LOGINNow, it was Raine's turn to worry about Paulo. She didn't react immediately because Lewis' drama was enough and now that he had left with Derek, she now had the space to talk about his wound, if he had any. She took her time to look at him. Like she fixed her gaze on him, searching for signs of major injuries. She noticed the tiny cut on his lips but she wasn't Lewis, she would never panic over a little cut like that. “Why are you staring at me like that?” Paulo asked after noticing her expression. “Are you hurt?” She asked, trying her best to sound chill and reserved. “I’m not,” Paulo said immediately. “Are you sure?” She asked, her eyes searching for him but Paulo avoided eye contact. “I said I’m not,” Paulo repeated. He didn't know where the conversation was headed but he was already exhausted before it even began. “I don't want to be dramatic about it,” Raine said, crossing her arms. “So if you had sustained any injuries aside from the obvious ones, you should talk before
Frenzo was still laughing. Even with blood spilling from his mouth… even with Derek’s hand wrapped tightly around his collar, he was still laughing. And that provoked Derek more. “You think this is funny?” Derek growled, his voice low and deadly as he picked Frenzo up and slammed him against the marble floor again.Frenzo coughed, then laughed again. The sound was hoarse, broken, but still mocking.“You… should’ve… seen your man…” he said, coughing out blood. Derek’s fist cut him off before he could finish. He hit him again and again, each hit was heavier than the last. Each punch carried the weight of rage Derek had kept buried behind control for years.After realizing that Derek might eventually kill Frenzo, Paulo moved forward to stop him. “Derek…” he said, grabbing his shoulders.“Don’t touch me,” Derek spat, the warning came out sharp and cold.Paulo stepped back slightly, reading the situation. Derek's reaction wasn’t anger anymore, it was personal. But they didn’t have ti
Derek's mansion was quiet. It wasn't the kind of quiet that came with polished settings and disciplined staff. It was kind of hollow. It felt like the walls were holding their breath, waiting for something to break. Since Derek and Paulo left, Lewis couldn’t sit still. He had tried to buy it didn't work for him. He had sat on the edge of the couch for exactly twelve seconds before springing back up again like the cushion had burned him. Now he paced the length of the living room, back and forth, his hands running through his hair as his mind sounded louder than his footsteps.“We need to call the police,” he muttered, earning him a glare from Raine. Raine sat not so comfortably on the couch with one leg crossed over the other, watching him like someone observing a restless storm. She felt uneasy too but she wasn't pacing around like Lewis. Lewis turned to her. “Reporting to the police is better than going there on their own,” he said, louder this time.Raine raised her eyebrows a
“Alonso?” Raine repeated.“Who is Alonso?” Lewis asked, still shaking. Neither Derek nor Paulo answered. Their minds were far beyond the walls of the mansion. No one would have imagined that in less than five minutes, the atmosphere inside Derek’s mansion could shift from chaotic to deadly.Derek had turned into something far more terrifying than Lewis had ever seen. He wasn’t yelling, and that was the frightening part. Derek’s silence was far worse than anger.“But whose ring is this?” Paulo asked. “There's only one way to find out,” Derek said, his voice laced with the fury within him. “Get the cars ready,” he ordered. Paulo nodded instantly. “I’ll call the others.”“The more, the merrier,” Derek said.Paulo disappeared immediately.Derek turned to Raine. “Stay here,” he said firmly. Then his eyes moved to Lewis. Lewis straightened nervously.“What?”“Stay out of my way.”Lewis looked offended despite his fear. “I wasn’t planning to follow you to whatever murder destination yo
Derek was still laughing when Paulo reached the door. The loud, arrogant laugh bounced off the office walls, adding to Paulo's irritation. He thought of a way to wipe the smile off Derek's face. He already yelled before and he wasn't ready to go through that route again. “Only if you put this same energy into your on and off relationship with Lewis.”Paulo didn’t even need to study Derek's expression before he knew his words hit the right spot. It hit so well that the smile on Derek's face disappeared immediately. Feeling triumphant, Paulo smirked to himself. Then he turned, opened the door and left. Derek stood frozen near his desk. His smile was completely gone. His expression was flat… dangerously flat, like he was trying to process the right emotion to show. Paulo’s smirk widened as he stepped outside. “Well… he muttered to himself, spreading his arms dramatically. “Looks like I can be entertaining too.”“You called that entertaining?” Derek growled from behind him. Without
Derek didn't wait for anyone's response before walking into his study. The moment he stepped inside, the noise from the mansion faded behind the door. But the serenity didn't last because Paulo stormed in seconds later like a man carrying unfinished business.The door slammed shut behind him.“You know,” Derek said calmly, “most people knock before entering.”Paulo looked like he wanted to commit a crime.“You told me to fuck it off?”Derek walked toward his mini liquor shelf.“I don't remember stuttering,” he said casually. Paulo stared at him in disbelief.“Do you know how that sounded in front of everyone?”Derek poured himself a drink.“And what's my business with what everyone thinks?”“You said fuck it off like it was normal,” Paulo said, still in disbelief. Derek turned slightly, clearly unfazed by Paulo's tone.“It looked normal from where I stood.”Paulo looked deeply offended.“And I'm one hundred percent certain the others knew you were about to fuck each other,” Derek a
There are three kinds of desire.The natural and necessary desire. The natural but unnecessary desire. And the empty and vain desires. The kind that looked real on the surface but meant nothing if you looked deeper. Derek had never fit into any of them. Nothing about him had ever felt natural. Not
“Get him,” Derek ordered. Paulo left without saying a word. There was no time to waste in situations like that. They've never gotten themselves into something like this before. While Paulo was gone, Derek thought of all possible ways to get rid of Lewis without drawing attention from the public.
Lewis jumped out of the bed the moment his mind fully caught up with what was happening.“You kidnapped me!” he shouted again, pointing wildly between Derek and Paulo. “This is illegal! Do you hear me? Completely illegal!” His voice echoed through the room.Derek was already sitting on the edge of
Lewis woke to pain.A sharp, pounding headache throbbed behind his eyes, each beat echoing through his skull like someone was hammering from the inside. He groaned and pressed a hand against his forehead, squeezing his eyes shut.“What the actual hell…” His voice came out hoarse.As he opened his e







