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Stirring the Flames
Terakhir Diperbarui:
2025-07-24 02:10:58Cassian wasn’t a morning person, but today, he was radiant.
Clad in his plush white robe, a silk sash tied carelessly around his waist, he lounged on the terrace of the penthouse with a steaming cup of espresso. The city shimmered below, unbothered by his stunts or scandals. For once, so was he.
His phone buzzed on the table beside him.
“Taryn,” he greeted, taking a slow sip.
“You’re awake early. That’s new,” she said with a dry tone.
“I’m reborn, remember?” he replied, smirking.
“Well, your rebirth has sent half the board into panic mode,” she said. “I’ve already gotten three calls and a very passive-aggressive email from PR.”
“I’m impressed. Usually, it takes at least two press scandals to get them that riled.”
“You want me to send Julian an invite too?”
Cassian hesitated just for a second then smiled like a knife.
“Absolutely. Front row. Let him stew in the irony.”
“Got it. And what exactly are you wearing to this... gala of redemption?”
“White velvet. Custom. I want the photographers to question if I’m holy or unhinged.”
Taryn snorted. “And Rowan?”
Cassian’s smile faltered, just slightly. “Charcoal gray suit. No tie. Open collar.”
“Oh?” she teased. “Since when do you pick Rowan’s outfits?”
“Since he started making me look presentable.”
“You two are getting... close.”
Cassian leaned forward. “You’re fishing.”
“I’m noticing,” Taryn said gently. “You hated him when he arrived. Now, he’s not only in every room you’re in, but standing up for you to your father?”
“He’s... complicated.”
“You’re not exactly simple yourself.”
Cassian chuckled. “We make a good mess.”
“Just be careful,” she warned. “If this gala backfires, you’ll need more than charm to clean it up.”
Cassian hung up and turned toward the hallway.
Rowan leaned against the doorway, arms crossed.
“How long were you standing there?” Cassian asked.
“Long enough.”
Cassian tilted his head. “Still not running?”
Rowan’s voice was low. “Still not afraid.”
Elsewhere in the city, Julian ward was seething.
His penthouse was spotless but deadly quiet. A single email glowed on the massive screen in his home office:
INVITATION: THE WESLEY FOUNDATION REBIRTH GALA
He read the name over and over again.
Cassian Wesley.
Smiling. Confident. Wearing white like an angel fresh from sin.
Julian clenched his jaw and walked to his bar. He poured whiskey not because he needed it, but because destruction always tasted better with ice.
He stared at the invite.
“So, you want to play, Cass?” he murmured. “Fine. Let’s play.”
He picked up his phone and dialed.
“Move the timeline up,” he said when the other end picked up.
There was a pause.
“It’ll be messy.”
Julian smiled coldly. “Then make it glorious.”
He ended the call, his eyes still fixed on the screen.
“I’ll see you at the gala, darling.”
Back at the penthouse, Cassian stood by the window, arms crossed as the city stretched before him like a chessboard.
He heard his phone buzz again.
Cassian picked it up and blinked at the name.
Preston.
He considered ignoring it. Instead, he answered.
“Father,” he said, light and unreadable.
“Do you enjoy making enemies out of allies?” Preston snapped.
Cassian smiled. “I enjoy cleaning up your mess. The gala is good PR.”
“You invited Julian ward?”
“Everyone deserves a second chance, don’t you think?”
“You’re treating this like theatre.”
“It is theatre,” Cassian replied. “And the company needed a new lead.”
Preston’s voice dropped. “Is this your way of declaring war?”
Cassian turned toward the skyline. “No, Father. This is me taking back control of my narrative. Finally.”
There was a pause.
“Just be careful what doors you kick open, Cassian. Some things don’t go back in the box.”
“Maybe they shouldn’t.”
He ended the call and turned to Rowan.
“Are you sure about this?” Rowan asked.
“No,” Cassian said, walking past him. “But for once, I’m not running either.”
The gala loomed.
So did the war.
And Cassian Wesley was ready.
Bab terbaru
The Bodyguards boy Beneath the current
Cold.That was the first thing he knew cold that wasn’t just on the surface, but deep, invasive, clawing into the marrow of his bones. The ocean swallowed him whole, pressing in from all sides as if determined to erase him. Cassian kicked instinctively, arms flailing through water that felt heavier than gravity itself. His lungs screamed, desperate for air, but the dark waves pressed down, unrelenting.The last thing he remembered clearly was laughter his own, a brittle thing fed by too much liquor and then headlights, wind, speed. And then betrayal. Hands that touched him too familiarly, shoving him, not holding him. A blur of motion, the car, the bridge. The sharp rush of saltwater closing over his head.Now it was only chaos.Cassian fought upward, but the surface kept slipping farther away. Every movement was sluggish, like swimming through wet cement. His beach shirt twisted around him, tangling against his body like a net. Panic roared in his chest, hotter than the freezing wave
The Bodyguards boy Ashes on the water
Back in the city, Rowan was halfway to his apartment when his phone rang.Lennox.The words that came through were jagged, frantic:“Cassian’s… car explosion coastal highway the bridge”Rowan didn’t hear the rest. His chest caved in. He turned the car around so hard the tires shrieked, the world narrowing to a single thought that screamed through his skull.If Cassian was gone if those last words between them were the fight they’d never take back Rowan wasn’t sure he’d survive it.He pushed the car past its limits, city lights warping into streaks of color in his peripheral vision. Sirens rose ahead, sharper with every turn. The taste of smoke hit his tongue before he even saw the scene.The bridge loomed broken, burning, alive with chaos.Blue and red strobes painted the smoke. The acrid scent of gasoline and scorched rubber clawed at his throat. Fire crews moved like grim shadows in the glare, their shouted orders cutting through the roar of the river below.Police lines barred the
The Bodyguards boy Over the edge
The sun was already beginning its slow descent, casting golden fire over the city when Cassian stepped onto the penthouse terrace.Rows of low tables were draped in white linen, champagne buckets sweating against the humid air. The rooftop pool glittered like liquid crystal, its surface reflecting strings of white fairy lights stretched above. Guests mingled in crisp white linen dresses, linen shirts, tailored shorts, wide-brimmed hats. The scent of sea salt from the man-made rooftop breeze mixed with the sweetness of champagne and the faint, clean burn of pool chlorine.Cassian had dressed the part white beach shorts with gold drawstrings, a thin linen shirt unbuttoned to mid-chest, sleeves rolled casually. The light kissed his collarbone, catching on the fine chain resting against his skin. His bare feet padded silently across the deck as he scanned the crowd.He’d told himself this party wasn’t about celebration. It was about distraction. About drowning the past few weeks in music
The Bodyguards boy White Lies
The morning after felt deceptively ordinary.Sunlight spilled over the penthouse’s terrace, glinting off the half-assembled poolside bar. Staff in matching polos moved around briskly, adjusting white parasols, hanging shimmering paper lanterns, and arranging tables draped in ivory linen.Cassian stood barefoot at the edge of the pool, coffee in hand, watching his reflection ripple on the water. The all-white theme was starting to take shape gleaming loungers, frosted glassware, floral arrangements bursting with lilies and orchids. It was beautiful, expensive, and intentionally curated to scream control when inside he felt anything but.“Looks like something out of a magazine,” Taryn said as she appeared at his side, clipboard in one hand, headset around her neck. “You sure you want to go through with this?”Cassian smirked faintly. “Why wouldn’t I?”Taryn gave him a look. “You’ve got a countdown hanging over your head. Throwing a pool party sounds… counterintuitive.”“That’s the poin
The Bodyguards boy Ghosts in the wire
Morning light crept into the penthouse through gauzy drapes, casting soft shadows across the floor. But there was no peace in the glow just exhaustion wearing yesterday’s clothes.Cassian hadn’t slept. The message from the unknown number had replayed in his mind all night like a ticking clock.Happy almost birthday, Cassian.He stared at his laptop, bleary-eyed, the blue glow accentuating the lines of worry etched into his face. He refreshed the security logs again.Still three access attempts. Still one unknown ID.Rowan entered the room, unshaven, shirt half-buttoned. “You’re still up?”Cassian didn’t look at him. “Did you know there were remote login attempts on the server?”Rowan’s brows furrowed. “No. You’re sure?”Cassian turned the laptop toward him. “Look. Two are yours. The third is untagged. Not from my system. Not from yours.”Rowan leaned in. “Could be a hacker. Could be someone we missed.”Cassian’s jaw tightened. “Could be someone watching us.”The tension between them h
The Bodyguards boy Smoke Without Fire
The penthouse was dim when they returned, the glitter of the gala behind them, but its consequences still simmering in their bones.Cassian stood at the floor-to-ceiling windows, staring at the city like it owed him answers. Rowan paced behind him, his movements tight, controlled. The silence between them was no longer companionable. It was explosive.“I didn’t leak that video,” Cassian said for the third time, his voice taut.“I know,” Rowan replied, but his jaw ticked.“You don’t sound like you know.”Rowan turned sharply. “Because we were going to leak it, Cassian. That was the plan.”“But we didn’t.”“And yet it happened anyway.”Cassian turned to face him. “Are you accusing me?”“I’m saying someone did it. And it sure as hell wasn’t me.”They glared at each other, tension crackling between them like static. Their near-kiss on the rooftop, the loaded silence since, it all hung between them like unsaid truths.Rowan exhaled and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Let’s go over this ag
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