Never Judge

"I'm sure you understand our hesitation in believing that you are on our side." The man at the other end of the line told Ian.

"Makes sense." Ian confidently answered.

He had already expected them to say this and more as he leaned against the cold walls of the holding cell. Obviously he wasn't going to step out to the hall where a passerby could hear him.

"How can you prove that you are truly with us?" The person at the other end of the call asked.

"I don't have to." Ian answered simply.

"You're quite confident Mr. Lim." The man chuckled. "You could always be a spy that Mr. Reyes and his friends are planning to send over. You could be using this opportunity to get into our ranks-"

Before the man could even finish, Ian chuckled at his words.

The man was puzzled by his reaction, this was far from what any of them had expected Ian to do.

As a matter of fact, when Henry called and explained the situation to them they thought Ian would come begging for their acceptance.

If he were truly with the Rajas, then he had been exposed to Cedric and his friends. If he was not, then he would be desperate to join them, but the man at the other end of the line didn't even seem to need them.

"Don't be fooled, whoever you are." Ian's indifferent tone sent chills up the man's spine. "The only reason I'm reaching out now is because you and your people have ruined a plan decades in the making."

"Care to explain?" The man asked as he tried to hide how much Ian intimidated him now.

"Who are you for me to explain to?" Ian questioned. "My grandfather was a key member of the Rajas. He is the reason it thrives today, his sacrifice was the back up plan and you chose to ruin it with a pawn."

There was silence at the other end of the line as Ian kept his composure.

He wasn't sure if the people at the other end of the call believed his words. He knew that he had to enter this deal on top. He needed to show them that he was not to be questioned and that his truth was the only truth.

"Will you meet us?" The man asked after some time.

"Why? What is the need for us to meet?" Ian questioned. "My grandfather worked with the Rajas without meeting them for years. Are you planning to expose us?"

By thrusting the doubt towards them Ian had hoped that the Rajas would further be flustered with him. Of course he wanted to meet them, put faces and names to those that wanted to do his friends and family ill, but he couldn't sound too eager.

"Times have changed, Mr. Lim. The Rajas are taking action." The man told him.

Ian was silent for a while as he pretended to consider his next moves.

"Very well, I will set the time and the place." Ian told the man. "Make sure I can still contact this number."

"We will, Mr. Lim." The man was clearly very much relieved by Ian's agreement to meet with them. It seemed that it didn't matter that Ian was now calling the shots and dictating their actions.

"What about Henry?" The man asked.

Ian expected this, he knew that the Rajas would want him out of Cedric's hands. Who knew what other information Henry knew, what secrets he would spill.

"He stays." Ian coldly answered as he looked at the man who was passed out on the ground from hunger, torture, and the beating Ian had inflicted on him only moments ago.

Henry was no longer used to the hard life and had gone soft.

"He knows too much." The man hissed.

"If he walks free then Mr. Reyes and his friends will know that I had a hand in this." Ian answered. "No, he stays here. We keep the trust Mr. Reyes has in me and it keeps us close to our enemies. I will text the date, time, and location to this number."

With that, Ian dropped the call.

He looked at Henry and sighed. His grandfather truly simply wanted to help the man, he wanted the man to have a better life and yet he had squandered it thinking that Ian's grandfather was one of the Rajas.

Henry wanted power and influence beyond what he could reach. It was what had now led to his downfall.

"Such a disappointment." Ian said with a sigh as he nudged the man to check if he was still passed out.

"If you are conscious enough to hear me, you will suffer here, you will keep your mouth shut and you will not change your story." Ian instructed. "The moment you change your story, Mr. Reyes and his friends will suspect."

With that Ian turned and left the room, sealing it behind him.

He straightened his suit as he walked down the hall and out of the holding cell area.

As he made his way back up to the main area of the security building, Ian slowly formed a plan on how to work his way up among the Rajas.

He was going to dismantle them from the inside out and he was going to make sure that they could never stand up again.

"You can switch everything back on again." Cedric told the guard in charge as he entered the room.

The man quickly did as Ian asked, turning on the cameras,

When he turned to look back, Ian and his bodyguards were gone.

Outside, Ian looked at Mountain View Mansion. He stopped and took a deep breath. He knew the gravity of what he was about to embark on, he knew well enough the dangers and the risks.

"Have someone go to the civil bureau tomorrow, I want to make things legal between me and Nicole, but keep it quiet. Neither Cedric nor the Rajas are to find out about this." He told one of his bodyguards.

The man nodded as he disappeared into the night to do as Ian asked.

"Are you sure that the two of you want to burn in hell with me?" He asked the man that remained.

"We do, sir." He responded in a determined tone.

Ian simply nodded as he walked towards the mansion. Tonight would possibly be the last calm night for a very long time.