ログインRowan?I thought I had misheard the maid.Rowan was outside the gate?My spoon clinked softly against the cereal bowl as I set it down.“That can’t be right,” I muttered.The maid shifted slightly, still standing near the doorway.“He said his name is Rowan, sir.”Across the table, Lucian remained silent, his eyes now resting on me with quiet curiosity. I stood up so quickly my chair scraped loudly against the floor.“I’ll handle it.”Without waiting for another word, I walked out of the dining room and headed straight toward the front door.My heart was already beating faster than it should have been.What was Rowan doing here?The moment I stepped outside, the cool morning air hit my face. I walked down the stone path toward the gate, irritation building with every step.Sure enough, Rowan was standing there. He looked completely relaxed, leaning casually against the metal bars as if visiting someone’s mansion early in the morning was the most normal thing in the world.The moment h
EZRAN’S POVThe next morning started earlier than usual.I woke up before my alarm, stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, then rolled out of bed with a quiet groan.For some reason, my brain was already running through everything Rowan and I had discussed the previous day.The app structure, the collaboration feature, the interface design, and Rowan’s endless stream of commentary about literally everything.I rubbed my face.Working with him was different. Not bad, but just different.After getting dressed, I grabbed my bag and headed out for class. The campus was already busy when I arrived. Students filled the walkways, talking loudly, laughing, rushing between buildings.I was halfway across the courtyard when I heard a familiar voice behind me.“Partner!”I stopped walking.A moment later Rowan appeared beside me, slightly out of breath but grinning like usual.“You walk ridiculously fast,” he said.“I’m not a slug.” “That’s not the point.”He fell into step beside me as if we
EZRAN’S POVBy the time I got home that evening, my brain felt like it had been running a marathon.Rowan talked a lot. Ideas, jokes, random gaming stories, ridiculous suggestions for the project interface—he had an endless supply of energy that I honestly didn’t know how to deal with. I wasn’t used to people like him. Most people either avoided me or spoke to me only when necessary.Rowan, on the other hand, seemed determined to talk enough for the both of us.I dropped my backpack beside my desk and sank into my chair with a long sigh.The house was quiet. For a moment, I just stared at my laptop screen before finally opening my messaging app.If there was anyone who would know something about Rowan Lyons, it would be Erik.I clicked the video call button. The ringing lasted barely two seconds before Erik’s face appeared on the screen. His hair looked like he had just rolled out of bed and his room behind him was an absolute disaster.“Ezrannnn!” he said loudly. “You’re calling me
EZRAN’S POVI blinked, trying to shake off the slight daze Rowan’s presence had thrown me into. He wasn’t intimidating, not in the way Lucian was. He was effortless easy. Yet that ease came with something else—Confidence, charm, popularity, and all the things I wasn’t used to being around in my own space.“Hey,” Rowan said again, leaning casually against my desk. “I don’t bite. I promise.”His voice was warma and easy, and somehow that instantly put me on edge. I cleared my throat. “Uh… hey.”“You don’t seem thrilled,” he said with a teasing tilt of his head. “Don’t tell me you hate group projects?”I shrugged, trying to hide how tense I felt. “Mmhm.”Rowan laughed out loud.“Dude, group projects are awesome! It’s like having a mini adventure, and I can assure you that we’re gonna crush it. I can feel it.”I almost choked on the thought of how wrong that sounded.Adventure? That was not my experience of group work. My experience was me doing everything while the other person simply
LUCIAN’S POVFor a moment, I thought the camera feed had malfunctioned. Ezran walked past the last camera in the hallway, and then he was gone.I leaned forward in my chair, eyes narrowing at the screen. The angle didn’t show the entire garden, only the path leading to it.The old rooftops garden. He had found it.I exhaled slowly and pushed the chair back. I stood up and left the study without bothering to turn the monitor off.The house was quiet. My footsteps echoed faintly through the hallway as I stepped outside. The night air was cool, carrying the faint scent of wet earth and roses.The old garden had always been isolated from the rest of the property. Eleanor preferred it that way.I pushed the gate open and it creaked softly.Ezran sat on the stone bench beneath the old oak tree, his back turned toward me. The dim garden lights cast long shadows across the path.For a moment, I said nothing, neither did he. Then he spoke.“You followed me.” His voice wasn’t accusing. It soun
Slowly, I walked to the window and pulled the curtain aside. And there he was.Lucian’s car sat in front of Erik's house, headlights off like he had been there for a while.My phone was still pressed to my ear when his voice came through again.“You have a curfew, Ezran.”I scoffed. Was he actually serious right now?“I'm sleeping over at Erik's.”“Oh, you are?”“Yeah.” I swallowed. “I do this sometimes. It's not the first time.”“Oh, really?”Why did he keep saying it like that? I ruffled my hair and stepped away from the window.“Come down.”A small chuckle slipped out of me. I shook my head.“No, Lucian. Erik is my friend. My mom knows I sleep over here sometimes. And I'm an adult, so I'm not breaking any rule.”The line went dead before I could say anything else. What the hell?I lowered the phone slowly and walked back into the room.“My ‘guardian’ just called to take me home.”“You mean Lucian?” Erik asked, already laughing. “You two really can't stay away from each other, huh?
Gawd! Why did they both suddenly want to leave on a trip?This is suspicious. Definitely suspicious.“So… when are you guys leaving?”“I’ll be leaving tomorrow. The maids are already helping with my luggage,” Jeanne replied.I cast a glance at Charlyn, who was scrolling through something on her tab
A maid cleared her throat behind us.I jerked back instantly, nearly knocking over the chair behind me. My face felt like it had been shoved into a furnace.Fantastic. What perfect timing!The maid stepped forward with the kind of calm professionalism that said she had definitely seen something but
My heart jumped into my mouth.I swallowed hard, forcing my face into something neutral and unbothered.“Don’t be ridiculous.” I scoffed, rolling my eyes. “Why would I be jealous?”Lucian didn’t move, blink or pretend to believe me. His gaze stayed on me, dark and steady, like he was peeling throug
My eyes widened as I stared at him, only breaking the contact when I heard myself coughing.I choked on the egg.Lucian wasn't even bothered by what he said. His eyes were dark and unreadable.“What… do you mean?” I managed to ask eventually.He didn't answer. He stood up and moved to my side for t







