LOGINThey lay together for a long time after, breathing slow, bodies still warm. Damien finally got up to get water. Kai watched him walk to the kitchen, then rolled over and reached for Damien’s laptop on the nightstand. His own phone was dead, and he just wanted to check the time and maybe send a quick text to Lila.
He opened the laptop. The screen lit up. Damien had left a folder open on the desktop something called “Background_KL”.
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Kai was still in the kitchen the next afternoon, washing the last plate from lunch, when the doorbell rang. He dried his hands and walked over. Damien was in the living room on a call.Kai opened the door.An older woman stood there, maybe sixty, with short gray hair and kind but tired eyes. She wore a simple coat and held a small bag. She looked at Kai for a long moment.“Kai Lennox,” she said softly. “You’ve grown up so much.”Kai blinked. “Do I know you?”The woman smiled sadly. “Not really. But I knew your mother. I’m Clara. I used to live two floors down from you when you were a boy. I helped watch you sometimes when she had to work late.”Kai’s stomach tightened. “Clara… yeah, I think I remember you. You brought cookies sometimes.”Clara nodded. &ld
They lay together for a long time after, breathing slow, bodies still warm. Damien finally got up to get water. Kai watched him walk to the kitchen, then rolled over and reached for Damien’s laptop on the nightstand. His own phone was dead, and he just wanted to check the time and maybe send a quick text to Lila.He opened the laptop. The screen lit up. Damien had left a folder open on the desktop something called “Background_KL”.Kai clicked it without thinking.Inside were pages of documents. Old photos of his mother. Bank records from when he was a kid. Notes about his toxic ex. Even a copy of the police report from when that ex had gotten rough with him years ago. At the bottom was a short email from a private investigator dated two months ago.*“Subject’s family history confirmed. Father left when he was 8. Mother struggled financially. No major red fl
Damien stared at the three small black bugs lined up on his desk. Security had just left. The office felt violated.He picked up his phone and called Kai.“I’m coming home,” he said the second Kai answered. “Right now. I need you.”Kai’s voice was soft. “Okay. I’ll be waiting. Drive safe.”The penthouse door barely clicked shut before Damien pulled Kai into his arms.“Bad day?” Kai asked, hands sliding up Damien’s back.“Someone’s been listening to me,” Damien said. “Bugs in my office. Three of them. I don’t know how long they’ve been there.”Kai hugged him tighter. “Shit. That’s messed up. You okay?”Damien buried his face in Kai’s neck. “I will be. But right no
They left the studio hand in hand. The crew was still whispering behind them as they walked out to the car. Damien kept his arm around Kai the whole way back to the penthouse. Neither of them said much during the drive. The air felt heavy.When they got inside, Damien kissed Kai quickly. “I need to check something at the office. Won’t be long. Stay here and rest.”Kai nodded. “Okay. Come back soon.”Damien drove to ValeTech Tower. The building felt quieter than usual. He went straight to his office on the top floor and closed the door. He sat down at his desk and started going through some papers. Something felt off. He couldn’t put his finger on it.He opened the top drawer and froze.There was a small black device stuck to the underside of the drawer. Tiny. Professional looking. A bug.Damien stared at it for a few second
They left the studio together. Damien’s hand stayed on Kai’s lower back the whole way to the dressing room at the back. The second the door closed, Damien pushed Kai against it.“You let him touch you again,” Damien said, voice low and rough. “I saw his hands on your waist. On your hips. Like he had the right.”Kai looked up at him, breathing fast. “It’s just work. You know that.”Damien’s hands moved down, gripping Kai’s hips hard. “I don’t like it. I don’t like anyone else touching what’s mine. Not even for photos.”Kai grabbed Damien’s shirt. “Then remind me who I belong to. Right now.”Damien kissed him hard, almost angry. His hands yanked Kai’s shirt open. “You’re mine. Say it.”“I’m yours,&rd
They spent the rest of the morning in bed, talking about nothing and everything. Around noon, Kai checked his phone and sighed.“I have a shoot this afternoon,” he said. “First one back in the city. Marcus set it up last minute. Some magazine spread.”Damien nodded, fingers still resting on the phoenix. “You want me to come with you?”Kai thought about it. “Maybe just watch from the side. I don’t want to make it weird for the team.”The studio was bright and busy. White backdrops, big lights, and people moving everywhere. Kai stood in the middle wearing an open white shirt and dark jeans, the phoenix tattoo clearly visible.The photographer, a tall guy named Nico with messy hair and a loud voice, circled him.“Chin up a bit more,” Nico called. “Yeah, like that. Give me that ‘I know







