CHAPTER 44: CH 44: A VISIT- PART 1

The moment Fenrir mentioned his brother, Louis Gram’s expression shifted.

A flash of something sharp—panic, perhaps—flickered in his eyes before it vanished behind a neutral mask.

But Fenrir caught it, and so did the police officer standing beside him.

Louis tried to recover quickly.

"Young master, I understand this ordeal has shaken you, but refusing assistance from your family isn’t wise. You’re being rash. Please, think carefully—"

"I’ve already thought about it. And I’m not leaving with you. I said I don’t trust you, and I meant it."

Fenrir said, voice flat and steady.

Louis’s mouth thinned.

"This is not the time for rebellion. Your brother—"

"Doesn’t concern me right now. I’m going home. Alone."

Fenrir cut in.

That struck a nerve.

The tension in Louis’s shoulders became visible, his hands clenched at his sides despite the professional calm he was trying to project.

The police officer, Chief Hassan, had been quietly observing the exchange, but now he stepped in.

"That’s enough. You may be his legal guardian’s representative, but the boy just went through a kidnapping. If he says he doesn’t want to go with you, I’m not handing him over."

He said, gaze settling on Louis.

Louis stiffened.

"Chief Hassan, I assure you, this is a misunderstanding."

"Maybe"

Hassan said, his voice calm but firm.

"Or maybe not. Either way, I’ll be keeping Fenrir under our care for now. You may leave."

It was clear Louis wasn’t used to being denied.

His jaw tightened, and for a moment Fenrir wondered if he would push further—but then, with a curt nod, the secretary backed off.

"Very well. I’ll inform our CEO."

"Do that."

Fenrir said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

With that, Louis turned and left, disappearing into the night.

Fenrir stood quietly as the car rolled away, then let out a long breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

Fenrir returned home an hour later.

The police had dropped him off in an unmarked car, not wanting to draw attention after what had happened.

The sky was dark, the air crisp, but his mind was far from calm. As he walked up to his apartment building and approached the familiar door, he slowed.

Someone was waiting for him.

Leaning casually against the wall near his door was the same man who had fixed his broken window before—the one who had delivered his brother’s message last time.

He stood with his hands in his coat pockets, looking like he’d been there a while.

Fenrir raised an eyebrow.

"Let me guess. You’re here to scold me on behalf of your boss?"

The man looked up and gave him a lazy smile.

"No. Just checking in."

Fenrir’s eyes narrowed.

"I already had one of your kind ’check in’ on me. The secretary. The guy with the fake smile and the over-polished shoes."

That made the man blink. He straightened up slightly.

"Secretary? What secretary?"

Fenrir crossed his arms.

"Louis Gram. Came right after the police saved me. Claimed my brother sent him."

The man stared at him for a moment, all traces of humor gone.

"There’s been no such order. Also, we did not get a police alert for you."

Now Fenrir tensed.

The man pulled out his phone and scrolled quickly.

"No contact from the main house. No request to send Louis anywhere. If he came, he did it on his own—or someone higher up is pulling strings behind closed doors."

Fenrir’s fingers twitched.

"So it wasn’t an official order?"

"No. Which means either someone is going rogue... or someone is setting you up."

The man said slowly, pocketing the phone.

For a moment, silence stretched between them.

Fenrir looked at the man carefully.

"Why are you telling me this? Don’t you work for him?"

"I do. But I’m not a fan of being kept in the dark. And unlike Gram, I don’t play political games."

The man said.

Fenrir tilted his head.

"Then what are you here for?"

"To make sure you’re not dead. You may not like him, but your brother does want you alive and in good health. He’s just... not good at showing it."

The man gave him a long look.

"Spare me. I’ve had enough drama for one night."

Fenrir muttered, opening the door.

This all smelled of conspiracy.

Fenrir leaned back on the couch, feeling the pressure building in his skull—not from the kidnapping or the threats, but from the web of half-truths and concealed intentions that had slowly begun to wrap around him since his awakening.

His instincts told him something was very wrong, and while he had learned to trust those instincts, he also knew when to step back.

He glanced at the man still standing near the door—Rick, as he had just introduced himself—who looked ready to start lecturing again.

"I’d like to rest now. And I don’t want to be dragged into any family drama. It doesn’t feel worth it."

Fenrir said flatly, breaking the tense silence.

Rick hesitated, then gave a nod of acknowledgment.

"Understood. I’ll make sure no one bothers you unless it’s urgent."

He stepped forward and tapped Fenrir’s phone, syncing his contact.

"I’ve saved my number. Call if anything seems off. Or if you change your mind."

Fenrir glanced briefly at the name Rick

on his screen, then locked the phone and tossed it onto the coffee table without another glance.

"I won’t."

He said, closing his eyes.

Rick didn’t respond.

A moment later, Fenrir heard the soft click of the door as the man left, and finally, silence settled across the apartment.

The next morning, Fenrir sat up slowly, rubbing his face and groaning softly.

His body ached in places it hadn’t before, a reminder that while he might be powerful, he was still mortal.

He stretched and reached lazily for his phone, flipping it open to check any messages.

He wasn’t expecting anything important—but what caught his eye immediately was the notification from his banking app.

[Transfer Received: 10,000,000 credits]

His eyebrows rose.

Fenrir opened the transaction log and saw the sender’s name. It was his brother.

"Hah. Trying to buy my silence, are you?"

Fenrir muttered, lips twitching into something between a smirk and a scoff.

It was too convenient.

The kidnapping, the secretary’s suspicious behavior, and now this generous "gift"? It reeked of hush money.

As if Elias wanted to close this Chapter quickly—before Fenrir asked too many questions.

Still... Fenrir didn’t mind the money.

Ten million was ten million, and it would be more useful in his hands than anyone else’s.

He grinned and closed the app, swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

But now, curiosity tugged at him.

If Elias was powerful enough to move this much money without blinking, why hadn’t he bothered to show his face all this time?

Why send underlings and secretaries, but never reach out personally?

It made no sense unless...

"Unless he’s hiding something."

Fenrir murmured.

And if there was one thing Fenrir hated more than being underestimated, it was being lied to.

He stood and made his way to the closet, pulling out a jacket and gloves. If the brother didn’t want to talk, too bad. Fenrir was done being a passive observer.

It was time to pay big brother a visit.

"Let’s see what kind of man you really are, Brother."