LOGINThe 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
The phone rang at 2:17 AM, cutting through the quiet cabin like a scream in the dark.Kai jolted awake, heart pounding. Damien was already reaching for the phone on the nightstand. The screen lit up his face Kaicen’s name glowing bright.Damien answered fast. “Kaicen? What’s wrong?”Kaicen’s voice came through, shaky and raw. “I… I can’t breathe. The walls feel like they’re closing in. He’s here. In my head. The man with the belt. I thought I was past this. Please… I need you. Both of you.”Damien sat up immediately. “We’re coming. Right now. Lock your door if you can. We’ll be there soon. Stay on the phone with me.”Kai was already out of bed, pulling on clothes. His hands shook as he grabbed the car keys. “We’re on our way, brother. Hold on. We’re coming.”
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.
Kai put the envelope on the coffee table and leaned back against the couch. Damien stayed close, arm around his shoulders.“You don’t have to open it today,” Damien said again. “Or ever, if you don’t want to.”Kai nodde
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 sho
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 ro







