Share

Mission

Author: Cat Stories
last update Last Updated: 2025-12-18 00:39:06

The conference room of the mansion had been transformed into a grotesque parody of a bank.

Production assistants had covered the mahogany table with stacks of oversized, fake cash, credit card applications, and mock blueprints for dream houses. The air conditioner was blasting, but Elion felt a bead of sweat trickle down his spine.

Mira Kovari stood at the head of the table, flanked by two men in grey suits who looked like undertakers.

"Welcome to the real world, lovers!" Mira announced, her voice echoing too loudly in the acoustic-tiled room. "Romance is easy when you're drinking champagne in a hot tub. But do you know what kills romance faster than infidelity?"

She slammed a heavy ledger onto the table. Thud.

"Money," Mira said darkly. "Debt. Mortgages. Credit scores. Today, we are going to see if your love can survive a spreadsheet."

Elion stared at the ledger in front of him. The production team had printed his name on the cover in gold foil: The Future of Elion & Cale.

It felt li
Continue to read this book for free
Scan code to download App
Locked Chapter

Latest chapter

  • Rewinding My Reaper Boyfriend   39: Falling Light

    The studio was a cathedral of steel and artificial light.They were filming the "Confessionals" segment for the mid-season recap. The contestants were lined up on a raised platform, seated on high stools under a grid of heavy lighting rigs.Elion sat between Cale and Mia. The lights were hot, baking the gel into his hair and making his shirt stick to his back."Okay, everyone," the director shouted from the floor. "We need energy! We need drama! Tell us who you hate! Tell us who you love! Action!"The cameras zoomed in.Elion took a breath. He was tired. He was tired of the questions, tired of the constant surveillance, tired of the knot of anxiety that had taken up permanent residence in his stomach since the pool party."So, Elion," the host, a perky woman named Sarah (different Sarah, too many Sarahs), asked. "Let's talk about the rumors. Kieran says you and Cale are... hiding something."Elion looked at the camera. He felt Cale’s presence beside him—steady, silent, watchful."Kier

  • Rewinding My Reaper Boyfriend    Kieran Strikes

    The midday sun beat down on the pool deck, turning the turquoise water into a blinding sheet of glass. It was supposed to be a "Chill and Grill" afternoon—no challenges, just burgers, beer, and bikini shots for the B-roll.But the atmosphere was anything but chill.Elion sat on the edge of a sun lounger, pretending to read his book. In reality, he was listening. The acoustics of the pool area were surprisingly good, carrying voices across the water with perfect clarity."I'm telling you, it's not normal," Kieran’s voice drifted from the cabana bar, where he was holding court with Sam, Mia, and Leo. "Did you see the break? The ball curved. Physics doesn't do that.""Maybe he's just a shark," Sam said, sounding uncertain. "Some guys grow up in pool halls.""He doesn't have a past, Sam," Kieran countered, his voice dropping to a theatrical whisper. "I checked. My agent checked. Cale Rion didn't exist before this show. No social media. No yearbooks. Nothing.""That is weird," Mia admitted

  • Rewinding My Reaper Boyfriend   Ripple Effect

    The morning after the laundry room incident, Elion woke up with a strange sensation in his chest.It took him a moment to identify it. It wasn't the usual heavy dread of debt, nor the sharp spike of anxiety about the cameras. It was something lighter. Effervescent.It was hope.He sat up in the massive bed. Cale was already awake, sitting on the chaise lounge, reading a book on architectural history."Good morning," Elion said.Cale looked up. He didn't just look; he illuminated."Good morning," Cale replied. "You slept for seven hours. Uninterrupted.""I did?" Elion stretched. "I feel... human. It's unsettling.""It's progress. Are you ready for the sharks?""The contestants?""Yes. They will sense the change.""What change?""You," Cale said, standing up and closing his book. "You're not hunching your shoulders anymore. You look like a man who has stopped waiting for the ceiling to fall."Elion touched his own shoulder. It was true. The tension knot was gone."Well," Elion smiled, "

  • Rewinding My Reaper Boyfriend   Laundry Day

    The basement laundry room of the mansion was a subterranean world of white noise and fluorescent lighting.It was 4:00 PM on a Sunday—the only scheduled "downtime" the production allowed. Most of the contestants were napping, or in Kieran’s case, loudly complaining about the lack of signal in the game room.Elion stood in front of Washer #3, watching his clothes spin in a hypnotic circle of grey and blue.He felt heavy. The emotional hangover from the night before was still clinging to him like a damp coat. He had cried. He had confessed. He had let Cale see the darkest, most broken part of him.And Cale hadn't run."You used too much detergent," a voice said from the doorway.Elion didn't jump. He had learned the sound of Cale’s footsteps—or rather, the lack of them."I used the recommended amount," Elion said, not turning around. "The cup has a line.""The line is a suggestion from the soap lobby to make you buy more product," Cale said, walking into the room. He was carrying a bask

  • Rewinding My Reaper Boyfriend   35: Vulnerability

    The morning sun that flooded Suite 1 felt less like a new beginning and more like an interrogation lamp.Elion sat on the edge of the bed, staring at his socks. They were mismatched—one grey, one black. A small, chaotic detail that seemed to sum up the absolute wreckage of his emotional state.He felt hollowed out. Scraped clean. The previous night’s conversation with Cale—the tears, the confession about Alex, the debt—hung in the air like stale smoke.He had broken his own cardinal rule: Never give them the ammunition.And he had given Cale the whole arsenal."You're spiraling," Cale’s voice cut through the static in Elion’s head.Elion didn't look up. "I'm not spiraling. I'm regretting. There's a difference.""Regret implies you made a mistake," Cale said. He placed a mug of coffee on the nightstand. "You didn't.""I told a stranger my deepest trauma at 3 AM," Elion snapped, finally looking up. "In a house full of cameras. That is the definition of a mistake. That is a tactical erro

  • Rewinding My Reaper Boyfriend   2 AM Talks Begin

    The mansion settled into the earth with the heavy, groaning sighs of an old beast trying to sleep.It was 2:45 AM. The witching hour for insomniacs and regrets.Elion lay on his back, staring at the canopy of the bed. The red velvet looked black in the darkness. His body was exhausted from the Budget Challenge, drained by the panic attack under the stairs, but his mind was a centrifuge, spinning the same thought over and over again.I survived. He didn't.He rolled over. He squeezed his eyes shut. He tried to count sheep. He tried to count breaths."You're grinding your teeth again," a voice whispered from the darkness.Elion sighed. He opened his eyes."And you're listening again," Elion whispered back. "Don't you have an off switch?""I told you," Cale said from the chaise lounge. "I rest. I don't power down.""That sounds exhausting.""It's necessary."Elion sat up. He pulled the duvet around his shoulders like a cape. The room was freezing, despite the thermostat reading seventy d

More Chapters
Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status