Arthur and William sat opposite one another in silence, neither willing to be the first to look away. The room seemed to have grown smaller around them, as though the walls themselves were leaning inward to listen. William's crimson eyes glowed beneath the dim light, fixed upon Arthur with the patience of a predator watching prey that had not yet realized it was being hunted. There was something unnervingly calm about him, something almost playful in the way he waited. Arthur, however, was no frightened animal. His black, hollow-looking eyes, surrounded by deep dark circles, carried a different kind of menace. If William resembled a predator waiting for an opportunity, Arthur looked like something that had already consumed everything it feared.
Eventually, William broke the silence.
"So, Mr. Doyle," he said, leaning forward slightly, his voice calm and almost courteous, "what's your decision regarding our offer? Will you join us or not?"
Arthur's expression did not change. He remained relaxed, staring directly into William's eyes before finally answering, "What do you think?"
A faint smile appeared on William's face.
"That's not an answer, Mr. Doyle."
Silence returned.
Neither man moved. The only sound in the room was the faint mechanical hum of the fan above them. Seconds passed before William finally sighed, almost as though he were disappointed that the game had taken so long.
"Listen, Mr. Doyle. I would have loved to play this little game with you, but unfortunately, I need to give an answer to someone." He paused, his smile becoming thinner. "Maybe your decision won't affect me very much. But I can assure you…" His eyes narrowed slightly. "It can definitely affect you."
Arthur's lips curved into a faint smile.
"Oh? I thought you were the boss." His gaze remained fixed on William. "But it seems you're an underdog too."
William said nothing.
Arthur leaned back slightly.
"I'd like to meet your boss."
"That," William replied calmly, "completely depends on your answer, Mr. Doyle."
Arthur exhaled through his nose. For the first time, a trace of seriousness entered his expression.
"Sigh… First, I want to ask you something."
William waited.
"Do you seriously think you can eliminate me?"
For a moment, William simply stared at him. Then a quiet laugh escaped his lips.
"Mr. Doyle…" He shook his head slightly. "You see, I want to make this very easy for both of us. If you're planning something nasty, then I can't say what will happen to you."
He paused.
"But…"
William's eyes sharpened.
"It certainly won't go well for your girlfriend."
Arthur's fingers tightened.
It was barely noticeable—only a slight clenching of his hand beneath the table—but William saw it.
"My girlfriend?" Arthur asked, his voice remaining remarkably steady. "You mean Susan?"
William smiled.
"Who else?"
Arthur leaned back, forcing his expression to remain indifferent.
"Why do you think I even care about her?"
William's smile widened.
"Are you sure you don't?"
Arthur said nothing.
For several seconds, the two simply stared at one another again. William eventually leaned back into his chair, his posture becoming almost casual, as if the threat he had just made were nothing more than an observation.
Then he spoke.
"Mr. Doyle, let me tell you something important about us."
Arthur remained silent.
"Do you know what we are?"
William tilted his head slightly.
"We are nothing."
The words hung strangely in the room.
"Yeah," William continued, almost amused by the simplicity of it. "Nothing. Whether you call us an organization, a cult, a group, a movement… it doesn't matter. In reality, we don't even have a name."
Arthur watched him carefully.
"You know why?"
William didn't wait for an answer.
"Because once you give something a name, you stop seeing all of it. You stop seeing what it really is. You start seeing only the word." His fingers slowly tapped against the arm of his chair. "And a word is such a tiny thing compared to the existence it represents."
He paused.
"It becomes a label. A boundary. Something your mind can hold onto."
William's crimson eyes remained fixed on Arthur.
"You focus on the name instead of everything behind it."
He leaned forward slightly.
"The name becomes the entire thing in your mind, even though it is only the smallest part of it."
His smile returned.
"The tip of the iceberg."
Arthur's expression remained unreadable.
"That's why we don't have a name."
Another silence followed.
William glanced briefly toward the clock before looking back at Arthur.
"Well, Mr. Doyle, this is becoming rather important." His voice lost some of its playful quality. "I really do need to hear your decision now."
He leaned back.
"We're both running out of time."
Arthur looked at him.
Then, slowly, he looked toward the ceiling.
His eyes followed the blades of the fan as they rotated above him, one after another, moving in an endless circle. His gaze shifted toward the lights next, watching the pale glow inside the bulbs. For a moment, he seemed completely detached from the conversation, as though he were examining every insignificant detail of the room before making a decision that could change everything.
Finally, his eyes returned to William's crimson gaze.
Arthur took a slow, deep breath.
"Fine."
William waited.
"I'll join you."
For a moment, neither man spoke.
Then a knowing smile spread across William's face.
"A wise decision, Mr. Doyle—"
"But on one condition."
The smile vanished.
William's expression became completely still.
"What is it?"
Arthur leaned forward slightly.
"I want to talk to your boss."
He paused.
"And I want some answers."
William stared at him.
For a brief moment, his face became strangely blank, almost like a scarecrow standing motionless in an empty field.
Then, without warning, an enormous smile slowly spread across his face.
"Very well, then," William said.
And once again, the room fell silent.
William glanced toward the empty counter.
"Ruby!!!"
His voice echoed through the café.
Arthur instinctively turned his attention toward the counter. There was no one there. The place appeared completely deserted, except for a single door attached to the rear of the counter—the entrance to the kitchen. For a moment, nothing happened.
Then a soft yet surprisingly loud voice came from the other side.
"Coming!!"
Arthur raised an eyebrow.
A second later, the unmistakable sound of metal objects crashing onto the floor erupted from behind the door.
CLANG!
CLATTER!
BANG!
Arthur stared at the door without saying a word.
William looked toward it as well.
"Are you alright?" he called out.
A brief pause followed.
"Kinda."
Arthur's expression became even more confused.
Before he could ask anything, the door suddenly swung open, and a cloud of dust rolled out from the kitchen. Arthur blinked as the smoke-like haze drifted across the counter and into the café. Through it emerged a young woman, coughing as she stepped forward.
She was a young woman of Norse heritage, with long brown hair falling around her shoulders and sharp golden eyes that gave her an unusually bold presence. Yet there was something almost charming about her appearance as well, a strange contrast between the intensity of her gaze and the casual manner in which she had just emerged from a disaster in the kitchen. She wore the café's staff uniform, complete with a cap that was now covered in dust.
She coughed several times before finally pulling the cap from her head and brushing some of the dust from her hair.
Arthur looked at her face.
His eyes widened.
For the first time since entering the café, his composure completely cracked.
His hand tightened into a fist, and he abruptly stood from his chair.
The girl noticed him.
Their eyes met.
Arthur stared at her as though he had just seen a ghost.
"Y-you…"
His voice was barely audible.
"You're the girl who gave me Liam's name…?"
The girl said nothing.
William immediately raised a hand.
"Sit down, Mr. Doyle."
Arthur continued staring at her for another moment before slowly lowering himself back into his chair.
William looked between the two of them before calmly introducing the woman.
"She is our boss."
Arthur's expression hardened.
"Her name is Ruby Cuthburt."
Arthur's hand immediately moved toward his sock.
His fingers found the handle of the knife hidden there.
Ruby noticed.
Her golden eyes narrowed slightly.
"Don't think of doing anything funny, Arthur."
Her voice was calm, but there was no uncertainty in it.
"You wanted to talk."
She took a step forward.
"So we'll talk."
Arthur remained still for several seconds. His fingers slowly loosened around the knife before his hand finally moved away from it. He leaned back into his chair and took several deep breaths, forcing himself to regain his composure.
William remained seated, watching Arthur closely.
Ruby, however, turned toward William.
She stared at him for a few seconds without saying anything.
Then she began walking toward him.
William watched her approach with a faintly puzzled expression.
Ruby stopped directly in front of him.
Then she stepped onto his foot.
Hard.
She shifted almost her entire weight onto it.
William's expression immediately twisted.
"Ouch—!"
Ruby continued standing there.
"What was that for?"
"Can't you see I'm standing here all alone?" Ruby replied, completely unimpressed. "Stand up and let me sit here. You've done your talking."
William looked down at his foot, then back at Ruby.
For a moment, he seemed to consider arguing.
Instead, he sighed.
"Fine, fine. As you wish."
He stood up.
Ruby immediately took his place and sat down as though nothing had happened.
William shook his head, grabbed another chair, and positioned it a short distance away before sitting down.
Arthur watched the entire exchange in silence.
His mind was struggling to process what he had just witnessed.
This was the boss?
The person behind everything?
The mysterious figure William had spoken about with such seriousness?
Arthur looked at Ruby again.
She certainly did not behave like the person he had imagined.
Ruby noticed his expression.
"Sorry about that," she said casually. "You should blame him."
William immediately looked offended.
"Why me? It was your fault."
Ruby turned toward him.
"What did you—"
Before she could finish, Arthur finally interrupted.
"What is going on here?"
Both of them looked toward him.
Arthur's gaze moved from William to Ruby.
"And you're the boss? Really?"
There was genuine disbelief in his voice.
Ruby simply watched him.
Arthur continued.
"Then why did you reveal the information about Austin to me?"
Ruby remained silent for a few seconds.
Her golden eyes stayed fixed upon Arthur, studying him carefully.
Then she finally spoke.
"If you think about it…"
A faint smile began forming on her face.
"…the answer is much simpler than you think."
Arthur's expression tightened.
Ruby's smile grew slightly wider.
"No need to complicate it."
Arthur stared at her.
And for a moment, neither William nor Ruby said another word.
The strange smile remained on Ruby's face.
Chapter Ends
To be Continued