.
The entire office shifted into motion within seconds.
But I stayed still for a moment longer.
Because underneath all the anger—
all the panic—
all the fear—
there was only one thought repeating inside my head.
Jay left to protect me.
And now she was suffering alone because of it.
I slowly picked up my phone.
Then finally spoke.
"Prepare the jet."
My voice came out colder than intended.
Nobody questioned it.
Because every single person in that room already knew one thing.
No matter where Jay ran—
I was going to find her.