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Chapter 136
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2025-01-30 10:30:31Cassidy stepped through the door of the apartment at 9 AM, his shoes making little sound as he entered the quiet space. The world outside was still waking up, but for Cassidy, his day had already started. He didn’t need much sleep, and there was work to be done.
He went to the room and stepped through the door, the faint scent hitting him before anything else. It wasn’t his cologne—or Matthew’s. No, this was different. Subtle but unmistakable.
Masahiro.
His lips curled into a sneer as he closed the door behind him, slowly, he turned his gaze toward the bed where Matthew lay sprawled under the covers, his face peaceful, his breaths steady.
Disgust twisted in Cassidy’s gut, ‘He didn’t even bother to shower.´
The sight of him, so vulnerable and unaware, made Cassidy pause for a moment, a cold smirk tugging at his lips. It was almost too easy. Matthew's biggest flaw had always been his deep sleep, a fact
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Gold & Sand Chapter 137
Nathaniel stood by the window, his back against the cool glass, watching the crowd outside with a cold, calculating gaze. The club was alive with movement, the energy thick with laughter and music, but he was focused… he always was.His fingers toyed with the edge of his phone, flipping it over in his hand, the familiar weight of it grounding him.Across the club, the front door swung open. Nathaniel’s eyes immediately locked onto the figure that entered… the unmistakable posture of Masahiro. The man was confident, like he owned the world, but Nathaniel saw through it. He had a habit of doing that.He adjusted his coat, the fabric brushing against the cold, hard steel tucked discreetly under his arm. His eyes followed Masahiro, moving with purpose but never rushing, savoring the moment. As the bartender approached Masahiro, Nathaniel leaned back into the shadows, his fingers once again dancing across his phone screen. A few taps.In th
Last Updated : 2025-01-30Gold & Sand Chapter 138
Nathaniel stepped into Masahiro's apartment, the familiar scent of cedarwood and sandalwood filling the air, grounding him in the cold precision of the task at hand. The dim light from the living room cast long shadows that seemed to stretch and pulse with each beat of his heart, adding to the ambiance of deliberate quiet that surrounded him. His eyes, however, weren’t drawn to the sterile décor or the quiet beauty of the space. They went immediately to the bedroom… where the plan would unfold.As Nathaniel crossed the threshold into the room, a strange mix of urgency and anticipation gnawed at him. It wasn’t just about the job; there was something more primal at play. Power. Control. Watching everything unfold under his command.He approached the bed with measured steps, kneeling beside Masahiro. The man’s body was limp, vulnerable, the deep slumber induced by the drug still keeping him unaware of his surroundings. Nathaniel, however, w
Last Updated : 2025-01-31Gold & Sand Chapter 139
Matthew had just finished his shower when his phone buzzed from the bedside table. He grabbed it, still wrapped in a towel, and saw a message from Masahiro.Masahiro: Hey babe, I'll be a bit late, coming at 11 pm.Matthew smiled, his heart fluttering at the familiar tone. He quickly typed back.Matthew: Alrighty, clingy detective. I'll head home and wait for you.He hit send, tossing the phone aside. A warm feeling spread over him as he moved to get dressed. It was just another night with Masahiro, one of their many quiet, intimate evenings.Matthew smiled to himself as he slipped into his sweater, the fabric warm against his skin. He couldn’t help but think of Masahiro… his strong, reassuring presence, the way his eyes always seemed to soften when they locked onto each other. Tonight, they’d unwind together after their busy days. Just the two of them, like always.Before he finished getting dressed, Matthew grabbed his ph
Last Updated : 2025-01-31Gold & Sand Chapter 140
Masahiro’s head pounded as he stirred awake. His body felt strangely heavy, and a dull ache throbbed behind his eyes. He blinked, the dim glow of the room slowly coming into focus.Something was wrong.The scent of alcohol, and something unfamiliar clung to the air. The sheets beneath him felt tangled, foreign, and—Then he saw him.Matthew.Standing in the middle of the room, eyes dark, wild, full of something Masahiro had never seen before.Masahiro pushed himself upright, his body sluggish. His movement caused the weight beside him to shift, and then… he froze.A stranger was in his bed. A naked stranger.Masahiro’s entire body went rigid. His mind raced, but it was blank at the same time. He didn’t understand. He had been at El Paradiso. He had been waiting for Matthew. And then… what?"What the hell is this?" Masahiro’s voice
Last Updated : 2025-02-02Gold & Sand Chapter 141
Masahiro's head throbbed as he struggled to piece together the fragments of his memory. The last thing he remembered was sitting at the bar in El Paradiso, waiting for Matthew. He had taken a sip of whiskey—one he hadn’t even ordered. Then… nothing. A complete blackout.Now, he was in his bed, naked, with a stranger standing at the foot of the room, already pulling on his clothes. His stomach twisted in disgust.Masahiro turned his head sharply, his eyes locking onto the man. His voice was cold, sharp as a blade. "Who the hell are you?"The man, startled but attempting to play it off, smirked slightly as he buttoned his shirt. "Don't you remember? We were drinking together." He sounded too nonchalant, too rehearsed.Masahiro held back a smirk of his own, though his horror was growing. His body felt… wrong. There was a strange taste on his tongue, a sluggishness in his limbs. He knew damn well he hadn’t touched this man&mdas
Last Updated : 2025-02-03Gold & Sand Chapter 142
The hum of the engine was a dull rhythm in the background as Masahiro's hands gripped the steering wheel with practiced ease. The city around him was waking up, people moving in and out of buildings like clockwork, oblivious to the storm swirling in his mind.He’d barely slept last night, his thoughts too wild, too tangled in the mess Cassidy had created. The image of that stranger in his bed, the drugged haze, and the sheer betrayal that followed still burned in his chest. Masahiro had replayed it over and over in his mind, trying to find the one thing he’d missed. Some clue that could explain what had really happened. But it was all so fucking messy, like someone had taken his life and turned it into a nightmare just to watch him suffer.His jaw clenched as he drove through the morning traffic, trying to shake the feeling that something was about to slip out of his control. He needed to fix this. He needed to find a way to get to Matthew, to make him see
Last Updated : 2025-02-03Gold & Sand Chapter 143
Cassidy adjusted the cuffs of his suit jacket with a precision that came from years of practice. He didn’t need to look at the mirror to know he looked sharp. The reflection would confirm it, but he already felt the familiar, confident surge of satisfaction. Tonight wasn’t about him, though.He walked toward the sitting room, his steps calm but deliberate. As he approached, he saw Matthew slouched on the couch, eyes glazed over as he watched TV. No excitement. No joy. Just... numbness. Typical. Cassidy could see the indifference in the way Matthew held himself, the way his eyes flicked toward the screen but never fully engaged. It wasn’t the indifference of someone who didn’t care… it was the apathy of someone trying not to care. Trying not to care about everything. About him.“Still here?” Cassidy’s voice was smooth, but there was a sharpness to it—like a question that didn’t quite need an answer.Mat
Last Updated : 2025-02-04Gold & Sand Chapter 144
Arthur’s grip on the towel around his neck tightened as he stared at Cassidy, his expression caught between frustration and resignation. The tension between them was thick, almost suffocating, but Cassidy just stood there, one hand lazily resting against the doorframe, his smirk unwavering.“You lied to me,” Cassidy said smoothly, like it was a simple fact rather than an accusation.Arthur sighed, already exhausted. “I didn’t lie.”Cassidy arched an eyebrow. “No?”Arthur shook his head. “I was going to come back late. My boss dismissed me early.”Cassidy hummed as if considering his words. “And yet, you didn’t think to call?”Arthur exhaled sharply, rubbing the back of his head. “I didn’t think about it.”Cassidy tilted his head, his dark eyes gleaming with something unreadable. “Didn’t think about it?” He let the words hang between the
Last Updated : 2025-02-04
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It had been five days since Allan Doyle’s body was found behind Barrow Lane.Five days since the call. Since the silence that followed it. Since Masahiro had driven into the night with blood in his chest and Matthew’s voice at his back.Now, the sun was too bright for a funeral, but they buried him anyway.The car rolled to a stop at the edge of the cemetery.Beyond the windshield, the canary was crowded—rows of law enforcement officers in black, lined up in silent formation. Uniforms everywhere: pressed blues, starched grays, polished medals that caught the morning light. Detectives in tailored coats stood among beat cops and field agents. The air was stiff with order and unsaid things.Canopies had been set up above the grave site, a futile attempt to shield the mourners from the pale spring sun. The wind tugged at coat hems and tugged hair loose from buns and slicked styles. But no one moved. No one left.Masahiro turned off the engine.They sat for a
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It was midnight.Matthew’s face was buried against Masahiro’s chest, his breath warm and steady, rising and falling like waves breaking against stone. The bedroom was cloaked in dim gold—just the faintest light slipping through the cracked door, catching on the curve of Masahiro’s bare shoulder.Masahiro lay still, one hand in Matthew’s curls, the other resting against his side. He hadn’t slept.Not really.The weight of six weeks hadn’t left his chest since he’d closed his eyes.Then the phone rang.A sharp vibration on the nightstand. No ringtone—Masahiro never let it ring. Just the buzzing thrum of urgency in the dark.He reached without waking Matthew, answering in one fluid motion.“Payne.”The voice on the other end was clipped. Low. Shaken.“Sir… it’s Doyle. Allan Doyle. He’s dead.”Masahiro didn’t breathe.His hand froze mid-motion. The ceiling above him went quiet.The voice continued. “They found his body in the alley behind Barrow Lane. Gunshot. Close range. No witnesses.”
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The car rolled to a stop in front of Arthur’s building. The street was dim, washed in the orange flicker of old lamps. Arthur hesitated for a second before unbuckling.“Thanks for the ride,” he said quietly, eyes a little too wide, hands still trembling from the night.Masahiro nodded once. “Goodnight, Cooper.”Matthew gave him a small wave from the passenger seat. “Text Masa if anything weird happens, yeah?”Arthur nodded and got out, closing the door softly. He walked up to the building, pulled his keys from his pocket, and glanced back just once.They waited.Arthur opened the gate, disappeared inside, and only when the door shut behind him with a faint click, did Masahiro start the engine again.Silence.It stretched for blocks.Then Matthew let out a sigh, dragging a hand through his hair. “This whole thing’s a mess.”Masahiro didn’t respond immediately. He kept his eyes on the road, jaw tight.Matthew kept going. “Six people. And somehow we’re all tangled up like cheap Christmas
Gold & Sand Chapter 289
The lock hissed. The panic room door creaked open.What greeted them wasn’t relief. It was aftermath.A wash of chemical air hit first—smoke and industrial sanitizer, sharp and sterile. Lights flickered overhead, the hallway still recovering from whatever scramble had unfolded outside.Armed officers lined the corridor, weapons lowered but eyes tracking every movement. No one moved until Masahiro stepped out first, calm as a blade.Cassidy followed, still cuffed, but upright. Arthur stayed tucked at his side, blinking against the hallway light like he’d forgotten what outside air tasted like.Behind them, Clark adjusted his tie. Adam stepped beside him, hand loose on Clark’s back without thinking. Matthew emerged next, yawning. He still looked smug.At the far end, a prosecutor and a city official waited. Legal cleanup."We’ll need statements," the official said.Masahiro didn’t even pause. "Not now."The man sputtered, but Masahiro was already wa
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The panic room had gone quiet.The gas had settled. The lock was still sealed. But for the first time in an hour, no one was yelling, bleeding, or threatening to kill someone over sarcasm.Clark sat near the far wall, his head resting on Adam’s shoulder, tie loosened, wrist still trembling.Adam didn’t say anything.Just held a water bottle in one hand, and Clark in the other.He glanced down. “Drink.”Clark sighed, voice hoarse. “You’ve said that three times.”Adam pressed the bottle into his hand. “And I’ll say it a fourth.”Clark took it. “You’re very annoying.”Adam’s smirk was faint. “You like annoying.”Clark: “I like expensive wine and emotional distance.”Adam: “And still end up in my bed. Funny how that works.”Across the room, Cassidy had planted himself against the wall, legs stretched out, one arm wrapped around Arthur, who was tucked against his chest. Arthur hadn’t spoken in ten minutes.Cassidy ran a hand through Art
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The courtroom was colder than usual.Not from temperature. From tension.Cassidy sat at the defense table, cuffed but unmoved. Clean suit. Straight spine. His eyes drifted, slow and knowing, over the faces present—not the jury, not the prosecution. The others.Arthur was in the gallery, near the back, shoulders squared but not at ease. He hadn’t looked at Cassidy since entering. But he hadn’t looked away, either.Clark stood at the defense bench, immaculate in gray. Composed. Watching. Reading the room like a surgeon reads skin.Adam leaned against the wall at the rear of the courtroom, arms crossed, one boot tapped into the tile like a metronome of violence barely restrained. He clocked everything. Every whisper. Every eye shift.Matthew sat beside him, chewing gum he wasn't supposed to have, scrolling his phone without looking. But his free hand rested near Adam’s, just enough to ground him.Masahiro sat two rows ahead of Arthur. Silent. Controlled. The
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Arthur returned to the precinct in silence.His boots clicked over tile, shoulders tighter than when he’d left. He hesitated at the office door.Masahiro was stiil inside. Alone. Leaning against the edge of the desk, arms crossed, unreadable.Arthur opened the door anyway.He didn’t speak. Just shut it behind him.Masahiro watched him for a moment.“You left without a word.”“I know.”Masahiro’s tone didn’t rise. “During work hours.”Arthur nodded.Masahiro tilted his head. “Wanna tell me where you went?”Arthur didn’t flinch. “To see Cassidy.”A pause. Not surprise—just confirmation.Masahiro’s voice was calm. “What did you go there to do?”Arthur swallowed once. “I asked him not to retaliate.”Masahiro blinked slowly. “That’s what you think your job is now?”“I asked him to wait,” Arthur said. “To give us a chance to fix this through the system. I told him I’d do everything I could… by the law.”Masahiro looked at him for a long beat. Then pushed off the desk and walked toward the
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Arthur carried his coffee in one hand, a folder tucked under his arm, half-focused on the to-do list already forming in his head.He turned into the hallway of the precinct, heading toward the office he shared with Masahiro. Two steps from the door, he paused.‘Boss?’ he thought, brows tugging faintly. ‘Didn’t he say he wasn’t coming back today?’Then Masahiro’s voice cut through—clear, flat, cold.“No, Arthur doesn’t know anything… and I’m not telling him. If I do, he’ll spiral—guilt, shaking, too many feelings and not enough logic. Right now, I need control. Not sentiment.”Arthur froze.Then a pause—it was clear Masahiro was listening to someone on the other end of the call.Masahiro replied without pause. “That’s good enough. But don’t think this ends in court. It won’t.”A quiet click. Call ended.Arthur stared at the door.Then opened it.Masahiro was already seated—composed, flipping through a report like he hadn’t just dissected Arthur two feet from the threshold.His suit was
Gold & Sand Chapter 284
The guard barely glanced up when Clark walked through the checkpoint.He flashed his ID. “Clark Brown. My client, Mr. Cassidy Hills, requested legal counsel.”The guard nodded stiffly. “Room five.”Clark adjusted his tie, not because it was crooked, but because control mattered. Presentation mattered. In a place like this—where men like Cassidy could kill with a word—image was armor.He was led through two steel doors and into a small, empty visitation room. No glass. No guards inside. Just a table, two chairs, and a ticking clock that sounded too loud.He sat down. Didn’t cross his legs. Loosened his shoulders, but not too much.Ten minutes passed before the door opened.Cassidy strolled in, cuffed but walking like he owned the building. His shirt was unbuttoned at the throat, sleeves rolled. He looked like someone who’d been dragged through fire and made the fire apologize.Clark didn’t stand.Cassidy sat.“Nice suit,” Cassidy said, voice sm
