Chapter 10: The Hidden Leader
839 Words
The living room had never felt so tense.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
The evening light filtered through the tall windows of the mansion, casting long shadows across the marble floor. Outside, the fountain continued its endless song, unaware that another secret was about to emerge from the shadows of Maro's life.
Namu stood near the center of the room.
His father sat quietly in his chair.
Mano remained beside him.
The manager stood near the doorway.
And all of them were waiting for the same person.
BB.
The young man whose name had unexpectedly surfaced at the banquet hall.
The young man whom MN Squad obeyed.
The young man who, according to ten dangerous men, had become Maro's successor.
The idea still felt absurd.
Twenty-five years old.
A nephew.
A boy they had watched grow up.
How could someone like that command the loyalty of people who inspired fear merely by standing in silence?
The distant sound of an engine interrupted Namu's thoughts.
Everyone looked toward the entrance.
A car rolled through the gates.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
The headlights swept across the garden before disappearing.
Then the engine stopped.
Silence returned.
The car door opened.
A young man stepped out.
BB.
He wore a simple black shirt and dark trousers.
Nothing expensive.
Nothing flashy.
Yet something about him immediately felt different.
His movements were calm.
Measured.
Confident.
Not the confidence of arrogance.
The confidence of certainty.
He walked toward the house without hesitation.
As though he had already expected this meeting.
As though he already knew every question waiting for him inside.
The front door opened.
BB entered.
His eyes briefly swept across the room.
He acknowledged everyone.
Then stopped in front of Namu.
A faint smile touched his lips.
"Yes, uncle."
His voice was respectful.
Warm.
Normal.
Almost too normal.
"I came as soon as you called."
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Namu simply stared at him.
Trying to reconcile the nephew he knew with the man MN Squad described.
Trying to find evidence.
A clue.
Anything.
But BB's expression remained calm.
Controlled.
Unreadable.
"Sit."
The word came from Namu.
Short.
Direct.
BB nodded and took a seat.
The others remained standing.
Watching.
Waiting.
The tension in the room thickened.
Finally, Namu spoke.
"Today I met ten men."
BB's eyes remained steady.
"They called themselves MN Squad."
No reaction.
Not even surprise.
Namu noticed immediately.
"So you already know who I'm talking about."
BB folded his hands calmly.
"Yes."
The answer landed heavily.
Namu took a step forward.
"They say Maro created the squad."
"Yes."
"They say Maro led the squad."
"Yes."
Each answer came without hesitation.
Without fear.
Without confusion.
As if the truth carried no weight for him at all.
Namu's voice hardened.
"And they say that after Maro's death..."
He paused.
"...you became their leader."
For the first time, silence lingered.
BB looked down briefly.
Not avoiding the question.
Simply choosing his words.
When he finally raised his eyes, something had changed.
The warmth was still there.
But beneath it was something deeper.
Something older.
Something far more dangerous.
"Not after his death."
The room became still.
Namu frowned.
"What do you mean?"
BB leaned back slightly.
His gaze moved toward the large portrait of Maro hanging on the wall.
Then he spoke.
"Uncle Maro appointed me two years ago."
Nobody breathed.
Nobody moved.
The revelation struck harder than anyone expected.
Two years.
For two entire years, Maro had already been preparing someone to succeed him.
Two years of planning.
Two years of secrecy.
Two years of trust.
Namu felt a chill crawl down his spine.
"You mean..."
BB nodded.
"He knew this day might come."
Silence swallowed the room.
Even Maro's father slowly rose from his chair.
His hands trembled.
"My son knew he was in danger?"
BB looked at him respectfully.
"I believe he did."
The old man's face paled.
The room seemed to shrink around them.
Questions multiplied faster than answers.
Namu stared at BB.
Every assumption he had made about his brother was collapsing.
The businessman.
The father.
The founder.
The protector.
And now-
The strategist.
A man who had prepared for his own absence years before it happened.
Namu swallowed slowly.
Then asked the question everyone feared.
"Tell me the truth, BB."
His voice was barely above a whisper.
"Who exactly was my brother?"
For the first time since entering the room, BB's calm expression shifted.
A shadow crossed his face.
Not fear.
Not hesitation.
Respect.
Deep respect.
He looked toward Maro's portrait once more.
Then back at the family.
And quietly said-
"The answer to that question..."
A pause.
"...is why he was murdered."
The room fell silent.
Not a single person spoke.
Because in that moment, they all understood.
They had spent weeks searching for a killer.
But they had never asked the most important question.
Who was Maro really?
And now, for the first time, it felt as though they were standing at the edge of a truth far larger than any of them had imagined.
- Writer
