- I fucking knew it! - Will snapped.

If he had a table in front of him, he would slam his fits on it, but since he was sitting on the tabletop, that was impossible, but his fist still went up in the air. He didn't find anything to hit there, though, so he put it down.

- We suspected many people - Daniel pointed out. - I'm still wondering how he found out about that.

- He is in Japan? - I asked.

- If you think about going there to find him, and kill him, then you better stop - Daniel warned me. - We don't need an international scandal.

- We could put The Great One on his ass - I pointed out.

- We could? - Daniel asked, surprised. - I don't think so. All he cares is about whether we have enough firepower to fight what's coming. He doesn't care if Blue, me, or you are in charge of a city.

He was right, and I knew it from the start. My mind, though, was running wild, searching for a way to get that asshole. I was really willing to even get there myself, find him, and end the problem for good. I just needed a single yes, and I would already be on my way. Unfortunately, both of them were unwilling to say it.

- He is probably working with the Japanese government - Will pointed out.

- Yes - Daniel confirmed. - He actually has been for a while now. Even before we knew about Ixa. Japan didn't have a gate, like many other countries. You can't blame them for wanting one.

- Why are they keeping the city a secret? - Will asked. - Announcing it would let them join the other countries who have one. I don't really get this part.

- I thought it was obvious - Daniel responded. - First of all, they know about the seeds. They know that having more saplings is a possibility. Why would they want to share this information? Right now it's only us and them who know about that. You have to put this in perspective, the gates to the cities stopped popping up a while ago. A sudden new one would pick an interest, and there are smart enough people people in intelligence forces around the world, to start asking about that. Not to mention there would be pressure to allow others into their city, and inevitably somebody would say something. Right now they have the secret and the city just for themselves.

- We have to find a way to get there. Or at least expose them - I said, rejoining the conversation, as my mind calmed down a bit.

- I agree - Daniel said. - We should be very careful though. It's better if they don't know that we know. We have the element of surprise on our side.

- So what do you propose? - Will asked.

- Let's deal with our problems first. Then give them a breather, so they would think we didn't find anything. Then we strike out of nowhere, take Blue's head off his shoulders, and leave it at that for a moment. Japan won't say a thing to keep their secret. We will wait some more, and our last move will be to whisper some words to a few ears here and there. Obviously very discreetly, so the truth will come out. We will contact them, and help them bullshit their way out of it, in return for them keeping their mouth shut about the seeds. We should also use The Great One, to apply additional pressure - Daniel proposed.

I slowly nodded.

- Not half bad plan.

- Yes - Will agreed. - We definitely should start with dealing with the problems on our turf. The rest... Let's discuss it when we fix one problem. I really have enough stress for today.

He sighed heavily, then continued his speech.historical

- First, this asshole stresses me during a meeting - he pointed at me. - And then you bring me such a bomb.

- I brought you what I found out. Sugarcoating is a premium service - Daniel said, with a smirk on his face. - I need to get some rest too. It has been a busy couple of weeks.

With those words, he headed for the door. I moved to the side to give him the space. Will followed him, so I was the last one to leave the meeting room. We went our separate ways afterward.

I felt like I should inform Celestine about everything that we found out, especially about the fact that she was on the list, so I went home.

My whole family was out hunting, so nobody was there. It gave me an opportunity to sweat the way of telling her the bad news. The best way to achieve that was a good dinner. I made it so that when my family returned, they immediately could sit at the table and fill their bellies.

Then they went to wash. I followed celestine to the bathroom in our room, upstairs. It surprised her a bit at first, and then she got the wrong idea. She clearly thought I wanted her.

When she took the clothes off, I almost cave in, but instead of joining her in the shower, I decided to tell her everything, and eventually do that later.

- I'll fight - she informed me.

The water was making some noise, but I was able to hear her loud and clear.

- You sure? - I asked for confirmation.

- I'm not afraid of a bunch of wealthy idiots. I can stand my ground. Are you joining me, or were you just gonna stare like a pervert? - she asked, looking my way in a suggestive manner.

How could I say no?

- Oh, I can do other things like a pervert, not just watch - I pointed out.

She smiled.

- I'm waiting - she added.

I quickly took my clothes off, then rushed in. I turned her around, as the stream of water hit my body and pressed my lips against her.

In moments like those, I was sincerely believing that marrying this woman was the best decision I'd ever made in my life. She knew exactly how to move my mind from a dark place to one basking in the light.