All Chapters of Addicted to His Bitter Rival: Chapter 1 - Chapter 4

Kael didn't like waiting, but this time, he checked the time more than once. Lucian had always been on time before. He would show up exactly when he said he would, not early, not late. Kael had come to expect that over the years. So when the door opened at the exact minute they agreed on, Kael wasn't surprised. But everything else felt strange.Lucian walked in as if nothing had changed. He didn't hesitate, his face showed no stress, and there was no sign that his whole company had just fallen apart for reasons no one could fully understand. He closed the door quietly, his eyes meeting Kael's with a steady look.For a moment, Kael just watched him. "You're on time," he said.Lucian's mouth turned up a little, not quite a smile. "Did you expect me not to be?""I expected something," Kael replied. "I just haven't figured out what yet."Lucian didn't answer that. He walked further into the office and stopped in front of the desk without sitting down, as if he wouldn't stay long. That als

Kael woke up the next morning feeling wide awake, and that feeling didn't go away even when he lay still. For a moment, he stayed on his back, eyes open, looking at the ceiling. The memory of the night before came back in pieces that fit together too perfectly to ignore. There was no confusion, no fog to excuse what had happened. He remembered how it started, how sure he had been, how every decision felt planned. He remembered the change that followed, quiet and controlled, happening in a way that gave him nothing to push against. And he remembered the end most clearly of all—not because of what was done, but because of what it showed.He had not been in control.The thought settled completely this time, without any argument. Kael pushed himself up, his jaw tightening as he sat on the edge of the bed. He didn't rush to move past that point. He let the realization sit there, pressing into him in a way that made it impossible to dismiss as a small mistake. This wasn't a minor error that