The entire gang stood scattered across the grassy yard, bathed in the warm golden light of the setting sun.
A gentle breeze carried the savory aroma of grilled at across the open space, making stomachs growl and mouths water.
Elijah stood at the grill, flipping skewers with practiced ease, smoke curling lazily into the air.
His smile was relaxed, content, almost like he had never left.
Jack and Mai were busy at the picnic table, laying out plates and cutlery with casual chatter between them.
From the house, Stella erged with a massive tray of food balanced expertly in her arms.
Beside her, Kai carried a stack of covered dishes, both of them laughing as they maneuvered down the steps.
Most of the others were standing around doing absolutely nothing—just watching.
Elijah glanced up and raised a brow, eyes twinkling with mischief. "Guys, if you don’t help, you aren’t eating," he called out with a grin.
That got a few groans and chuckles.
Lucas, standing at the front, grinned back and stepped forward.
The mont he got close, the two n embraced tightly.
"Missed you too, man," Elijah said, his voice quiet but full of genuine emotion.
One by one, the others followed, drawn in by that bond that had never truly faded.
They hugged, clapped each other on the backs, and exchanged quiet greetings.
For over a year and a half, they had all walked their separate paths—but now, they were back together.
A family forged in fire and chaos, who had sohow climbed their way up to form one of the top Oga-ranked gangs.
Despite the ti apart, nothing felt out of place.
There was warmth here—laughter, mories, and a bond deeper than blood.
Aurora moved to help Stella and Kai, taking a few dishes from their hands.
Ben jogged into the house and returned with extra chairs under each arm.
Lucas remained near Elijah, the two old friends already laughing and catching up over light conversation.
Kevin and Tristan had gone out to buy drinks, along with a few of their n—no doubt returning with more than just beverages.
When everything was finally set—the table brimming with food, chairs arranged, and everyone gathered around like old tis—Elijah stepped forward.
His face turned serious for a mont, though the warmth in his eyes remained.
"Guys," he said.
The noise died down imdiately.
Every face turned to him, attentive and waiting.
"I just wanted to say... I’m sorry," Elijah began.
"I know I was being selfish, leaving you all to handle everything without ."
Kai chuckled from his seat, arms crossed. "We’re all allowed to be selfish sotis."
Kevin nodded, raising a can of soda. "You had things you needed to deal with. What matters is—you’re back, Elijah."
Elijah looked at them all, his gaze lingering on each person. "I know. But I should’ve inford you. I should’ve said sothing. I just... I didn’t want to burden you. Still, now that I’m here again— I have grand plans. But let’s leave that for another ti."
He turned to Stella with a thankful smile. "For now, let’s enjoy this beautiful al my mother helped prepare."
Stella gave him a proud nod.
"This gang we built—it’s more than just power or territory. It’s built on all of us, together. Let’s keep moving forward together, helping each other, and loving each other like the family we are."
The wind picked up slightly, rustling leaves nearby as his voice rang out with quiet strength.
"We don’t know when we’ll die... so let’s enjoy the mont we have today. From now on, let’s make dinners like this one of our traditions. I love you guys. I’m really happy to see all of you again."
There was a short silence.
Then
"Is the speech over? I’m starving," Tristan chid in with a grin.
Laughter burst out around the table, warm and genuine.
Tristan raised his hand in mock seriousness. "But seriously, Elijah. We’ll all follow you until the end. We don’t know when this goal of ours will beco reality... but if we die chasing it, so be it. It’s better than sitting around doing nothing. We’re family—and we love you. We’ve got your back, our Leader."
The mont that followed was quiet, full of unspoken promises.
Then Elijah clapped his hands together. "Let’s enjoy our al."
The sound of conversation returned, louder this ti, as plates were filled and food passed around.
Lucas leaned closer to Elijah as the two sat, mid-al. "So listen to this," he said, chuckling.
"I didn’t know this girl was part of a big business, right? We went out, had fun... figured it was just a fling. But turns out her brother is the Company’s Leader."
Elijah raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
Lucas continued, "She was sheltered her whole life, always under guard. She just wanted to live a little, have so fun. Before her brother found her again, she told she wanted us to be together—marriage and everything. We’d only known each other for a month! Six months ago, her brother found out what happened."
He shook his head as he drank.
Elijah asked, "What happened next?"
Lucas sighed. "Guy shows up at our base. Pays one of the Oga-ranked gangs—the Raven Gang—to start a war with us. But they weren’t in it for the money. They just wanted to see how strong we were. It was more like a test than a real attack."
"Then what?" Elijah asked, chewing slowly.
"Well, the girl helped smooth things over. With her help, we created an alliance with the company—and even got offered 25% in shares. But her brother thought I forced her or sothing, so at first, he was ready to burn us all down. He told the Raven Gang to back off, but they didn’t care. They used his initial anger as an excuse to keep poking us."
Lucas shrugged.
"Eventually, the guy cald down and said he wanted to et you. Also... he wants to marry his sister. I don’t mind. I told him we’d talk about it when you got back."
Elijah blinked. "So you dragged us into a war and a marriage proposal at the sa ti?"
Lucas smirked. "Pretty much. And now we’re allied with an electronic company that has branches in almost every Tier 3 city—about ten cities total. We’re set to make a lot of money. But they said the final go-ahead has to co from you before we get our 25%."
Elijah just shook his head, half amused, half annoyed. "What kind of problems do you drown us in?"
Aurora, sitting nearby, leaned over and chid in, "He’s not the only one. Kai’s brother isn’t here, but trust , he’s a troublemaker too."
Elijah laughed and looked at her.
"Tell later. How about you, Aurora? How have you been? Anything crazy?"
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