LOGINRICHARD’S POVI was fucking furious.I couldn't believe what that idiot Rusty had done in that shady joint."Goddamn piece-of-shit wretch!".With a rough movement of my arm, I reached for my desk lamp and smashed it against the wall, shattering the glass into a thousand pieces.Then, with both palms, I furiously swept everything off the counter, sending it all flying through the air, crashing against the parquet with a deafening roar."What the shit passed through his head?!" I bellowed, clenching my fists until my knuckles turned white. "Did that wretch just put a noose around our necks?!".In front of me, standing by the door, one of my trusted mercenaries remained motionless, holding a tablet that blinked with red alerts.The man cleared his throat, swallowing with a frightening difficulty before speaking."Sir... the news has already reached the main servers of the Triad abroad," the man informed. "The emissaries from Yokohama just contacted the satellite line. They are demanding
We continued advancing along the hallway toward the private parking lot exit, crossing over to the zone of the armored SUVs.I was sure that we would just get in and be free from all that commotion, but as soon as the exterior doors opened, the number of reporters seemed to triple.I thought for a microsecond that Frederick would simply open the back door of the vehicle, jump in all at once, and order the driver to pull away at full speed, leaving me stranded right there next to Riley in the middle of the media disaster.But contrary to everything I assumed, Frederick stopped dead in his tracks next to the car's running board, spun around completely, and faced the horde.Letting out a sigh, he elevated his right hand in an authoritarian gesture, which caused all the journalists to fall into a complete and instantaneous silence.I approached his side, taking advantage of the silence, and leaned my face to his ear."What... what do you plan to do, Frederick?" I asked him in a rapid whis
The cabin of the private jet submerged into a deathly silence.I was goddamn surprised by Frederick’s words.Had I perhaps misheard? Was the lack of air from the altitude making me hallucinate?Had Frederick truly just blurted out before everyone that I was his goddamn partner?What the absolute fuck was passing through his sick head!I turned my gaze quickly toward the floor, where Logan spat a thread of blood over the upholstery, holding his ribs with a grimace of pure pain.He wiped his lips with the back of his hand and looked up."You're... you're completely insane, Bayron," Logan managed to articulate through his teeth. "Everyone knows... everyone knows he is your brother by obligation… nobody is going to believe it goes beyond that…."Frederick let out a sharp laugh that made my skin crawl.He got off Logan in a single fluid movement and arranged the cuffs of his black shirt, wiping a red stain from the fabric of his dress pants."Oh, really?!" Frederick mocked. "Well, you see
"Measure your goddamn words, Logan," Frederick warned him. "You are alive on this plane only because Luke asked me not to leave your body floating on the cliff of your property. Don't tempt your luck twice in less than a day.""Oh, really?! Are you going to threaten me here up top too, Bayron?!" Logan retorted to him, taking a step forward in his seat. "You entered my private villa with a weapon, you hit my face in front of my guests, and now you act like you are the owner of the world! Your brother is a murderer and you are a goddamn controlling sick man who cannot stand to see anyone else touch what isn't even yours.""I told you to shut your mouth, you piece-of-shit civil!" Frederick roared, with his hands closing into fists over his thighs. "You know absolutely nothing! So, sit down once and for all, fuck! Don't make things worse now!"."I am not going to shut up, Frederick!" Logan went further, striking the folding table with the palm of his hand. "I know perfectly well how sick
Frederick stopped, looked at me with an expression where fury was tinged with absolute contempt, and walked toward me."A farce?!" he let out a dry laugh. "Do you truly believe I would waste my time staging a public murder just to remove you from the arms of that starving wretch?! Look at it yourself."Immediately, he elevated his phone, typed on the screen with fury for two seconds, and slammed it directly against my chest, forcing me to take the device.I took the phone with trembling hands and slid my finger across the screen. Shit. My eyes ran over the pixelated images with an absolute stupor. Yes, it was a piece of breaking news on the central portal of the police. Scarcely an hour ago they had published the photographs of Rusty being dragged into the back of a patrol car, with his shirt stained with a thick red and his face distorted by drunkenness. I went down toward the section of public forums and read the comments that were accumulating by the hundreds, a wave of social
LUKE'S POV Frederick’s words remained floating in the air, repeating in my head over and over again:"I don't like men, Luke... only you."I felt the entire universe grind to a halt. Never, even in my worst delusions, did I imagine that this man who threatened me with a Glock was capable of confessing such a raw obsession. I tried to say something, to open my mouth to let out an acidic retort, but right in that precise millisecond, the phone he had tossed onto the sofa rang again.*BZZZ! BZZZ! BZZZ!*Frederick let out a harsh curse between his teeth, got up from the mattress with a swift movement, and picked up the device."Marcus! It better be that the city is burning down!" Frederick snapped, striding toward the bathroom.He closed the door halfway, leaving a small crack through which the murmur of his furious voice began to filter.I was left alone in the middle of the messy mattress, listening to the murmur of his voice arguing on the other side of the glass. I took advantage o
The safety lock yielded with a metallic crash and the oak door swung open, hitting the interior walls.The racket was so great that it seemed to freeze time inside the luxurious office.I peeked over Frederick's shoulder, holding my breath.Inside, four men dressed in dark Italian suits stood up fr
Logan sat down, his tall body ending up just a few scant centimeters from mine. His fragrance, expensive and completely free of any tobacco smoke, hit me immediately.He looked me up and down, lingering for a second on my newly cut hair and then on my eyes before turning slightly toward Riley."Wel
I froze, looking at Riley while the garden wind moved the leaves of the great oak with a rustle that felt like a mockery to me.It was easier to sleep with a man, it definitely was; my body did not lie.But the idea of using a complete stranger as cannon fodder in my personal war against the Bayron
I finished bathing, the hot water causing my skin to turn red. I stepped out of the shower, took the rough towel, and rubbed it over my body with energetic, almost violent movements, as if trying to rip away an invisible layer of dirt that persisted on my skin.Once again, I deliberately avoided lo







