LOGINThe next morning, Saint was already dressed and waiting by the car when Nicolas emerged from the penthouse with a grim expression. "You told me everything last night," Nicolas said, sliding into the driver's seat. "So where exactly are we headed first?" "Newton road." "Okay, great. We would need to pick someone up on the way then." Nicolas said, fastening his seatbelt. "Who?" "Just a random dude. His car I assigned to him developed a fault this morning so I would prefer to just drop him off at the gate." Saint drove out of the compound. At first, he was going to go on this journey alone but knowing quite well that he was working under Nicolas's order, he couldn't bring himself to do it and Nicolas, as expected, said he was coming along. After driving for some minutes, they stopped outside a modest apartment building and moments later, Mike came jogging down the steps with a backpack slung over one shoulder, grinning as he climbed into the back seat. "Ohayou Goza
Saint had to adjust his hearing to the sound of the music blowing not too loudly but just too inconvenient for his type of life. Nicolas had insisted that they both went out that night rather than locking themselves both in the house to work and even though he had resisted, Nicolas ended up forcing him along. Nicolas led the way inside while he followed a step behind with his mask secured firmly in place. The dim light cast clearly on the spot where Aaron had claimed for himself before their arrival and when he saw them, he whistled, drawing their attention by the waving of his hand. "There he is." Aaron rose from his booth, arms already in easy greeting. "You must be Storm. I've heard plenty." "This is Aaron." Nicolas gestured between them. "We've known each other since high school. He is the closest thing I've got to a family outside of everything else." "I am pleased to finally meet you." Aaron extended a hand, studying Saint with genuine curiosity. "I've heard about you
Simon pushed the door open, his keys juggling against each other as he pushed himself inside the apartment. "I am back," he announced and shut the door. He locked it almost instantly and took off his shoes at the entrance. "Welcome." Someone replied to him from within. Simon dragged himself tiredly to the couch which he fell on and then he yawned loudly, rubbing his face. The person who had greeted him came out. She was Simon's younger sister, Rebecca. She appeared to be much taller than her brother and just from the look of it, she indeed had similar facial features as him. She had her stained apron on and was holding a spatula. Regardless, it didn't stop her from smiling at her brother. "How was work?" "A bit stressful but I am glad to be home. Did you really have to prepare dinner? We could have just bought something." Simon suggested. Rebecca placed her two arms on her waist like an angry mother and shook her head. "Impossible. We are working on a budget here. A
Saint stood at the window, watching the car pull through the gates below. Nicolas was behind the wheel while Seraphina settled comfortably in the passenger seat, smiling at something he'd said before they'd even left the drive. He didn't expect her to be here but Diana, apparently, had different plans for her son and soon-to-be daughter in law. He had overheard enough of Nicolas's phone call twenty minutes earlier after sending Seraphina to wait in the living room instead of staying in the pool. Saint couldn't typically call it overhearing if the call was made in his presence by Nicolas who was only temporarily irritated. "You could have told me, Mother. What if I was at work, huh? What then?" He insisted. "I checked your office first. You weren't there which meant you had nowhere better to be. So spend the day with her, Nicolas and get to know her properly." And that had been that. Nicolas, despite the initial complaint, hadn't argued much further. Saint watched the car di
The pool was real quiet with the early morning light gracing it. The mist was still clinging faintly to the water's surface as Saint cut through it in smooth, steady strokes, with his mask left safely beside his towel for easy reach. He hadn't expected company, at least not this early. So when the glass door slid open, Saint's instincts kicked in immediately. He surfaced fast, snatched his mask from the chair, and had it secured back in place just as Nicolas stepped through with a coffee mug in his hand. "You're up early." Saint kept his voice calm as he watched Nicolas settle into a lounge chair nearby. "I couldn't sleep." Nicolas took a slow sip from his mug. "Thought I'd catch you before you started your day." "I thought you had a meeting this morning." "Postponed it." Nicolas waved a dismissive hand. "I wasn't interested in sitting through another two hours of investors arguing about shipping margins."Saint laughed gently, swimming closer to the edge. "It must be
"I am willing to show you that I didn't do anything wrong. So dig wherever you want, ask whatever you want and if you still think I'm guilty after that, I will delete the pictures anyway and also let you arrest me. How about that?"Simon's jaw tightened. "You promise?" "Dead serious." Mike's expression sobered slightly. "I didn't kill her, Simon. I have no reason to hide anything if you actually investigate properly instead of being told to look the other way by people above your pay grade." Simon studied him for a long moment, weighing the offer despite every instinct screaming at him not to trust a word out of this kid's mouth. Finally, he exhaled, some of the rigidity easing from his shoulders. "Fine. I will look into it properly. It doesn't mean I trust you."Mike smiled, "I wasn't expecting you to." Then he gestured toward the waiter for the food to be brought out. They ate in relative silence after that. "We also haven't talked about what I will get when this whole thing







