~~Jay~~My stomach turned for the third time in fifteen minutes.I barely made it to the bathroom, my knees slamming against cold tiles as I collapsed in front of the toilet. I didn’t even have time to shut the door before the nausea punched me again, hard and mean.“Ggk—” The retching sound clawed its way out of me as I heaved, body jerking violently over the bowl. Bitter acid filled my throat, and I spat it out, shaking and gasping. My arms trembled beneath me, and sweat slicked my back.Fuck. This was hell.Another wave surged.“Ggkkhh—hurk—”I dry-heaved this time, my throat raw and my stomach twisting like it was trying to wring itself out. My hair stuck to my face, and my eyes watered. I had no strength left. Nothing in me wanted to keep going.But I knew I would. It been five hellish days and it was getting worse by the day…Because my body clearly didn’t care how much I hated this.“Jay,” came a soft voice. Lena.I didn’t look up. Didn’t have the strength to. I rested my head
Third Person POVElijah had combed through half the city, weaving through streets and private estates, his phone glued to his ear. Every number he dialed went unanswered. Every message to Jay or Lena was met with silence. This was the first time since he started working for his president that he doesn’t have an idea where he was…. And this frustrated the shit out him. Like what the fuck man.Lena’s men were everywhere stone-faced, trained, unyielding. Every attempt Elijah made to get close ended the same way: a cold “You’re not authorized” and a wall of muscle blocking his path.But Elijah wasn’t stupid. He had other ways. After almost five years of working for the Hale’s, he has made some connections of his own that can help in situations like this.A call here and a favor there, and a discreet tracking ping on a company vehicle… by the time he was done, he had what the chairman wanted a location. Since he couldn’t get any of them, at least he has a location but why the fuck does the
Third person POVThe Hale MansionThe sound of shattering glass echoed through the marble hallways of the Hale estate, followed by the thunderous slam of a porcelain vase against the wall.“Useless! Worthless! Goddamn disgrace!” Chairman Hale’s voice roared like a storm tearing through a brittle structure. His hands, once steady with power and precision, now trembled with fury as another antique sculpture met its end against the wall. He felt like the heaven hated him so much to have made him a father to the most despicable and the most useless child of all time.Servants stood frozen along the edges of the room, Elijah among them with each one trying their best to melt into the wallpaper, to become invisible as their employer’s wrath raged on unchecked. No one dared breathe too loudly. No one dared look him in the eye.The chairman’s face was flushed, lips curled in disgust as he paced the room like a caged beast. Decades of authority rippled off him like heat from a furnace. He felt
~~ Alex ~~I had just zipped up my hoodie, keys in one hand and helmet in the other, when my phone started vibrating against the kitchen counter.Dad.The screen glared up at me like a warning.I almost ignored it. Almost. But then it hit me the last time I spoke to him was over a week ago.I answered with a sigh. “Yeah?”“What the hell is going on, Alex?” my father barked, voice sharp like he’d been holding back and just snapped. “Ethan said you haven’t been to the office in days. You didn’t show up for the board review, you missed your strategy call with the Tokyo investors, and have you forgotten your business trip?”I pressed the heel of my hand into my eye. “It slipped. I’ve been handling other…” I was never this forgetful my whole life… what the heck Alex “Other what, Alex? Goddamn yoga classes? Or is it your usual clubbing and hookup with other men?” His voice dropped to that dangerous low he used when disappointment was clawing under his skin. “You’re CEO, not some frat boy c
~~Alex~~Jay Jay Jay and am fucking tired of that god forsaken name hunting me like he’s a shadow, he got a nice ass and a great fuck but I don’t get while I can get rid of him form my thoughts. I haven’t even had sex for a while all because of him, I need to relief my dick from this torment and after that, I will dig into Jay and Lena. Those Hale siblings are fucking annoying.I got my bike keys and went straight to the garage and drive straight to the club where I met Jay for the first time, I need a release.The bass hit first low, thick, and crawling under my skin. The air inside the club was heavy with cologne, sweat, and the kind of heat that promised sin. A place where nobody asked questions. Where names didn’t matter. Where I could forget.I wasn’t here for a drink. I wasn’t here to talk. I was here to burn off the frustration twisting in my chest before it turned into something I couldn’t control.The bar was my vantage point. Whiskey in hand, I let my gaze sweep the crowd. H
~~ Alex ~~It had been four days since I put someone on Jay’s trail, and still nothing. No updates, no slip‑ups, not even a blurry picture. All I knew was what his oh‑so‑beloved sister and his father told me: that he’d left the country.Maybe I should just book a flight and show up at his so‑called destination. Catch him off‑guard. Look him in the eye and get my answers.My phone buzzed. Caller ID lit up with the investigator’s number. Finally.I answered before the second ring. “Talk to me.”His voice was low, careful. “Sir… things are… different now.”I frowned. “Different how?”“The security around him is extremely tight. I mean tighter than I’ve ever seen. Like… presidential‑level tight. Cameras, guards, shadows everywhere. You’d think he was some kind of national treasure.”That made no sense, isn’t he out of the country. “So he is out of the country?”A pause. “No. He’s here. Same city. Same air. Just… untouchable.”Untouchable… huh?I leaned back in my chair, irritation prickli