LOGIN**Chapter 126: Victor’s First Move**The penthouse felt too big after the board meeting.Damien walked through the empty rooms like a man who had just lost his own grave. The silence was deafening. The city lights outside the windows still looked the same, but everything inside felt wrong.Kai sat on the couch, staring at the floor.They had gone home after the board vote. Quietly. Together. Damien had driven without saying a word. Kai had stared out the window the whole way, hands shaking in his lap.Now it was past midnight.No one had spoken about the changes. No one had mentioned the investors who had left. No one had mentioned the new apartment keys Kaicen had dropped off earlier that evening.The secret was still there, heavy and suffocating.Damien sat down on the couch beside Kai. He didn’t touch him. He just sat close enough that their legs brushed.“It’s real,” he said quietly. “They removed me. They offered the company to Victor. They did it while we were fighting for the r
The boardroom smelled like fresh coffee and expensive cologne.Damien walked in first, Kai right beside him. Their hands brushed every few steps. No one spoke. No one needed to. The air already felt thick with tension.The ten members of the board sat around the long table. Some faces were familiar. Others looked cold. Mr. Harlan sat at the head, wearing his usual smug expression. The rest shifted uncomfortably when they saw Kai and Damien enter together.Damien took his seat without hesitation. He didn’t smile. He didn’t greet anyone. He just sat down and looked around the table like he owned it. Because he did.Kai sat beside him. He kept his hand lightly on the table, not touching Damien, but close enough that their fingers almost brushed.The meeting started slow. Small talk. Apologies for the delay. Then Mr. Harlan cleared his throat.
Damien woke up to the sound of his phone vibrating on the nightstand.3:12 a.m.He sat up fast, heart already racing. Kai was asleep beside him, breathing slow and even. Damien picked up the phone and saw the message from an unknown number.His stomach dropped.He read it twice.“I see you, Kai. I see your brother. I see everything. Marcus was right. They’re weak. They always were. Come find him… or I start breaking him the way I broke your brother all those years ago.”The message came with a photo.Damien’s blood went cold.The photo showed Kaicen. Standing on a rooftop. A man with a gun pressed to the back of his head. The caption read: “Your brother. Or mine. Your choice.”Damien woke Kai immediately. He didn’t hesitate. He didn&rs
The studio lights felt too bright that morning. Kai stood in front of the lens, trying to smile, but every flash reminded him of the warehouse. The way the gun had kicked. The way the blood had looked on Marcus’s shirt. He kept blinking, forcing the smile to stay steady.Then she walked in.Lila Moreau.She was stunning in the most casual way tight jeans, a cropped white shirt, hair in loose waves. The photographer had told Kai she was the new face for the campaign. Kai had seen the photos online. She was everywhere. And now she was standing ten feet away, looking straight at him with a smile that felt like it was aimed at Damien.“Hi,” she said, voice smooth. “You’re Kai, right? The one who looks just like the old campaign shots. I’m Lila. I’m so excited to be working with you.”Kai forced a smile. “Yeah. I&rsqu
The phone started ringing at 3:04 a.m.Kai’s eyes snapped open. He was already sitting up before the second ring, heart hammering in his chest. The screen glowed with an unknown number. He grabbed the phone and answered before the second beep.“Kai?” Kaicen’s voice was barely above a whisper. It was shaking so hard it sounded like it hurt. “I’m… I’m sorry. I’m sorry to call. I didn’t know who else to call. I’m in my apartment. I… I need you. Both of you. Please.”Kai was already out of bed, pulling on his hoodie. “We’re coming. Right now. Stay on the phone with me.”Damien was already moving, sliding out of bed and grabbing his pants. “Kaicen, talk to me. What’s happening?”Kaicen’s breathing was fast and shallow. “I woke up and it hit me a
The phone rang at 2:17 a.m., cutting through the silence like a gunshot in the dark.Kai jolted awake, heart slamming against his ribs. The guest room was empty when he stepped out into the hallway. Damien was already moving down the hall, phone in hand, face lit by the screen. Kai followed, bare feet quiet on the hardwood.“Kaicen?” Damien said into the phone. His voice was calm, but Kai could see the tension in his shoulders. “What’s happening? Are you okay?”Kai leaned against the doorframe, watching his brother. Kaicen’s voice came through the speaker, rough and trembling.“I… I can’t breathe. The walls feel like they’re closing in. He’s here. The man with the belt. I thought I left that behind. Please… Kai, Damien… I need you. Both of you. I’m scared.”Kai’s stoma
They stepped out of the penthouse together, hands linked. The elevator ride down was quiet. Damien’s thumb kept rubbing small circles on the back of Kai’s hand.“You sure you want to do this?” Damien asked as the doors opened to the garag
The next morning, the penthouse felt different. New cameras blinked in the corners. Extra locks clicked on the doors. Two security guys stood quietly near the elevator. Kai woke up first and made coffee, but the whole place felt smaller, like the walls were closing in.
Damien stared straight into the corner of the room where the camera was likely hidden.“Whoever you are,” he said loudly, voice cold and shaking with anger, “you picked the wrong people to fuck with. I’m coming for you. And when I find yo
Damien hung up the phone and turned back to Kai. His face was tight, eyes full of worry and something darker.“Security found nothing else in the building,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean we’re safe. Whoever took those photos is still out there.







