FAZER LOGINDanteBeside me, Julian stood with his shoulders slightly curved, his grey-blue eyes fixed on the polished steel doors. He looked composed to anyone else, but I could hear the rapid, uneven rhythm of his breathing. I could feel the residual tremor in his skin from where my thumb had pressed against his throat in the back of the car.“Is it dangerous?” he had asked.The innocence of the question was almost painful. He lived in a world governed by statutes, internships, and moral lines taught in pristine university lecture halls. He didn't know that every inch of the penthouse he slept in was paid for by the methodical sanitization of blood money. He didn't know that the contracts I signed at his mother’s dinner table were designed to shield a global criminal enterprise, or that my title consigliere meant I was the architect who decided which men lived cleanly and which men disappeared into the ocean.And I intended to keep it that way for as long as humanly possible.The elevator doors
JulianThe rain over the city had cleared by late afternoon, leaving the asphalt black and reflective under the streetlights.I spent the remainder of my workday reading corporate compliance forms, though none of the legal jargon registered in my head because I was distracted. My body still felt heavy, marked by the phantom pressure of Dante’s hands and the lingering taste of his mouth.Dante had texted me to ask what time I get off work, which I found extremely weird but I let him know anywayAt 6:30 PM, Dante’s private black sedan pulled up to the curb outside the law firm.I didn't bother to ask any questions. I simply stepped off the curb, slid into the back seat, and sat quietly as the car navigated through the busy downtown traffic. Dante was already in the back, scanning financial printouts or what looked like finance stuff on a tablet. He wore his usual charcoal suit, perfectly tailored to his toned body, his concentrated face looked like those guys on the cover of mafia books
DanteI let out a deep breath once I realized that I was now alone in the living room. I stood there motionless, for a few minutes before adjusting the cuffs on my shirt and dragging my tie to loosen it.There was something dangerous about Julian, maybe because he wasn’t loud, or because he was always calm… Well, not always, but most of the time. He was soft, perceptive, and entirely aware of my strength and what I can do, at least to an extent. That quiet submission, that wide-eyed, silent acceptance of my dark world, -he knows something is up, he just doesn’t know what it could be, at this point, I was prepared for the worst if he ever finds out,- was far more addictive than any challenge could ever be. It made me want to protect him from the world, and take him completely for myself.“Dante” I murmured to myself, “Wake up”I removed my suit jacket from the arm chair and relocated to my study.I could still hear Julian’s soft, trembling voice echoing from the living room.“So what?
JulianComing back to the office was almost like a nightmare, I didn’t know what to expect, especially since I was going to see Owen today, after what had happened earlier.The office was busy as usual when I got there. I was immediately greeted by Priya who seemed extra jovial this morning.There he was, at his desk. I had no idea where else I was expecting him to be at, but my heart skipped a beat when I made eye contact with Owen. It was brief and short because Oqwen immediately looked away when he saw me. I looked around to see if anyone had noticed the awkward moment but thankfully, everybody was busy minding their own businesses.I walked over to my own desk and settled down. I looked around, I hadn’t seen Claire yet. Maybe she was running late. I was tempted to ask Owen, but I restricted myself, saving myself from further embarrassment from him.Mr Crowe wasn’t in the office today but he had his assistant give us some tasks to do. Over an hour had passed and Claire was nowhere
DanteI woke up at exactly 5:00am and within twenty minutes I was in my private gym blowing off steam I guess. It was the kind that I couldn’t explain. I just know I needed the physical strain to clear my head.I focused on the large punching bag in the middle of my small gym and hit it fiercely. Only that this morning, it did nothing. My mind was everything but clear. Every time my knuckles struck the leather, my mind recalibrated to the precise weight of Julian pressed against the wall of my study less than forty-eight hours ago. I could still feel the sharp dig of Julian’s fingers into the nape of my neck.“Fuck” I muttered to myself. I caught the heavy bag with my two hands and held it tight as my chest heaved up and down. I closed my eyes, in an attempt to force my breath to slow down.I had spent over ten years mastering the art of absolute control. I had done things without any form of emotion or ever letting my heart beat rise above normal level. But here I was, a twenty-two y
JulianA full day had gone by and the tension in the penthouse had settled into an uncomfortable, electric hush. Neither of us had spoken a word about the previous night. Dante had treated the entire incident as a closed file, retreating behind his usual impenetrable wall of cold professionalism or whatever it is it was.I, however, was done playing with Dante’s rules. I had another thing to think about. The kiss I shared with Owen. I was shocked that Owen had even considered kissing me at all, but then he looked like he had regretted it and a huge part of me felt bad. I wondered how I’d be able to face him once I get to the office when the new week starts.I paced around the house for a good thirty minutes. Dante and I were both home for the weekend but Dante has locked himself up in his study all day, all night even. I had barely seen him since he manhandled that man from the club the other night.It was a sight I couldn’t quite get out of my head. I don’t know if it was because he
DanteJulian settled in faster than I expected and that should have been a good thing. Except it wasn’t.I stood in the living room with a glass of whiskey untouched in my hand, watching him from across the space without making it obvious. He moved around like he belonged there, opening drawers, ad
Jullian.I stood in the middle of my room with an open suitcase on my bed, staring at it like it had personally offended me. Half my closet was already folded inside, my shirts and well-tailored trousers were folded neatly inside the suitcase. I looked around my room for anything that I may be forg
DANTE'S POV I pretended to be busy with my car when Orabella came to call me for breakfast. Knowing Aldo, he would still be sour from last night's altercation.“Tell the boy to meet me here once he's had a bath,” I said to Orabella's retreating figure and she nodded.After almost an hour, he
JULIAN’S POV The last time I saw Mother angry, I was probably still struggling to pronounce words properly. In this dark world, she was the ray of sunshine. I loved how she loved me and tried to protect me but there's only so much she could do. My hands moved quickly as I piled the plates







