MasukELI'S POV"You are not fine."Bianca said it the second I walked into the kitchen. I stopped in the doorway. She was sitting at the table with Maya right beside her. Both of them looking at me like they had already been talking about me before I even got there."I am fine," I said."You have been staring at your phone every four minutes since you got home," Bianca said. "You made tea and forgot to drink it. Twice." She held my gaze. "You are not fine, Eli."Maya stayed quiet, watching me.I had not really met her properly yet. Third door on the left did not count. She was smaller than I expected, with sharp eyes that seemed to notice everything. She looked like someone who understood Bianca without needing many words.I liked her right away. I was not going to say that out loud."Sit down," Bianca said."Bianca—""Sit."I sat.Maya slid a fresh cup of tea across the table toward me without saying anything.I looked at the cup.Then at her."Thank you," I said."Mm," she replied softly
SEBASTIAN'S POVThe basketball court was empty.Cold morning air. No wind at all. The nets hung completely still. My footsteps sounded too loud on the concrete as I walked out to the center circle.This court.This exact court where Eli first looked at me like I was the most annoying person he had ever met. Where I grabbed his collar like an idiot and everything between us started whether we were ready or not.I stood there with two boxes heavy in my pockets and waited. My heart would not slow down.I heard his footsteps before I saw him. That slow, steady walk he always has.He came through the gate and stopped when he saw me standing in the middle like a fool."The basketball court," he said, voice flat."The basketball court," I answered.He walked toward me slowly and stopped a few feet away."Sebastian.""Eli.""If you are proposing to me on a basketball court at ten in the morning," he said, "I am saying no on principle.""You are not," I said.He looked at me.I looked back at
SEBASTIAN'S POVSelena was already sitting at a corner table when I walked into the café.She looked too perfect for the place, like she’d chosen it on purpose so she could stand out. When she saw me, she stood up slowly.We stared at each other for a second.“Sebastian.”“Mom.”We sat down.The waitress brought coffee and left. The café was loud around us, but it felt like the whole world narrowed down to just this table.“You look tired,” she said.“Long night,” I muttered.She nodded like she already knew.After a long silence, she spoke carefully.“I need to say something. Let me finish before you respond.”I shrugged. “Okay.”“I knew about the bet,” she said, voice steady but quiet. “I signed that contract. I watched Devon put something in Eli’s drink and I didn’t say a word.” She looked me straight in the eyes. “I was wrong. About all of it. The filing, the board, treating you and this family like pieces I could move around. I’m sorry, Sebastian. Not because I got caught. Becaus
SEBASTIAN'S POVThe ring shop was small and warm inside, smelling like wood polish and something fancy I couldn’t name. It felt too nice for how nervous I was.Eli stood next to me with his hands stuffed in his pockets, staring at the glass cases like none of this was a big deal. Like we were just killing time. Meanwhile my heart was hammering so loud I was sure the lady behind the counter could hear it.Jasmine stood on my other side, practically shaking with excitement she was trying really hard to hide.“You didn’t have to come,” I told her.“I absolutely had to come,” she shot back. “This is huge, Sebastian. The most important thing you’ll ever buy. You need me here.”“I don’t need supervision.”“You were gonna propose on a staircase,” she said, raising an eyebrow. “You definitely need supervision.”Eli didn’t say anything, but I saw the tiny smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. That little movement made something warm bloom in my chest.The woman behind the counter gave us a
SEBASTIAN'S POV"I need to turn myself in before they find me. I'm sorry Sebastian. For everything."I read Marcus’s message again. Then again. Then one more time. The words kept sliding off my brain like they didn’t belong there."Sebastian." Eli’s voice cut in, sharp."I see it," I mumbled, still staring at the screen."We need to call Mr George. Now.""It’s one in the morning, Eli. He’s probably—""I don’t give a fuck." Eli was already dialing, phone pressed to his ear before I could finish the sentence.Mr George picked up on the second ring, voice clear like he hadn’t been sleeping at all."Marcus contacted you.""Yeah," Eli said. "Just now. Same number."Eli read the message out loud, flat and fast.Silence stretched on the line. Long. Awkward. My stomach kept dropping lower and lower.Finally I couldn’t take it anymore. "Sir… was it Marcus? Did he do it to Devon?"Mr George exhaled slowly."Sebastian, listen to me. What I’m about to tell you stays right here until morning. You
SEBASTIAN'S POV"It is not who you think it is."The words burned into my eyes. I kept staring at Mr George’s text until the letters started to blur and swim together. My chest felt tight, like someone was squeezing the air out of me."Sebastian." Eli’s voice cut through the cold like a knife, sharp and urgent."I read it," I muttered, not looking up from the screen."Then say something. Don’t just sit there staring like that.""I don’t know what the fuck to say!" My voice came out louder than I meant it to, cracking at the end. "What do you want from me? ‘Oh nice, maybe it wasn’t my mom who tried to kill Devon’? I don’t even know how I’m supposed to feel right now. Relieved? Scared? Fucking angry? Pick one because I can’t."Eli sat up quickly, his bare skin still flushed and marked from earlier. He grabbed his phone without hesitation and started typing, thumbs moving fast and aggressive across the screen."Who."We both leaned in close, shoulders pressed together, our breath visible
ELI'S POV I shut the down behind me and let out a deep sigh. I was so fucking exhausted and doing that kinda ease my frustration a bit. Finally that fucker was out of my face! “If only I would never be able to see him again.” I thought. He had a way of messing with my mind and feelings. No one h
SEBASTIAN'S POV“Eill, how about we strick a deal?” I muttered softly, too soft that I almost didn't recognize my own voice. His eyes laced with suspicion, I felt his breath heavy like he was suddenly breath faster or maybe it was just the sound of my heart pounding in my chest. My eyes held his
SEBASTIAN'S POV I stared at him utterly confused. I just could not bring myself to understand what he was saying no matter how hard I thought about it. “I am confusing you? What exactly do you mean?” I muttered and he scoffed. “You are the one to answer that question. But then again…” He paused
Eli'S POV “Going somewhere?” That voice was enough to send the shivers down my spine, it was an awfully familiar voice and I knew just who it was the moment I heard them.I thought Sebastian was behind this but guess he was innocent this time around, although I really wished he wasn't. It would ha







