After dinner, Nathan stayed awake discussing with Eloise before she retired for the night, and he went back to his room.Donald had just gotten out of the shower. He changed into gray trousers and a plain white T-shirt, but instead of getting into bed, he stood in front of the mirror. Slowly, he took off the shirt, his muscles shifting under his skin as he flexed, checking the progress he was making from spending weeks in the gym. Nathan lay on the bed, watching from under half-closed eyes. His self-control was thinning with every slow movement. His chest felt tight, heat curling low in his stomach.But then that small, sharp voice in his head cut through the haze. "This man is supposed to be hated by you." The tiny voice said. You're not supposed to be looking at him like this.And with it came the memory—the night at the club. The heat, the mistakes, the things he still couldn’t forgive. The morning when he'd found himself naked in Donald's bed.His jaw tightened, and the heat wa
The police arrived in minutes, their boots heavy against the hotel carpet as they stepped into the room. "I hope you're not hurt," One of the police asked, and he shook his head. Aside from a little cut when he'd tried to grab the knife, he was fine.The police officer turned to the lady who was still yelling and cursing in a language which sounded like mandarin or taiwanese."Take her away," Two officers took the woman away in handcuffs while another stayed behind to take Nathan’s statement.Nathan told them everything. The attack, the connection to Zarek, and the fact that Donald had been asleep through all of it. His voice was calm, steady, but inside he was still burning from what had happened at the club.Donald was still fast asleep, unaware of the fact that he'd almost lost his life.“I want to file for a restraining order against Zarek,” Nathan added firmly.The officer nodded, jotting it down. “We’ll get that started right away. You’ll be contacted when it’s processed.” he i
The strip club looked exactly as Nathan remembered—the red and blue lights that added to the mood, the sensual and pulsing music, and the smell of cheap perfume mixed with alcohol. He pushed through the crowd until he spotted Zarek seated somewhere which was a private booth in the corner with a glass of dark liquor in his hand.Zarek smiled the moment he saw him. “Nathan. You look… different. I guess babysitting a CEO is a good job actually.” He took a sip from his glass. Nathan didn’t bother sitting. “Leave Donald alone.” he warned. "Donald had nothing to do with any of this, so I see no reason why you should hurt him."The smile faded from Zarek’s face, replaced with something colder. “This has everything to do with him." He replied. "He has something that belongs to me.""I don't belong to you, nor do I belong to anybody." Nathan retorted. "I wont warn you again, leave Donald alone.""You know I can’t do that.” He leaned back, taking a slow sip. “Donald took something that belong
Donald walked into the hotel, with Nathan carrying the bags following closely behind. They'd spent hours driving round town just to lose the man who had been tailing them all night. Since he'd checked them in, Donald had said nothing. He unlocked the door, and entered. Donald put his bag onto the bed that was close to the window, sat down, and immediately brought out his laptop.Nathan stood for a moment, watching him, then quietly closed the door. This man had become a shadow of himself. He hated this. And the cause of this was Zarek .Donald’s fingers moved over the keyboard as he logged into his company's emails. His face, already pale from stress, drained more color when he saw the messages there. He tap on them one by one, it kept coming, never ending. Each one was worse compared to the last.Their stocks were dropping fast. Investors were pulling out. His name—his company’s name—was being ripped apart in numbers and words. The news was all over the internet, and nobody wante
The moment he was gone, Nathan sank onto the edge of the bed. His hands were still trembling with fear.Donald didn’t speak. He simply closed the door, walked over, and crouched low beside him.“Are you okay?” he asked, voice gentler than Nathan had ever heard it. "Did he hurt you?"Nathan swallowed hard, then shook his head. “He didn't. I just…”“Did he say anything to you?"Nathan didn’t answer, but his silence said enough. Donald placed a hand on his, firm and grounding a way of giving him all the support he needed.“We’re going to stop him,” Donald said. “You’re safe with me. I promise.”lAnd for the first time… Nathan almost believed it. He felt safe in his hands.Hours later..........The silence inside the penthouse was heavier than the hospital walls. Nathan moved ahead of Donald as they stepped in, scanning the place instinctively—corners, shadows, reflective surfaces. Everything looked the same. But he didn’t feel the same, something was off and he had to find it.Zarek’s vi
After shopping, they dropped off Eloise before returnimg to Donalds home. For the first time since Nathan met Donald Ervin, the man looked tired amd downcast.Not the polished, unshakable CEO everyone saw in the boardrooms. Not the confident billionaire who handled crisis like a game of chess. But a man—one carrying the weight of something slowly falling apart. His company!They sat in Donald’s car as it pulled up in front of the private hospital. The rain had finally stopped but every where was still mushy and cold.Donald hadn’t spoken much since the second call from his office. Eloise had noticed too so she kept mute.“Three stores have shut down all together. Sales dropped by twenty percent overnight,” he had said quietly earlier. “Investors are nervous. Some are pulling out because they're scared of losing their money.”Nathan had seen people scared, but seeing it in donald made his heart ache.“You built all this from scratch, didn’t you?” Nathan asked.Donald nodded slowly. “Af