LOGINThe next morning.“We’re here,” Leo said softly, reaching over and tapping Antonio’s shoulder to wake him up the moment the car pulled into the parking lot of the hospital.They had received the good news sometime between the middle of the night and the early hours of the morning: Junior had finally woken up. Now, they were parked outside the facility with a trunk packed full of flowers and lots of gifts. Though Antonio had an urgent engagement back home that he needed to travel for, reason they rushed out early.“Mmm… I don’t wanna wake up yet…” Antonio groaned, shifting his weight against the leather seat. His voice was still groggy from sleep, hoarse from being strained throughout the night.“Why not?” Leo teased.“I’m so tired.” Antonio pouted, his eyes half parted. “This is all your fault.”His cute reaction made a genuine smile break across Leo’s face. “Would you like to go say hello to Junior first, or are you heading straight to the hangar from here?”“I’ll go say hello,” Ant
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Leo asked, his voice thick as he pushed forward a step, his eyes flashing in the dim light of the bathroom.“I mean exactly what I said,” Antonio responded, his posture rigid as water dripped from his hair onto the tiled floor.“You’ll be married and I’ll be out of your life in a few weeks,” Leo repeated beneath his breath, the words tasting bitter. He let out a low chuckle, though there was nothing humorous about the expression on his face. “So is that what you came all the way here to say to me?”Antonio lifted his shoulder in a lazy, indifferent shrug. “What else is there to say?”“Okay then.” Leo nodded slowly, closing the remaining distance between them until he was standing right in Antonio's space. “Go ahead and get married to your wife. Kick me to the curbs if that’s what you want. But until that day comes, you do as I say.”“I won’t—”“Don’t make me repeat myself, Antonio.” Leo’s voice dropped into a deadly register that cut through the space.
The girl sprang upright, scrambling backward to the far edge of the mattress on her hands and knees. Her face twisted with terror as her eyes bounced rapidly between the gun aimed at her head, the hand wrapped tightly around Leo’s neck, and the blank look on Antonio’s face.“W-what?” she stuttered, her voice cracking.Antonio’s lips twitched into a cold smirk at her audacity. Most people would see a gun and run first, asking questions from a safe distance later. This one actually had the nerve to demand he repeat himself.He clicked off the safety with a sharp snap, squeezing his fingers tighter into the skin of Leo’s throat.“You have eight more seconds,” he said. The flat, calm register of his voice left no room for her to question the gravity of the situation.She jolted out of the bed, rushing straight to the wardrobe and ripping out her dress. She didn’t even bother trying to slip it on. Within seconds, she was sprinting out of the suite, the heavy front door slamming shut behin
While Lena and Julian were attempting to sort out their differences and meet each other halfway, Antonio tracked Leo down to the hotel where he was staying for the night.It turned out to be one of the King-owned hotels under Leo’s management.How typical.“Hello, I’m here to meet with Leonardo King. We have a meeting,” Antonio said, leaning against the polished marble of the front desk. He kept his posture rigid, his voice smooth to tame the unease clawing at his throat.The receptionist looked him up from head to toe. There was no doubt in her eyes that Antonio’s appearance matched a man who played on the exact same level as the Kings. He looked classy, carrying an air of intimidation and elegance. He was so prim, proper, and sharply tailored that an ordinary person would go berserk if they ever found out he was the heir to a crime organization.“Mr. King never mentioned anything about expecting a visitor tonight, sir,” the receptionist said, her tone polite and cautious. “I’ll h
“Why the fuck is it so gloomy in here?!” Leo jested, his loud voice shattering the tense atmosphere as he strutted into the room, unaware of the bomb that had almost been dropped.Julian swallowed hard, stepping away from Lena and closing his eyes for a brief second. Once again, Leo had saved the day.“What’s happening?” Leo slurred his words, stumbling a bit over his own feet as he came to a stop near the foot of Junior's bed.Lena's eyes narrowed instantly. “Are you drunk?” she asked, rushing over to her brother’s side and catching his arm.“Nope.” Leo shook his head, popping the p with a loose, goofy grin.“You’re definitely drunk,” Lena countered, her voice dropping to a harsh whisper as though if she spoke louder, Junior would wake. “Did you drive in this state?”“My driver brought me. Relax.”“Okay. Good.” Lena exhaled a long, calming breath, trying to steady her own racing heart. “You should go home and sleep it off—”“No. I want to stay here. With you and Junior.”“I’m here,”
“Me? Disrupt your wedding?” Julian chuckled, the sound sharp and incredulous against the whistling wind. He poked his forefinger hard against his chest. “He wants me to…”He trailed off, the half-smile dying on his face when he saw that Antonio wasn’t laughing. The dead, serious look in his brother's eyes made the air feel suddenly freezing.“Are you serious?” Julian asked, his voice dropping.“I am.” Antonio nodded once, a muscle ticking in his jaw.A breathless scoff whooshed past Julian’s lips. “You want me to get shot in the middle of a cathedral?”“No one’s going to shoot you, Julian.” Antonio tilted his head, his eyes narrowing as if he found his brother’s concern ridiculous. “You’re a Black.”“A runaway Black, might I remind you,” Julian fired back, stepping closer, his hands gesturing wildly. “And how many minutes or hours do you think a disruption will buy you anyway?”Antonio didn't blink. “You understand wrong, Julian. I’m not asking you to come there kicking and screaming.
“Hello, this is the assistant of Pedro King. I saw that you had put up an article stating that Mr. Julian Black was out with his wife. As his associates, we are unaware of any such information. Might I know if you have any other details about the woman in question?”“Pedro King?” The reporter asked
Lena heard the front door open just as she was setting her phone down.She didn’t move from where she sat curled in the corner of the living room sofa, her legs tucked beneath her, the glow of the television casting pale light across the room. She had been waiting for two hours, maybe even longer.
Tick.Tick.Tick.The clock continued to tick. Seconds turned into minutes and minutes into hours. And yet Lena’s husband was not home.Three years.That was how long Lena had been married.Three years of convenience. Three years of an arrangement that had never pretended to be more than what it wa
Years ago, before the marriage, before the arrangement, before she tucked herself into Julian’s quiet house and learned to want less, Lena used to party.It was how she processed things: a loud room, a dark dance floor, a glass in her hand. It wasn’t elegant and she knew it. But it worked. Tonight







