로그인0021AUGUST “Just like that?” I asked him. “Do you want to know or not?” he replied, holding my gaze. “ I want to, it's just- never mind. Let's go.” I smiled as I gripped his wrist, dragging him to the driver's seat. I haven't had alcohol in a while, and I wasn't going to miss on this one. I slid into the passenger's seat, buckling up with a dramatic click that made him glance. The corner of his face twitched, before his eyes went back to the road.The drive felt shorter this time, or maybe I was just thinking too hard to notice the minutes.I kept stealing looks at his side profile: his. Sharp jawline, the faint scar that cut through his left eyebrow, the way his hands gripped the wheel like it owed him money, pressing hard till his knuckles turned white.We pulled into a gravel lot outside a bar that looked like it had given up on life sometime in the nineties. River’s End. Cute.Inside, it smelled like spilled whiskey and regret, the good kind. The bartender—a woman with a lon
0020. AUGUST Levi didn't speak to me on that because of what happened yesterday. I tried so hard to sleep, but I couldn't. I turned over my bed. I rolled over multiple times, but I couldn't sleep. My mind kept pondering on the toy and why Levi kept overreacting. It was just a toy. Why did he overreact? I let the thought linger on as sleep dragged me.The next morning, he acted like, I didn't even exist. And somehow this felt worse. More than a cold silence, avoidance. It was clear that he didn't want to be around me anymore. I decided to test it by staying in the kitchen longer than necessary. I went to tease him as usual. I squeezed my face at the first taste of the coffee. "Is the Coffee always thus bitter and bad," I said. "Or did it notice I was here and decide, 'Oh, let's punish August'? " He didn't look up. He kept on cleaning the counter, even though it was more than c
0019 LEVI August was unusually quiet. I knew it was because I snapped at him. I apologized still, but he wasn't having it. Even after he drank the juice, he only mumbled a small thank you and said he was tired and went into his room. I let him go, I didn't bother. No reason. I could only mutter “I'm sorry.” once more, just to ease my conscience at least.Lucien had already warned me to keep it professional, Following him might lead to something I would not want. I cleaned up the kitchen slowly, wiping down the counters as I checked the locks everywhere. He was asleep and we wouldn't want anyone breaking in. By 10:00, the house was dark except for the low lights in the hallways. I did my final sweep with my tablet in my hands, scrolling through the cameras. August's room was empty, his bathroom was empty, and the hallway was empty too. But then I got a motion sensor from the east wing. August was going to be the end of me.The same restricted area I warned him about. The p
0018 AUGUST Levi refused to speak to me, even his coldness increased. He didn't even spare me a glass all afternoon. Instead, he assigned me chores without saying a word, just issuing simple commands. I polished the glass till my arms ached, but my mind always drifted to the house design, and the text I got that night. “Atticus was alive.” I shook my head, trying to get rid of the thought. Maybe it was Levi playing pranks on me. He obviously heard when I had the nightmare, and maybe, just maybe I had mentioned Atticus’s name. I tried to navigate my thoughts back to the architecture of the house. What kind of house was crafted in such a weird way? Everything seemed off. The reflections doubled back on themself like it was deliberate, like something was hiding in plain sight. After I finished cleaning, I stayed tracing the glass, unsure of what exactly I was looking for. I wanted to stop, but I heard a faint hum behind like a vibration. Electronics. “Fuck.” I staggered
0017LUCIENI sat in my usual chair, staring at the monitors, studying the feeds carefully. I paused at the hallway spot as I saw August in his room, Levi standing by his door, motionless for too long, listening to his cries, pleas and subtle screams. His breathing was audible on the mic. It made my heart ache, my chest tighten. He stood, Levi stood there, conflicted between leaving and staying, but he walked away eventually. But I could see the hesitation in his eyes. Levi had always been reliable, cold, loyal, efficient, trustworthy without question. I hired him some years back when he walked up to my office. A young fragile-looking boy, who chose to run my empire, despite the rules. I told him what it would take. Running my empire simply meant ending his previous life, and becoming a new person. He told me he had no life before now, His eyes were sharp, full of desperation.His attitude was exactly what I needed. He reeked of desperation and hunger. The hunger that fueled hi
0016 Levi August choking on hot chocolate and blaming it on the wrong pipe was very odd. I knew it was more to that, and that kept on replaying in my head like a bad loop. He was obviously hiding that stupid text in his phone. Immediately the text came, his eyes moved to mine, slowly watching me before he darted them back to his phone. I knew because I had seen the feed from last night when he stripped, touching himself and sending that stupid photo to Nightshade, or to an anonymous person, which is obviously Nightshade. Lucien. He was playing his games and August was just a pawn. I slammed the door so hard, the sound reverberated through the house. I got into my car, driving straight to the company. Lucien was at his desk reviewing documents of his businesses all over the world, and I knew he was just watching the cameras as well. He was always watching, watching every step August made. I coughed, making my presence known to him. "The house tour is done," I s







