The night was restless.
Ochieng sat on the rooftop of his apartment, the city lights flickering below like dying stars.
His phone buzzed. A number he hadn't seen in years.
He didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he let it ring… once, twice… ten times.
Then, finally—
Click.
A deep voice rumbled through the speaker.
"You've been making waves, Ochieng."
Ochieng exhaled slowly. "And you've been hiding in the dark for too long, old man."
A chuckle. Cold. Amused.
"Do you know how many people want you dead right now?"
Ochieng smirked. "Let them try."
Silence.
Then the voice dropped lower.
"Watch your back, boy. The Elders are preparing to move. And when they do… even you might not be enough to stop them."
The line went dead.
Ochieng stared at his phone for a long moment.
The past was catching up to him.
And this time, he wouldn't run.
--
The next morning, a sleek black car pulled up in front of his school.
Everyone turned to stare.
The door opened, and a man in a tailored suit stepped out, his expression unreadable.
"Ochieng," he said smoothly. "Get in."
Ochieng arched an eyebrow. "And if I don't?"
The man smiled.
"You will."
Ochieng studied him for a moment. Then, with a sigh, he slid into the car.
The door shut behind him.
And the car sped away.
---
The car drove for nearly an hour, taking him deep into the city's elite district—a place where only the richest, most powerful families walked freely.
They stopped in front of a towering skyscraper.
The moment Ochieng stepped out, he felt it.
Danger.
Not the kind that came from guns or knives.
The kind that came from men who controlled nations.
A butler led him into an elevator, up to the very top floor.
And when the doors slid open, he found himself standing before a long table.
Seated around it were ten men.
The true rulers of the underworld.
The man at the head of the table leaned forward, studying Ochieng like a specimen under a microscope.
"So," he said slowly. "You're the boy who turned his back on his inheritance."
Ochieng met his gaze without fear.
"And you're the men who are about to regret calling me here."
A chuckle ran through the room.
But it wasn't amusement.
It was the sound of sharks circling their prey.
The real game was finally starting.
And Ochieng wasn't planning on losing.
---