After the incident, Alex returns to work, however she doesn't entirely trust either. Kei is interested in keep her as a designer and keen on working with Faustus. However, Allen Platt decides it's time for him to play his card. With an envelope in his position he plans to tear apart everything. He goes as far to place a call to Angela, and the pair set a plan in motion which will destroy not only Claude but Sebastian as well.

What's in the envelope?

Who's side is Angela really on?

What will happen to Claude?

Is there really anyone left to trust in this game?

I wanted to take the opportunity to thank my readers once again. Without you guys I would have never reached this point. Yes, I am planning to reach 100 and boy do I have a surprise too. You're going to enjoy this, trust me.

I hope you enjoy,

~Kuro

P.s. I do not own Kuroshitsuji.

Chapter 72: The Unraveled Web

There are some things worth the risk; however in this instance Allen wasn't sure how big of a risk was necessary to reap the rewards he desired. His brown eyes were locked on the envelope; he had given Alex the folder which stated that she was actually a noble. Yet this wasn't moving fast enough, the cat had frightened her however this wasn't going to rip them apart. He needed something much more drastic, Alex was back in the office after all and didn't seem phased by the cat. He needed to do something drastic, Allen was jolted from his thoughts when his cell rang and he pressed the blue tooth which had been sitting in his left ear. "Platt," he snapped, he honestly disliked being interrupted at work. There was silence and he heard a sweet voice ring through the other end, "Angela," breathed Allen, a smile made its way across his lips and he slipped his fingers into the envelope. "Well it has managed to gather quite a following, it is a rather rare volume after all," he commented with a grin. Allen picked up a pen from his desk and began to twirl it in his fingers. The pen clicked as he tapped the button at the top to retract the tip. "Ash has been speaking to the Undertaker," she spat acridly. Allen sighed and looked at his monitor; he had been informed of the Undertaker's involvement however he didn't see it as a threat.

"I'm not concerned, after all he wants to see how this plays out," Allen stated simply, "He's never been one to tamper with fate." Allen's short fingers slipped into the envelope and he pulled a stack of documents, all of which he had digital copies of. "I want to be sure, Ash has been treated well by the demons," Angela commented, there was a note of irritation in her voice and Allen sighed. He was well aware of that, "Shouldn't family issues be kept in the family?" asked Allen nonchalantly. He was honestly disinterested in the disdain this angel held for her brother. She snorted and continued, "Honestly, if he learns of what had occurred, we're out of luck," she snapped. He looked at the documents and smiled, "Oh Sterling you genius," he hummed as he looked at them. There were accounts in Claude's names on the Cayman Islands, various accounts in Hong Kong, and Indonesia. He grinned, "How would you like to destroy them once and for all, and make Sebastian miserable?" he asked deviously. Angela was quiet and he spread the pages across his desk, Sterling had planted the perfect paper trail to Faustus. "Sterling did a wonderful job of crafting his revenge," Allen commented as he picked up the pages. Angela snickered "Allen, I have an even better idea," she commented. Allen's hands paused and he sat back for a moment. "What would that be?" he asked softly and pressed the Bluetooth into his ear. She chuckled and he could hear the roar of keys in the background, "Simple, turn Sebastian on Claude," she responded.

Allen smiled, he was unsure of how to do this, but he had a feeling Angela was the woman to do it. "What do you need?" he asked after a moment. He was well aware that if anyone wanted to hurt them it would be Angela, "I need one of the account numbers Sterling provided," she said quickly. Allen nodded and looked at the sheet before reading the numbers off. "Thanks dear, now then," she said with a note of joy. Allen could hear the fury of keys in the background and he asked, "What are you doing exactly?" Angela chuckled and continued to work, "Assisting you. Don't worry this will only help you," she commented. Allen smiled, she was right on key with him, "Check the five o'clock news, it's time for me to make use of my father's resources," he commented before he hung up. Sterling had managed to ensure that those two would pay dearly and Sebastian's agony would be beyond comprehension. With Angela assisting him, he knew they would be able to sink the pair.

Allen's fingers flew across the key board as he began to write out and email. "You thought it hurt to almost loose him, just wait, I will make your life a living hell," he said swiftly. His fingers danced as though he was writing a symphony, and it occurred to him that he mind as well be orchestrating one. "Where is that flash drive?" he asked with a note of joy. He held the envelope vertically and watched the flash drive slip out onto his desk; he greedily opened it and slipped it into the Firewire of his Mac. His phone rang once again and he looked at the caller ID, "Father," he said as he hit the answer key. "Angela called, she said Sterling left something useful in your position," a horse voice said through the phone. Allen nodded as he dropped the attachment, "Yes, he did," he responded. Allen's father huffed and he could tell his father wasn't amused in the slightest. "Trust me, he won't be able to recover from this," said Allen with a note of confidence as he added senders to the list. There was a pause and his father commented harshly, "A news paper won't be interested." Allen laughed and smiled, his father wasn't thinking big enough, nowhere near large enough. "No, one news paper wouldn't be interested, however news channels, the partners of the firm, News Papers and the people would be interested," he commented. Allen finished writing the email and said, "By five o'clock tonight all hell will have broken loose." He clicked send and watched the letter disappear from view, "You wanted Faustus out of the picture father, now you have him," he chimed, he felt as though he were flying. There was another pause and his father asked, "Do you know what you are doing?" Brown eyes flickered closed as he sat back in the chair and whispered, "Yes, destroying them and bringing our little girl home."

Sebastian was sitting in his office when he heard a knock on the glass, "Sir, may I speak with you?" asked Allen softly. Sebastian turned his attention to the designer and asked, "What is it?" he smiled a little and watched as Allen tapped a small slate colored card in his hand. "The payment didn't go through," he whispered. Sebastian's crimson eyes narrowed in confusion; there was more than enough money in the account. After all Allen was using the company account. He held out his hand for the card and asked, "May I?" The designer nodded and placed the plastic card in Sebastian's hand. He slowly looked at the card and recognized that it was certainly attached to the account. He placed it on the desk and turned his attention to his Mac. He opened the account page and logged into the secure server. "Are you certain you used the right card?" he asked, his tone was smooth and emotionless. He slowly looked over at Allen and noticed him simply nod. Sebastian sighed and waited for the page to load, only for him to blanch. His crimson eyes widened with terror and he stared at the current balance. "That's not possible," he whispered. Allen looked at him in confusion and Sebastian quickly picked up his office phone and dialed the banking firm's number. "Good afternoon this is Sebastian Michaelis, yes I am an account holder," he said smoothly. He waited quietly, his eyes were locked on the screen, the current balance of the account was zero. He felt his stomach churn, it wasn't the fact that there was no money in the account; he was always good with money. It was that a sum of over eighteen million had managed to disappear. This wasn't a simple banking error, "Yes I'm here," he said quickly. His mind was reeling, no one was able to move funds like that.

"What?" he asked, there was no possible way he could keep his voice down any longer. "Transferred where," he hissed the hand which held the black receiver shook uncontrollably with rage. "The Cayman Islands?" he asked in confusion, "I can assure you I never authorized that transaction." He glared at Allen and mouthed, "Get out." He couldn't afford his employees to know what had occurred. He would pull funds from his own account, if he had to however this wasn't going to be easy. He quickly hit the button on the receiver for speaker phone and demanded, "Tell me the account number." The woman on the other end replied coldly, "I'm sorry Mr. Michaelis, but that's confidential." Sebastian was on his feet and now looming over the phone, "I've just had all of my Company's funds stolen, I need that information," he hissed. The woman on the other end went silent and responded, "I'm going to get the manager." He listened to the girl call over the manager and he silently cursed. He couldn't stand waiting for the staff change, even if he understood the reason behind it. Sebastian's head hung and he attempted to regain some composure, the incident with Alexandra last night was enough to set him on edge. He had yet to hear back from Ronald and William, who he had sent to see what had occurred in his apartment. "Good afternoon Mr. Michaelis, I'm the Manager at this branch. I was told we were having some issues with your account," said the man smoothly. From the way he spoke Sebastian could tell this man was in his mid-thirties. His voice was raspy and from what Sebastian could tell he was a smoker. "Yes, all of the funds in my account have vanished," he responded curtly.

He heard a sharp inhale on the other end and the manager asked, "Are you certain? Have you looked at all your recent transactions?" Sebastian sighed, and slipped two hands into his onyx hair in exasperation. "Yes," he replied sharply. The Manager hummed and opened the account, "The funds were indeed transferred to an offshore account in the Cayman Islands, I've never seen anything like this," he said slowly. Sebastian closed his eyes and listened for the account number, "I have the number as well as the account holder," he said after a moment. His crimson eyes snapped open in confusion and he asked, "How did you get the holder's name?" The Manager sighed and lowered his voice, "I called the branch and stated the situation, the government has also been alerted," he replied. He was impressed, he hadn't expected to hear this part, in fact he had expected this to take days. "Efficient," he commented slowly and the Manager laughed. "These days, if you aren't fast enough, the money vanishes without a trace," he commented. Sebastian nodded; somehow this man was soothing him. Part of him desired to contact Claude and tell him what had occurred. "The name of the account holder is Claude Faustus, sound familiar?" he asked.

Sebastian felt his world spin and his heart hit the floor, the man he loved betrayed him. After all this time Claude did something to wound him, he shook his head and closed his eyes. This made no sense, "Mr. Michaelis?" asked the manager with a hint of concern, "Are you alright sir?" Sebastian snapped back and replied, "Yes, thank you." He swiftly hung up felt tears ebb they're way to the surface. Sebastian's head rested in his hands, he looked as broken as he felt. This pain was worse than nearly loosing Claude in Switzerland; this was the bitterness of betrayal. Tears streamed down his cheeks and hit the desk, unbidden to flow and began to pool on the surface. "Why?" he whimpered, "Why would he?" Claude had more than enough money; in fact he was able to make hundred more than he ever could. There was a tap on the glass and he smelt the familiar aroma of coffee. He looked up and noticed Alex standing there with a cup of coffee in her hands. He slowly whipped his tears away with his hand and smiled listlessly. Her ocean blue eyes bore into Sebastian with confusion and terror, "What's wrong?" she whispered. Sebastian got up from his desk and in a flash encircled his arms around her. He buried his nose in her hair and whispered, "He betrayed me." Those very words stung his throat, he crushed the young woman to him and stammered, "He betrayed me," he repeated, his voice cracked.

Alex could feel his tears on her head and hear his sobs. She hadn't seen him this messed up since Switzerland. "Who?" she asked softly as she placed the cups on his desk and wrapped her arms around him, he was trembling so violently that she swore he would crumble. "Claude," he choked, "Claude betrayed me." Alex's eyes widened and her heart began to pound. Claude loved Sebastian to the point that he was willing to give his life for him, Switzerland was proof of that. "How?" she asked after a moment, she had to find out if this was even possible. Sebastian slowly pulled back and looked down at her, she could seat the red ribbons down his face from his tears. He looked like a heartbreaking piece of art, his red eyes were serious and he slowly pulled away. "He stole every last pound from our firm account. Currently we have no money," he responded. She felt her jaw hit the floor as Sebastian looked at her, this firm was Sebastian's pride and joy, it was all his. He had worked endlessly to build it, and once they had finally broken through the glass ceiling of every other firm, they were now faced with this dilemma. She paled and looked at him as he took a seat at his desk and whispered, "How am I going to pay my employees?" His voice trembled and he looked at her, he looked as though his heart had shattered. It was a heart wrenching image and she slowly walked over to him and responded, "You could pull the funds from your account, shouldn't the insurance cover this?"

Sebastian looked up at her and nodded, "However I won't see the funds until a full investigation has occurred, to ensure it isn't a scam," he responded smoothly. She watched as he slowly slipped back into his element, he looked out the window and commented, "This is going to hurt our reputation." Alex crossed her arms and shot him a cold glare, "No it won't, and you didn't steal the funds! It's the bank's fault not yours!" she shouted. Sebastian jumped and looked at her, he looked shock, she hadn't yelled at him in a very long time. "Transfer funds into the account for now and wait for the investigation to end, you didn't hire Claude as a lawyer, did you?" she asked. He looked at her nervously and looked down at his desk, "I did actually, at the time he was the only one who I trusted," he responded. She knew their bond was stronger than anything she had ever seen, which was why none of this made sense. Even if the evidence was there to support these accusations, the motive wasn't. That golden eyed spider was devoted to Sebastian; he couldn't have hurt his lover. She slowly turned and said, "I'm going to finish a design, transfer the funds and get your act together because guaranteed MI5 will be asking questions." Alex didn't even look back; all she knew was that she had to investigate this.

The Undertaker sighed as he reached for a scone, "You will never tell them, this organization was created for one purpose," said the Undertaker. Ash watched as the Undertaker slipped the scone between his lips and slowly began to nibble on the edge, like he had the dog biscuits the first day he met. "To destroy both Lucifer?" asked Ash. The Undertaker's lips curled into a smile and he laughed, his pointed white teeth showed as he released a cackling sound. "Lucifer is part of the plan; however this group wants to do even more than that," he commented, "They desire to make Sebastian miserable." Ash's mouth popped open at some point and he paled, "What?" he asked in shock.

His mind was blank and what he thought he knew was a lie. "I'm surprised, your sister knows a great deal about this," he commented. Ash looked even more confused, Angela was always a family favorite. Now it came down to the truth, she was in this. "How deep?" asked Ash after a moment, the Undertaker lifted the cup to his lips and replied, "Deep, to the point you could say she is currently drowning." Ash crossed his arms and closed his eyes; he hadn't been in contact with his sister in years. At first it was simply after he had taken up the deal with Claude and acquired the night club, now she was going to destroy them. "Undertaker is there anyway I could," he paused and looked at him. His elbows now rested on his knees and he looked up at the elder shinigami.

Of all the reapers to visit him, the Undertaker had selected to come. He knew this story was old, however this was crazy. "No, the cards have been dealt, we can only hope she doesn't go any further," he responded. He was about to say something else when one of Ash's men burst through the doors. "Mr. Landers, you need to see this," he said quickly. Ash looked confused as the man in a jet black suit switched on the TV. The sound of the anchor on BBC filled the air and Ash stared at the headlines, "Future Partner of London's Largest Law Firm, Claude Faustus Suspected of Embezzlement and Money Laundering," the screen flashed. The Undertaker looked at the screen and then to Ash, "My god," Ash breathed. The Undertaker placed the tea cup on the table and looked at the screen in confusion, "That's not possible," he muttered. Claude had more than enough money; he even paid taxes on all of it. There was no one better; even Damian from the Bank of Lichtenstein wasn't as good. He sat up and pulled his cell phone, "What the hell?" asked Ash in confusion as the Undertaker stood. Things were spinning out of control and rapidly, "Spears, how many stations is it on?" he asked.

There was silence and he stared in shock, Ash was on his computer and began to look through the web pages which provided news, "It's on every news source in England," he whispered. The Undertaker was silent and William said, "One moment, I'll hand you to Knox, he's better at this than I am." The Undertaker nodded and watched the screen, the names of a number of Sterling's companies flickered across the screen, including Intrigue. "It isn't just Britain, sir, it's the world," Knox said in shock. The Undertaker looked at Ash and then back to the TV, "Thank you Knox," he said prior to hanging up. He looked over at the guard and said, "Turn that up please." He watched the green bar across the bottom move forward as he heard the anchor become louder. "This afternoon Claude Faustus, an attorney from one of the largest law firms here in London was incriminated by a number of transactions which were found today by an auditor. Then spread internationally by an anonymous mass email," the woman chimed. A picture of Claude in court appeared on the screen and the Undertaker continued to listen, "Currently he has not released a statement as to how he obtained the funds. However the list of companies which he had embezzled from includes a number of the late Arnold Sterling's holdings as well as being tied to a theft from the firm Artistry currently owned by Sebastian Michaelis, and was also a major contract held with Sterling." Sebastian's face appeared on screen as they switched to a live view of Claude leaving the building, he was being assaulted by the press from every direction, flashes exploding and reporters screaming at the top of their lungs for a comment. Claude was wearing a pair of black sunglasses which hid the only part of him that showed what he was thinking. He slipped into a black town car and the Undertaker looked at Ash. "Sebastian Michaelis has also not released a statement, however the new owner of Sterling's empire, Tonoin Kei the Japanese tycoon. Has released his statement," the anchor said.

The screen shifted from a woman dressed in a charcoal suit, to Kei standing in a press room, "It has been brought to my attention that the attorney which had handled a number of contracts for Sir. Arnold Sterling has recently been pointed out as a suspect for crimes of larceny. However, we will not be passing judgment on Mr. Faustus until these accusations are thoroughly investigated," he sated. His voice was firm and resonated in the Undertaker's ears. He watched the oriental draw a deep breath and continued, "At this time we will not be taking on any more contracts until this incident is thoroughly investigated." There was a series of flashes and a reporter called, "Mr. Tonoin, do you believe that Faustus is innocent?" Kei looked at them, it was clear that he wasn't sure of how to respond, he looked at the crowd. Those green eyes were looking for the truth and he desired to have an answer. "I would like to, however the evidence doesn't show that," he responded diplomatically. There was a murmur in the room and Kei took that as his chance to run away. Ash looked at the Undertaker and asked, "What do we do?" The silver haired shinigami looked at the white haired angel, he honestly didn't know what to do. "I have no idea," he replied, it looked as though they were going to be forced to choose sides. Which was something he wasn't comfortable with, "I really don't know," said the Undertaker as he fell to his chair.

Kei walked off the block and stepped out of the range of the photographers and he noticed one of the triplets standing there. He looked confused and asked, "Why are you here?" Thompson smiled a little, he looked torn and conflicted, the same way which he felt. "I was asked to hand this to you," he whispered. He held out a note and Tonoin stared at the slate colored parchment, this wasn't Sterling's parchment. It was heavy and he looked at the scrip on the front, it was precise and attentive, "Who is this from?" asked Kei as he looked into Timber's hazel eyes. The small purple haired demon smiled sadly and replied, "Claude." The word it's self spurred Kei to open the envelope. He slipped his hand inside and noticed a slate blue card and felt something heavy. He tapped the envelope in his hand and felt a cold key fall into it. "What?" he asked in confusion as he looked at the card. Claude pristine script flowed across the card.

Even spiders can not survive the destructive nature of a man with a broom.

Kei felt even more confused and looked up to see Thompson had gone, and he was left holding the key and the note. This couldn't have been his note of surrender; Claude didn't seem like the type which could give up easily. Then again he did only just meet the man, no that night Claude showed a different side, one which was devoted to two people, Alex and Sebastian. By stealing the funds from Sebastian, he would hurt them both, that wasn't something Claude could do. He closed his emerald eyes and remembered the expression of concern which had swept across his face. It was unmistakable. He opened his eyes and looked at the key; it was a small decorative key which looked like it went into a desk. He clenched it in his fist; he had to find the drawer. If Claude had the key this may prove his innocence. "Okay, I'll help the spider," he whispered, "After all I am already tangled in his web."

The air inside the house was still, cold, lifeless, the three things which Claude had sought to escape. The lights were out and he called, "Sebastian?" he desperately needed his raven. Everything was crashing around his ears and he couldn't find the light anymore, he needed air and yet if felt as though his lungs were being squeezed. He placed his case on the floor and slowly walked through the house, "Sebastian?" he called again only to notice a pair of red eyes glaring down at him from the landing. "There you are," he breathed as he slowly approached the demon. He should have asked Canterbury to thoroughly investigate the meaning of the note; however, the thought never occurred to him. He never touched any funds which weren't his own, he didn't have official access to Sterling's accounts. How this was even possible baffled him. "What are you doing here?" hissed Sebastian. Claude froze and looked up at him in confusion, Sebastian's red eyes narrowed and he noticed the massive demonic shadow behind him. Claude slowly extended his hand to the demon and responded, "I'm home." Sebastian took a step back and shook his head, "No, what are you doing in my house?"

His tone was darker than before and Claude could hear the pain in his voice, he had been on the receiving end of the press all day. He shook his head, which caused his unruly black hair to shift, "Our, this is our home, Sebastian," he managed to state. He felt as though his heart was breaking, "Get out," whispered Sebastian. Red eyes burned with anger and he noticed how Sebastian looked slightly more intimidating. "What?" Claude managed, his golden eyes were wide and he realized his lover wasn't joking. "Get out, you aren't welcome here," Sebastian roared, tears were falling again. He jumped forward and swiftly wrapped his hands around Sebastian's biceps. His worried golden eyes looked into Sebastian's furious rubies and he asked, "Why?" The smaller demon averted his gaze, he looked disgusted to even be touched by Claude. "You betrayed me," he hissed as he looked at Claude, "You betrayed everyone." Claude could hear the venom in his words, and gently shook Sebastian. "Please, don't throw me out, I didn't do any of this!" he cried. Sebastian simply looked at the floor and remained unresponsive. "Please," Claude cried as he attempted to lift Sebastian's chin, only for the demon to pull away and wrap his arms around himself.

"Leave," Sebastian hissed, "I don't want to see you." Claude's hands remained in the air, he was loosing his raven. The spider could no longer hold on to the beautiful onyx bird, he felt tears burn his own eyes. "Sebastian, I didn't do this," he whimpered. It was taking everything he had to keep his demon form at bay. He began to feel nauseous and reached out again for Sebastian, only for his hand to be slapped away violently. A look of disdain was on Sebastian's face and he hissed, "Don't touch me, you have lost that right." Claude felt as though he were trapped in time and looked at Sebastian, he was clearly wounded by this incident. Those slender and strong arms which had embraced him were now wrapped around his own body; Sebastian was shutting himself off from the world. "Please," Claude whispered, his voice cracked and he watched as Sebastian slowly began to walk upstairs. "Leave, Faustus," barked Sebastian as he pointed at the door, "You know the way out." The golden eyed demon felt his heart stop, Faustus, the very name Sebastian had used to refer to him before they were lovers, during the Phantomhive and Trancy disputes. That cold and distant sir-name, which seemed to seal any window of hope. Claude's head fell as he turned to the door, "I know you don't want to hear this, but I honestly didn't do it," he managed to say after a moment. He felt as though he had been shattered and he stumbled out the door. The dark night nipped at his skin and he listened to the loud slam as the door closed, which was fallowed by the click of a dead bolt. Sebastian had locked him out of the house.

His attention turned to the black Austin Martin in the driveway and he jumped into the driver's seat. He had enough, "Fuck!" he screamed in agony as his head hit the steering wheel. Tears now fell down his face and he closed his eyes, Sebastian was beyond furious; he wouldn't even allow him to touch him. "I lost him!" he shouted angrily before he whipped tears away from his face and looked up at the house. He was loosing everything; everything he had worked hard for was now slipping through his grasp. He was currently under investigation at work, and because of that the firm lost a number of clients. This lead to a general distrust in him, he had lost the backing of his friends, and now Sebastian had abandoned him. "I didn't want this," he whispered, "I just want to be happy." He slowly turned the key in the ignition and the car purred to life. He had to get away, he just had to. Unlike his raven, he didn't have wings, he would have to make due with what he had, a Vanquish. The car sped forward as Claude hit the accelerator and recklessly sped into the night.