로그인Brandon’s POVFor a second, I thought I was seeing things.Like my brain had just decided to glitch after everything we had already been through, because there was no way—absolutely no way—that the person standing in the doorway was real.But they were.And the worst part?Cameron looked like he recognized them immediately.“You…” I said slowly, my voice coming out more uncertain than I wanted. “Who is that?”Cameron did not answer me right away.His entire body had gone still, the kind of still that meant something serious was happening in his head. His grip on my hand tightened just slightly, like he was grounding himself.“That’s not possible,” Irene said again, her voice sharper this time. “You were gone.”The person in the doorway smiled, like she had been waiting for that reaction.“Gone?” she repeated. “That’s a strong word.”Wilson took a step back so fast he nearly hit the wall.“Oh, I do not like this,” he said. “I do not like surprise returns, especially not the creepy kind
Cameron’s POVMy hand tightened around Brandon’s before I even realized I was doing it.“I know that voice,” I said again, more clearly this time, even though my chest felt tight like something was closing in.Brandon turned to me immediately. “Who is it?”I didn’t answer right away, because my mind was already racing, trying to connect everything, every conversation, every moment that had felt slightly off but not enough to question at the time.The screen flickered again, and the masked figure stepped closer to the camera.“Come on, Cameron,” the voice said, calm and almost amused. “You’re usually faster than this.”Wilson let out a quiet, panicked laugh. “I do not like this. I really, really do not like this.”“Be quiet,” Irene said, but even she sounded tense now.Brandon squeezed my hand slightly. “Cameron, talk to me.”I exhaled slowly. “Take off the mask,” I said, my voice steady even though everything inside me was not.The figure tilted their head.“Straight to the point,” th
Brandon’s POVWe had barely stepped into the room when I realized something was off. The man sitting behind the desk did not look like he belonged to any ordinary office or agency. He had this unnerving calm about him, the kind of calm that made you question whether he was hiding a storm. Cameron’s hand brushed against mine without hesitation, and I felt a jolt of reassurance in that small gesture.I was the first to speak, trying to break the tension. “So… you’re the person Irene mentioned?”He looked up from his tablet and smiled faintly. “I am, yes. But I was told to expect you before you even reached out.”I blinked. “Wait, what? That’s not possible. Irene contacted you.”“Did she?” His eyes twinkled, just a little, like he knew more than he was letting on. “You believed she did. That was the choice you made.”Cameron’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean, ‘we believed’? Are you saying this meeting was planned before we even decided to come here?”“Yes,” he said smoothly. “Your arriv
Cameron’s POVThe morning did not remain quiet for long.It never did.Even before Brandon finished getting ready, my phone had already vibrated three times in rapid succession on the table, the sound sharp against the otherwise calm atmosphere of the apartment. I watched it for a moment without picking it up, already aware of who it was and what it meant.Irene.Brandon glanced over from where he was standing, halfway through putting on his jacket.“You are going to check that eventually,” he said.“Yes,” I replied.“You are just delaying it.”“That is also correct.”He shook his head slightly, though there was a faint smile on his face.“You are unbelievable,” he said.I picked up the phone and unlocked it.Three messages.All from Irene.The first one was brief.We need to meet immediately.The second was more urgent.Security has escalated the situation.The third—I paused slightly before opening it.Drake has been released.I went still.Brandon noticed immediately.“What?” he a
Brandon’s POVI woke up slowly, not in the usual rushed and disoriented way that comes with alarms or stress or unfinished thoughts, but in a quiet, almost unfamiliar calm that made me want to stay exactly where I was without moving at all. For a few seconds, I kept my eyes closed, letting myself exist in that space between sleep and reality, trying to understand what felt so different, what had shifted enough to make everything feel softer.Then I realized.Cameron.My head was resting against his chest, and his arm was wrapped around me in a way that felt natural, like it had been there all night and had no intention of leaving. His breathing was steady and even, and for once there was no tension in him, no sense that his mind was racing ahead or calculating something, and that alone made my chest tighten in a way I was not entirely prepared for.I opened my eyes slowly, letting the early morning light settle in around me as it slipped through the curtains and painted the room in so
Cameron’s POV The quiet did not break.It followed us.From the couch… to the moment Brandon finally shifted, exhaling softly like he had just made a decision.“We should probably go to the bedroom,” he said, his voice low but steady.I looked at him.“Probably,” I agreed.There was something different in the air now.Not tense.Not uncertain.But heavier in a way that made every movement feel more deliberate, more aware.He stood first, then held out his hand toward me.I took it without hesitation.And that simple action—fingers lacing together, the quiet understanding between us—felt just as significant as everything else that had happened that night.We walked down the short hallway slowly.Not because of distance.But because neither of us seemed in a rush anymore.The door to my room opened quietly.The space was dim, lit only by the soft glow of a lamp near the bed, and for a moment we both just stood there, taking in the stillness.It felt… different.Like stepping into somet







