"Some battles are unavoidable, some wars will happen no matter what you choose. So soak in every little victory you can claw out."

-

♙Kai Hamilton♙

-

The tension that enter the room had the power to suffocate. Everyone's eyes were on Aresio, curious to his reaction, seeing if he would drop a hint or even a tell. But nothing but a cold wall of ice greeted them. The man didn't appear bothered at all, even at the stated threat that Jaivon was posing. He turns his head to the side as if pondering for a few seconds before a smug smirk comes to his face. The very same smirk that Kai has seen countless times on rich and overly privileged assholes that he has to protect. Kai was happy for once he wasn't speaking otherwise he was sure that this meeting wouldn't have gone past the door.

"...Is that so?" Aresio said.

Jaivon doesn't respond but the polite smile that he had on his face had died quite quick.

"..Do you think I killed him?" Aresio asks in an almost curious manner.

Jaivon doesn't let even a small hint of emotion display outside of neutral professional.

"Of course not! Why would you need to?" He poses the answer like it was at all innocent.

Something seems to cool in Aresio's eyes. Suddenly his head turns and his gaze falls on Kai who has for the most part been as meek as a mouse. Everyone tenses as if on reflex even Kai.

"...And what does the Bloodhound of Briagas have to say?" He asks casually taking off a piece of stray lint like this was a normal Tuesday conversation.

Jaivon was quick to interrupt.

"His opinion on the matter doesn't mean anything sir." Jaivon cuts in.

Aresio looks back at Jaivon for the first time with some symbolizes of emotion. It is cold as a glacier and sharp as a knife. The very air felt like it could combust along with how lethal his gaze was at the exact moment.

"I asked a question and I expect an answer." That was all he said before completely ignoring Jaivon and putting his full attention on Kai.

Kai was now caught between a rock and hard place. He could feel Jaivon's point looks, they screamed for him to not fuck this up. While he knew what would be the correct thing to say, staring down the lion's mouth in a sense was making him nervous.

"Mr. Aresio, my opinion doesn't really matter on the situation when there is evidence." Kai answers plainly.

Aresio doesn't appear put off still. He has the look of a cat who found a rather interesting toy to play with which didn't bod well for Kai. He already had even issue with burning bridges with the rich and powerful.

"That's disappointing. I was hoping to hear something vaguely heroic or even naively poetic about justice." He said with a slight frown as if he was actually disappointed.

Kai strained to keep the polite smile on his face as Jaivon tried again to get Aresio's attention back on him.

"Were you scheduled to meet with Honda that evening? The barkeep informed us that the meeting didn't appear to be mutual?"

Aresio doesn't even look at Jaivon, his focus remains on Kai. Kai doesn't speak but can't help the tensing of his face as he could tell Jaivon was on the edge of upset.

"Do you know who killed Honda sir? What were you meeting with him for?"

Aresio turns his head back to Jaivon with a look that is similar to a parent who is annoyed that their child keeps interrupting their phone call. He doesn't answer and again turns back to Kai.

"You don't believe I killed him? I have to means to do so, why not?" Aresio insisted again with that same smugness of someone too used to getting their way.

"Like I said before sir." Kais pauses, giving himself some time to reel in his annoyance. "What I feel on the matter doesn't matter. We have multiple eye witness's, so please explain why you were meeting with Honda that evening?"

Aresio looks back at him with a frown, no longer did he look amused or even interested in Kai which made him breathe a sigh of relief in his head.

"...I was confirming a theory." He answers vaguely.

Everyone else in the room was silent waiting for him to continue but apparently, that was all he was going to say on the matter.

"A theory sir? What do you mean?" Rafeeqa this time asks.

He looks at her with a bored look on his face.

"...What does it matter to you all. You don't think I kill him, and you don't have a warrant so you're obviously not here to arrest me? So why should I answer anything else?"

"...Dad?"

Everyone froze at the same time and then turns towards the entrance of the sitting room. There in the doorway looking anxiously inside is a young girl. She is almost a spitting image of Aresio save for her eyes. Those were light brown, almost hazel colored. She still her much of her baby fat, given that she appeared to be at least 6 or 7, it wasn't surprising. The tension in the room however didn't leave.

"..I think we are done here." Aresio said with a deep frown.

Kai couldn't help the swell of anger at the rather cold look Aresio threw his daughter, at least Kai was assuming given her appearance. She didn't appear surprised by the look, her eyes dropped to the floor as she straighten up to practice the pose. Aresio now was glaring at each other them as if they had come into his home uninvited.

"Mr. Aresio, if you could just answer our question." Jaivon tried again but was stopped surprisingly by Arthur.

Arthur gives him a look before turning to Aresio with a gentle and unthreatening smile.

"We'll be on our way, sorry to disrupt you Mr. Aresio." Arthur said as he motioned for the rest of his team to leave.

Slowly they all file out of the room and then the house. Aresio doesn't see them off. The maid however that greeted them at the door does and just shuts the door with a small slam.

"..Well that went well.." Rafeeqa said with a scoff.

"We didn't get anything! What a damn waste of time!" Jaivon said with a frustrated huff.

"...Not exactly."

Kai could feel his team's eyes on him at that statement.

"The fuck are you talking about Hamilton?" Jaivon said rather aggressively.

"He said he was testing a theory right? What if his theory was he knew someone was after Honda?"

"What difference does that make now! He's dead. We know someone is hunting him?!" Jaivon said with a sneering look.

Kai turns to look a Jaivon.

"That's just it. The barkeep said their meeting didn't last long and Honda looks and I quote 'like he had seen a ghost'." Kai said, trying to paint a picture for the rest of them.

"...You think Honda knew who was hunting him?" Rafeeqa said.

"I mean, we ruled it as a possibility. Honda's not someone who makes a lot of friends."

Rafeeqa suddenly falls into a thoughtful silence before her eyes widen in realization.

"...So then.. that would mean Honda did know Price!" She said.

Kai nodded, it wasn't a concrete theory but it would make sense if Honda was acting really twitchy after Price's death.

"I want to check with his business partner again. He may not know Honda's relationships per say but he might know something else."

The rest of his team looked at him with a mixed reaction. Hell, even Kai isn't 100% sure if this will get him anywhere but he had to try.