《Start Over On Easy Mode (BL)》 Chapter 1 Zach¡¯s eyes followed the people passing by his window. The documents belonged to an upcoming project that he needed to review. As an intern, he was to look for errors before sorting them. Truth be told, he came to work on autopilot today. Yesterday was his sixty-sixth birthday. His children and wife threw a party, congratulating him when he had a heart attack. He clutched his chest as all the members of his family watched him dying. They didn¡¯t call the paramedics or try to help. His daughter¡¯s words still echoed in his head. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t hate us too much. If you think about it, it is your fault.¡± He scrubbed his face, letting out a hollow laugh. Zach knew what she was talking about. Their entire family often discussed it, but he put his foot down, sticking to his beliefs. He didn¡¯t expect them to murder him instead of respecting his decision. Money. It all boiled down to money. The family he lovingly cared for killed him for the money he slaved to make. Could it be wrong to set up a charity and donate a part of his fortune? He fed, housed, and clothed them. Was it wrong for him to ask that they get a career? Was it wrong to set up a trust fund for his children? They could only access it at age thirty. Zach remembered his mother. Her back, standing in the kitchen, was a familiar figure. She was a hard-working woman. During his entire childhood, she worked two jobs. His grandmother pitched in to watch him occasionally. He didn¡¯t know that their life was lacking. Zach always had what to eat. Later, he realized that his mother often skipped meals to feed him. She was always busy doing something. He didn¡¯t remember her taking time for herself. Later, Zach followed a similar path. He got his first job when he was fourteen and never stopped working. Was it wrong for him to try teaching those values to his children? His wife. His beautiful, charming wife. He gave her everything. He would have cut out his heart if she asked. Zach opened the draw; he looked at the lottery ticket that changed his life. It led to a roller coaster ride from heaven to hell. Today, he is nineteen, again. An entire lifetime passed. That ticket was both reassuring and terrifying. He would like to say that he spent the money wisely. That wasn¡¯t the truth. It was his first lesson on how money changed people. He didn¡¯t expect to learn the second one from his family. In his excitement, he told his friends. He even showed his face when he went to collect his winnings. He took out the ticket, placing it in his pocket. The only benefit this money brought him was that he purchased a house for his mother and gave her enough that she could retire. Later, she gave him the money back when he was in debt. She¡¯d hid the fact that she only quit one of her jobs. A phone ringing brought his mind back to reality. It didn¡¯t matter if this was a dream or what. He has a second chance at life. He sneered at his phone, looking at the name on the screen. A memory popped into his head. He¡¯d told Ryan about winning the lottery on this call. Maybe. After fifty years, he couldn¡¯t remember everything. He remembered Ryan was one of the first people he told. This good friend spread the news for him. Family and friends, he didn¡¯t know he had, popped up out of nowhere. Poor advice, trusting the wrong people, and guilt meant he lost most of the money before he was twenty-five. He answered the call. ¡°Hey, Ry.¡± ¡°Hey, man! Are you coming to the party later?¡± There is a lot of noise in the background, making it hard to hear. Zach couldn¡¯t remember what the party was for. ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± He shuffled the papers on the desk, but nothing came to mind. ¡°Man, you are always working. Crystal is going to be pissed if you don¡¯t show up. You can¡¯t miss your girlfriend¡¯s birthday party.¡± It took everything for him not to laugh. Now he remembered. Crystal. There is a lot of nostalgia when he thinks of that girl. Most of it wasn¡¯t good. He didn¡¯t go to the party because it conflicted with his second job. At the time, he didn¡¯t realize he was going to win millions. They fought about it. He remembered thinking that it was the worst thing that would ever happen to him. They fought about a lot of things. However, that was the last straw for her. They broke up shortly after. When he won the lottery, she came back, and like an idiot, he started dating her again. ¡°Sounds like the party has already started.¡± He heard the music over the phone. ¡°Yeah. You are totally missing out, man. Guys, shout to let Z understand what he is missing.¡± There is a loud chorus and the sound of things breaking. Zach laughed at the absurdity. The funny thing about college was that there was a mix of people. That is how he, a kid from a low-income household, ended up friends with people who thought partying all day on a yacht for your nineteenth birthday was normal behavior. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Crystal was slumming it. Or he was a project. He wasn¡¯t saying that people with wealth disparities couldn¡¯t have a healthy relationship, but for teenagers, it is impossible. He needed to work to eat. The person he was dating didn¡¯t care about that. He was thrilled that she gave him the time of day. ¡°I¡¯ll be there.¡± He wouldn¡¯t break up with her today. He wouldn¡¯t do it over the phone, but things were already over between them. ¡°You sure, man. I know how the work situation is.¡± So, why were you pressuring me in the first place? You know I have to work at night. He didn¡¯t ask that out loud. ¡°I applied to another job and got accepted. I quit that one.¡± He knew he was on speakerphone, and he knew Crystal would hear him. It was petty and small-minded, but let her think he quit his job for her. The company would call him next week to let him know he got the job. ¡°That is dedication, man. Kris, you got to be happy.¡± He shouted to the people beside him. The excessive use of the word man was getting to him. ¡°I¡¯m at my internship. Got to go.¡± ¡°Later, man.¡± Zach started organizing the papers. He could continue as he was making changes to his life. That would be the best plan, but it wasn¡¯t feasible. He wasn¡¯t sure how to act his age. The people around him might not notice, but he didn¡¯t want to take the chance. His mother might notice. He planned to attribute it to winning seven hundred million in the lottery. That was sure to change anyone¡¯s personality. There was nothing left for them in Eve city. He would ask his mother to choose between Jell City and Pe city. They had the best housing markets in R country. The land there would triple in value in the next three years. He would like to move to S country, but that would come later. He finished out his day at work. He planned to act as normal as possible before ghosting everyone. *** Zach looked in the mirror. There were no wrinkles. There was a scar through his left eyebrow. His blue eyes were bright. Full lips and tan skin. His hair was black and pulled back in a short ponytail. He didn¡¯t have grey hair at his temples. He wasn¡¯t experiencing thinning. He was too thin. His body was willow and in need of thirty pounds and some muscle. Black shirt and jeans. It was the only thing in his wardrobe he would wear. Everything was too bright or had too many holes. Why did he like neon? He was pretending everything that had animal prints didn¡¯t exist. He was swamped with nostalgia as he walked through the two-bedroom apartment. He¡¯d hated this place. Last time, he couldn¡¯t wait to leave. Now, he saw the door jam where his mother measured his height. The scuff marks his skateboard left on the floor. He was glad to be back here. Getting in his car, he drove the long way to the marina. He would miss this city. He made a lot of mistakes, but there were good times. Everything he knew about the future happened here. *** The music was too loud. The flashing lights were too bright. The alcohol was cheap and too sweet. He wanted to put his feet up and read a book. It seemed that the only thing to change was his age. He was old at heart. Zach headed to the top deck. As he passed a room, he saw Ryan and Crystal making out. He knew they hooked up at this party in his past life. So, it didn¡¯t matter if he attended the party or not. They would still cheat. Which meant they were cheating before this. He didn¡¯t look twice, continuing up to the deck. The air was sharp and cold. Couples dotted the deck and were making out. Walking to the railing, he leans against it, watching the ocean. Despite getting what he wanted, he should not have come. The videos on his phone showed underage drinking and drug use. Ryan¡¯s face was clearly showing. Along with other people who used him. He couldn¡¯t remember some of their names, but that didn¡¯t mean he wouldn¡¯t take revenge. His back was even showing in one of the photos. That way, they wouldn¡¯t think he was the one who sold them out. He was sure they wouldn¡¯t rat him out, but even if they did. It wouldn¡¯t matter. It could even be an excuse as to why he dropped out of school and was moving. Still, he shouldn¡¯t have come. It would have been as simple as calling the police to get his revenge. He could hack into their devices. He didn¡¯t have to torture himself like this. ¡°Hey,¡± a small voice called. A guy was standing beside him. He didn¡¯t realize when he came close. He didn¡¯t recognize him either, but that wasn¡¯t saying much. He didn¡¯t know most of the people here. ¡°Hello,¡± Zach said. ¡°Are you Crystal¡¯s boyfriend?¡± He asked. Raising an eyebrow, he spoke. ¡°That¡¯s me. Why?¡± Zach could guess. Crystal and Ryan were both too drunk to notice that people could see them. The boy hesitated. ¡°You should know¡­,¡± His words trailed off. He nervously wrung his hands. He didn¡¯t know who this boy was. He went to ask till he noticed the burn mark on his arm. This boy was Crystal¡¯s younger half-brother. Zach couldn¡¯t tell if he was acting. Something could have changed to affect his personality. He was neck-deep in debt and suffering at the time, but he heard that this boy sent his stepmother to prison. A video of his sister having sex with multiple men also surfaced. He also heard that this boy pulled his father¡¯s company that was about to go bankrupt out of debt. He was no longer part of that circle, so he didn¡¯t have access to relevant information. Still, it was better to be safe than sorry. ¡°I should know what?¡± Zach asked. ¡°My sister and Ryan, they are. You know¡­,¡± He looked up before lowering his head. It was only for a second, but Zach saw a flash of hatred in the boy¡¯s eyes. Zach planned to clean up Crystal, but he didn¡¯t want to be a borrowed knife. He decided to use a different line of attack. He would use the video as an accompaniment instead of the main dish. This boy wanted him to do his dirty work. ¡°Kid, I don¡¯t know what you are talking about.¡± He wouldn¡¯t confront his ¡®friends¡¯. That way, he would be the last person suspected when things started to go wrong. ¡°Are you old enough to be here?¡± His face got red with anger. ¡°You know what I am talking about.¡± he clenched his hands. It took less time than he thought for the boy to lose his cool. Zach took another sip of his beer. It was hot now. It was time for him to leave this place. ¡°You¡¯re too young. Too obvious. Too angry. If you are not careful, someone will deal with you first.¡± Zach looked around. These people were a tight-knit group. He was sure people were keeping an eye on both of them. Lifting his hand, he ruffled the boy¡¯s head. ¡°Smile. Act annoyed and then push away my hand.¡± The boy listened to him. The anger changed to fear. He probably also realized that someone would tell his sister that they were talking. ¡°When your sister asks, tell her you asked me why I was with someone like her. She won¡¯t believe you if you say you didn¡¯t say anything mean, but you don¡¯t want it to be too bad as to incur her wrath. Then, tell her I was a stupid drunk and didn¡¯t understand what you meant.¡± Zach turned and lost his balance, reaching out to use the railing to steady himself. ¡°She is beautiful! The best thing to ever happen to me!¡± His words slurred. Retching, he turned back around and slumped over the railing. ¡°Be careful. You want to achieve your goals, but not make yourself a target.¡± Zach staggered off. He really shouldn¡¯t have come. Chapter 2 It has been three days since he came back to the past. It was Sunday, and they were about to do the lottery drawing on T.V. For the last few days, his anxiety has been crippling. He knows his ticket has the winning numbers. Yet, he couldn¡¯t help but think he wouldn¡¯t win this time. He was already changing the future. It was an irrational fair. Zach was successful in his past life. After losing his winning, it took him a few years to get back on his feet, but he did. He started a game company with the money his mother saved for him. The source code was on his beat-up laptop. Ten years from now, he released it. At that point, he¡¯d missed the optimum time. His gaming company was successful, but there were products on the market that could compete with his game. Two to three years from now would be the sweet spot. Exona was the game that revolutionized the online gaming market. If he launched his game, Tetra, at the same time, the two would compete against each other and produce astronomical results. He could be successful without this lottery money. It would take a few more years, but that didn¡¯t matter when the thing he had the most of was time. Zach couldn¡¯t understand his anxiety. Yes, he wanted to get away from the ¡®friends¡¯ he had around him. However, changing his friend group was easy in college. People drifted apart all the time. It would still be easy to get his revenge. He already hacked into Ryan¡¯s computer. Cybersecurity wasn¡¯t as much of a focus as of yet. If he was desperate to make money, there were a few semi-legal things he could do that wouldn¡¯t be dangerous. Why did winning matter that much? The lottery lady danced around the machine. She started calling numbers, and his heart jumped into his chest. Sweat ran into his eyes. He didn¡¯t bother to wipe it off. It couldn¡¯t have taken her five minutes to read the numbers off, but to Zach, it felt like a lifetime. All the numbers were read out and corresponded to the ones on his ticket. He didn¡¯t shout or rejoice. The muscles in his body relaxed. He let out a breath he didn¡¯t know he was holding. Seven Hundred Million. Seven Hundred Million! He wasn¡¯t going to tell a soul that he had won. His experiences even made him hesitate to tell his mother. The thought only crossed his mind for a moment, but it made him unbelievably guilty. Lisa, his mother, was nothing but supportive his whole life. In his past life, she had given him back his money. She was nothing like his wife or his chil¡­, it was hard for him to say. Every time he thought of his children, there was a stabbing pain in his chest. The memories of them choked him. Changing their diapers. Teaching them to ride a bike. Dropping them off at school for the first time. Watching them graduate from high school. His first grandchild. He pulled in a gasping breath. His vision blurred, and his body started shaking. It took him a while to pull himself back together. He wouldn¡¯t think about it. No, he couldn¡¯t think about it. It would break him. Jumping in fright, he smoothed out the ticket that he crumpled when his mood shifted. He didn¡¯t go through all of that to damage the lottery ticket. He sent a text to his mother. He told her he wouldn¡¯t be home for a few days. Zach drove for six hours to the store farthest away from where he lived to cash his ticket. He already had his system set up. He had a blind trust set up. He would use that to accept his winnings so that his name wouldn¡¯t be published. The company required him to do interviews. However, they wouldn¡¯t stop him from wearing a disguise or mask during the interview. He had a burner phone and a P.O box to use for his address. Ideally, he would have waited a few weeks before turning in his ticket, but he didn¡¯t want to wait. *** It has been three weeks since he won the lottery. He went to and from his internship and new job. He went on dates with his girlfriend. He found moments to hang out with his ¡®friends¡¯. The code on his computer tempted him each day, but he didn¡¯t have the time to work on it. Plus, he needed a better hard drive and external storage. He had time, but he felt he could be doing more with his new life. Classes at university would start in a week. On Friday, his internship will finish. In his entire life, this was the longest three weeks he¡¯d lived through. Worse, there were another three to five weeks before his check arrived. It turned out that he didn¡¯t have more patience. Despite years of experience, he was impulsive. It took him constant effort to keep himself under control. A trait he grew out of and would have to grow out of again. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. He hadn¡¯t seen Crystal¡¯s younger brother. Though, he came up in conversation. It turned out that they were step-siblings. For a while, people thought they were half-siblings. There was a complex love triangle between their parents. With a series of blood tests, everything got sorted out. The accounts differ as to what happened to her, but Crystal¡¯s stepbrother¡¯s mother died. His anger and actions in the future made Zach think that things weren¡¯t simple. He didn¡¯t know why he opened his mouth to advise the kid. It didn¡¯t have anything to do with him. *** Seven weeks. These damn people were taking their time with his money. He sat in his economics class wondering why he was torturing himself like this. Laughing at jokes, he no longer understood the context to. Smiling at people he didn¡¯t remember or like. Going to a job he couldn¡¯t stand. His mother was working two jobs. She functioned on little to no sleep. Despite that, there was always a hot meal waiting for him. Zach lost count of how many times he almost confessed. It wasn¡¯t that he was guarding against his mother, but the people around her. It was hard to tell who was looking to take advantage of him and his family. In the past, everyone knew he won the lottery. His mother¡¯s friends asked him to help out or give them loans. Feeling like he needed to thank them for supporting his mother, he rarely turned them down. It didn¡¯t help that he felt guilty for having the money. He felt like he didn¡¯t deserve the money. Giving it away made him feel better. Now he knew it was common among lottery winners to experience winner¡¯s guilt. If he was honest, he might have never gotten over that feeling.¡¯ Zach worked for every penny he earned while building his company. There were long nights. Sabotage and corporate struggles. He almost went bankrupt twice! Despite that, the money he had always felt like a hot potato in his hand. Wasn¡¯t he murdered because he wanted to give away his money to charity when he died? It would be impossible to speak about his past life, but he already contacted a few mental health professionals to help him deal with those emotions this time around. The tutor wrapped up the class, and he moved along with the crowd. Ryan was waiting for him. ¡°Man! It wouldn¡¯t hurt to ditch classes,¡± He sounded drunk despite it being eleven in the morning. ¡°Why are you always so serious?¡± He had been asking himself that same question. His actions only served to make his own life difficult. He didn¡¯t want the people around him to know something was different. If the nerd of the school stopped attending classes, everyone would notice. However, did it matter? Zach would categorize himself as a cautious person. Despite these children not being a threat, he approached them as if they would lead to him experiencing a loss. It wasn¡¯t true. Their parents were small fish. They had money, but it wasn¡¯t astronomical. Despite appearing influential in Eve City, they wouldn¡¯t be able to raise their heads anywhere else. Added to that, these kids were wastrels. Their parents would have to pay their way for the rest of their lives. Few of them would have any achievements past being socialites. Zach worked his ass off to get into this school. He applied for every scholarship he could find. Yet, they were here to play around. Their parents spent money to get them into and keep them in school. They were not a threat. It was his past trauma that made him cautious when dealing with them. He thought he got over it after a few years, but now he is back facing them. He buried everything deep inside where he didn¡¯t have to think about it instead of moving on. ¡°Z, are you not going to answer me?¡± Ryan continued when he didn¡¯t get an answer. ¡°Sorry, what was the question?¡± Zach didn¡¯t feel up to this game but couldn¡¯t get himself to stop playing. That money needed to come so he could leave. ¡°Never mind, man. It wasn¡¯t important.¡± Ryan was upset. Zach used to hang on to every word he said. Things changed when Zach and Crystal got together. It didn¡¯t help that he¡¯d been interested in Crystal for years. ¡°If you say so.¡± Zach headed towards the cafeteria. Not quite caring if he was being followed or not. When he heard stumbling footsteps beside him, he knew he was out of luck. ¡°I heard you¡¯re throwing another party.¡± He knew if he picked the right topic, Ryan could carry the conversation by himself. Ryan sneered. His feelings of superiority came back. ¡°Yeah, man. It is going to be epic! It is such a shame¡­,¡± Both of them were happy. Ryan thought he was showing off his wealth. Zach was able to drown out the inane chatter. The longer he spent here, the more the memories flood back. He¡¯d heard this conversation a million times. He was sure Ryan and company only included him in their friend group to make themselves feel and look better. *** Eight weeks! He¡¯d been complimenting himself on his full hair, but it was starting to thin again. His habit of biting his nail had remerged. He was missing meals. Zach¡¯s mother had already realized that something was happening. It was almost funny when she sat him down and asked if he was under too much pressure at school. Several times she hinted that drugs weren¡¯t a solution. At a point, she considered quitting one of her jobs so she could be around more. It was a welcome break from the anxiety he was feeling. He received the money after six weeks in his past life. How much could have changed this time around? He was smart and didn¡¯t spread around the fact that he won. Did this negatively impact him? If he thought about it, the company used that as free promotion to entice other people to play the lottery. His being ostentatious would be an incentive to give him the money sooner. Either way, he was developing ulcers. To his surprise, his shift in behavior was leading to other benefits. His relationship with Crystal fizzled. He no longer invested any time or energy into their relationship. Instead of realizing he was no longer interested in her, she attributed to school being his main focus. Thankfully she was too lazy to argue with him. She ended things with a casual, ¡°we''re drifting apart.¡± On his part, he got even more frazzled, which boosted her ego. *** Nine god damn weeks. It took nine weeks for his check to arrive. Despite holding it in his hands, he couldn¡¯t believe it was real. He¡¯d lost twenty pounds he didn¡¯t have while worrying about this. *** ¡°Mom, we need to talk.¡± Lisa dropped the plate she was holding. Chapter 3 ¡°Mom, are you okay?¡± Zach ran over and stopped his mother from picking up the broken glass by hand. As he held her arm, he could feel her body trembling. ¡°Zach?¡± Her voice shook. ¡°Is Crystal pregnant?¡± She grabbed his arm in desperation. She knew what it was like to be a teenage parent. She did not want that life for her son. Pregnant? Where had his mother¡¯s mind gone? He couldn¡¯t understand how parents¡¯ minds worked. How did she come to that conclusion? He¡¯d assured her that he wasn¡¯t stressed about school or on drugs, so the next logical step was that his girlfriend was pregnant? ¡°Mom, Crystal, and I already broke up!¡± He¡¯d rather chop off his dick than get Crystal pregnant. Lisa patted her chest in relief. ¡°Oh. Oh, it is just a broken heart.¡± Pinching his nose bridge, he watched in stunned silence as his mother sagely nodded her head. ¡°Mom¡­,¡± ¡°These things happen, Zach.¡± Lisa looked at her son. She was sorry he was hurt by this, but she didn¡¯t like Crystal. She thought it was for the better that their relationship ended. ¡°I know it hurts, but it will get better.¡± He didn¡¯t expect the conversation to run in this direction. He wasn¡¯t broken-hearted about Crystal, okay! If he let this continue, he was sure they would end up having two different conversations. ¡° Mom, we¡¯ve been over for a while. She is not the reason I have been anxious lately.¡± He saw his mother start to speak but decided it was best to cut her off. ¡°No, I am not taking drugs. No, school is not too stressful.¡± His mother reached over to pat his knee. She wouldn¡¯t believe that he wasn¡¯t upset about Crystal even if he told her he was anxious about the lottery. When he looked at his behavior during that relationship, he wanted to slap himself for being stupid. Zach would have to let it go. Taking out a copy of the lottery ticket and the check, he handed both to his mother. ¡°This is what has been affecting my mood for the last couple of weeks.¡± Lisa looked at the ticket and the check before sending a questioning look her son¡¯s way. He knew she would be confused. After all, his name wasn¡¯t on the check. ¡°I won the lottery. The last couple of weeks, I have been waiting on the check to come.¡± Blinking slowly, the information her son was telling her didn¡¯t seem to register. Looking down at the papers again. ¡°Zach?¡± Her voice was trembling for a different reason. Zeros. There were so many zeros. ¡°Zach, you shouldn¡¯t mess around like this?¡± Lisa crumpled the papers and looked wide-eyed at her son. Next, her mind kicked in, and she started smoothing the documents back out. Weren¡¯t these important. He didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry when he saw his mother acting this way. He remembered her accepting it calmly. He expected this to progress in a similar manner. He wasn¡¯t even the first person to tell her during his last go at things. A co-worker had broken the news to her before he could. ¡°It¡¯s real,¡± he said, trying not to laugh at her doe-eyed look. His mother looked so young. His mother had him at eighteen, which meant she wasn¡¯t even forty yet. A new wave of guilt threatened to pull him under. He wanted to apologize, but nothing had happened yet. His mother never remarried, and he couldn¡¯t remember her dating. ¡°This is too much¡­,¡± a hand covered her mouth. It was a sizable amount of money, but he¡¯d learned that you could never have too much. It all came down to how you spent it. In seven years, the money that could have supported him and his mother for a lifetime vanished. Chuckling, he pulled his mother into a hug. ¡°Mom.¡± Her reaction was so fresh. It was as if she wanted to unsee what was in front of her. ¡°You can¡¯t tell anyone about this. Promise me, Zach. You can¡¯t.¡± The shock she felt quickly morphed into anxiety. Lisa knew the hearts of men. Everyone was friends when they existed on the same level or in their defined roles. When things changed, greed and jealousy would quickly appear. ¡°Zach, I don¡¯t usually interfere in your choices, but I have some advice for you. The same people that boosted you up and clung to you when you were on the rise. Are the same people who will push and kick you when you are down.¡± Lisa avoided being negative or judgemental, but her experiences made her jaded when it involved certain matters. ¡°I am not saying you can¡¯t make true friends that will stick with you no matter what. It is just that those people might be few and far between. Hard to find.¡± Lisa knew something had changed her son. It was in the way he spoke and handled situations. Zach had his head bent. She couldn¡¯t tell if he was crying or not, but she could see the tension in his shoulders. The conflicting emotions whirling around inside him were almost tangible. Petting his head, Lisa waited for the moment to pass. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°I won¡¯t tell anyone, mom.¡± He could have used this advice in his past life. Yet, he realized that even if she had said something, he might not have listened. He and Crystal fought a lot, but he was in love with her. He wasn¡¯t savvy enough to see through Ryan, so he thought they were best friends. The leaches and hanger on¡¯s were good friends even though he forgot their names as the years passed. ¡°Mom, I want to move.¡± He didn¡¯t lift his head. He didn¡¯t have the confidence to see the look on her face. Lisa¡¯s hand paused. Move, but she had lived here for so long? She looked at the old apartment that she kept clean but still showed signs of age and wear and tear. There were both good and bad memories associated with this apartment. With this city. She was eighteen, scared and pregnant when she came here. Mr. Shull, the landlord at the time, took pity on her and didn¡¯t charge her rent for five months until the baby was born and she was working. He never took money for those months. Tears formed in her eyes. She¡¯d wanted to leave. For year¡¯s she¡¯d felt tied down by life and this apartment, even her son. Although she never regretted having him despite the struggle, she knew what kind of life she could have if she¡¯d chosen to abort him. Patting his leg, she didn¡¯t bother to wipe away the tears streaming down her face. ¡°Alright.¡± Her words were for both of them. ¡°It¡¯s time to go. We¡¯ve outgrown this place.¡± She didn¡¯t ask about college. She didn¡¯t ask about his friends. She didn¡¯t ask about his girlfriend. Zach wanted to leave everything behind. She could respect that. She knew he didn¡¯t have to tell her about the money he had won. He could have left her behind. Pulling her son into a hug, they sat there in silence. Zach pulled himself together. He didn¡¯t think this would be so difficult. His mother understood more than he wanted her to. That made him wonder about her life experiences. He didn¡¯t know much about his mother¡¯s life before she had him. ¡°I am looking into buying a house. Let me get the brochures.¡± Using this as an excuse to put some distance between them and get his emotions under control. ¡°I plan to buy properties in both Jell and Pe City. One will be a rental property, and the other will be where you and I live.¡± He placed the material in front of her. ¡°Do you have a preference for either city?¡± ¡°I have never been to either city.¡± Lisa grew up in the capital of R country. She was relieved when Zach didn¡¯t bring that up as an option. Looking between at the houses, she felt overwhelmed. What about her job? ¡°Can I think about this?¡± He didn¡¯t think she would answer immediately. Hell, he didn¡¯t even think she would agree that quickly. He had a speech about the pros and cons of moving lined up. They had time before they needed to make a decision. His mother should have had more time, but it took longer than he expected for the check to come. ¡°Take all the time you need.¡± It would be a while before the team he wanted was in place. He had a lawyer and accountant but couldn¡¯t decide on a financial advisor. He knew people who were robbed blind by the people they hired. It was best to be careful. *** A week later, they sat down for another talk. During that week, they had various arguments. Zach didn¡¯t think she needed to work. If she did work, it should be something she wanted to do instead of something she needed to do to make ends meet. Lisa didn¡¯t think Zach should drop out of college. He was throwing away an opportunity. Having money didn¡¯t guarantee a stable life. She wanted him to switch colleges instead of stopping altogether. After clashing multiple times, they found compromises that worked for both of them. ¡°I would like to go to Pe City to live, and I think you should go to Jell City.¡± She¡¯d thought about what she would like to do now. It was her biggest regret that she didn¡¯t get to finish college. There was an art college she wanted to attend. Lisa gathered that it didn¡¯t matter where Zach lived. He had plans. He didn¡¯t fill her in on what they were, but she got the picture that he had a definite goal. With this in mind, she thought it best they separate. They didn¡¯t have the money, so Zach stayed close to home for college. He didn¡¯t live in a dorm, and his actions had to be run by his mother. While this wasn¡¯t a bad thing, both of them could do with some separation. They could become dependent on each other. That wasn¡¯t healthy. Zach didn¡¯t expect that answer from his mother. He¡¯d been toying with the idea of buying a house for his mother and an apartment for himself. He needed independence to carry out his goals. His mother was too observant. He didn¡¯t think they needed to be in separate cities. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to be on my own.¡± Lisa looked out the window. Memories danced through her mind, but she didn¡¯t focus on them. ¡°Taking care of you has been my whole world. I didn¡¯t have time to think about what I wanted to do after you were grown. Now you don¡¯t need me, and I don¡¯t need to work, and I find myself lost.¡± Lisa didn¡¯t want to live off her son. She¡¯d put away some money to retire on. There was money in case of an emergency. Not to mention that Zach would take care of her. ¡°She had time to relearn herself. What was she passionate about?¡± ¡°I could get an apartment. We don¡¯t have to live together.¡± Zach didn¡¯t know if he wanted to be a three-hour plane ride away from his mother. What if there was an emergency? Lisa laughed. ¡°You don¡¯t understand how a mother¡¯s mind works. I would be at your house every day cooking and cleaning, doing your laundry. I would want to take care of you.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean you are going to be constantly worried about me when I am living far away from you?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± she said, nodding her head. ¡°That is why you have to answer all of my phone calls.¡± He wanted to argue. He even had a few good arguments, but something in his mother¡¯s eyes stopped him. It was the same stubborn look he saw when he looked in the mirror. Why did he forget that he got his stubbornness from his mother? Now that she¡¯d made up her mind, he wouldn¡¯t be able to change it. ¡°You can¡¯t turn me away when I want to come over for a visit,¡± Zach said, forcing a laugh. ¡°Call before. I might have company.¡± Lisa flounced out of the room feeling lighter than she had in years. Chapter 4 Zach looked outside his window. The view of the river would have been spectacular if it wasn¡¯t for the construction crew bustling about. His apartment was one of the few that were complete. The elevator wasn¡¯t even up and running yet. The reason the construction company accommodated him was that he bought ten units. They were shocked by how much he was spending. He was shocked by how cheap they were. Zach looked at the empty lot across the river. That land would house an Olympic Stadium. The project would revitalize the economy of Pe City. It would be considered the sports capital of the county in ten years. With his knowledge of the future, he thought he would be in the position to take advantage of this opportunity before anyone else figured it out. Imagine his surprise when he found out there was another person interested. That person was still hesitating, so Zach swooped in before his competition made up his mind. The government would earmark the land in the next three months. It was a forgone conclusion that only he knew about. There was a stadium on the other side of the city that they wanted to renovate. They ended up condemning the stadium. The building was constructed with subpar materials and wasn¡¯t structurally sound. In his past life, it was a national scandal. There were multiple arrests. The resulting mess pulled down many politicians and businesses. Zach had a list of those businesses so he could short their stock. He would need to have a meeting with his team. He didn¡¯t know if he would sit on his land, sell it, or partner with others to develop it. Developing it was the best plan in the long term, but he wasn¡¯t interested or knowledgeable about real estate. He used to let his manager buy and sell properties when his portfolio needed to be diversified or streamlined. He did not have experience investing in projects. He knew which towns and real estate developments would be profitable. That was an advantage for him. On the downside, they tied up his capital and took years to complete. With one last look out the window, he slunk back into his office. The sweet mind-numbing lines of code called to him. *** Morris did not want to be the one to tell Tynan Blackburn that his plans had fallen through. It took them a while to finalize the plans. When he tried to purchase property in Pe City, he realized that all the properties they wanted now had a new owner. He hesitated outside the office door. He contemplated quitting his job and going into early retirement. He wouldn¡¯t be this indecisive if he knew who purchased the land. No matter how he dug, he couldn¡¯t find anything. He looked in S country before expanding into R country. None of the major or minor players had made a move. Momentarily, he¡¯d worried that the people in the Blackburn family had caught on to what they were doing. He double-checked, and all their sources said the family was moving as they predicted. What was baffling him was that the land in Pe City wasn¡¯t worth anything. Tynan wanted to tie up his capital in real estate. They needed it cheap and resellable. It wasn¡¯t for profit. Why then did someone outbid them on the property? ¡°How long are you going to pace outside my door?¡± Morris jumped, pressing a hand to his heart. For a second, he considered running away. ¡°What is the worst that can happen,¡± he mumbled under his breath. Entering, he went straight to the bar and poured a drink. Dark eyes trailed him, and he felt his skin crawl. Without looking, he could tell that Tynan was looking at him with a blank face and a raised eyebrow. Gulping down his drink, he dropped the documents in front of Tynan. As Tynan looked through the documents, the pressure in the room changed. Morris would swear that it got colder. ¡°Explain.¡± Morris gulped. If he had an explanation, would he have dallied outside? ¡°I couldn¡¯t find anything. I have Cain working to crack the firewall of the law office that handled the purchases, but he says he¡¯s never seen anything like it before.¡± ¡°That just makes it more suspicious. Technology like that doesn¡¯t just pop up out of nowhere.¡± Tynan leaned back in his chair. Tynan was farther away from him, but Morris felt more threatened. ¡°Your family wasn¡¯t involved. They don¡¯t know what you are trying to do.¡± ¡°Are you positive?¡± Tynan stood. Walking towards the window, he looked out over the capital city. S country was in turmoil, and all the parties were looking to benefit. ¡°Yes. Your family is buying up the shares in the company that you released.¡± Morris had made sure of it. ¡°They don¡¯t have the incentive or capital to make the purchases. Plus, we chose Pe City because it was out of the country and held no value.¡± This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°It was valuable to someone,¡± Tynan said. He couldn¡¯t put his finger on it, but his instincts told him he was missing something. Morris was also suspicious but found nothing to warrant the feeling. The best guess I can make is that a nouveau riche saw that we were interested and thought they were making a good investment. It fits. It was a logical conclusion. Tynan wondered why he felt he was missing the plot. ¡°Keep an eye on it. Move to plan B. Make sure you get the land this time.¡± Morris whipped sweat off his forehead when Tynan turned his back. ¡°I already purchased the property. If I hadn¡¯t hesitated because of overconfidence, we would have the property in Pe City.¡± Tynan waved his words off. ¡°Did you find anything about the buyer?¡± ¡°Yes and no. I was curious and looked for information that was missing or similarly protected. I found a law firm and an accounting firm. I can¡¯t say if it is the same person, but the firm purchased properties in Jell City.¡± Morris was stumped. He couldn¡¯t find justification for the purchases. The land value in both cities wouldn¡¯t rise by much. ¡°Look for the areas they purchased land in and take anything they didn¡¯t buy.¡± Tynan sat down and tapped on the documents. ¡°Why?¡± Morris blurted out. ¡°It¡¯s too deliberate. In two cities, they made large purchases. Money isn¡¯t an issue for them. They had a limit they were willing to invest in and stopped there. They have focus and control. There is something about those properties that we don¡¯t know about.¡± ¡°Is that possible?¡± Morris eyed the bar. He could do with another drink. ¡°I checked with everyone. ¡°Our government contacts say neither areas have any plans or zoning. I checked with Graham, and he said he wouldn¡¯t buy that land if it was free.¡± ¡°It is my money. If I tell you to buy it, just buy it.¡± Tynan was too lazy to explain. He¡¯d never made a loss on real estate. He didn¡¯t think he would now. Tynan was right. It wasn¡¯t his money. He would get a laugh when it blew up in his friend¡¯s face. There was no reason for him to stop it. Morris wasn¡¯t going to waste his breath. *** ¡°Mother Fucker!¡± Morris held a newspaper as he stormed into Tynan¡¯s office. The title ¡®Pe City to Get an Olympic Stadium¡¯ taunted him. ¡°Do you see this?¡± He slammed the paper on the desk. ¡°I saw it.¡± Tynan was shocked when he saw the headline for R Country¡¯s national newspaper. He¡¯d had a while to stabilize his mood and wasn¡¯t as flustered as Morris. ¡°Do you know what this means?¡± Morris had called Graham to curse him and all his descendants. He¡¯d been waiting to see Tynan lose money. Instead, he¡¯d lost out on a great opportunity that dropped in his lap first. He¡¯d immediately bought properties in Jell City. He¡¯d lost out once it wouldn¡¯t happen again. Tynan knew better than most what it meant. Businesses will flood to Pe City for the next four years. The economic boost could last long after the games passed if the government handled it properly. The property he bought had already doubled in value. That value would continue to rise. He was curious to find out who had the foresight to buy before him. He also felt regret that the best properties could have been his. That feeling passed quickly. This was how the business arena was. Had he known the value of the property, he wouldn¡¯t have hesitated to purchase it. He couldn¡¯t expect his competitor to either. ¡°Were there any indications?¡± Tynan had gone over everything he knew. However, since he didn¡¯t live in R country, he wasn¡¯t well informed. ¡°That is the weirdest part. There wasn¡¯t any.¡± Morris thought he¡¯d missed something. ¡°They were going to refurbish a different stadium, but that fell through. The government didn¡¯t want there to be any issues, so they decided to build a new stadium.¡± There were no signs. No one could have guessed that would happen. Tynan still felt he was missing something. ¡°Send a letter to that law firm. We are interested in developing the land in Pe City.¡± ¡°It might be a bit more expensive now, but why don¡¯t we just purchase it?¡± Tynan had to laugh. He could imagine a dragon hoarding a pile of gold. There was no way that they would sell. ¡°They won¡¯t sell.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so sure. I think this was just a fluke. They might be eager to make back the money they spent.¡± Tynan disagreed. He was sure the other party was aware of the exact value of the land. They had bought it, intending to sit on it for years. Tynan was interested in meeting the other party. *** Zach sneezed. Someone was talking about him. He was going a bit stir crazy. For the last three months, he rarely left his room. It wasn¡¯t that he wasn¡¯t interested in exploring Pe City. He just got sucked into work. The bad thing about working at home is that you need not leave your house. When the place got too silent, he considered getting a pet. He realized that he forgot to feed himself, much less a pet. After that, he shelved the idea. He wanted two dogs but would wait till later. He planned to hire a housekeeper but would wait until the interest in him calmed down. The law firm he¡¯d contracted was drowning with requests and offers. People were curious about him. Even the government had sent in a query. His saving grace was he purchased the properties long before anyone had an interest in this city. People mentioned insider trading many times, but those accusations fell through quickly. No one would be able to prove where he got his information from. Still, he was glad that he operated through a law firm. They couldn¡¯t do anything to him, but the pressure on him would be immense. People from both S and R countries were trying to get in contact with him. The messages he received ranged from friendly and inquisitive to threatening. He ignored most of them. The messages he was interested in had to do with cooperation requests to develop the land. He couldn¡¯t decide between Blackburn Industries from S Country and Green Conglomerate from R country. Green offered him the best terms, but Blackburn would be the better long-term partner. The company was in turmoil due to inheritance issues. However, he knew the unrest wouldn¡¯t last long. He wasn¡¯t a businessman during this period. He didn¡¯t keep track of information from the business section. He did know that sometime within the next six months, the issues within Blackburn would be taken care of. Zach didn¡¯t need to meet with the representative from Green¡¯s. Their off was a straightforward business arrangement. Blackburn, on the other hand, was offering a partnership. Tynan Blackburn was a man he¡¯d seen across the floor at a ball or conference. They didn¡¯t exist in the same realm. To form a connection with him would be invaluable. He knew he¡¯d already made a decision. He was rich. What he was trying to do was build wealth. The Green¡¯s would make him more money. There wasn¡¯t any true benefit. Blackburn it was. Chapter 5 Tynan sat in a restaurant in Pe City. He wasn¡¯t shocked to get a response from the mystery investor. He was shocked that the person wasn¡¯t willing to fly to S Country. Meeting in the capital, Lor City, would only have benefits and no detriments. If Zach knew what this big boss was thinking, he would hang his head in shame. He had planned to go to S Country. However, when he was preparing to reply, he remembered that he didn¡¯t have a passport. It was his first time applying for a passport. It would take a while for him to get it. Rushing the process wouldn¡¯t change anything. Then he needed a visa. He could only hang his head and request the big boss to come to him. Zach walked into the restaurant and gave his name to the ma?tre d''. He followed behind a server to a private room. ¡°Mr. Blackburn. The other member of your party is here.¡± The server kept looking over his shoulder at Zach. The curious and suspicious gaze of the server was irritating but not surprising. Zach was only nineteen, and he looked his age. Achievements would negate the stigma surrounding his age to an extent. However, there would be people that refused to work with him. It was hard to inspire confidence when you just grew out of your baby fat. ¡°Let him in,¡± a voice called from inside. The server opened the door, and Zach walked in. He wanted to work with Blackburn, but it wasn¡¯t his only option. He was in charge of this negotiation. He entered the room with that confidence and momentum. Tynan¡¯s eyes widened before he controlled his expression. A boy entered the room. There wasn¡¯t a better way to describe it. He would be lucky if this boy was in his twenties. Yet, he didn¡¯t doubt for a moment that this was the person he was here to see. ¡°Zach Mallory.¡± He introduced himself, extending his hand. ¡°Tynan Blackburn.¡± He stood and shook the outstretched hand. ¡°Do you need him for something?¡± Zach signaled over his shoulder. The server loitered at the door. Tynan glanced at the other teenager in the room. The server¡¯s behavior contrasted and highlighted how exceptional the young man in front of him was. ¡°Leave.¡± Tynan was not polite. He didn¡¯t expect the service to be this sloppy. The boy chuckled and shook his head before taking his seat. It was clear he didn¡¯t feel uncomfortable or pressured by the situation. Tynan noticed but didn¡¯t comment on the larger envelope that was placed on the table. ¡°Send someone else to take our order in ten minutes.¡± Zach wasn¡¯t polite either. He understood why the server was staring, but that didn¡¯t mean he had to be understanding. He¡¯d worked in the service industry. The golden rule was to keep your head down and mind your own business. Gawking and pestering guests would get you fired. Zach shot the server another assessing glance before realizing what was happening. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I should be offended. It turns out you are my patron,¡± he spoke after the server left. He calmly looked through the menu. Tynan also realized the waiter was trying to appeal to him and get his attention. When Zach came, the server decided to push his luck. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can afford to keep you.¡± ¡°Depends. Are you already a billionaire?¡± Zach couldn¡¯t decide between fish and lamb. ¡°Personal assets? I am not quite there yet.¡± Tynan didn¡¯t blink at the question. He was captivated by the sly smile that creased the lips of the young man opposite him. ¡°Then, no. You can¡¯t afford to keep me.¡± Zach knew he was flirting. He couldn¡¯t help himself. When he entered the room, he realized that he¡¯d always wanted this man to look at him. Having Tynan¡¯s full attention on him was thrilling. ¡°Then how about you keep me?¡± When he said the words, Tynan realized he was serious. He didn¡¯t think he was looking for a relationship, but he wanted Zach. Throwing his head back, he laughed. ¡°I would love to, but I don¡¯t think we are a good fit.¡± Zach was a realist. Tynan might seem older than him with a ten-year age gap, but Zach always thought of himself as a fifty-year-old geezer. He would say that he was too young for Tynan, but in his mind, he was too old. He didn¡¯t want the hustle and bustle. Zach was already looking for someone to manage his company instead of doing it himself. He was getting ready for retirement. Tynan would be a lot of work. ¡°I disagree.¡± Tynan wouldn¡¯t allow it. That cheeky smile. The careful disinterest. He wanted it all. He knew Zach was interested in him, but he also knew the man had dismissed him as too much trouble. He¡¯d never hated his relatives more. ¡°You would.¡± ¡°Do you want to share a bottle of wine?¡± Tynan asked, ignoring Zach¡¯s comment. Zach was laughing a lot. He forgot how freeing it was to be around an interesting partner. ¡°If you want to know my age, you can just ask.¡± Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°Fine. How old are you?¡± Tynan set his menu to the side. Resting his elbows on the table, he leaned closer to Zach. Zach shivered at the way Tynan was looking at him. He was prey, and this man was hunting him. His common sense was left somewhere else. He leaned in before whispering, ¡°too young to drink, but old enough to fuck.¡± Tynan drew in a sharp breath. If Zach thought this man would be satisfied with a one-night stand, they would already be on their way to his apartment. If he didn¡¯t put business before pleasure, he would have climbed on this table to see if it could hold his weight. ¡°I am going to have you,¡± Tynan practically growled the words. He wanted to see that arrogant expression melt into one of pleasure. ¡°Good luck with that,¡± Zach said. He took a sip of water. The tension between them was palpable. They needed to cool off. The waiter came before Tynan could say anything. He glared at the man. The waiter blanched before stutteringly taking their order. ¡°How old are you?¡± Zach didn¡¯t play around this time. ¡°Nineteen.¡± Tynan scrubbed a hand over his face. ¡°Hell. You¡¯re still a teenager.¡± He was ten years older than this boy. So, why did he feel like he was being led around by his nose? Zach bit his lip before he gave another sexual innuendo for an answer. ¡°Too young. Too dumb?¡± Tynan heard the question and the statement. ¡°You¡¯re young, age-wise at least, but there is nothing dumb about you.¡± ¡°What were we here to discuss again?¡± ¡°Who the fuck knows.¡± They both shared a grin. A tacit understanding passed between them. They wouldn¡¯t talk about business during the meal. ¡°What do your parents do?¡± Tynan thought that was a safe topic. One that wouldn¡¯t make his dick hard. Zach took pity on the man opposite him. ¡°I won the lottery. I didn¡¯t come from money, and my mother used to make minimum wage.¡± Tynan did a double-take. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Is it that shocking?¡± Zach asked. Tynan¡¯s reaction was typical. He couldn¡¯t and didn¡¯t want to hide his personality. He came across as mature. His momentum would be similar to the young masters raised in wealthy homes. Yes. That is very shocking. Tynan didn¡¯t say that out loud. Zach had the temperament of a young master from the capital. No, that wasn¡¯t true. He felt like a sly, senior businessman. ¡°Who advised you to invest in Pe City?¡± Tynan couldn¡¯t stop himself from asking. ¡°No one. That was my decision. I had a good feeling about the area.¡± The bullshit rolled off his tongue. He would never tell anyone about his rebirth. Though, it was unlikely anyone would believe him. ¡°Have any more feelings?¡± ¡°A few.¡± Zach didn¡¯t elaborate. The feeling that he was missing something coursed through Tynan again. He fully believed that Zach had credible information or a hunch about other ventures. The trick would be getting him to share. His instincts told him they would all be profitable. ¡°Are you from Pe City?¡± Tynan tried to lighten the conversation again. Zach thought his efforts were adorable. ¡°No, I grew up in Eve City.¡± This information was going to be used to investigate him. He knew but had nothing to hide. His past included hard work, a few shitty friends, and a girlfriend. ¡°Lover?¡± Tynan slid in. ¡°No. I¡¯m single.¡± Would it be a lie if he said he was a virgin? Since coming back, he didn¡¯t experience anal sex as yet. He¡¯d had sex with women so far. It was technically true, but he decided not to mention it. Things would get awkward if he sucked like a pro after claiming he¡¯d never done it before. Not that he planned to. He was definitely turning Tynan down. Good. Tynan wouldn¡¯t have to clean up any stray flies. Zach was charismatic. A lot of people would be vying for his attention. ¡°What about you?¡± Zach asked. ¡°There is no one.¡± Tynan lied. ¡°Really?¡± Zach didn¡¯t push. He wasn¡¯t sure, but he swore there was a scandal with a young actor during this period. ¡°Do you know something I don¡¯t? There are plenty of people who want to occupy the position. However, there hasn¡¯t been anyone in my life for a while.¡± Tynan lied without batting an eyelid. He would have Morris clean up and silence that third-tier actor he was keeping. They must not have gotten together yet. Zach didn¡¯t think about it deeply. He enjoyed delicious food and stimulating conversation. They both dragged it on longer than they needed to. What was supposed to be a short business lunch lasted until the afternoon. They started discussing business when they couldn¡¯t put it off any longer. ¡°Why did you choose me?¡± Tynan knew that several businesses wanted to bid for the contract to develop the land in Pe City. ¡°I wanted a connection to S country, and more specifically, the capital, Lor city.¡± There was no reason to lie. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you come to the capital then?¡± Tynan was shocked when Zach choked on his drink. He was surprised to see the young man blushing. Zach¡¯s eyes danced around the room wildly. He didn¡¯t want to answer this question, but his odd behavior already gave away the fact that there was a story here. He bit the bullet. ¡°I forgot that I didn¡¯t have a passport,¡± he mumbled under his breath. So embarrassing. ¡°What was that?¡± He thought he misheard. ¡°I forgot that I didn¡¯t have a passport.¡± He got it out between clenched teeth. Tyan broke into laughter. He laughed so hard that the back of his head was hurting. This was the first time Tynan saw Zach act his age. It was refreshing. It was easy to forget how young he was. ¡°Are you done?¡± Zach¡¯s face was blank. ¡°Christ. I want you.¡± Tynan leaned back in his chair and eyed Zach. Zach did a slow blink. ¡°How did we end up back here? Those two things do not go together.¡± Zach had no clue how appealing he was. Tynan was content to be the only person to know. ¡°When you get your passport, you should visit me in the capital.¡± It was a simple invitation, but it sounded like the devil tempting him. Or at least, a trap. ¡°We will talk about it when I get my passport.¡± Tynan smiled at the none answer. It didn¡¯t matter. If Zach refused to come to him, he had no problem going to Zach. Zach pushed the file he¡¯d put on the table at the start of the meal towards Tynan. ¡°Clean up your house first. Get someone to call my lawyer to discuss the partnership.¡± Curious, Tynan picked it up. His heart stopped. Engrossed in the information, he didn¡¯t stop Zach when he left the room. When he came back to his senses he was alone. Tynan couldn¡¯t get the smile off his face. Chapter 6 Tynan was flying home. The matters in Lor City couldn¡¯t wait. He didn¡¯t prepare for the trip to Pe City properly. No, he didn¡¯t plan for Zach Mallory. There was no way he could have known what was waiting for him. Charming, enigmatic, and very dangerous. Zach was a mystery. Tynan was at a direct disadvantage when dealing with him. Zach had information, but Tynan knew nothing about the young man. His eyes fell on the envelope. For the last four years, he¡¯d been fighting with his family. He¡¯d spent millions of his personal money and company finances to combat them. Now, everything was carelessly resolved by a nineteen-year-old. Tynan wondered how Zach would have used this information. Both of them had changed their plans. The sexual tension between them was impossible to ignore. Leaning back, he closed his eyes. Zach played him. Tynan was barely able to keep his dick in his plans. Zach probably always planned to leave him wanting more. When he put the envelope on the table, Zach planned to use it to escape. It was too early to tell if that was a smart move. Tynan was patient. He would slowly trap Zach. It was best if they were trapped together. Naked. He fell asleep with a smile on his face. *** Zach ran back to his apartment. He doubled over when the door slammed shut behind him. What the fuck was he doing! Gasping. He tried to get his breath under control. Tynan. Tynan. Tynan fucking Blackburn. He didn¡¯t even know he had fucking regrets about Tynan Blackburn until he saw him today. He just wanted to have a meeting. Polite conversation. A promise to meet up in the capital later. Simple. That was all he wanted. Why then did he spend the entire meal wandering how Tynan fucking Blackburn tasted. He planned out his life. He wanted to work on the same project he did in his past life. He wanted to expand his company and make up for the mistakes of his past life. Get counseling. Meet someone nice and uncomplicated before getting married. Someone sweet he cared about but wouldn¡¯t be devastated if they left. He didn¡¯t want children. He wanted a dog. Maybe. He was hyperventilating again. Taking heaving breaths, he lay against the cold floor. He enjoyed himself. Wasn¡¯t that the most terrifying thing? The last person he enjoyed himself with was married to him for twenty years. She then watched with cold eyes as he died of a heart attack. Pressing a hand to his chest, he choked back a sob. He planned for a safe life. No risks. No unexpected event. No chance of getting hurt. Tynan could hurt him. If he let him in, he could get hurt. He wouldn¡¯t lie to himself and say that he would keep things sexual. His heart didn¡¯t work that way. He didn¡¯t care if his partner was male or female. He did commit and give himself fully in a relationship. Zach had planned to marry a woman who knew the score. He would give her a comfortable life, and they would both keep their hearts to themselves. Those plans went up in flames as he flirted with Tynan. He wondered how he came across? The whole time his heart was beating out of his chest. And his dick was hard. It was only his experience that allowed him not to be ruled by emotion. In the dark with his head pressed to the floor. He could admit to himself that his actions were to make sure Tynan stayed interested. A man like that could have anyone they wanted. It was a heady feeling to know he was the object of that hunger and desire. *** ¡°I was expecting you hours ago!¡± Morris paced Tynan¡¯s apartment. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Tynan yanked off his tie before pouring himself a drink. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°What else could it be?¡± Morris threw himself into a chair. He was getting gray hair. ¡°Your uncle is being his usual charming self.¡± Tynan chuckled. This morning, he would have been worried. This morning, he would have racked his brain trying to find the best way to contain his uncle without hurting the innocent member of his family. He would have charmed the fence-sitters. He would have given benefits to the people supporting him. Now it all seemed like a joke. ¡°Do you think this is funny?¡± Morris asked. ¡°Your uncle embezzled millions, and now he purposely sabotaged a billion-dollar project.¡± ¡°Cain has a few ex-cons on his payroll, right?¡± Tynan ignored Morris¡¯ theatrics. ¡°What? You know what. I can¡¯t be bothered to worry if you''re not.¡± Morris walked to the bar. His hair was falling out. Why didn¡¯t he need to stress himself out? ¡°Cain employs all sorts of people. You have to be more specific.¡± ¡°Bank thieves. And I need him to verify some information.¡± Tynan handed the folder to Morris. He watched in amusement as his friend blanched and lost his balance. Sitting heavily in the chair. ¡°How did you get this?¡± He dropped the paper as if they burned. Morris was shocked by what he read and saw. Tynan lifted a finger and held it to his lips. ¡°Shhh.¡± Morris swallowed heavily. Gathering the documents, he put them back in their envelope and pretended he¡¯d never seen them. ¡°Where did you get that?¡± ¡°Zach Mallory.¡± Tynan finished off his drink. Taking the envelope, he locked it in the study safe.¡± ¡°Who?¡± Morris asked. He¡¯d never heard of a Mallory family active in the capital. ¡°A captivating and terrifying little monster I met.¡± Morris didn¡¯t like the look he saw in Tynan¡¯s eyes. He¡¯d never seen it before, but it made his skin crawl. He looked hungry. No, he looked aroused. There was also dancing, happy light in his friend¡¯s gray eyes. ¡°That reminds me. Get rid of that actor Theo sent over. Do it cleanly. Make sure there is no trace.¡± Tynan didn¡¯t want to start off on the wrong foot with Zach. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to explain anything to me?¡± Morris didn¡¯t like the way Tynan was looking at him. His eyes were calling him an idiot. He wasn¡¯t. There wasn¡¯t anyone who could follow this conversation. ¡°Who is Zach Mallory?¡± he got out through clenched teeth. ¡°He is the person who gave me that envelope. He is also the person who bought the land in Pe City.¡± ¡°What did he want for that information?¡± Morris was worried. If this Zach person held on to that information and used it for blackmail¡­, he shuddered at the implications. Tynan smiled. ¡°He didn¡¯t want anything.¡± That wasn¡¯t strictly true. Zach probably came with a list of demands, but that didn¡¯t matter. Tynan would give Zach anything he wanted. He would probably give him a few things he didn¡¯t want. ¡°That¡¯s unlikely, or the person is fucking stupid.¡± Morris pulled in a sharp breath as he felt a chilly gaze on his back. ¡°I mean, that person¡¯s vision must be exemplary and far-reaching.¡± What the hell was this! He didn¡¯t say anything excessive, okay? Tynan looked at Morris for a little longer. When he saw that he kept his head down, Tynan moved his gaze away. He called Cain. ¡°How soon can you get here?¡± When Cain walked into the townhouse, the atmosphere was unusual. Morris cowered in his seat. Tynan looked¡ª he couldn¡¯t describe how Tynan looked. He¡¯d never seen his friend look this way before. Happy maybe? It could also be hopeful. He was definitely restless. ¡°What did I miss?¡± Cain asked. ¡°There is an envelope in the safe. Look at it, and then we will discuss.¡± Tynan hadn¡¯t planned to call Cain tonight. He would have left it till tomorrow if it wasn¡¯t for Morris¡¯ last comment. Zach had gone out of his way to tell him to clean up his house. The value of this information should only go up unless something devalued it in the short term. ¡°Where did you get this?¡± Cain asked. He¡¯d been digging into Tynan¡¯s uncle¡¯s past but didn¡¯t find anything. ¡°Zach Mallory.¡±He said, like that was enough to explain everything. ¡°Who is that?¡± Cain asked. His heart was racing. ¡°Does he need to be taken care of?¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Morris cried. He wasn¡¯t the only person who thought ¡®Zach¡¯ could be a problem.¡± Tynan ignored both of them. ¡°He isn¡¯t a threat. I would like you to find out what you can about him. He was born in Eve City.¡± Cain cut in, ¡°If he isn¡¯t a threat, why are you investigating him?¡± ¡°I want to date him,¡± Tynan answered calmly. He didn¡¯t care that his words shocked his friends. Morris heard a bomb go off in his head. His ears were ringing, and he thought he¡¯d misheard. ¡°I want to rob my uncle¡¯s slush fund. Put together a team that can do it,¡± Tynan continued. If they were shocked now, their mentality would collapse when they heard how young Zach was. ¡°Let¡¯s backtrack.¡± It was a sad day when robbing someone was the least shocking thing you heard in a conversation. ¡°What do you want to do with whom?¡± ¡°I want to date Zach Mallory.¡± Tynan didn¡¯t think that was sufficient, but it would do for now. ¡°You want to keep him?¡± Tynan laughed. ¡°I would love to, but I can¡¯t afford it. Plus, he¡¯s not someone who will give in easily. I volunteered to let him keep me, but he turned me down.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t afford to keep him? Keep you?¡± Morris asked with wide eyes. He ignored the absurdity of that statement. ¡°Then what do you want to do with him?¡± ¡°No wonder you are single. Don¡¯t you understand what it means to date, someone?¡± Morris almost coughed up blood. ¡°I know what it means to date. I just can¡¯t imagine you doing it. You change partners quicker than you change cars.¡± Tynan wanted to slap him. They eyed each other without bothering to hide the disgust they felt for each other. ¡°Did he give you the wrong name? The only Zach Mallory I can find is nineteen.¡± Cain frowned, tapping away at his phone. ¡°That¡¯s him.¡± Morris dropped the glass he was holding. ¡°I think I need to lie down.¡± Tynan¡¯s phone rang, cutting Cain off before he could speak. ¡°Zach,¡± Tynan purred. He wasn¡¯t expecting to hear from the other party. ¡°You know Cain Granger?¡± Zach asked excitedly. ¡°Why?¡± Tynan was instantly on guard. He shot Cain a chilly look. ¡°Can I talk to him?¡± The excitement in his voice increased. ¡°Why?¡± Tynan pressed, feeling a sense of crisis. ¡°I want to speak to him. Why else?¡± Tynan stood and started pacing. ¡°I know that. What do you want to talk to him about?¡± He heard a sigh on the other end of the line. He could picture Zach rolling his eyes. ¡°I have a business proposition for him,¡± Zach said. ¡°We are working together.¡± Tynan defended his position. ¡°What is going through that scummy brain of yours? I only want to suck your dick. There. Happy? Now put Cain on the phone.¡± Zach paused. ¡°If he accepts, chances are, I will move to Lor city sooner than I planned.¡± ¡°Cain, take this phone. Anything he asks you, you better agree to.¡± Tynan wouldn¡¯t pass on this opportunity. He¡¯d planned to spend his weekends in Pe City, but it would be even better if Zach moved to the capital. Cain took the phone, not quite sure what was happening. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Hello. I¡¯m Zach.¡± ¡°Hi Zach,¡± Cain said lamely before clearing his throat. ¡°How can I help you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a game designer. Before you think I¡¯m angling for a job, that¡¯s not it. I have a fantasy MMORPG. I can guarantee you that the mechanics and engine are more sophisticated than the first-person shooter your company is developing.¡± Cain gasped. ¡°That is a big statement.¡± He didn¡¯t even ask how Zach knew about the game. He glanced at the safe. Zach was a hacker as well. He remembers the security protocols he found when he tried to hack into the law firm that represented Zach. A part of him knew that Zach wasn¡¯t lying. He couldn¡¯t stop the smile that split his face. Cain covered his mouth. ¡°What do you want?¡± Chapter 7 Zach couldn¡¯t stop smiling. He didn¡¯t know that Tynan had a connection to Cain Granger. In his past life, they were practically enemies. He wondered what could have happened for their relationship to change? Well, it wasn¡¯t his problem. He was already willfully changing the future. He would watch and see what was happening. The injury that paralyzed Cain might be related to Tynan. The succession fight was bloody. While Tynan eventually emerged the winner, there was no doubt that he¡¯d suffered losses. Zach already muddled that situation. ¡°Are there any shareholders in your company?¡± Wasn¡¯t he looking for someone to manage his company? Wasn¡¯t this a better solution? ¡°No. It is just me.¡± Cain answered. ¡°Fifty-fifty split or forty-five¨Cforty-five split, with ten percent left in case the company goes public.¡± Zach didn¡¯t like the second option. ¡°I prefer a fifty-fifty split. I will waive all managerial rights and offer you the chance to purchase first if I want to liquidate my shares in the company.¡± ¡°This benefits me more,¡± Cain said. Voices came across the line, but he couldn¡¯t make out what they were saying. ¡°You can think of it that way.¡± They would corner the market. He could focus on coding, which was his passion, instead of growing the business. ¡°I have no reason to say no to this. That is contingent on¡­, ow.¡± The sound of voices grew louder, but he still couldn¡¯t make out what they were saying. Someone must have covered the phone. While waiting for Cain to come back on the line, he picked himself up off the floor. He didn¡¯t know how long he was down there. He ran through every word he¡¯d said. His mind was only too satisfied to torture him. Dragging his sore body to bed, he groaned in relief. If his phone hadn¡¯t alerted him to someone searching for his information, he might have stayed there all night. ¡°Ahem. As I was saying, I would love to be in this partnership with you. We should do a forty-five split. I have two additional investors. Shit. Stop kicking me. Three. There are three additional investors.¡± Zach wondered what was happening over there. He imagined Tynan was one of the additional investors. ¡°I will come to the capital with the source code for my game. You can look at it before making a decision. It should be two to three weeks from now.¡± ¡°Appreciate it. Wait¡­,¡± Cain disappeared again. The sound became muffled again. Zach smiled. It is lively over there. Cain¡¯s voice was stiff as he spoke, ¡°That isn¡¯t necessary. I will come¡­, I mean, on the weekend I will go to Pe City to meet you.¡± There were more loud voices. ¡°It has to be the weekend. I have work. So do all of you.¡± The sound cut off. ¡°Sorry about that. Cain had to leave,¡± Tynan said. ¡°He apologized and said Thursday works best for him. Are you busy that day?¡± Zach didn¡¯t believe for a second that Thursday was better for Cain. It was clear that Tynan wanted to see him again. A tingly feeling settled in his stomach. He wanted it to be indigestion, but it probably wasn¡¯t. ¡°If I give you an inch, I feel like you will take a mile.¡± ¡°Just give in,¡± Tynan¡¯s voice was velvet. ¡°What are you afraid of?¡± There was a bitter smile on his lips. ¡°I¡¯m a timid person.¡± ¡°No, you''re not. Something about me scares you. The same thing that lets us know we would be good together.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t know that,¡± Zach answered before he could stop himself. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have left Pe City,¡± Tynan said. ¡°Have you ever heard the phrase ¡®taking it slow?¡¯¡± Zach felt his moods swinging from one extreme to the next. ¡°I can¡¯t do that. I¡¯d never stand a chance. You¡¯d run away.¡± Zach couldn¡¯t control the waver in his voice. ¡°You can¡¯t steamroll your way in.¡± Tynan chuckled. ¡°Then you have to stop showing me things I like.¡± He scoffed. ¡°Is there anything you won¡¯t like about me?¡± He was sure about it. Tynan was a rabid dog with a bone. He wouldn¡¯t be satisfied until all of Zach was laid bare. ¡°I¡¯m sure if we are together long enough, I will find something I don¡¯t like.¡± ¡°Go away Ty, flirting and arguing with you takes too much energy.¡± Today was too much of a rollercoaster. He was crashing. Struggling out of his clothes, he crawled under the sheets. ¡°Say that again?¡± His voice was low. Zach pulled the phone before rubbing his ear. Tynan¡¯s voice was too sexy. He felt his ear tingling. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Call my name again,¡± his voice dropped an octave lower. ¡°Tynan.¡± Zach was going to have a wet dream tonight. There was no way to avoid it. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°That is not what you said,¡± he growled. ¡°Don¡­, and¡­, mean.¡± Zach fell asleep without realizing it. *** Tynan was worried and happy. Vulnerable. It was a side of Zach he didn¡¯t think he would be privy to for a while. Behind the brass and bravado, Zach had a soft spot. Tynan doubted many people got to see Zach that way. It was adorable. It was enthralling. The soft and hard sides to Zach¡¯s personality captivated Tynan. He wanted to see more. It was more insightful than the bold, flirty persona that Zach first portrayed. ¡°How long do you plan to stand there smiling to yourself? A sarcastic voice quipped. "Why are you here, Rain?" Tynan ignored the man¡¯s question. ¡°Is that any way to talk to a friend? I came here to support you. I was shocked to hear you were interested in someone.¡± He hid the hurt he felt behind a teasing tone. ¡°Who is he?¡± His voice was now curious and severe. Tynan shot him a look. He was worried. Rain didn¡¯t seem to have resolved his feelings as well as he claimed to have. ¡°He isn¡¯t suspicious.¡± Tynan chalked it up to Rain being the big brother of the group. It was best if he pretended not to see. Rain wasn¡¯t willing to break the peace either. ¡°How can you be sure?¡± There wasn¡¯t anyone in their group that didn¡¯t have experiences that jaded them. ¡°He is nineteen years old. Independently wealthy. No connection to the Blackburn Family or S country.¡± Tynan was careful with what he said next. ¡°It was the way he looked at me. The way I couldn¡¯t look away from him. The fact that we could spend the day talking about the weather and it would be thrilling. He looked at me like he was waiting for this single encounter his whole life. The feeling was entirely mutual.¡± There was a flash of pain in his eyes before it disappeared. ¡°Are you an idiot?¡± he asked, his tone dry. Tynan chuckled. When something is too good to be true, it usually is. ¡°I was targeted.¡± ¡°So you know,¡± Rain said, unable to keep the satisfaction out of his voice. In favor of their friendship, he was willing to overlook a lot, but he would have to keep an eye on Rain. ¡°Not in the way you think. He wasn¡¯t there looking for a romantic connection. He wanted to use me as a springboard to enter the capital.¡± Tynan wasn¡¯t in love; it was too early for that. He was in lust, but there was more to it. It was hard to explain, but he would regret it for the rest of his life if he didn¡¯t explore this. It probably wouldn¡¯t take much for it to be love. ¡°He is clear in what he wants, and I am not in his plans. He doesn¡¯t want anything to do with me. Not that it matters.¡± Tynan wouldn¡¯t back down without a fight. Zach¡­, once Zach let go of what was holding him back, he wouldn¡¯t back down either. Rain took a deep breath. He¡¯d never seen that look on Tynan¡¯s face. It hurt that look wasn¡¯t directed at him, but he was happy that Tynan found someone. If he said it enough, it would be true. ¡°What does he want with Cain?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear? They were talking about their company. I¡¯m sure you took some shares.¡± Tynan kept his tone neutral. Cain and Rain¡¯s relationship was between them. ¡°I played the demo for Cain¡¯s game. It is amazing,¡± Rain said, pride in his voice. ¡°Apparently, Zach¡¯s game rivals it but is in different genres.¡± Tynan didn¡¯t understand, but Zach was too excited to stay calm when he found out about Cain. ¡°And you''re sure he isn¡¯t targeting us?¡± Rain questioned, burying the dark place the question came from. Tynan didn¡¯t bother answering. Zach didn¡¯t know about Cain until a second ago. He was genuinely shocked that they knew each other, shocked but ecstatic. Leaving the room, he didn¡¯t look back to see if Rain was following. ¡°Don¡¯t I have a chance?¡± Tynan paused. ¡°I will pretend I didn¡¯t hear that. I think I made myself clear on this subject years ago. Don¡¯t disrespect me or Cain.¡± He didn¡¯t know what had gotten into Rain. It had been five years since the other man¡¯s confession, and Tynan hadn¡¯t been kind with his rejection. He didn¡¯t look back. It took a moment, but he resumed walking. Rain knew what Tynan was thinking, but how could he be resigned. Tynan wasn¡¯t interested. Not just in him, but in anyone. He kept a string of replaceable boys but never got serious. His heart plummeted when Morris sent him the message. He thought Tynan wouldn¡¯t find anyone. As long as Tynan was single, Rain could maintain his happiness. Now that was threatened. He looked at Tynan¡¯s broad back and bit back bitter feelings. With Tynan showing so much emotion, how couldn¡¯t he try his luck? He would have given anything to have Tynan look at him like that. Speak about him like that. Rain didn¡¯t believe that the boy''s motives were altruistic. He couldn¡¯t. If that was true, it meant that Tynan just wasn¡¯t interested in him, and Rain wasn¡¯t willing to accept that. He didn¡¯t go back to join the others. He left through the back door. Tynan looked at Morris, and he contemplated stabbing him. ¡°Someone had to do it,¡± Morris said. Cain sat with his head between his legs. His hands messed up his hair. ¡°Cain?¡± Tynan started. Morris had meant this as a test. They¡¯d all thought Rain had gotten over his feelings. Especially Cain. He hadn¡¯t thought it would be this bad. The breath shuddered out of Cain. He didn¡¯t know what to do. He loved Rain to the point that he hated Tynan, but it wasn¡¯t Tynan¡¯s fault. Tynan wouldn¡¯t apologize. He¡¯d cut Rain out of his life for a period, and it was only because of Cain that their relationship eased. Cain probably knew Rain was using him. They shared a round of drinks in silence. ¡°I always thought if I gave enough of myself, it would be enough,¡± Cain mumbled. Morris hated to see the situation, but he didn¡¯t mince his words. ¡°Rain probably thinks the same thing.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that the truth.¡± Cain didn¡¯t know if the bitterness of his words clung to his tongue, but his drink became harder to swallow. Cain had been in a good mood. He was looking forward to his new business venture. The situation in the Blackburn family was about to resolve itself. He rubbed his tired eyes. Things were simpler when they were in university. ¡°Don¡¯t tell Rain about the information that Zach provided.¡± ¡°Rain would never hurt you,¡± Cain came to his automatic defense. ¡°If anyone else provided the information, I would be inclined to believe you, but I no longer trust Rain¡¯s judgment. No, I can¡¯t trust his judgment. You should understand. The same way you defend Rain is the same way I will defend Zach.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t love him,¡± it was a statement. Cain knew that Tynan was too practical to fall in love at first sight. ¡°It isn¡¯t.¡± Tynan swirled the drink in his glass. ¡°But it wouldn¡¯t take much for it to turn into love.¡± Draining the last of the amber liquid, he continued. ¡°It will never be Rain. Never.¡± Cain heard his words, and he let out a breath of relief before his body tensed up. Tynan was right. He couldn¡¯t tell Rain. He didn¡¯t trust Rain not to sabotage them to keep Tynan isolated. Rain had done worse when Tynan rejected him in the first place. Chapter 8 Zach caught a cold. Too much happened yesterday¡ª No, truthfully, too much happened over the last couple of months, and he¡¯d never stopped to process it. Zach wasn¡¯t an expert, but he was sure he had a panic attack, and if not an attack, a sensory overload. His body felt like a wrung-out dishcloth, and he couldn¡¯t blame it. He wanted to talk to his mother, but he couldn¡¯t hide from her. He didn¡¯t want her to worry. Checking the time, he rolled over and decided not to bother with today. He still had six days before he had to deal with Cain. To see Tynan. He giggled. Maybe he could try. *** Thursday came quickly, but it was too slow. He spent the week talking to his lawyers about the PE City development plan. Tynan had sent over a representative who would live in Pe City for the remainder of the project. During this week, he tested the demo for his game. There were issues, but considering the launch date was two to three years away, he had time to fix it. He would have to work with Cain to find programmers to bring on. Cleaning up his appearance, he stepped out the door only to run into Rain Edwards standing opposite his door. The man stood leaning against the wall, arms crossed. No one could mistake that he was waiting for Zach. Zach surveyed the actor in front of him. Tall, dark glasses, up to no good. He¡¯d had a feeling about this week. His business hadn¡¯t started in full force, and he already felt the need to take a vacation. He forgot how much threatening and posturing took place in business, especially towards newcomers. Should he turn around and pretend not to see anything? He didn¡¯t want to leave the impression that he was scared and running away, but he was too lazy to deal with this. ¡°Is there something I can help you with?¡± Zach asked, locking his door. Let¡¯s get this game started. He might have to rethink his plans. ¡°Do you know who I am?¡± Rain asked. There was nothing much to the boy in front of him. He was tallish with smart features. He had pretty eyes but altogether nothing spectacular. He gave the impression of being neat and well-behaved. He couldn¡¯t understand why Tynan was so smitten. ¡°I know, but I am guessing you are going to tell me why I should care.¡± Zach felt refreshed. It was the first time someone threatened him since he was reborn. He knew his life was flowing too smoothly recently. The appearance of trash blocking his way managed to settle some of the anxiety he was feeling. His world changed, the people around him were different, but some things remained the same. ¡°Brave. For a no one from now where you are brave.¡± Rain couldn¡¯t get a grasp on this boy¡¯s personality. He was comfortable. Too confident. That neat appearance was a mask of indifference. His blue eyes were chilly. He got the impression that Zach regarded him as nothing important. ¡°What can I do for you, Mr. Edwards?¡± Zach asked. There were good and bad things about being back in the past. If he was still Zach Mallory of Mort Tech, this wouldn¡¯t happen to him. He wasn¡¯t the most successful person, but he was known to be one of the most dangerous. He knew how to find information, and he knew how to use it. Crystal and company were the first to experience his brand of revenge. It looked like this award-winning actor also wanted a taste. Rain changed his plan. It was odd. The boy in front of him was neither scared nor flustered. He quickly changed his plans. He threw away his original intention. Threatening him wouldn¡¯t yield the desired results and might backfire. This one was different from the usual starstruck whores. With a better safe than sorry mindset, he extended his hand. ¡°No need to be so cautious. I got curious, so I came ahead to pick you up.¡± Zach would be an idiot if he believed that. With a sincere smile, he took Rain¡¯s hand and shook it. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you. I am a big fan. Thanks for coming to get me. I never thought Tynan would give anyone my address.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think he thought I would use it, but he told me when I asked. The two of us are close.¡± Rain¡¯s words dripped with honey. ¡°I got curious when Tynan told me about you, so I had to come and see for myself what all the fuss was about.¡± A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Bullshit, he never told Tynan where he lived. Zach turned to close his door, using it to hide that he was rolling his eyes. Since Rain was investigating him, it was only fair that he returned the favor. He would hazard a guess that this man had feelings for Tynan. Though, he was sure that Rain was dating Cain. He would have to ask Tynan his feelings on the matter. He would get nowhere trying to figure it out by himself. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I don¡¯t want to be late.¡± They walked side by side, both pretending not to feel the tension between them. Rain¡¯s driver was in front of his building. He hesitated to get in but figured that Rain wouldn¡¯t be dumb enough to kidnap him in such a manner. There were too many witnesses, and Tynan¡¯s group would notice his absence. After getting in, Rain didn¡¯t break the silence, so Zach played along. It didn¡¯t take them long to reach the restaurant. ¡°They are inside. I have to get back to a movie shoot. I only dropped by to say hi.¡± Rain shot him a smile. Zach turned back, his smile bright. ¡°I will tell Tynan that you said hi!¡± It was only for a moment, but he saw Rain¡¯s eyes tighten before his face smoothed out. ¡°Who cares about Tynan. Tell Cain hi for me. I will see him back in Lor City.¡± Rain was a good actor. Zach felt a bit sorry for Cain. He didn¡¯t know the in¡¯s and out¡¯s of their relationship, but chances were high Rain was using the man. ¡°Will do,¡± he chirped. This bubbly personality didn¡¯t suit him. He bounced out of the car and waved as it drove off. The smile fell off his face. Entering the restaurant, he made a beeline for the room he¡¯d booked. He waved away the ma?tre d''. Three faces greeted him when he opened the door. Two of them he recognized. He hesitated for a moment. Should he conclude his business with Cain first? No, he needed answers before he continued with this venture. ¡°I need to speak with you and Mr. Granger,¡± he said, nodding at Tynan. ¡°Hello, Zach.¡± Tynan wasn¡¯t sure about the mood the young man was in. He was more guarded than he¡¯d ever seen him. ¡°You can speak freely. Morris is a friend.¡± Walking into the room, he closed the door and took a seat. ¡°Rain Edwards was waiting outside my door this morning.¡± There was a collective intake of air and shared glances. Zach ignored it and pressed on. ¡°What is your relationship with him?¡± ¡°We are childhood friends, nothing more.¡± Tynan cursed under his breath. ¡°He didn¡¯t say or do anything to you?¡± ¡°Why? Did you expect him to?¡± Zach looked at Cain, who remained suspiciously silent. Cain had his head bent with his fist clenched on the table. He focused back on Tynan. ¡°Just asking. Rain confessed his feelings for me years ago, but I turned him down.¡± Tynan hated bringing this up in front of Cain, but they needed to sort this out. He wouldn¡¯t stand for Rain¡¯s willful behavior. ¡°I don¡¯t think he understood what you meant. You should make it clearer.¡± Zach refused to break eye contact with Tynan. He¡¯d decided to see where their relationship went, he expected Tynan to meet him halfway, or this wouldn¡¯t work. ¡°Rain and I are dating.¡± Cain cut in. ¡°Does he know that?¡± Zach shot back. He held up a hand when the man lifted his head to look at him. ¡°What is my address?¡± Zach waited, when no one answered, he continued. ¡°How did Rain get my address?¡± Zach ensured that people couldn¡¯t access his personal information. There were multiple layers of protection surrounding it. On top of that, he had fail-safes in place. That was why he got a notification when Cain looked him up. It wasn¡¯t impossible to find out, but it was hard to do without him hearing about it. Zach didn¡¯t think Rain had the skills. ¡°I will check with Theo.¡± The man named Morris said before stepping out of the room. Cain had gone back to staring at the table. The tension rolling off of him was palpable. ¡°Can you tell me exactly what he said?¡± Tynan didn¡¯t want to leave any misunderstanding between them. Zach took out a pen recorder and played back the conversation. ¡°I got the feeling that he came to say more but changed his mind.¡± Tynan got up and started pacing the room. Cain looked at the recorder before taking it up and playing the recording again. He stopped it when Rain said that he and Tynan were close. He took a deep pained breath before getting up and leaving the room. ¡°Will he be okay?¡± Zach asked, looking at the closed door. Anyone who experienced heartbreak could recognize the look on Cain¡¯s face. ¡°We all hoped the relationship would work out, but he should get a wake-up call now before it¡¯s too late.¡± Tynan was worried that the coldness in Zach¡¯s eyes hadn¡¯t eased. ¡°Are you okay?¡± He asked. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Zach laughed at the worried look on Tynan¡¯s face. ¡°This won¡¯t scare me off if that is what you are worried about.¡± He reached out to squeeze Tynan¡¯s hand before pulling back. ¡°I am willing to try having a relationship with you, but you can¡¯t rush me.¡± Tynan drew in a sharp breath. It took all his restraint not to whoop in joy and hug Zach. he settled for, ¡°Thank you.¡± He didn¡¯t know what was holding Zach back, but he would take what he could get. He had the patience to unravel the younger man¡¯s secrets. Morris came back into the room, breaking the mood. Tynan sat back in his chair. Cain came in a moment later. He looked calmer, but something was simmering in his eyes. ¡°I checked with Theo, he didn¡¯t give Rain any information, and Rain was supposed to be filming but called in sick.¡± Morris sat heavily in his seat. ¡°Is there any way he could have found your address?¡± ¡°It¡¯s heavily encrypted. If someone accessed the information, Zach would have known about it.¡± Cain answered for him. ¡°It isn¡¯t impossible to crack, but Rain doesn''t have the skills and hasn¡¯t mentioned knowing anyone who does.¡± When he went home, he had every intention of looking into Rain. Zach would decide later if he would share those findings with Tynan. ¡°Cain, do you want to postpone our business talks?¡± Zach would like to move forward, but he didn¡¯t want to do that if their interpersonal relationships would jeopardize things. ¡°No,¡± Cain¡¯s voice was firm. ¡°Other than you and I, there will be four other investors. Ron, Theo, Tynan, and Morris. You don¡¯t have to worry. None of them would let their personal feelings jeopardize a business venture.¡± Zach guessed that they were friends. ¡°I want everything in writing, and I want to add my mother as a shareholder. Still a forty-five split, with each of the five having two percent. I get priority to buy should anyone decide to sell.¡± Cain extended his hand. ¡°Deal.¡± He shook it. Zach wasn¡¯t sure if Cain was in a frame of mind to be making decisions, so he took his acceptance with a grain of salt. Nothing would be signed today, so they all had time to negotiate and change their minds. Chapter 9 The meeting progressed quickly. Zach gave his game pitch and allowed Cain to play a demo. Despite having his memories of the future as a cheat, he reveled in the praise he was receiving. He wanted this partnership to work out. Cain was innovative and skilled. He only had to explain a concept once for him to understand. He understood why he could never catch up to him in the future. Cain was a genius. Zach would maintain his lead, but he would be aware of the people who could match him. It would be terrible if he became overconfident. He was surprised that Tynan stayed out of the conversation for the most part. He volunteered his opinion when they were discussing the structure of the company. Morris, he learned later, was a lawyer. He worked as a sort of executive secretary for Tynan, but he felt more like a fixer to Zach. They shared a meal. Everyone seemed to agree to keep the conversation light. The topics were varied. While Zach didn¡¯t show it, he struggled to keep up at points. A lot of it revolved around a city he hadn¡¯t visited yet. After the meal, Cain and Morris made themselves scarce. ¡°I apologize for Rain¡¯s behavior.¡± Tynan started. Zach agreed to see how their relationship developed, but he noted the change in his behavior. The young man was more skittish and closed off, the flirtiness put on the backburner. ¡°I am not afraid of Rain.¡± Zach didn¡¯t want to stay here, but he wasn''t familiar with Pe City. He should have explored more when he moved here. Tynan tipped his head. ¡°Then why the change?¡± ¡°I thought you wanted a relationship?¡± Zach took a sip of his drink. ¡°The flirtiness has its place, but it takes more than that to build anything meaningful.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t I get flirty and meaningful?¡± Tynan said, lightening the mood. Zach laughed, taking a sip of his drink. ¡°You can have everything. Isn¡¯t that what it means to date.¡± Zach pointed his finger. ¡°You can¡¯t change your mind when I get manic and don¡¯t shower for a week.¡± ¡°It would take more than that for me to change my mind.¡± Tynan reached out. Holding Zach¡¯s hand that was resting on the table. He lifted it to his lips. Zach felt the gentle brush of lips against his hand. He thought his heart would stop. Swallowing heavily, he searched for something to say. Tynan loved the lost look on Zach¡¯s face. His breath was a bit unsteady, and color crept into his cheeks. He wanted to kiss him, but he knew it was too soon. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here.¡± *** Zach leaned against the wall of his apartment. He could still hear Tynan¡¯s voice even though he was alone. After they left the restaurant, they went to a park. They¡¯d strolled around swapping stories of their childhood. Zach got swept away. Standing, sitting, strolling around¡ªneither of them wanted the night to end. It was a little after one before they called it quits. Tynan had an early morning flight and a full day of work tomorrow. He giggled his way straight to bed. *** Tynan starfished out on his bed. It was easy to get lost in Zach. He was charismatic and eloquent. He got the feeling that he was barely scratching the surface when it came to Zach. He knew that Zach lived with his mother before he moved, but he couldn¡¯t understand the sadness in his eyes when he spoke about her. He heard about Zach¡¯s relationship. While things didn¡¯t end amicably, and Zach hinted at taking revenge. It didn¡¯t explain the bitterness and cynicism he saw. Despite their apparent age difference, it was like he was talking to an equal. In moments, he even felt like he was talking to one of the elders in his family. Scrubbing a tired hand over his face, he tried to forget the warmth of Zach¡¯s skin against his lips. It didn¡¯t help that he wanted to steal a taste every time Zach smiled. There was something addictive about him. He¡¯d never met anyone quite like Zach Mallory. When he realized he was too tired to sleep, he reached for his laptop. There was a lot of work to do if he wanted to come back on the weekend. *** They were texting back and forth for three weeks. When possible, they called each other. Tynan ended up not being able to visit Pe City again. The weekend he was supposed to come, he had to go on a business trip. Zach, holding his passport, decided to surprise him by going to Lor City. While he was there, he would look into getting a place of his own. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Stepping out of the airport, he called Tynan. A deep voice answered, and it sent his heart racing. ¡°If I was in Lor City, where is one place I have to visit?¡± There was silence on the other end of the line. ¡°Every visitor is recommended to visit the headquarters of Blackburn Industries. It is a hub of¡­,¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Zach cut him off laughing. ¡°It won''t be a problem if I come and visit you at work.¡± ¡°Zach, are you really in Lor City?¡± Tynan asked. ¡°Emm.¡± He couldn¡¯t stop the blush that warmed his cheeks. ¡°I just got off the plane. The drive is taking me to your offices.¡± Tynan cursed, and it sounded like he knocked something over. ¡°Is everything alright?¡± ¡°How long can you stay?¡± Tynan answered his question with a question. ¡°I am here without a visa. Like any tourist, I can stay for three months.¡± He looked out the car window at the city that was different yet very familiar. Zach felt like he was home. ¡°You could get married and apply for citizenship,¡± Tynan said, laughing. Zach heard the joke, but something in Tyana¡¯s voice made him think that the other man was, at least, partly serious. ¡°Who knows what can happen in three months.¡± He didn¡¯t know what message he wanted to convey when he answered. There was a pause, ¡°how far are you?¡± ¡°It will take at least fifty minutes.¡± Zach was misfortune enough to be caught in lunchtime traffic. ¡°Where are you staying?¡± Zach''s breath hitched, and his heart rate picked up. ¡°I haven¡¯t decided yet,¡± was his breathy reply. There was a groan on the other end of the line. ¡°Tell your driver to bring you to this address,¡± he rattled it off. ¡°No need to spend money on expensive hotels.¡± Zach told the driver about the change in destination. ¡°I didn¡¯t need an excuse to stay with you.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Tynan disappeared for a moment, and there was talking in the background. ¡°I have to go. My next appointment is here. Someone will be at the house to let you in.¡± ¡°Later, Tynan.¡± He said, hanging up. Pushing a hand through his hair, he wondered what the capital had in store for him. His phone started ringing. He saw that it was his mother. If he wasn¡¯t afraid of the consequences, he would ignore it. ¡°Mom.¡± ¡°Have you seen him yet?¡± His mother sounded more excited than him. He rued the day he let it slip that he was interested in someone. ¡°I just landed.¡± ¡°Are you staying with him?¡± she squealed. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be more¡ªI don¡¯t know¡ªawkward about your son going to sleep with a man ten years his senior?¡± His mother had been very blase when he¡¯d confessed to being involved with a man. ¡°You''re going to sleep with him! Tracy, listen to this¡­,¡± She hung up before he could say anything else. Zach was glad that his mother was having fun in Jell City. Occasionally, it sounded like she was having too much fun. A lot of it at his expense. He never knew which one of her artist friends she was out with. He knew the day where she started dating was coming, and he wasn¡¯t sure how he would react. In his heart, he would be happy for his mother, but it would take a bit of adjustment. It wasn¡¯t long before he had to identify himself to a security guard. Getting out of the car, a sight that set his teeth on edge greeted him. Rain was coming out of Tynan¡¯s house to greet him. Enemies would always meet on a narrow road. He wanted to knock that smug smile right off his face. ¡°Rain, Tynan didn¡¯t tell me you would be here to welcome me!¡± Zach was glad he¡¯d packed heavy. Most of it was his computer gear, but he wouldn¡¯t tell Rain that. He loved the way Rain¡¯s lips tightened when he saw the six suitcases. ¡°You packed a lot.¡± Rain was a good actor. In the blink of an eye, he was back to being welcoming. ¡°As his friend, didn¡¯t Tynan tell you I would be moving in?¡± Zach did his best not to laugh when Rain missed a step. ¡°He didn¡¯t say that. He hasn¡¯t mentioned you at all.¡± Rain recovered his balance. ¡°Rosetta, you can put Zach¡¯s bags in the guest room.¡± He said, acting every bit the master of the mansion. ¡°I am sorry, Mr. Edwards. Mr. Blackburn has specified that Mr. Mallory is to shown to his rooms.¡± Zach didn¡¯t hold back his laugh this time. ¡°Rosetta, is that what I should call you?¡± ¡°I prefer Mrs. Brown.¡± The dower woman answered. ¡°Alright then. It is a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Brown. Have them send my bags up and show me to the kitchen. I am a bit peckish.¡± He walked past the red-faced actor. He¡¯d been collecting information about Rain. It was about time he checked what was there. ¡°Mr. Blackburn said he will be home shortly and wanted to have the evening meal with you.¡± Mrs. Brown said. She did a half-bow and gestured for him to enter the house. ¡°Were you trained at the Monarch Butler Institue in D country?¡± Zach quired. A well-trained butler was indispensable to the functioning of a household. He knew their job description and training were varied and extensive. ¡°Yes,¡± she said. There was a flash of surprise in her eyes at his unexpected question but no other reaction. He had to commend her professionalism. ¡°Exceptional, your training shows. Tynan is lucky to have you.¡± Zach was jealous. He¡¯d wanted to hire a butler from the institute, but they had a ten-year waiting list. It wasn¡¯t as popular now, but having a butler would be the ¡®it¡¯ thing in a few years. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Mallory.¡± She did another half bow. Zach just nodded. ¡°Since I will be waiting on Tynan, if you are too busy to show me around, you can assign someone to do it.¡± ¡°I am free to show you around.¡± Turning back, he addressed Rain. ¡°Is Tynan expecting you for lunch?¡± The actor didn''t have much shame. Not getting the hint, he instead climbed the stairs. ¡°I am very familiar with the property. I can show you around.¡± Zach didn¡¯t have to answer because a car pulled up. He was relieved to see Tynan. ¡°You¡¯re just in time. Rain was tell¡­,¡± His words got cut off. Tynan took the steps two at a time and pulled him into a kiss. Zach moaned and surrendered his weight to Tynan. He opened his mouth a shiver traveled down his spine as Tynan¡¯s tongue plundered his mouth. He¡¯d dreamed of this. He let out a whimper as Tynan pulled away. ¡°Fuck. You taste as sweet as I¡¯d imagined.¡± He knocked their heads together as he tried to catch his breath. Tynan tried to remember why it was he couldn¡¯t move too fast. Zach tipped his head to the side and kissed Tynan¡¯s chin. He snuggled in closer for a hug. There was a sense of homecoming as those arms tightened around him. All the reasons why they shouldn¡¯t move too fast wanted to fly out of his head. Tynan dipped his head and stole another kiss before stepping back. ¡°Welcome to Lor City.¡± Zach laughed. ¡°If I knew you were the welcoming committee, I would have come long before this.¡± Tynan shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re just in time.¡± Chapter 10 Tynan tucked Zach under his shoulder. ¡°Mrs. Brown, serve our lunch in the solarium.¡± ¡°The chef is expecting two. Should another table setting be placed?¡± The butler''s tone was brisk. ¡°No. It will only be the two of us.¡± Tynan answered. He watched Mrs. Brown leave before he turned to Rain. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Zach decided to stay quiet. He didn¡¯t have enough context about their relationship to be involved. There had to be something more he didn¡¯t know about. Tynan didn¡¯t seem like the type of person to put up with Rain. ¡°I stopped by to see you since I was free.¡± Rain walked up the steps. His eyes were trained on the hand draped over Zach¡¯s shoulder. Tynan tightened his grip. ¡°Why did you come here instead of my office?¡± Tynan knew there wasn¡¯t a good answer to that. He practically lived at work these days. There was no way he would be at home during the middle of the day. ¡°How did you know Zach would be in Lor City?¡± Rain finding Zach''s address could be a fluke, but Rain keeping track of his movements was deliberate. He didn¡¯t like the implications. ¡°You should leave.¡± Tynan looked him in the eye. ¡°If you have any respect for what we have been through together, you will leave.¡± Rain clenched his jaw, and the veins on his forehead pulsed. ¡°Why can¡¯t it be me.¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t it be Cain?¡± Tynan countered. ¡°I don¡¯t love him.¡± Rain answered. ¡°I don¡¯t love you.¡± Tynan had this conversation before. Even after five years, his answer didn¡¯t change. ¡°I have only ever seen you as a friend.¡± ¡°You have never tried.¡± Rain moved closer. He reached a hand to touch his chest. Tynan was about to step back when a hand came out and slapped Rain¡¯s hand. ¡°Didn¡¯t you ever hear that you shouldn¡¯t let a man tell you more than once that he doesn¡¯t want you?¡± Zach¡¯s intention to stay out of this flew out of his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know you, Mr. Edwards, but I do know that you don¡¯t respect yourself or Tynan.¡± ¡°This is not your place to speak!¡± Rain reached forward but seemed to think better of it, dropping his hand. ¡°If you didn¡¯t want me involved, you would have approached Tynan when he wasn¡¯t in the company of his partner.¡± Zach didn¡¯t keep the malice out of his voice. ¡°If you respected him. You would have respected his decision. If you respected yourself, you would have found someone who reciprocated your feelings.¡± ¡°Are you going to let him talk to me like that?¡± Rain¡¯s voice went up an octave. Tynan kissed Zach¡¯s temple. He didn¡¯t move to intervene, instead silently acknowledging his words. Zach didn¡¯t understand. Rain had a fairy tale romance with Cain in his past life. After Cain had his accident, he attributed his improving health and motivation to Rain. ¡°Partner? Aren¡¯t you overstepping?¡± When he didn¡¯t find any support from Tynan, he switched topics. ¡°Tynan has had many boyfriends and lovers over the years. I don¡¯t fall into either category, so it seemed like a fitting term for the type of relationship we are building.¡± Zach slipped his hand around Tynan¡¯s waist, giving it a gentle squeeze. ¡°Well said,¡± Tynan couldn¡¯t resist stealing another kiss. They had hinted at it over the phone, but this was the first confirmation he¡¯d gotten that they were dating. Tynan wouldn¡¯t let Zach getaway. ¡°You think you understand, Tynan? You don¡¯t understand half of what he is capable of. You don¡¯t understand the kind of man he is. Would you like me to tell you?¡± Rain¡¯s body jerked. He obviously wanted to come closer but was mindful of Tynan. ¡°Rain, that is enough.¡± Tynan started to slide his hand of Zach¡¯s shoulder, but Zach stopped him. The younger man pulled his hand back into place and nestled deeper into his side. ¡°Mr. Edwards, I think you are missing the point. More than Tynan, shouldn''t you be worried about what kind of man I am?¡± Zach gave Tynan''s hand a reassuring squeeze. Everyone had secrets. His were so big he never planned to share them in his whole life. He would keep an open mind about Tynan¡¯s. ¡°You?¡± Rain scoffed. ¡°Why do I need to be worried about you?¡± Rain swung his arms wide. ¡°This is Lor City. What does a little upstart like you know about life here? What do you know about dangers and shadows? Do you understand fear and danger?¡± Rain flinched. Zach wondered what expression was on his face to get that reaction. It didn¡¯t matter. ¡°I hope you bear those words in mind and don¡¯t live to regret them.¡± Tynan was mesmerized by the predatory smile on Zach¡¯s face. He didn¡¯t doubt that Zach was more than capable of dealing with Rain. The information on his uncle always popped into his head. Yet, this was the first indication he¡¯d gotten that Zach had a violent side. Rain took two steps back. Tynan covered his mouth. He was familiar enough with himself to know what kind of greedy smile was on his lips. He¡¯d never wanted an angel on his arm. He¡¯d always wanted a devil that was only kind to him. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°There is nothing for you here, Rain. It is time to leave.¡± Tynan didn¡¯t wait for an answer. Turning, he led Zach into the house. Reaching into his pocket, he hung up the active call. He didn¡¯t know how much of that Cain heard, and a part of him was too frustrated to care. Cain was old enough to make his own decision. If he wanted to continue to hold onto Rain even if it meant his destruction, then that was on him. The minute the door closed, Zach spun out of Tynan''s hold and used the momentum to slam him against the door. He sealed their lips together in a searing kiss. Using his tongue, he plundered and mapped every inch of Tynan¡¯s mouth. Tynan growled. Every taste of Zach was more addictive than the next. His hand traveled up to hold either side of his neck. He winced as nails scrapped across his scalp. His breath quickened as the kiss intensified. They battled for dominance. Tynan ripped himself away. ¡°You can¡¯t kiss me like that.¡± His breathing was uneven. Zach gasped and gulped in large breaths. He was painfully hard. He couldn''t figure out what came over him. He wanted to mark Tynan. To taste him and to imprint his taste on the other man. ¡°You have me sleeping in your bed but won''t kiss me?¡± Zach laughed, though it came out more like a wheeze. Tynan ran a hand through his hair, drawing in a ragged breath. ¡°We were only going to sleep.¡± ¡°Tynan, we can barely touch without combusting and trying to tear each other''s clothes off. It¡¯s been like that since the beginning. In what world can we be in the same bed and just sleep?¡± Zach moved closer, resting his hands on Tynan¡¯s chest. The heartbeat under his palm was strong and a bit erratic. Zach felt an odd mix of hope and hopelessness flow through him when strong arms looped around his waist. ¡°I have the best of intentions.¡± His fingers danced over the small of Zach¡¯s back. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting you to have sex with me. If you are more comfortable, I can have you moved to a different room.¡± He could admit that he was close to a randy teenager when it came to Zach. The distance between them didn¡¯t help. Tynan spent flirty late-night conversations imagining what it would be like if Zach was there in person. After three weeks, he was wound tighter than a spring. The instinct to bend Zach over the nearest surface was his constant company since he met him. Zach kisses made it worse, but he was content just being with him for now. He slipped his hands down Tynan¡¯s chest, looping them around his waist and moving in for a hug. If it was just sex, he wouldn¡¯t be so conflicted. It was all the emotions that Tynan evoked in him. Zach was hiding a major part of himself from Tynan. It felt wrong. It was counter-productive to building any sort of relationship. They were three to four weeks in their relationship, the time when you would start confessing about any terrible exes and talk about family trauma. He¡¯d been hurt badly and needed to trust Tynan before he could commit himself, but the secret he was keeping prevented him from trusting him completely. Nuzzling his face into Tynan¡¯s chest, he pondered, not for the first time, whether he should confide in him. Tynan tightened his hold on Zach. Sometimes Zach would say something or pause in the middle of a conversation, and he would get the feeling that the other man was slipping through his finger. Half of his late-night calls were to see if this flighty young man he was fast falling for would answer the phone. Zach was strangely immaterial and appeared to be transient in his own life. It was a recurring nightmare that something spooked him, and he would disappear to somewhere Tynan wouldn¡¯t be able to find him. Zach kissed his neck. Just a gentle peck, and he felt his fears slightly ease. ¡°Should I arrange a different room?¡± Shaking his head, Zach stepped away. He reached out to entwine their fingers. Despite the difference in their height not being much, Tynan¡¯s hands were much larger than his. Tynan, on the whole, was larger than him. It made his hugs better, well, everything better if he was being truthful. ¡°I would like an office to set up my equipment¡­,¡± he hesitated to continue. ¡°It would be a space that I would ask you not to enter.¡± Tynan didn¡¯t like the idea of a part of Zach¡¯s life being inaccessible to him. He understood that this was Zach¡¯s compromise, a place he could escape to if he needed space from the intensity of their relationship. If he thought about the underlying cause of his thoughts, he was afraid that it wouldn¡¯t be a momentary escape. Zach would duck in there and never stop running. Tynan pulled him, leading him through the house. ¡°Alright.¡± Tynan had never lived with a lover before. He imagined there would be an adjustment period. For all the explosive chemistry and burgeoning emotions, they might find that they couldn¡¯t stand living together. Zach was relieved at Tynan¡¯s easy acceptance. He¡¯d tabled the idea of sharing his secret until their relationship was more mature. There was plenty to discuss and learn about each other. He¡¯d used his past experiences to make informed decisions about his business; though painful, he thought it wise to do the same with his relationship. Thinking back to his marriage, he realized they never resolved their arguments. They would separate and cool down. However, they never sat down to talk about what caused the fight. The weeks he spent in counseling helped him realize that he avoided conflict when people he cared about were involved. He also learned that he was excessively vicious to external threats. The first he would work to correct. The second he saw no problems with. Tynan was leading him through a beautiful garden. The solarium looked distinctly tropical. It had to be hard to maintain. He hated to think about the upkeep during the winter months. He recognized his thought for the avoidance they were. ¡°Tynan. If we fight and I retreat into my office, or you run to wherever you go to cool off, let''s promise to have a neutral place we can go to talk about it.¡± He should make an appointment with a psychologist in Lor City. They could give him tips on managing conflict in his relationship. Tynan thought that was a reasonable request. He¡¯d never been in a relationship where the other party could argue with him. If one of his past lovers dared to, it would be a signal that it was time for him to move on. Deciding that it was enough heavy talk for one day, they sat down for lunch and deliberately talked about lighter topics. Tynan found that any topic about computer software or technological developments Zach could talk about endlessly. Resting his elbows on the table, he listened to Zach rattle on about the future of LED screens. Tynan realized he wouldn¡¯t mind ending every day listening to Zach talk about things he didn¡¯t understand. Zach blushed when he realized he¡¯d been babbling. Clearing his throat, ¡°feel free to wax poetically about gentrification and the evils of eminent domain.¡± Tynan chuckled, and it did funny things to his stomach. ¡°Come on. Let me show you around the house.¡± He held out his hand. When Zach took it, he pulled him into a side hug, tucking him under his arm. He wouldn¡¯t mind spending a lifetime with Zach, period. Chapter 12 Zach woke to a gummy feeling in his mouth and a crusty stomach from where the cum had dried. Despite this, he couldn¡¯t fight the stupid grin that split his face. He kissed Tynan¡¯s shoulder. Somehow Zach managed to wrap himself around Tynan, giving his best impression of an octopus/big-spoon hybrid. He pulled back slightly, wrinkling his nose in distaste when he realized they were a bit stuck together. That thought was chased from his mind when he saw the slew of red marks and wails on Tynan¡¯s back. He bit his lip in guilt. Last night was one of the most intense sexual encounters he¡¯d ever experienced. He¡¯d sort of handed himself over to Tynan¡¯s care, letting the sensations wash through him. What he didn¡¯t realize was that he was savaging chunks of flesh out of Tynan¡¯s back. ¡°I can hear you thinking,¡± a gravelly voice said. Tynan rolled over, pulling Zach in for a slow kiss. When the kiss ended, Zach pulled away and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± brushing a finger over teeth marks on Tynan¡¯s shoulder. Tynan bullied Zach until they were lying chest to chest. He felt Zach¡¯s strong heartbeat. ¡°The only correct thing to say on a morning like this is, ¡®darling, would you like a blow job.¡¯¡± Swatting Tynan¡¯s chest, Zach snickered. ¡°I¡¯m serious. I did a number on your back.¡± He felt the stings on his back, but he couldn¡¯t say he minded them. Tynan turned a critical eye to Zach. His entire chest and neck were littered in hickeys and bite marks, some of which purpled overnight. He wanted to complete the set by marking up his legs and back. ¡°You probably want to stick to turtle necks.¡± A hand flew to his neck. He remembered Tynan being attached to it like a vampire at one point last night. He didn¡¯t know whether to slap or kiss the smug look off Tynan¡¯s face. In the end, he settled for a kiss. ¡°Don¡¯t you have work?¡± Zach asked before things could intensify. With Tynan, it was easy for things to get out of hand. ¡°No,¡± he said. They both knew he was lying. Zach pulled away. Jumping off the bed, he padded into the bathroom. It was left to him to be the adult. He made sure to lock the door. They wouldn¡¯t get out of here for now if Tynan chose to join him. Tynan feasted on the sight of Zach walking butt-naked to the bathroom. His flaccid cock swung enticingly. Tynan hadn¡¯t been joking about the blow job. Giving or receiving it would have been fine either way. He decided not to tempt fate. Tynan ran to take a shower in one of the guest bathrooms. He didn¡¯t think he could resist the sight of Zach fresh out of the shower, and he really did need to get to work. Tynan eyed the locked door of his bathroom suspiciously. He¡¯d showered and gotten dressed, and Zach still wasn¡¯t out yet. If he didn¡¯t think it was immature, he would press his ear to the door. Zach emerged ten minutes later, and Tynan instantly recognized the blissed-out expression on his face. ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have work to go to,¡± Zach supplied in the way of an answer. Thankfully he could get dressed in the bathroom since he left his suitcase in there last night. He would have to go shopping. He didn¡¯t own anything that could hide the marks on his neck. It was a bit too early in the season to be wearing a scarf. Tynan¡¯s mind eagerly supplied a list of things that Zach could have been doing in the bathroom. He wanted to watch all of them and participate in most of them. ¡°Do you have any plans for today?¡± Tynan asked before he could give in to temptation. He led them out of the bedroom. ¡°Nothing for today. It was a spur-of-the-moment trip. Set up my office, get a few articles of clothing. Nothing major.¡± Zach didn¡¯t think a suitcase full of clothes would last him for three months. ¡°I¡¯ll let you know if I am free for lunch.¡± He didn¡¯t have anything scheduled, but nothing was certain because of the ongoing fight in his family. Zach¡¯s schedule was flexible. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I can swing by later and bring you something to eat.¡± ¡°I want to show you around the capital,¡± Tynan confessed, leaning down to kiss his cheek. ¡°I will be here for a while. You will have plenty of time.¡± Zach was already familiar with the capital, but he wanted to see how Tynan would introduce the city to him. ¡°Em, stop by around one. I usually eat at that time.¡± They sat down for breakfast. He pushed the toast towards Zach when he remembered that the younger man preferred not to eat a lot in the mornings. He would have to tell the staff to have fruits and snacks around. Zach nibbled at his toast. ¡°If you need any help, tell me. I¡¯m a lot more useful than I look.¡± he didn¡¯t want to have the responsibility now, but he was familiar with running his own company. Pulling out a pen and paper, he jotted down three names. ¡°It would be helpful if you could run down these three names.¡± Tynan had the situation under control, but he wanted to remove any possibility of failure before he confronted his uncle. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Zach read the name, not recognizing any of them. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can find.¡± He was full after a few bites of toast. Getting up, he leaned down to peck Tynan on the lips. He wandered off to set up his office. Tynan watched Zach¡¯s back as he disappeared down the hall. The domesticity of it all struck him. He¡¯d never brought anyone home, never shared plans for the day over breakfast. There was an ache in his chest that he didn¡¯t understand. Tynan wrote a memo for Mrs. Brown with all of Zach¡¯s eating habits that he could remember. Finishing his omelets, he went out the door before he succumbed to impulse and hunted Zach down. His happy mood diminished, seeing Rain waiting for him in his office. He¡¯d forgotten all about the altercation yesterday. He paged his secretary. ¡°Report to human resources.¡± Tynan would have to change her. No one had permission to enter his office when he wasn¡¯t here. He didn¡¯t bother to listen to her excuses. He texted Morris to find a replacement. The silence got to Rain. He gave in and spoke first. ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. She only let me in as a favor since we are friends.¡± Tynan didn¡¯t respond. He opened his briefcase and transferred the documents. He was supposed to finish these yesterday, but he got distracted. He was grateful it was nothing urgent. ¡°Tynan,¡± Rain whined. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, okay.¡± He moved to sit on the edge of the desk. I shouldn''t have behaved like that yesterday.¡± He put a folder on the desk. ¡°I brought a gift to make up for it.¡± The spoiled pout used to be endearing. It was fun and games when they were in college. Tynan would forgive Rain, sweeping the incident under the rug until the next outburst. He no longer had the patience or inclination to deal with Rain. Opening the folder, he was surprised to see a dossier on his uncle. It was more in-depth than the one Cain compiled but lacking compared to Zach¡¯s. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Am I forgiven?¡± Rain asked, leaning forward. No, you are under suspicion. Rain, where are you getting this information? In the past, he could have asked. Now, he said, ¡°It¡¯s not that easy. I¡¯m in a relationship. That won¡¯t change. Zach will be in my life for a while.¡± Forever, he vowed in his mind. ¡°You have to be able to accept that.¡± Rain pushed off the desk and started pacing. ¡°There is something suspicious about him,¡± he backtracked when he realized what he said, ¡°but it isn¡¯t my place to interfere in your relationship.¡± Tynan didn¡¯t believe a word of it. ¡°How about we all go out for dinner? Zach hasn¡¯t had the chance to meet the rest of the gang.¡± Rain placed his hand on the desk and leaned forward. Tynan would be more inclined to believe Rain¡¯s intentions were good if he didn¡¯t try to subtle flirt. ¡°Not right now. A lot is happening here.¡± ¡°That might be for the best. It is a bit early to introduce Zach to everyone.¡± Tynan was suspicious of Rain¡¯s easy acceptance. It hit him in a flash. He would have to be careful. There were shady people and secrets in the social circles of Lor City. It wouldn¡¯t be hard for Rain to ruin Zach¡¯s reputation. He smiled. ¡°It is a bit too soon. I want to have him to myself for a while.¡± Rain dither on for a while before leaving. Tynan texted Theo. He wanted to set up a small gathering to introduce Zach. He wouldn¡¯t leave it to chance. Zach could take care of himself, but his life didn¡¯t need to be any harder than necessary. He messaged to temp secretary and front desk to allow Zach entry when he came. Time flowed as he dived into work. He was disturbed by a knock on the door. Looking at his watch, he realized it was already after one. He smiled when a messy head peeked in. ¡°Come in, Zach.¡± ¡°I brought¡­,¡± Zach¡¯s phone started to beep, the smile on his face dimed. He raised a finger to his lips. Putting the food on the table, he pulled out a signal detector. ¡°Thao food, I hope you don¡¯t mind that.¡± Tynan didn¡¯t stop Zach. He watched with a growing sense of unease. His office was swept for listening devices often enough that he knew what was going on. ¡°Not at all. I thought you didn¡¯t like spicy food.¡± ¡°I know that you do, so I got spicy for you and mild for myself.¡± Zach swept the whole room. He made his way to the desk, picking up a pen he wrote. ¡®Four listening devices, no visual. Do you want to leave them in?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t have to go through the trouble.¡± Tynan scrubbed a hand down his face. Rain probably put them in this morning. ¡®Leave them in for now,¡¯ he wrote back. Zach nodded. ¡®I can try to backtrace the signal, but I didn¡¯t bring my laptop with me. Tomorrow?¡¯ Zach sat on the desk. ¡°Not a problem. Stop working and come eat with me.¡± ¡®We¡¯ll talk about it later.¡¯ Tynan stood from his desk and brought the food to the coffee table. ¡°Did you get the shopping you wanted to do today done?¡± ¡°I got most of the things I wanted. You have to recommend a good tailor to me. I don¡¯t have any formal clothing.¡± Since Tynan didn¡¯t seem worried, he didn¡¯t focus on the listening devices. Still, Zach made sure not to reveal too much information. ¡°I will call the guy I use and make an appointment.¡± Tynan pulled out the dishes. Zach had gotten som tam and pad kee mao for him. He laughed at Zach much plainer phad thai. He took a bite and was in heaven. ¡°Where did you get this?¡± Zach got it at one of his favorite Thai restaurants. It was in an ally, and the owner served only take away in a street food style. ¡°I asked an old guy on the street.¡± This was entirely true. Only, he met that man ten years from now. Zach didn¡¯t stay long after they ate. He knew that Tynan was leaving in the listening devices on purpose, but they were still stressing him out. ¡°I¡¯m going to head home and organize the things I bought.¡± Tynan liked Zach¡¯s casual use of the word home. He knew the man said it off-hand, but he would like it if Zach eventually saw living with him as home. ¡°Alright, I have a late meeting. I won¡¯t be back for dinner, so eat without me.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Zach rounded the desk. Gently stroking Tynan¡¯s cheek, he kissed him. ¡°Later.¡± Tynan caught Zach¡¯s hand as he was about to walk away. Bring it to his lips; he pressed a gentle kiss to his palm. ¡°Later.¡± Tynan took out his phone and sent a message to Theo. He emphasized that Rain should not know they were meeting up. He hesitated a moment before sending a text to Zach to collect as much information as he could find on Rain. Theo would have some since he used it to keep Rain in line as one of the actors signed to his company, but Zach would be able to find more. Chapter 13 Zach stroked his chin, looking at the message that Tynan sent him. Chances were high Rain was the one who bugged Tynan¡¯s office. Rain was a sensitive topic for Tynan. He knew that after Tynan¡¯s mother died, he¡¯d left home and lived with Rain and his family for a while. He wondered how much it took to wear their relationship down to this point. He already had the information on Rain; he just needed to sort through it. Changing his plans for the afternoon, he ordered the driver to bring him back to the mansion. Rain was a wild card. He didn¡¯t like him running around. For his peace of mind, he needed something to muzzle that bitch before it tried to bite him. It didn¡¯t take long before he was behind his computer. The more he read, the more concerned he got. Rain had loose morals. He didn¡¯t have a line he wouldn¡¯t cross to achieve his goals, and sex was his favorite weapon. To say he was cheating on Cain was an understatement. Despite being hot and bothered for Tynan, he didn¡¯t think Rain understood the word commitment. If that was all, Zach would say more power to him and move on. What made him angry was that Rain was investigating Tynan. He was smart with the information, but he was sending it to someone. There was also information coming in. Some of it was about Zach, but not a lot. Most of it was about Tynan. There was some about Cain and a few other people Tynan mentioned. There was also the source code for Exona, along with concerning emails to other gaming companies. Emails to reporters. Chat room messages. There was too much to find. He had years of information. He hadn¡¯t been expecting to collect this much. He prioritized everything within the year. ¡®If I wanted to send something to you and ensure that no one saw it, who should I give it to?¡¯ Zach hated to be the bearer of bad news, especially when it was about one of his lover''s oldest friends. He was coward enough to avoid giving it to Tynan in person. ¡®Mrs. Brown. Why?¡¯ Tynan sent back. He saved everything he found on a hard drive. He printed the most recent information. Everything went into an envelope. He was washing his hands of this. If the choice was his, he¡¯d put Rain down. Muzzling a dog that already bit the hand that fed it wasn¡¯t smart. Still, it was Tynan¡¯s choice. He could only be supportive and help clean up the mess if things went to hell. ¡®I¡¯m sending you something in a sealed envelope.¡¯ Zach sent back, going in search of Mrs. Brown. When he knew Tynan had gotten the envelope, he sent, ¡°I¡¯m here when you''re ready to talk.¡± he wasn¡¯t surprised when he didn¡¯t get a reply. *** Tynan accessed Golden Pixie through the private underground entrance. Only five people could use the elevator. They used this venue if the meeting was off-the-record. They¡¯d laughed when Ron proposed the idea. Years later, they couldn¡¯t believe how often they used it. It used to be six of them meeting at the Dimond Dragon. He forced the memories away. Rain made his choices. He took deep breaths to control his anger. There were bruises on his knuckles from where he¡¯d punched the wall. It had been years since he felt a loss of control like that. He stood outside the door, the hum of conversation in the room soothing. He didn¡¯t want to have to talk to Cain. He¡¯d been walking on cloud nine for the last six months. Tynan could imagine Ron''s explosive anger and Theo¡¯s cold fury. Morris would be upset but not surprised, having given up on Rain years ago. Morris had tried to warn them. The was a lull in the conversation as he opened the door. ¡°This had better be good. I canceled my date to be here,¡± Ron said as a greeting. There was a round of laughter, but something in his expression must have unsettled them. The laughter died down. ¡°What happened?¡± Theo put his drink on the table. Morris grabbed the whiskey bottle and poured him a glass neat. He drank everything in a single shot. ¡°This is about Rain.¡± There was a round of sighs and expletives. This wasn¡¯t the first meeting they¡¯d had about their wayward friend, but it would probably be one of the last. ¡°I know he had a bad reaction to you dating Zach, but I have spoken to him about it. He promised it wouldn¡¯t happen again.¡± Cain was speaking into his cup. He said the words, but he didn¡¯t seem to believe them either. ¡°If it was only that, I could let it go, but this is much worse.¡± He handed out the duplicates of the information Zach sent him. He hesitated before giving Cain his copy. He took his seat. Resting his elbow on the table, he buried his head in his hands and waited. The sound of glass shattering on the wall broke the silence. Ron had thrown his glass into the wall. He cursed a series of expletives before storming out of the room. Theo sat back, his leg crossed over his knee. He tapped an uneven rhythm on the table. He didn¡¯t make a sound, but his eyes were terrifying. Morris just sighed. Cain let out a tortured sound. He dug his hands into his scalp, and his face reddened. He banged his fist on the table. Once, twice. He clutched his chest over his heart before he started crying. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Morris got a bottle of vodka and poured each of them a shot. ¡°Theo, go and get Ron. Cain, are you good to continue?¡± Cain nodded, but he didn¡¯t stop crying. Theo shot Cain a concerned look before leaving the room. Tynan downed his shot of vodka. He wished it could wait, but they needed to sort this out now. When Ron and Theo were back in the room, he spoke. ¡°Rain came to my office this morning. We¡¯d had an altercation yesterday, so his visit wasn¡¯t unexpected. He was in my office without permission, but I didn¡¯t think much of it. Later that day, Zach came to visit me. He found listening devices in my office.¡± Tynan rolled the class between his fingers. He knew they were all wondering if Rain had bugged them before. He continued, ¡°I asked Zach to look into what he could find about Rain. This is some of what he sent me.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to see the rest.¡± Cain was the first to break the silence. Tynan handed over the hard drive Zach sent. ¡°I¡¯m bringing him in.¡± Theo didn¡¯t ask. They looked to Cain to see if he would oppose. He kept his head down. ¡°Can Zach find out where Rain was sending the information?¡± Morris topped up their glasses. ¡°I would have to ask.¡± Tynan wanted to go home a cuddle with Zach. ¡°From what I can see, his patron is careful. There is no mention of his identity. Rain isn¡¯t that careful. He mentions and names several other people he is in contact with.¡± Theo pulled out his phone. He sent a series of texts. ¡°Does Zach take commissions?¡± ¡°For what?¡± Tynan asked. ¡°I want him to do a background check on me and the artists in my agency.¡± Theo lit a cigarette. The veins in Ron¡¯s neck bulged. ¡°How does your boyfriend think we should handle this?¡± Tynan didn¡¯t like Ron¡¯s tone. He knew the other man was angry, but it wasn¡¯t Zach¡¯s fault. ¡°Ron, don¡¯t.¡± Cain cleared his throat. ¡°We should check with Zach. If he is going to track down the other party, he might have a suggestion as to how we handle Ra¡­, how we handle Rain.¡± ¡°I agree,¡± Morris said. Tynan called Zach. ¡°Hey. Have you had dinner?¡± he laughed at the answer he got. ¡°This isn¡¯t a social call. I need your help with something. I¡¯m going to put you on speaker.¡± ¡°Hello,¡± Zach said. There was a chorus of greetings. ¡°How can I help?¡± ¡°Can you find out who Rain was giving the information to?¡± Morris cut straight to the chase. ¡°That depends. It might be faster if Rain told us, or at least, gave me a place to start looking. His history told me he printed or saved the information, never sending anything digital. The exchange was face to face.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think Rain will volunteer that information,¡± Ron sneered. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think he will.¡± Zach agreed. Tynan glared at Ron. ¡°If you needed a place to start, what would it be?¡± There was a beat of silence. ¡°Neutralize Rain. Leak a set of photos online. Have him and his agency give a response. No one will get suspicious if he doesn¡¯t show up in public. It¡¯s also a decent setup for suicide.¡± ¡°Should you be saying this over the phone?¡± Tynan didn¡¯t want Zach to get implicated in this. ¡°My call logs don¡¯t get recorded or saved. I have scraper bots that search for my voice online and change or delete the recording.¡± There was silence and a round of shared looks. ¡°Where the fuck did you find him?¡± Ron asked staring at the phone. ¡°How easy is that to replicate?¡± Morris asked, contemplating the possibilities. ¡°Impossible to do,¡± Zach lied. ¡°The software would already be written. It would have to be duplicated and maintained,¡± Cain supplied. ¡°Zach, don¡¯t be lazy,¡± Tynan said, not able to stop his laughter. The tension in the room eased. ¡°You will have to be more specific. I don¡¯t understand what you mean. Anyway, get Rain first. I have to talk to him.¡± ¡°I will handle the media release. The pictures will be at least two years old.¡± Morris started typing away on his phone. ¡°I already sent his manager to pick him up. He will be brought to my home and kept there.¡± Theo crushed the cigarette butt. Cain took a shot before refilling his glass and taking another one. ¡°I will organize and categorize the rest of the information Zach sent to see if anything stands out.¡± Ron clapped Cain on the back. ¡°Most of the information was targeting Tynan. I will see if anyone has been making any suspicious moves.¡± ¡°Next week I have a meeting with my uncle. Once he¡¯s out of the way, the situation in Blackburn Industries will stabilize. We figure out the person behind Rain before then.¡± Tynan massaged the back of his neck. This wasn¡¯t how he planned to spend the first few days of Zach''s visit. ¡°If you didn¡¯t meet me, how long would it have taken to sort out the situation with your uncle?¡± Zach asked.¡± ¡°Six months to a year.¡± Tynan could only slowly weaken his uncle''s hold on the company. ¡°If the information Rain has ended up in your uncle¡¯s hand, how long would it take?¡± Tynan didn¡¯t like where these questions were going. ¡°Rain wouldn¡¯t do that.¡± There was a lot to be desired in Rain¡¯s personality, but even he wouldn¡¯t collude with Julius Blackburn. ¡°Leaving aside Rain¡¯s moral compass, we can agree that he is just a pawn. There is no telling what the person receiving the information would do with it.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t Rain have placed some conditions when he handed over the information?¡± The anger had bled out of Ron¡¯s voice. Now he just sounded tired. ¡°Rain wants Tynan. He knows that Tynan doesn¡¯t have romantic feelings for him but is willing to be bound by an obligation. He already has proof that it works. Tynan has been putting up with his nonsense for ten years. If it was me, I would weaken Tynan¡¯s company¡¯s position and then offer support when he needed it.¡± Zach reasoned out. The confidence in his voice had everyone pondering his words. Cain started to cry. ¡°He¡¯s convinced that if Tynan gave their relationship a try, it would work out. That Tynan just needs to give him a chance, and then he will fall in love.¡± ¡°Ron, is it?¡± Zach asked. ¡°Yeah?¡± Ron was startled at being singled out. ¡°Tynan doesn¡¯t feel like the end goal. It feels like Tynan is Rain¡¯s payment for a job. Can you check who Rain has been trying to get close to?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that a lovely thought? I am coming home. I will talk to you when I get there¡± Tynan hung up the phone. ¡°We will continue another day.¡± Ron stood. ¡°Next time, you should bring Zach.¡± Tynan looked around the room. He saw that everyone agreed. This wasn¡¯t how he wanted to introduce Zach to his friend, but it worked. Tynan felt proud of how Zach handled the situation. ¡°My brother¡¯s birthday is on the weekend. There won¡¯t be any elders, but most of our generation will be there. It¡¯s as good a place as any for his debut in the capital. As a bounce, he can talk to Rain without raising suspicion.¡± Theo walked to Cain. Taking a firm hold of his arm, he half carried¨Chalf dragged the other man. ¡°Let''s call it a night. Rain¡¯s scandal will be front-page news tomorrow.¡± Morris topped off his glass one last time before standing to leave. Cain clung to Theo. ¡°I should have known it would come to this when the five of us needed a separate meeting place that Rain didn¡¯t know about.¡± His words slurred as he started to cry. Tynan agreed. He¡¯d just held on to the hope that it wouldn¡¯t happen. Chapter 14 Zach put the phone down. He leaned back in his chair and massaged his temples. He was trying to fill in the information he found with things he knew about the future. It wasn¡¯t easy. During this period in his past life, he was busy throwing away his money. He wasn¡¯t aware of political or financial news. It didn¡¯t catch his attention unless mainstream media covered it. When he was in Lor City, the information was obscure and hard to find. There were no benefits in investigating it, so he hadn¡¯t gone further than what was easy to find. If he knew he would be dating, Tynan¡­, well there was to know he would be reborn. There was no point thinking about it. It was better to compile what he did know. The conflict between Tynan and Julius took many turns and wouldn¡¯t end until three years from now. Tynan was sure he could resolve it in six months to a year if Zach didn''t get involved. Since it lasted longer than that, it was likely that a third party got involved. Rain was supplying this third party with information. They stretched out the conflict but didn¡¯t tip it in Julius'' favor. Tynan wasn¡¯t the target. Were they aiming to profit from the chaos caused? Rain and Cain were dating and eventually married in the future. Tynan remained single, jumping from one starlet to another. He knew of Theo, but they weren¡¯t in the same social circle. Morris frequently appeared on television. He didn¡¯t remember anything about Ron. He didn¡¯t know if they interacted in private, but they weren¡¯t involved with each other publicly. Cain and Tynan were known to be in conflict. What did Rain do? They could only try and unravel things slowly. The first step was to see how much Rain was willing to share. Zach could collect and comb through a lot of data. However, it would be meaningless if he didn¡¯t know the person he was looking for. Zach added a facial recognition program to his to-do list. It took a while, but he hacked into the National traffic cam system. He back-dated everything for the last six months and started downloading it. It would be impossible to narrow down this much information without other clues. Zach was so focused on the problem he didn¡¯t hear Tynan come in. Warm hands started to massage his shoulders. Tipping his head back, he smiled at Tynan. The man bent down, kissing him. ¡°That enough, you¡¯re going to strain your eyes.¡± Tynan pulled Zach out of his chair. He didn¡¯t know this boy was such a nerd. Tynan counted five monitors and a table full of gizmos he didn¡¯t understand. Zach laughed at Tynan¡¯s words. ¡°That¡¯s not how it works.¡± He was careful to take care of his eyes. Even when he was an elder, he had good eyesight. He wanted a pair of blue-light glasses, but that wasn¡¯t even a concept yet. ¡°How are you?¡± Zach leaned into Tynan''s body. Wrapping his arms around Zach, Tynan rocked back and thought about how to answer that question. ¡°I am not as angry as I thought I would be, but I am more disappointed. Despite everything, I expected more from Rain.¡± ¡°Can you tell me why?¡± Zach had his own secrets and wouldn¡¯t push Tynan to reveal his, but he would be lying if he said he wasn¡¯t curious. ¡°My uncle murdered my mother, and my father knew about it. I have other brothers, so he wasn¡¯t worried about not having an heir. When my uncle wanted to kill me, Rain and his family took me in.¡± Zach imagined it was more complicated than that. ¡°Why is Rain fixated on you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Tynan answered. He honestly didn¡¯t know. He¡¯d never indicated he was in any way interested; he never paid more attention to Rain. ¡°Has Rain ever been assessed by a psychologist?¡± Zach wasn¡¯t an expert, but with stalking and fixation, an innocuous action is misconstrued in their minds to be romantic. A smile could be equal to an undying proclamation of love. ¡°He¡¯s not crazy,¡± Tynan scoffed. ¡°Neither am I, but I see a psychologist once every week.¡± Zach forgot the stigma that surrounded mental health in this period. In a few years, the rates of suicide and depression would skyrocket. People became more open to the conversation and with seeking help. Tynan pushed Zach away, grasping his shoulder. ¡°Why? Is everything okay?¡± Zach laughed. He held Tynan¡¯s forearms. Leaning forward, he kissed the man¡¯s chin. ¡°I go to make sure nothing is wrong and to figure out if anything is wrong. I also consult her on how to handle issues I feel the need to run away from.¡± The look on Tynan¡¯s face made it clear he didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Tynan, most of our actions are unconscious. Speaking to a professional helps figure out why you make choices, especially bad ones. I have insecurities and fears.¡± Tynan pulled him into a hug. He often felt that Zach was conflicted. The gaze he watched the world with was bored and apathetic. Like he¡¯d seen it all. ¡°Are you suicidal?¡± The question was hard to ask, and he didn¡¯t want the answer. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°No.¡± Zach laughed at the irony. ¡°I have an unhealthy fixation with staying alive.¡± Dying once made him a different brand of crazy. He didn¡¯t know how to cope with emotional pain. Tynan wasn¡¯t convinced. Zach didn¡¯t interact with the world or life. Zach didn¡¯t know that his inability to socialize with his peers because of his actual age was misconstrued as antisocial and dangerous in Tynan¡¯s eyes. Tynan resolved to introduce Zach to the rest of his friends. He hoped Zach and Cain would become closer while working together. They spoke a different language and seemed to go well together. ¡°Do they help?¡± Tynan asked. He¡¯d never thought of speaking to a professional about his life. He never trusted doctor-patient confidentiality. It was nice in theory, but if the news leaked. Tynan could sue but not change anything. ¡°I am dating you.¡± Zach didn¡¯t speak about Tynan specifically, but he didn¡¯t tackle a few of the fears that made him afraid to commit. Tynan buried his head in Zach¡¯s neck, biting him. He wanted to leave his mark all over the younger man. ¡°Why did you ask about Rain, then?¡± ¡°You have to have heard about stalking and fixation?¡± Zach saw the look on Tynan¡¯s face. When most people heard that, they immediately jumped to serial killers or perverts, not realizing that those people didn''t start out that way. ¡°Tynan, Rain is fixated on you. It doesn''t have to be anything major. Smiling at him would be interpreted differently in his mind.¡± Zach couldn¡¯t say for sure, but this seemed a little more than a crush. It could be possessiveness and narcissism. Rain helped Tynan once, and now he thinks that Tynan always needs his help. ¡°It doesn''t matter now.¡± Tynan was kindhearted enough to help Rain if Rain tried to sabotage him. It was true that he received Rain¡¯s help, but he¡¯d repaid that debt. Zach agreed. Rain angered too many people. They weren¡¯t friends. All Zach cared about was Tynan. Rain crossed his bottom line. He wanted the man dead and unable to cause any more trouble, but it wasn¡¯t Zach¡¯s decision to make. Pulling out of Tynan¡¯s hold, he held the man¡¯s hand. Let¡¯s raid the kitchen. Tynan pinched Zach¡¯s cheek. It was his first time seeing this mischievous expression, and it was already one of his favorites. ¡°Mrs. Brown will get mad at us.¡± Zach snickered. That made it even better. It wouldn¡¯t be sneaking around if there wasn¡¯t someone to catch them. Tynan wondered if Zach was a trouble maker when he was young? The couple tip-toed down the hallway. Zach would put a finger to his lip and shush the staff they passed. Zach even told one person that they were going to steal food. They were terrible cat burglars. By the time they reached the kitchen, Mrs. Brown was there with her arms crossed. A servant stood beside her with a tray. Zach¡¯s favorite peach tart was there, along with an assortment of snacks. ¡°Boo,¡± Zach said, his face falling. Tynan threw his head back laughing, holding his stomach. He knew that Zach did the whole routine to cheer him up. Tynan knew it would get back to Mrs. Brown from Zach told the servant, but it didn¡¯t make it any less endearing or funny. He pulled Zach to him. Watching the light dance in the younger man¡¯s eyes, he bent his head and tasted his lips. The kiss was soft. Neither of them moved to make it deeper. Zach stayed leaned against him, exchanging butterfly kisses. The silly smile that lightened the man¡¯s face made Tynan¡¯s heart soar. He¡¯d never been responsible for making anyone smile like that. It made happiness sing in his heart, but a weight he recognized as responsibility also settled. He wanted to be responsible for those smiles and little half-breaths, but he could just as easily hurt this man. Zach didn¡¯t know where Tynan had gone, but he felt bare under the man''s focused gaze. The resolve in Tynan¡¯s eyes made him uneasy but happy. Not for the first time; he wished that emotion was simple and happened one at a time. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that.¡± Zach was the first one to cave, looking away. He refused to admit that he was blushing. His heart wanted to pound out of his chest. ¡°Like what?¡± Tynan asked. He was thankful that Mrs. Brown was tactful. The food was on a table, and he imagined the staff was using another door.¡°Like I¡¯m crazy about you?¡± Tynan wanted to say he was falling in love, but the skittish young man in his arms wouldn¡¯t appreciate it yet. Zach heard the words Tynan wasn¡¯t saying. He was thankful for the man¡¯s consideration but was upset with himself that it was necessary. ¡°I¡¯m a bit crazy about you too.¡± Turning away, he grabbed the tray and marched off. Tynan¡¯s eyes followed the retreating figure. His mouth hurt from how wide he was smiling. They would be alright. He found that he had a new, slightly strange hobby. He loved seeing the way Zach¡¯s eyes clouded over. Or the way a blush crept up and stained his cheeks. Teasing him always brought out new reactions and new expressions. Tynan jogged to catch up to Zach. He looped his hand around Zach¡¯s waist. ¡°I won¡¯t let you run.¡± Both of them knew Tynan wasn¡¯t talking literally. ¡°Em.¡± Zach ducked his head. Maybe this was how it was supposed to be. In his last life, he was the one to pursue his partner and make grand gestures. He found a partner that could walk side by side with him in this life. Tynan would understand the darkness in him. The other man wouldn¡¯t shy away when he broke the law or crossed a moral line. He leaned into the taller man¡¯s warmth. Tynan felt Zach surrender some of his weight. He tightened his hold on the shorter man¡¯s waist. Zach''s mind always seemed to be going; he analyzed everything. Tynan was most worried about Zach retreating into his mind. He kissed Zach¡¯s hair. A dark thought crossed his heart. The urge to chain and restrain Zach came out of nowhere. If those easy smiles were to go away, he would hate it. However, he would hate it more if Zach wasn¡¯t by his side. ¡°Let¡¯s eat.¡± He led them to the deck. The stars in the sky were visible. Zach looked up, marveling. In a few years, pollution got to a level where this sight was impossible to see. ¡°You make it look like you have never seen stars before.¡± ¡°Not from here and not with you.¡± Zach never gazed up into the sky. He was too busy when he first moved to Lor City, and as he grew older, he lost the taste for such frivolity. ¡°Nonsense.¡± Tynan looked up at the sky but couldn¡¯t understand the smile on Zach''s face. Zach pinched Tynan¡¯s waist. He smiled back at Tynan. ¡°Let¡¯s take a shower.¡± ¡°Ehmm.¡± Tynan liked that idea. Zach naked and wet was a preferred delicacy. As they were leaving, Zach turned back for a final look. There would be plenty of new scenery for him to enjoy. Chapter 16 Tynan stroked Zach¡¯s hair, shifting it off of his forehead. He leaned down to press a soft kiss on the sleeping man''s head. He didn¡¯t know what he enjoyed more. The soft moments when they sat together and talked about whatever was on their minds or the explosive passion when their bodies connected. Sex with Zach might kill him. He was already addicted, and they hadn¡¯t gone all the way yet. ¡°What are you hiding?¡± He always felt that Zach knew more than he was letting on. Tynan watched as the soft hair slipped through his fingers. He couldn¡¯t fight the feeling that Zach would disappear at any moment. Tynan sighed. He¡¯d seen the signs with Rain, all of them had, but no one wanted to look too closely. It was a lot to accept. The betrayal was worse when Tynan thought about their childhood and how close they were. Despite what he said, he had at one point seriously considered dating Rain. They were in high school, and their friendship seemed like something more at times, but the feeling had passed. By the time he reached university, he had multiple partners and wasn¡¯t in the frame of mind to have a relationship. It was different from the desire to monopolize that he felt with Zach from the moment they met. Sleepy blue eyes blink up at him. ¡°Morning.¡± Zach¡¯s voice was scratchy, and there was a dopey smile on his lips. Tynan imagined that it was the same look that was on his face. ¡°Morning.¡± He leaned down and captured those sweet lips in a soft kiss. Neither he nor Zach tried to deepen it. Zach pulled back. ¡°Don¡¯t you have work?¡± He rolled onto his back and stretched. The blanket slipped down, exposing his chest. His were discolored bruises from hickeys and bite marks. Reaching over, Tynan smoothed his hand over the exposed flesh admiring his handy work. Going to work was the last thing on his mind. He didn¡¯t want to have to sit in his office and be careful of what he said. They did routine monthly sweeps for listening devices. He was curious to see if they were still there when it happened. By that time, Rain would be neutralized. If the listening devices were gone, it meant there was another spy in his organization. It was upsetting, but corporate spies were a reality in any industry. ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± Tynan rolled over and buried his neck in Zach¡¯s neck. A soft giggle sounded near his ear, and it made his heart sing. He was curious about all of Zach¡¯s life experiences. He acted older than his years and had a maturity that even Tynan lacked. ¡°Nonsense.¡± There was a swat on his back. It was light and tickled more than it hurt. Tynan nuzzled his nose into fragrant skin, peppering small kisses on warm skin. Zach wiggled beneath him. Even though he didn¡¯t want to go to work, it didn¡¯t mean he could just not show up. He put more of his weight on the squirming body beneath him. They needed to stop before they got too heated. ¡°What are you doing today?¡± A hand slapped at his side, but he didn¡¯t feel like moving. Sharp teeth nipped at his shoulder. ¡°Get up.¡± Zach tried a few more times before giving up with a huff. ¡°I¡¯m organizing the information on Rain, and I have work to do for the cooperation with Cain.¡± Zach hesitated. ¡°Is he okay?¡± Tynan didn¡¯t have to ask what he was talking about. He couldn¡¯t forget the lost look on his friend''s face. ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡± Tynan wished he could say something else. However, Cain was devastated by the betrayal. If Cain was a different man, Tynan might have worried about Cain betraying him. Instead, he had to worry about his friend''s mental state and if he would recover from the blow. He took a deep breath. He might suggest that Cain find someone to speak with. ¡°We can only support him.¡± Tynan rolled off. He saw the disbelief and concern in Zach¡¯s eyes. ¡°What else can we do?¡± Zach shook his head, reaching out to hold Tynan¡¯s hand. ¡°I don¡¯t know him well enough to answer that. How are you?¡± Tynan couldn¡¯t answer that question any better than the previous one. Maybe it would have affected him more if Zach wasn¡¯t with him, but he¡¯d been upset and disillusioned with Rain for a while now. He could imagine the consequences and losses he would have faced if Zach hadn¡¯t found out about his betrayal. Tynan didn¡¯t want to imagine that future. It was hard enough to restrain his uncle as it was. If the information Rain had ended up in his hands it would be a disaster. ¡°Should I consider you a lucky star?¡± Tynan leaned over to give the black-haired imp in his bed a kiss on the cheek. Zack gave him a cheeky smile in return. ¡°You have to remember that when I start to give you problems?¡± There was something in the way he said it which made Tynan think Zach wasn¡¯t just joking around. ¡°What kind of problems?¡± Zach shrugged before getting out of bed. Pale skin was revealed inch by inch, and it did an excellent job of distracting him. It also made him willing to accept any problem Zach brought his way. His hand rested on the black sheet where Zach was laying before. The warmth under his palm seemed to seep into his heart. He wouldn¡¯t mind spending every day like this. A simple conversation when they woke up and before they started their day. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. He watched as Zach disappeared into the bathroom. Scrubbing hands down his face, he couldn¡¯t keep the smile off his face, even as his worries burrowed deeper in his heart. Tynan wasn¡¯t an idiot. Zach kept hinting at something. It was almost as if he wanted Tynan to figure it out, but also that he didn¡¯t want it known. Other than Zach¡¯s secret, Tynan had some of his own. He wasn¡¯t in a position to determine when Zach shared when he wasn¡¯t ready to share his. He got out of the bed and went to the guest bedroom. He needed to get to work, and he didn¡¯t trust himself to join Zach. They met back in the room. Tynan was dressed while Zach was still shirtless. ¡°Theo wants to talk to you.¡± Tynan wanted his friends to get along with his lover. If things continued the way they were going, Zach would be in their life for a long time. ¡°What does he want?¡± Zach ruffled a tower through his hair. Tynan was distracted by the dip of his hip, disappearing into his shorts. A towel snapped at him. He smiled when he saw the annoyed look on Zach¡¯s face. ¡°A business opportunity.¡± Zach raised an eyebrow, pulling a polo shirt over his head. ¡°Too vague.¡± Walking over, Zach started straightening his tie. He tipped his head back, giving Zach better access. ¡°Background checks. Not something you usually do.¡± ¡°Why bring it up, then?¡± Zach smoothed a hand down his chest. Zach tapped him lightly on his stomach before stepping back. Tynan reached out to snag a hand around his waist, pulling him in for a kiss. ¡°Talk and get closer.¡± Zach didn¡¯t have friends. He basically confessed that he cut ties with most of the people he considered friends in Eve city. Zach summed it up as having outgrown them, but Tynan imagined that there was more to the story than that. ¡°Why do I have to work with him to do that?¡± Tynan was going to be late if they kept dallying about like this. ¡°Theo hides his personality. It¡¯s only when working with him will you understand the type of man he is.¡± Zach didn¡¯t look convinced, but he nodded his head anyway. He took out his wallet and handed the card to Zach. The other man would have been able to find the information on his own, but there was no reason to make it more complicated than it had to be. ¡°Let¡¯s have breakfast.¡± Tynan grabbed Zach¡¯s hand and led him out the door. *** Tynan sat at his desk. It felt uncomfortable knowing that he was under surveillance, but he didn¡¯t act out of the norm. There was a knock on the door. ¡°Enter.¡± He leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers together. The new secretary that Morris found tottered in on too high black stilettos. She was professional and competent, but she wouldn¡¯t last long. It was easy to tell the overly ambitious ones. They wore a little too much make-up, spoke too much, and did their best to show up in front of you as much as possible. It was hard to find good help. The smartest persons turned into fools when they convinced themselves that an opportunity was presenting itself. That applied to both men and women. Climbing into his bed seemed more important than doing their work well. Morris tapped on the door, stepping to the side when the woman scuttled past him. ¡°The last one was decent.¡± ¡°If she lets one person in my office, chances are she will do it again.¡± No one should enter when he is not in his office. If she couldn¡¯t follow that simple rule, then he had no reason to keep her. No matter how well she did her job. Morris pushed off the wooden frame, closing the door behind him. ¡°I¡¯ll start looking again.¡± Tynan nodded. ¡°I doubt you came all the way here to talk about that.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t. Let¡¯s grab lunch. We can talk about it on the way.¡± This was a normal routine for them. It wouldn¡¯t raise the suspicions of the person on the other end if they knew the group''s habits well. ¡°Let me check with Zach.¡± Tynan sent a quick message asking if Zach had any plans to bring him lunch. He was disappointed when the answer was no despite expecting it. He needed to find time to bring Zach out on more dates. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°He¡¯s busy?¡± Morris seemed to be taking joy in his misery. Tynan couldn¡¯t wait until this friend of his found a partner. He would repay the teasing he was getting. They got in the car before Morris brought up the subject that he came to discuss. ¡°I need you to look over the crew we put together to rob your uncle.¡± It took him longer than expected to get everything in place, but he couldn¡¯t wait any longer. Tynan needed to take care of Julius before the information Rain collected ended up in his hands. ¡°Good. When the team is finalized, I will start making noise overseas so that my uncle is distracted.¡± Tynan clenched his fists. It was time he started removing his uncle''s hands and legs. ¡°Are you prepared on your end?¡± Morris pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Tynan knew he was talking about more than just the robbery or confronting his uncle. This would stir up a lot of secrets within the Black burn family. Secrets his mother had died to keep hidden. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± He¡¯d been ready for years, he just wasn¡¯t in a position to act. He didn¡¯t care if the entire family fell. Morris nodded. ¡°What about Zach?¡± The car sat in traffic. It gave him the time to look at Morris. ¡°What about him?¡± He didn¡¯t think the bespectacled man was worried about Zach betraying him, but the question wasn¡¯t asked lightly. ¡°Have you spoken to him? Prepared him for what might happen?¡± Morris did his best to keep his gaze outside the window. A car honked behind them, and Tynan had no choice but to move forward. He never explicitly discussed it with Zach, but since the other party was the one who gave him the information concerning his uncle, he assumed Zach knew what was coming. ¡°He might be more prepared for it than me.¡± Tynan remembered the lazy blue eyes that watched the world with calm detachment. Zach¡¯s life was well ordered. The more they talked was the more he realized that the younger man never factored him into his plans. That is why Zach had a problem adapting to their relationship in the beginning. ¡°He¡¯s a little terrifying.¡± Morris brushed his hands down his pant leg. Tynan smiled. Zach was more than a little terrifying. He couldn¡¯t decide if it was a blessing or a curse that the younger man was disinterested in most things. ¡°What do you think about this morning''s headline?¡± Morris picked up a newspaper that was on the dashboard. Tynan snorted. He didn¡¯t think much of it when he saw Rain¡¯s confused face splashed across this morning''s paper. He was the running topic on most talk shows. If Tynan had to comment, he would commend Theo¡¯s efficiency. ¡°Is Theo with Cain?¡± It was Morris¡¯ turn to snort. ¡°He should have done this in the first place.¡± Chapter 17 Zach couldn¡¯t help tugging at the neck of his shirt. Looking in the mirror, the three-piece suit with white undershirt looked good on him. He saw Tynan approach him from behind, a strong arm hugging his waist. ¡°You look good. Now take it off.¡± Tynan bent his head, nibbling at his ear. He felt warm breath fan his cooled skin causing his body to heat up. Zach stepped out of his hold. ¡°You¡¯ve been talking about this party all week.¡± Tynan didn¡¯t care about the party. He cared about neutralizing Rain and finally making a move on his uncle. It was also important because it was Zach¡¯s debut to the social circles in Lor City. ¡°I would much rather spend time with you naked.¡± Tynan pulled Zach against him. A dark, musky smell filled his senses. Zach didn¡¯t usually use cologne. It was an interesting addition that added to the man¡¯s allure. The blue-eyed imp gave a disgusted snort. ¡°Is that all you think about?¡± He held out his hands and handed over a pair of silver cufflinks. Zach gave him a suspicious look before stepping forward to help him put them on. ¡°It¡¯s not all I think about. But, I think about it a lot.¡± Zach had his head bent as he adjusted the cufflinks. Tynan kissed him on the crown of his head. He was in that phase of the relationship where all he wanted to do was touch and kiss his partner. ¡°Behave.¡± Zach moved back, making sure he was out of arms¡¯ reach. It annoyed him how much control Zach had. It was hard to tell which one of them was older sometimes. Though, it made the moment when Zach lost control all the much sweeter. An image of Zach naked, his body being caressed with water, popped into Tynan¡¯s mind. He loved the way the man''s voice echoed in the bathroom, the contrast between his skin and the black tiles. It was the same effect as Zach wreathing on black sheets, his eyes misty with pleasure. ¡°Wherever your mind has gone, come back.¡± Zach stood with his arms crossed and his foot tapping out an impatient beat. He checked his watch before walking out of the room. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Tynan massaged his jaw that ached from smiling too much. He took a final look in the mirror. He also wore a black suit. The only difference was that his shirt was black, and he¡¯d opted not to wear a tie. The cufflinks that they wore were a couples pair that he¡¯d had made. He laughed when he remembered the look of disgust Zach had on his face when he saw them. He looked at his partner standing in the doorway. He was shrouded in darkness as he tugged on his sleeves. The matching cufflink reflected the limited light. ¡°Coming.¡± Tynan didn¡¯t realize he was a sentimental or romantic person till he got into a relationship with Zach. He didn¡¯t have plans to go as far as to have couple''s outfits, but having jewelry and accessories in pairs gave him a mushy feeling. Zach rolled his eyes at the dopey look on Tynan¡¯s face. It was strange rectifying the image he had of Tynan in his mind with the man that he was getting to know. He often had to remind himself that this Tynan was a lot younger than the person he was used to seeing. The relationship between him and his friends hadn''t fractured, and he wasn¡¯t enduring hardship from his uncle''s actions. He didn¡¯t look when a warm palm held his and entwined their fingers. Tynan was very tactile. It hadn¡¯t taken him long to adapt, but there were moments when he was sensitive, almost uncomfortable with the amount of contact they had. Zach never considered himself a social person, and as he aged, he¡¯d become more of a loner, sticking to his family and a few close friends. He knew Tynan was worried about his lack of friends. ¡°What is Theo¡¯s brother¡¯s name?¡± Zach realized as he was heading out the door that he didn¡¯t even know the name of the person whose birthday he was attending. The present in his lap was picked out by Tynan. ¡°Jeremy Graham. You don¡¯t have to concern yourself with him too much.¡± Tynan didn¡¯t care much for Theo¡¯s brother. Jeremy was a surprise baby, who was born when the Graham couple was much older, and as a result, he was quite spoiled. ¡°Hmm.¡± Family dynamics could be complex, and it was worse in wealthy families. ¡°Anyone I need to watch out for?¡± Tynan looked sexy with one hand on the steering wheel and the other resting on his thigh. Zach couldn¡¯t explain what he found sexy about it. Maybe it was the suit or the light woody smell tantalizing his nose. ¡°It¡¯s most close associates and friends that will be there. No one that you have to be wary of past taking general precautions.¡± Tynan looked over, having heard something strange in Zach¡¯s voice. He saw the way the younger man was looking at him with hooded unfocused eyes, and he wanted to turn the car around. ¡°Zach.¡± His words came out more like a groan. Zach tore his eyes away. Looking out the window, he did his best to get himself back under control. This man is mine. The thought had come out of nowhere, and it did funny things to him. ¡°Keep driving.¡± A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Tynan focused on the road with his jaw clenched. **** It was a miracle that they made it to the party without incident. The car had slipped into tense silence after that. Both of them were content to focus on their own thoughts. Theo was waiting on them when they arrived. This was the first time Zach was seeing Theo other than on TV. Theo expanded his entertainment company into V country and relocated there. Zach hadn¡¯t known it then, but he imagined it was another consequence that came about because of Rain¡¯s actions. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± Zach extended his hand. Theo gave a firm shake and a charming smile that hid something dangerous. ¡°It¡¯s good to put a name to the face.¡± Theo gave Tynan a one-armed hug. ¡°This guy talks about you constantly. Wouldn¡¯t be surprised if you walked on water.¡± Tynan pushed Theo off. They all laughed and joked as they joined the group. Cain was there, he had dark circles under his eyes, but there was fire and determination in his eyes that Tynan was relieved to see. The group formed and introductions were done. Zach held Ron¡¯s hand for a minute more than was polite. He didn¡¯t have an ulterior motive. He was just too stunned at seeing such a familiar face. He pushed the panic he felt, and the thought of confessing that he was from the future was pushed to the forefront of his mind. Ron would die if he didn¡¯t say anything. The thought haunted him, but he had time to think before he made a decision. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Tynan noticed there was something off about Zach from the moment he met Ron. At first, he thought that the two of them instantly disliked each other, but he was inclined to believe it was something else. Zach didn¡¯t want to lie. He didn¡¯t want Tynan to misunderstand, and he didn¡¯t think it would be healthy for their relationship if he made a habit of telling half-truths to suit his convenience. ¡°Later.¡± That familiar feeling swamped Tynan. This was something else that had to do with the secret that Zach was hiding. ¡°Later will come?¡± The question, while innocuous, made the hair¡¯s on the back of Zach¡¯s neck stand up. Tynan had a way of acting silly when they were together, but he should never forget how sharp and savvy the man was. ¡°Eventually.¡± It was only as he was speaking that he realized he planned to share his life with Tynan. Both past and present. ¡°When I¡¯m comfortable.¡± Tynan''s gaze was intense as he stared into Zach¡¯s eyes. ¡°Okay.¡± He could wait. They had plenty of time and he had no intention of letting Zach slip through his fingers. The evening droned on, and Zach met a host of people. Most of them he knew from his past life, but there were quite a few people he knew of but never had the chance to interact with. Ron was passive-aggressive. Morris seemed amused by everything. Theo did his best not to hover over Cain while still keeping the man in his line of sight at all times. Tynan kept a possessive arm around Zach¡¯s waist the entire evening. They attracted plenty of looks and raised eyebrows. The birthday boy made a brief appearance before joining his peers in another section of the house. Nothing interesting happened, and the night soon came to an end. Zach loosened his tie and undid the top button of his shirt. The six of them were moving towards the basement of the house. ¡°Has Rain said anything?¡± Theo¡¯s face was grim, and his eyes never left Cain. ¡°Not much, but I wasn¡¯t trying that hard to get an answer.¡± Zach didn¡¯t want to know what trying hard would entail. He preferred to extract information online rather than to have to get physical. He was happy to leave that job to Theo. They reached a door where two armed men stood guard. Cain Looked sick, but his fists were clenched, and everyone could see his determination. ¡°Let¡¯s get it over with.¡± Theo nodded to the men, and one of them opened the door. Rain sat on a bed with his back to the wall. Unfocused eyes stared at the ceiling, but he didn¡¯t lose any of his grace or poise. ¡°Finally willing to talk?¡± His gaze slid down, only for his body to freeze when he saw the group that came to visit. ¡°Tynan?¡± It was Zach¡¯s turn to grit his teeth. It always set him on edge. The needy pleading way Rain said Tynan¡¯s name. Just listening to it lets you know there were years of history between them. ¡°Is he the only person you see?¡± Cain moved from behind Theo. His face was ready, and his eyes wavered, but he didn¡¯t cry. Rain looked at Cain before dismissing him. His attention focused on Tynan. ¡°Are you going to let them do this to me? To us?¡± ¡°There is no us.¡± Tynan tightened his hold on Zach. The look in his partner''s eyes promised retribution. It made him happy to see his boyfriend jealous, even though there wasn¡¯t a reason for him to feel that way. ¡°Is it because of him?¡± They didn¡¯t have to guess who the ¡®him¡¯ was referring to. ¡°Yep. It¡¯s because of me.¡± Zach slipped away from Tynan, wandering further into the room. ¡°Let¡¯s not pretend. You know why you''re here.¡± Rain scoffed. His eyes would shift away, but they always went back to Tynan. ¡°The past doesn¡¯t guarantee the future.¡± Rain sounded sad. Tears gathered on his lashes before spilling down his cheeks. ¡°Do you want an award?¡± Zach saw the way Cain flinched when he saw Rain crying. Tynan looked conflicted, and Ron stayed angry. Morris and he were the only two people not affected by the waterworks show Rain was putting on. ¡°This isn¡¯t your place to talk.¡± Rain didn¡¯t stop crying, but he broke character as he lashed out. Zach grinned, having achieved the result he wanted. He was the key. Rain¡¯s facade would crumble the minute he became involved. ¡°I don¡¯t want to waste my time on you. My question is simple. Who are you working for?¡± Rain grit his teeth. Cain stepped forward. You could see the fatigue and concern on his face as he faced Rain. ¡°Please. For all of us, just answer.¡± ¡°Are you stupid? I have come this far. Why would I throw it away?¡± The sneer on his face was different from the sweet look he usually wore when Cain was around. It was clear that he didn¡¯t see the need to keep acting. ¡°Tynan. You will see, we are made for each other.¡± ¡°Do you honestly think I will ever fucking let you see the light of day again?¡± Theo didn¡¯t raise his voice, but it caused a shiver to run through Zach¡¯s body. Chapter 17.2 Rain laughed. He took a great gulping breath as he tried to control himself. Zach was surprised he didn¡¯t know how crazy Rain was. Even up until the point he died, Zach was aware of the Movie Emperor. He was the star of the big screen, praised for his ability and generosity. ¡°Let me out. You have to know the person supporting me before you speak. Careless words can get you killed.¡± Rain never took his eyes off Tynan. This confirmed the speculation Zach had. ¡°Tynan is your payment?¡± Rain drew in a sharp breath. His head snapped up. ¡°Who are you?¡± The words lost the usual arrogance that Zach associated with Rain. ¡°That information doesn¡¯t matter to you. In fact, you should have found out that answer before you decided to fuck with me or mine.¡± This wasn¡¯t the place for Rain to interrogate him. For a captive, he was far too comfortable. ¡°I think the treatment you have been getting is far too good. If it was me, your arrogance would have been ground down already.¡± He didn¡¯t have to look at Tynan or his friends to know that they were still reluctant. Despite what they said or how they acted, it was hard to go from being a friend to enemies in under a week. Though, he had the feeling that Theo held back out of consideration for Cain rather than caring about Rain. ¡°The next job I do, I will ask him to get rid of you.¡± The metal frame of the bed shook as Rain vaulted forward. The blanket slipped, and it was only now Zach realized Rain was chained by his ankle. The man barreled forward but could get more than a few feet away from the bed. Zach smiled, walking until he was just out of reach. ¡°This is cute.¡± ¡°That is far enough.¡± Tynan held Zach¡¯s arm and pulled him back. He¡¯d never seen that crazy look in those blue eyes before. Zach was baiting Rain to see what he would do. Tynan didn¡¯t think Zach would lose the fight, but he didn¡¯t want a hair on his lover''s head put out of place, much less for him to be hurt. Zach didn¡¯t resist. He leaned back in Tynan¡¯s embrace and took a different type of enjoyment from seeing the pain and unwillingness in Rain¡¯s eyes. ¡°Cain, you don¡¯t need to be here for this.¡± Zach liked Cain, he couldn¡¯t claim to be friends or to even care about what happened to him, but he didn''t want him to be hurt. Cain stood with his head bowed. Ever so often, he would look up and open his mouth before dropping his head back down. Theo had a hand on his shoulder. ¡°I need to stay.¡± The words were a whisper, but they were firm. ¡°That is reasonable,¡± Zach muttered. It was the best reason if he wanted closure and to move on from this ill-fated relationship. ¡°Theo.¡± The man looked similar to Tynan, but he would never have put things together if it wasn¡¯t for Rain. ¡°You two are cousins, right?¡± There was a collective intake of breath. ¡°And, where did you find that out?¡± Theo asked. Zach didn¡¯t like the predatory smile on the other man¡¯s face. Still, he felt an answering one crease his lips. They were similar. He and this man probably had a lot in common. ¡°Was it supposed to be a secret?¡± Tynan watched them, amused. ¡°Boys play nice.¡± Walking to Zach, he held his hand. ¡°It is supposed to be a secret.¡± Zach backed down from the confrontation. He would take the job Theo was offering. He would either become a good friend or an enemy. The former was more likely because Zach was dating Tynan. ¡°Fine.¡± Breaking away, he ducked out of Tynan¡¯s hold, moving further into the room. He couldn¡¯t calm down this week, so he¡¯d gone digging for information. ¡°Someone with the screen name autum77 mentioned it to truth450 in an online chat room. Autum77 is Rain¡¯s username for a lot of things. It caught my eye. I didn¡¯t think it was important, so I didn¡¯t track down truth450. Should I?¡± There was a round of exchanged glances and head shakes before Tynan sighed. With a hand on his hip and his head bowed, he pinched the bridge of his nose. ¡°Yeah. I need to know.¡± This was another thing added to Tynan¡¯s side of the list of things they needed to share and talk about. ¡°Okay.¡± Theo looked at his childhood friend and, in later years, a love rival. ¡°Was it worth it?¡± Contrary to the burning look in his eyes, his voice was calm. Rain glared at him. ¡°Was it?¡± Tynan seconded the question. There was a flash of pain in Rain¡¯s eyes, but he kept his head bowed. ¡°What did you think would happen?¡± Morris asked. Rain looked at the four of them. The apathy on Tynan¡¯s face was the hardest to bear. He just wanted this man to notice him. Was that so wrong? ¡°How is he better than me?¡± Tynan remembered the way Zach smiled at the sky like it was the first time he ever looked at the stars. He would eat orange marmalade every morning even though he didn¡¯t like it. Tynan knew a thousand little things about Zach. He wanted to learn a thousand more. ¡°You two aren¡¯t comparable. There isn¡¯t any way he is lacking compared to you.¡± Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Tynan, you need your eyes checked. He is clearly better looking.¡± Zach intertwined their fingers. His tiny nose wrinkled as he looked up at him. Tynan knew Zach wasn¡¯t comfortable when things were too emotional. ¡°You look better.¡± His comment received a snort and a look of disbelief. Zach didn¡¯t want to pay attention to his nonsense. He felt as though he would melt under the scorching look in Tynan¡¯s eyes. He needed to get this conversation back on track. ¡°He was contacting a reporter for Lor Global. He¡¯s supposed to provide proof.¡± ¡°You fucker,¡± Cain cursed. ¡°Why?¡± Cain couldn¡¯t understand. If Rain loved Tynan that much, why was he going out of his way to hurt him? If this information got out it would have widespread repercussions. There was no way Rain didn¡¯t know that. ¡°I¡¯m entitled to it. After all these years of being sidelined and ignored. Don¡¯t I deserve to be happy?¡± Deranged eyes focused on where their hands were connected. Rain wanted to tear them apart. ¡°He has proof,¡± Morris said. The only one who remained completely calm. ¡°You never liked me. Theo¡¯s always wanted Cain. You¡¯d believe anything if it meant getting me out of the way.¡± Rain struggled forward. The chain clanged as he reached the limit of how far it could go. ¡°Be grateful I even gave you the time of day. Enjoy the beautiful dream for what it was.¡± Cain gave one last look before walking out of the room. ¡°Rain, you¡¯ve overestimated yourself. If I wanted you out of my way, I wouldn¡¯t have had to wait.¡± Theo looked at Cain¡¯s back. The other man was well aware of Theo¡¯s interest. He¡¯d never tried to hide it. ¡°The only person protecting you just stopped.¡± Rain panicked when he heard that. He knew what Theo did to people. To enemies. ¡°Cain!¡± Rain tried to move closer to him. ¡°You¡¯ve got to help me. We were good together. It just wasn¡¯t meant to be.¡± Zach clapped slowly, dispelling the tense mood. ¡°Should I get some popcorn? I mean, wow. No wonder he¡¯s an award-winning actor. I found the pictures, and for a second, I thought I¡¯d made it all up.¡± ¡°Rain, who¡¯s the man commanding you?¡± He squeezed Tynan¡¯s hand before letting go. Rain took a step back as Zach moved forward. He¡¯d been careful. There was no way anyone could find out. ¡°No one.¡± ¡°I was very conflicted about my feelings toward Tynan. I thought it best not to get involved with him or his business.¡± Zach¡¯s eyes glazed over. He¡¯d committed to exploring the attraction between them. A gentle smile lifted his lips. ¡°Rain, you¡¯re in my way. Even without you, I can locate him. Think carefully; Why did I bother asking you?¡± Bluffing, he had to be bluffing. They were careful. He used in-person drop-off, and he never kept any record of that person. Rain didn¡¯t back down. ¡°It looks like I am going to have to be extra motivated. Were your meetings in a public space?¡± Zach was playing with Rain at this point. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Rain spit. Zach searched Rain for his phone. ¡°I wonder if you left your phone or if you carried it with you?¡± Zach watched for a reaction, he didn¡¯t expect one, and he didn¡¯t receive one. ¡°I hope you carried it with you, especially if you met up during the day.¡± Rain scoffed. ¡°You left it at home. I love arrogance. The biggest problem is knowing when you met. If your phone was at home, I know the dates. The second biggest problem is where, but you are very popular. People upload pictures of you all the time. You would have used that to your advantage. Hiding in plain sight and all that. Now, I know where. Even if you did disguise yourself, do you drive? It is unlikely you would take public transport. I can track your car through the city. Do you understand where I¡¯m going?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t do that¡­,¡± Rain was looking at a monster. Zach could, and he couldn¡¯t. He unfolded a picture from his pocket. ¡°I wonder where you were going in such a hurry that you needed to run a red light.¡± Zach looked at the picture, already knowing the answer. ¡°Is this the night you found out about me? You were rushing to Tynan¡¯s house.¡± Rain maintained his silence. He could get out of this. His eyes danced to the picture and back. It was all a bluff. Zach took out a series of photos and showed them to Rain. There was a violent reaction before Rain settled down. ¡°Which picture is that?¡± Theo asked. Zach looked it over but couldn¡¯t see its significance. It was Rain at his old university. There was no one else in the photo with him. He gave Theo the picture. Rain was like a dog with a bone. He was also a good actor. His reaction was a trick to throw them off track. Zach went through the photos again. ¡°So you did use your fame to meet in public.¡± Zach was looking at Rain in a public park. He showed it to Rain and was satisfied to see a flash of hatred in his eyes. ¡°Who are you?¡± Rain got out through gritted teeth. He¡¯d made a mistake because this boy was young; he hadn¡¯t taken him as a threat. ¡°I don¡¯t like blood. That¡¯s why you are sitting here comfortably. Do you want me to run out of patience?¡± It had been a long time since he threatened someone like this. He never meant any of the physical threats, not his style. That didn¡¯t mean he wasn¡¯t able to ruin a person. ¡°People will notice if I go missing. Even you can¡¯t hide it completely, Theo.¡± Rain slumped on the bed. He¡¯d moved back until there was nowhere else for him to go. ¡°First, I release your sex tape. Your company says you¡¯re on hiatus. Second, I will release a tape of you speaking badly about your fans. Third, your company tries to restore your image. We support the fans. Say we are going to hold a press conference. Fourth, before the press conference, we will release some naked pictures of you with different partners.¡± Zach tapped his chin, thinking. Theo didn¡¯t miss a beat before joining in. ¡°You will make a public apology and say you are going to reflect on your actions. The company will say that they hope the public will respect your privacy and that they are going to launch an investigation into the parties responsible. That should be enough to keep you out of the public eye for a few months. It also sets up nicely for suicide. I can see it.¡± Theo couldn¡¯t help smiling. ¡°Prominent actor takes his own life after a sex scandal.¡± ¡°He leaves a suicide note begging for people to be more understanding. Championing same-sex love and apologizing to fans for not being strong enough to overcome this hurdle.¡± Zach tagged on. Morris chimed in. ¡°The company would start a charity under your name.¡± Cain came back. His voice was shaky but he added on. ¡°As your boyfriend, I would give a tribute or memorial. I would talk about our love and how I knew about your past lovers. I speak about how everyone has a past and a person they were willing to give up that lifestyle for.¡± Tynan couldn¡¯t tear his eyes away from Zach. ¡°A culprit will be found shortly after your death. A fan who was obsessed with you. Taking his life shortly after you. He would apologize and confess to all his crimes and lament that this wasn¡¯t the outcome he wanted.¡± ¡°Stop. Please stop.¡± Rain was shaking. ¡°Is it Brad Maxwell?¡± That was the person all of Zach¡¯s research pointed to. ¡°Yes.¡± Rain lay curled up on the bed. He had the blanket over his head. Zach expected the answer, but it isn¡¯t one he wanted to hear. Brad Maxwell was someone in a different league. Zach turned to Tynan and his friends. ¡°Do you want the good news or the bad news?¡± Chapter 18 ¡°Do we need to have this conversation here?¡± Cain backed out of the room, making sure not to look at Rain. Tynan looked at Zach. ¡°Anything else you need?¡± He¡¯d never worried about Zach being too young, but he did have concerns that his younger lover wouldn¡¯t be able to handle some of the darker parts of his life or personality. Tynan was relieved that he no longer had to worry about that. ¡°No. I¡¯m done.¡± Zach wanted to smack Rain a few times, but he knew that wouldn¡¯t be beneficial. ¡°You might want to squeeze any information you can out of him. Now that he is clinging to his life and fame. I will give you all the information I have.¡± His and Theo¡¯s eyes met. The other party would know what he was hinting at. ¡°Let¡¯s head to my study.¡± Theo led the group out of the room. He made sure to hold on to Cain. Zach moved to Tynan¡¯s side and held his hand. He gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. Out of the corner of his eye, he tracked Ron¡¯s movements. The man was silent during the entire confrontation with Rain. From their first interaction, he¡¯d assumed that Ron was a hot-headed person. Tynan scratched Zach¡¯s palm when he noticed his line of sight. He got the other man''s attention; he mouthed the words, ¡®leave it.¡¯ Ron was the most emotional one in the group. He was also the person that advocated for Rain¡¯s inclusion the most, apart from Cain. Ron would be hit hard by this betrayal. He was the first to get angry, but he felt the deepest about things. The mood was somber as they made their way through marble-lined corridors. They could hear the beat of pop music and the hoots of teenagers. It brought a wry smile to Tynan¡¯s lips. It was hard to believe that they came here for a birthday party. They weren¡¯t even fully in the room before Cain spoke. ¡°Are you going to torture him?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Theo didn¡¯t let go, leading Cain to a sofa before pushing the man into the seat. Cain¡¯s head dropped lower. ¡°Sometimes, I wish you would lie to me.¡± Theo¡¯s smile contained a world of unspoken pain and confusion. ¡°Never.¡± He perched on the arm of the seat. Tynan felt voyeuristic watching their interaction. Theo¡¯s straightforward personality complemented Cain¡¯s creative, optimistic personality. He always thought they were a good pair. Even though he was their friend, it wasn¡¯t his place to interfere or dictate their relationships. He walked to a seat. As he sat, he pulled Zach into his lap. He felt Zach tense for a moment before relaxing against him. Morris went straight to the bar, pouring drinks for everyone. Ron sat on the floor, his legs crossed. ¡°Bad news first.¡± Tynan started the conversation. ¡°Brad Maxwell is bad news. He isn¡¯t well known outside of D Country at the moment. His family got started in the shipping trade. Which is a poor way of saying they were smugglers. His father took the business further. There was a fight for succession a few years ago that left everyone dead except for Brad.¡± There was a collective intake of breath from everyone in the room. ¡°His first move was to expand his business. My theory is that he is trying to legitimize his business.¡± Tynan took a sip of the drink Morris gave him. He took that moment to digest the information. ¡°What is the good news?¡± Tynan had his own force and wasn¡¯t above using violence, but when going up against the mafia or criminal organization, he would come up lacking. Zach picked his words carefully. A good portion of this was speculation from his past life. Brad Maxwell isn''t the type of person to use Rain to get information. He doesn''t need to, and he has no reason to target you.¡± ¡°Then what does he want?¡± Morris perched on the edge of the desk after distributing the drinks. "Don¡¯t know. I know enough about him to know that this isn''t his style. He wouldn¡¯t use someone like Rain to ruin you. I''m sure he has a room full of people like me.¡± That didn''t include the people that were supporting him. The name Brad Maxwell wasn¡¯t common now, but ten years from now he was considered an industry leader. Tynan faced trouble in his last life, but Brad didn¡¯t expand into S Country. This could mean two things Tynan found out about him and retaliated, or he never had any interest in S Country. If Zach had to pick, he would say it was the second one. Brad Maxwell¡¯s Modus Operandi was to destroy something if he couldn¡¯t have it. ¡°Regardless, you don¡¯t want to target him. Also, you should keep Rain alive. He is possessive of his pawns.¡± Zach hoped to keep his interaction with that man to a minimum. They once worked on a project together, and it was the biggest regret of his life. ¡°You know a lot about him.¡± Tynan tried to keep his voice light. Zach''s spine stiffened. He turned to look at Tynan before starting to giggle. ¡°Is this what they mean when they say they have a big vinegar jar at home?¡± Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m a vinegar vat. Now answer, how do you know him?¡± Tynan felt that Zach was exposing the tip of his tail, but he didn¡¯t have enough information to figure out what he was hiding. Tilting his head up, he kissed Tynan on the chin. ¡°Didn¡¯t I promise to tell you? Why think about it so much?¡± He liked this. In the future, he would find more opportunities to sit in Tynan¡¯s lap. A hand slipped up to start kneading Zach¡¯s waist. He shifted slightly but let his lover do as he pleased. ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t try and figure it out.¡± Zach huffed a laugh. ¡°Back on topic, Tynan was Rain¡¯s payment. So, What was the actual job?¡± That was what they needed to figure out. It was something in S Country. Rain was famous, but he hadn¡¯t reached the level of being a major celebrity in every country. ¡°I should have listened,¡± Ron spoke, but his voice sounded wrong. ¡°I was angry. I didn¡¯t take you seriously, and I thought things would have been fine if you didn¡¯t show up and ruin things.¡± Zach felt Tynan getting tense under him. He put his hand on Tynan¡¯s arm and tried to soothe him. ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t think that Rain would target Tynan like this. I wasted a whole week.¡± Ron smashed his hand on the stable, his glass tipped over, and the amber liquid spilled to the floor and stained the carpet. Zach pinched Tynan¡¯s arm to stop him from speaking. ¡°It¡¯s in the past. We need to figure out what to do in the future.¡± Tynan took a deep breath. He forced himself to relax. This wasn¡¯t unexpected. He knew Ron¡¯s personality. It would have been hard for Ron to accept Zach into their group under normal circumstances. With Rain and his issues in the picture, Ron would have been even more suspicious of Zach¡¯s motives. Other people might not understand, but Zach did. Ron was right to be suspicious. Under normal circumstances, it should have been months before he was mingling this well with Tynan¡¯s friends. He shouldn''t be the voice of authority in this group, but the situation demanded that he step forward. Ron looked skeptical, but he didn¡¯t say more on the topic. ¡°I will look for anything note-worthy happening in S Country.¡± ¡°We have to consider that it might have been a long-term investment.¡± Morris slipped off the desk and moved to sit in the chair behind it. Theo raised his eyebrow but didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Rain¡¯s career prospects are clear.¡± That hadn¡¯t crossed Zach¡¯s mind. However, it did sound like something Brad might do. ¡°That would be worse.¡± Maxwell might not be willing to give up on Rain as a pawn. That would mean letting the deranged man go, which wasn¡¯t an option. He needed to find leverage on the man. The information would give them room to negotiate but would have a major drawback. He would land on Brad¡¯s radar. ¡°Leave the contact and negotiation to me.¡± Morris volunteered. Zach hesitated. Tynan pinched Zach on the waist. ¡°Morris is a lawyer. Let him handle it.¡± He was learning that Zach had the habit of trying to handle everything himself. It wasn¡¯t a bad trait to be self-sufficient, but it was easier when you have people you can depend on. ¡°Okay. I will see what information I can find.¡± ¡°I will speak to Rain.¡± Theo¡¯s words were accompanied by a whimper from Cain. Theo massaged Cain¡¯s neck. ¡°I won¡¯t hurt him.¡± Cain shook his head. ¡°No. Do what you need to.¡± There was grim determination in the lines of his face. ¡°This isn¡¯t the time to let my personal feelings get in the way.¡± Zach agreed in theory, but people were ruled by their emotions. It was easy to say and hard to do. ¡°I will talk to my family.¡± Cain''s words made the entire room tense. ¡°My family had a military background.¡± Cain supplied for Zach who was the only one clueless. Zach knew that, but he didn¡¯t know why Cain going to his family for help would make the room so tense. His research found that Cain had a good relationship with his family. ¡°My brother is¡­¡± Cain¡¯s words weren¡¯t finished when Ron Cut him off. ¡°If that nut job is going to be around, let me know. I will run away.¡± Ron¡¯s head swiveled from side to side like he expected Cain¡¯s brother to appear out of nowhere. He was on one knee, ready to run. Morris was the first one to give in and start laughing, but soon everyone in the room was chuckling and the atmosphere eased. ¡°He¡¯s not that bad.¡± Cain chuckled. Ron didn¡¯t look convinced. He sat back down, but he kept an eye on the door as if he expected someone to appear at any moment. ¡°That is easy for you to say. He dotes on you.¡± ¡°He had high expectations for you.¡± Tynan jumped in, adding oil to the fire. Ron howled and pounded on the table. ¡°My old man made me join. Why would I stay after my enlistment was up?¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have done so well?¡± Morris asked. ¡°Since I was there. Shouldn¡¯t I give it my all?¡± Ron looked wronged. ¡°And I¡¯m still a reservist.¡± ¡°Who are you trying to convince. You need to talk to Liam.¡± Tynan chuckled at the horrified look on Ron¡¯s face. He would put Liam in contact with Ron. That would be his revenge for targeting Zach. ¡°No. I refuse.¡± Ron shook his head. ¡°I need to go to the bathroom.¡± ¡°Is this like the last time you went to the bathroom and ended up spending six months in A Country?¡± Theo asked Ron¡¯s receding back as he sprinted out the room. ¡°Will he be okay?¡± Zach saw the sweat soaking Ron¡¯s shirt. Tynan took a sip of his drink, wincing at the watered-down taste. He downed the remaining liquid. ¡°He¡¯ll be fine. If he wasn¡¯t so dense, it would be better.¡± Zach raised his eyebrow in question, but Tynan didn¡¯t elaborate. ¡°My brother is the issue. He likes playing with Ron too much.¡± Cain¡¯s face was still drawn, but the look in his eyes was lighter. ¡°Everyone has their marching orders. We should get this done. I will deal with my uncle since that is the highest priority to remove the threat.¡± Tynan stood, taking Zach with him. The younger man cooperated. It thrilled him when Zach moved with him like this. His arm tightened around that slender waist, pulling him closer. ¡°We meet in a week to compare notes?¡± Theo downed the rest of his drink. Standing, he pulled Cain up. It was clear he had no intention of letting go of the man. Chapter 19 The car ride home was somber. They were both lost in their own thoughts. Zach realized how helpful and misleading the information from his past was. There was no guarantee that events that happened before would happen again, and he was unconsciously influenced by things and events he hadn¡¯t come into contact with as yet. Memory was a funny thing. It was impossible to remember everything, and he almost mentioned something that Brad Maxwell hadn¡¯t done yet. He was afraid to write down and keep a record of things he¡¯d been through. There was no guarantee that someone wouldn¡¯t find it. He glanced over at Tynan. His jaw was set in a hard line. Zach could hazard a guess as to what Tynan was thinking about. He turned to look at the brightly lit buildings. They hadn¡¯t changed to towering skyscrapers yet, but there were signs that time and the city were changing. A warm hand grabbed his hand. He turned to see Tynan staring at him intensely. ¡°I can¡¯t figure it out.¡± Tynan wanted to devour Zach. He wanted to swallow him straight into his belly. At times like this, his lover seemed distant and out of reach. Tynan panicked during those moments because it seemed that Zach could disappear at any moment. He wanted to say more, but the words choked in his throat at the sad smile Zach gave him. ¡°I will tell you,¡± Zach said. It was a promise he planned to keep. The more he thought on it, the more he realized he should tell Tynan sooner than later. It was hard to tell his partner about the happy and tragic things that happened to him, but if he left it too long, Tynan might find it harder to accept and be hurt by it more. Tynan didn¡¯t respond. He squeezed the soft palm, memorizing the feeling. He was a patient person, but he was also used to being in control. It was hard knowing that there was something Zach was hiding from him. ¡°Are you in danger?¡± After ruminating on it for weeks, that was his biggest concern. ¡°No.¡± Zach huffed a laugh. Others were in more danger than him. The knowledge he possessed, while not infallible, would be a benefit moving forward. If he knew he would have the opportunity to be reborn, he would have paid attention to a wider range of topics and industries. ¡°I pose more danger to others than they do to me.¡± Zach considered himself to be a kind person, but he wasn¡¯t nice. His concern also didn¡¯t extend to many people. ¡°It¡¯s hypocritical of me to demand answers when I have secrets of my own, but I hate it. I hate that there are parts of your life I don¡¯t know about. I hate that you suffered and I wasn¡¯t there.¡± Zach was irritated that they were having this conversion in the car and that Tynan was driving. If they¡¯d been elsewhere he would have hugged Tynan and burrowed into the safety of his arms. ¡°You weren¡¯t there in the past, but you will be walking with me in the future. We have years to get to know each other.¡± He wasn¡¯t the best at emotional speeches or emotions at all, but that didn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t feel them or know how important they were. ¡°Will it take years for you to tell me what your hiding?¡± Zach choked at that question. He¡¯d just committed to confessing sooner, but he wasn¡¯t ready yet. ¡°No. It won''t be that long.¡± ¡°Should I brace myself?¡± Tynan tried to lighten the mood, but with everything that was happening, it was hard. Rain and Brad Maxwell were constantly at the back of his mind. Zach didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry. ¡°You will have to suspend your disbelief.¡± He made it a joke, but Tynan would have to do a lot more than that to accept that he¡¯d been reborn. At least he could do a bit of prophetic work to prove that he knew things that were going to happen in the future. This brought him to another dilemma surrounding Ron. He¡¯d out it off since that incident wasn¡¯t going to happen any time soon, but he would have to act sooner or later. Tynan stroked a finger down Zach''s cheek. He kept an eye on the road, but he would be lying if he said his focus wasn¡¯t on Zach. In the future, he would have to use a driver when they were traveling together. He wanted to pull his blue-eyed lover into his lap. ¡°Is your life a fantasy novel?¡± Zach turned away so that Tynan wouldn¡¯t see his expression. ¡°Close enough.¡± His tone was light and he made sure to laugh. It came out sounded natural and wasn¡¯t strained like the expression on his face reflected in the glass. ¡°Have you fought demons and angels?¡± Tynan laughed at his own joke. He thought of Zach as his personal devil. The youth''s looks were closer to that of an angel, but his actions left no room to doubt how dangerous he was. It was attractive. ¡°Which am I? The angel or the devil?¡± Zach ran with it and left his morbid thoughts behind. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Haven¡¯t I said your my personal imp?¡± Zach leaned over to kiss Tynan on the cheek. ¡°You can¡¯t hold it against me when you find out how devilish I am.¡± He dropped his voice low, whispering the words against Tynan¡¯s ear. ¡°Behave.¡± Tyna had no intention of ending up in an accident. He was torn between admonishing and encouraging Zach¡¯s behavior. ¡°When you tell me to behave it makes me want to misbehave more.¡± Zach sat back in his seat before things got too out of hand. Things between him and Tynan tended to escalate quickly. Tyna was regretful, but it was the best choice. ¡°I will be out of the country next week. I put together a team to target my uncle¡¯s slush fun. I will be acting as bait to pull him overseas.¡± ¡°Can that be traced back to you?¡± Zach knew that Tynan was planning something. ¡°Is there anything I can help with?¡± ¡°We suspect that he did unlicensed construction of the building. It would be good if we could know what changes he made. Also, his security system needs to be bypassed.¡± This was a good opportunity. He¡¯d planned to ask Zach to help anyway. ¡°Can you take a look at what the tech guy on the crew put together?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± He¡¯d never robbed anyone before. This wasn¡¯t the type of new experience he had in mind when he said that he was going to live this life differently. Thanks.¡± As Tynan approached, the gate to the estate opened. ¡°Do you drive?¡± He¡¯d never seen Zach drive. He always used a driver. Zach was an old man at heart. He¡¯d reached the stage in life where he didn¡¯t stand if he could sit, and his favorite thing other than putting around on the golf course was to lie down and do nothing. ¡°I can.¡± ¡°Do you have a driver''s license for S Country?¡± Tynan knew he shouldn¡¯t, but he couldn¡¯t help himself. ¡°I remember what happened with your passport.¡± Zach rolled his eyes with disgust. The minute the car stopped, he jumped out. He didn¡¯t turn back or pay attention to Tynan calling his name. The other party needed to be punished for bringing up his black history. No sexy time for him. Tynan parked the car and jumped out to follow Zach. He did his best not to laugh because he knew that would irritate Zach more. Tynan signaled for one of the staff to put the car in the garage as he ran after Zach. He wondered what it would take to appease his little spitfire. Tynan caught up to Zach and pulled the huffy man against his chest. He kissed Zach''s neck and cheek, trying to soothe away his ire. It didn¡¯t work. Instead, he got a sharp elbow to the chest. As the wind was knocked out of him, Zach used the time to escape. Tynan followed behind. This time he refrained from touching. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Zach snorted. ¡°Try saying that when you aren¡¯t grinning like a lunatic.¡± He lifted a hand to his mouth, hiding his expression. He worked his jaw, trying to control the smile. It didn¡¯t work. Every time he managed to put on a serious expression, a funny thought or moment with Zach would pop into his head and ruin his hard work. Zach stormed off muttering curses. Tynan didn¡¯t stop him. He nodded to Mrs. Brown as he went by. He didn¡¯t want to know what his capable butler was thinking about as she watched their antics. Their journey ended in their bedroom. Zach huffed his way into the bathroom. Tynan almost regretted his actions as he heard the distinct click of the lock being closed. He would miss having shower time with Zach, but it was a different sort of pleasure seeing the stoic man act his age. Tynan gathered his things and moved to the guest bathroom. He was going to have a crew come in and renovate the bathroom so that it was his and his. It was a new experience to be organizing his life to accommodate another person. It took a bit of work to get used to, but it wasn¡¯t unpleasant. That had more to do with the person he was accommodating. It was the quickest shower he ever took. He wanted to be in bed when his darling came out of the shower. Tynan relaxed on the bed. His heated gaze almost burnt a hole through the door. He regretted it. He would turn back time if he could. Zach was in the bathroom for over thirty minutes. It didn''t take a genius to figure out what he was doing in there. He wanted to be a fly on the wall. Hell, he wanted to give a helping hand. He had other body parts that were equally useful. Would it be childish to go and press his ear to the door? He¡¯d asked himself that multiple times but just managed to keep himself from doing it. It was another ten minutes before Zach came out. His eyes were hooded and relaxed. He floated more than walked to the bed. Tynan snaked out and grab the man pulling him to the bed. ¡°Punishment,¡± Zach said. His words were slurred as sleep pulled him under. Tynan¡¯s teeth were clenched so hard they ached. He cut off his nose to spite his face. He pulled Zach closer, grinding his teeth against his neck. He didn¡¯t use enough pressure to wake his partner. They would sort this out in the morning. He had his own brand of punishment to deliver to his lover. ¡°Enjoy it now. Wait and see how I punish you tomorrow.¡± Tynan threw his leg over Zach and settled in. It didn¡¯t take long till he was asleep. It had been a long day filled. It was bound to be a sleepless night for many people. Everyone was making silent plans to ensure that they managed to make the most of the situation and secure their interests. Morris sat on his balcony with a glass in hand. His eyes didn¡¯t focus on anything, but his gaze took in the city beneath him. Cain curled up next to Theo. He did his best not to give the other man hope, but he couldn¡¯t turn down the comfort he was offering. Theo resolved to do everything to ensure that Cain didn¡¯t slip away from him again. He¡¯d stepped aside on multiple occasions. Never again. Heavy hits landed on the sandbag as Ron executed a punching routine. He couldn¡¯t quiet his mind. Rain¡¯s expression kept popping up over and over again. His knuckles were split and bleeding. Rain paced the length of his cell. This wasn¡¯t the end. He wouldn¡¯t let it be. Notice In an effort to attract a few more readers, I have decided to spread out my uploads over the course of three days instead of releasing everything on Friday. The new schedule is Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Sorry if that inconveniences anyone. Since I am here, I will do a mini Q&A.
  1. How many chapters will there be?
I outlined it to be 150 chapters but it will probably be closer to 200. On my outline chapter, 25 is now chapter 30. I expect this to happen in a few more places causing the length to increase. 2. How long are the chapters? All chapters are around 2000 words. There are some that are less and others that are more. 3. How did you name your country and cities? The names for the countries use a common troupe found in Chinese novels and just use letters of the alphabet. For my cities, it started from a peanut butter & jelly sandwich. Aka Pe City and Jell City. Lor City comes from no added artificial colors. Did you see it? I know, I¡¯m terrible with names. 4. Are you planning to pair up other characters with each other? This question came from a friend who reads the chapters ahead. They are paired up in a way and the plan is to give them their own stories, but not sure if that will happen. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. 5. Why won¡¯t you post the NSFW scenes? I was going to, but they''re too explicit. On some sites, I don¡¯t think it would have been an issue, but the rules on others weren¡¯t clear and I didn¡¯t want the headache. Plus, a girl¡¯s got to buy coffee to stay up late writing these chapters after she gets home from work. I¡¯m really thankful for the support. 6. Will there be character drawings? I¡¯m working on it. That is another thing that costs money. If anyone wants to suggest an artist I¡¯m all up for it. 7. Why use that cover? I like the cover. It has a serious vibe and the idea for the story started because of the picture on the front. I could see Zach getting up to mischief and it evolved from there. 8. Do you have other stories? Depending on what site you are on, you will see three chapters of The Ember in the Wind. It is another book I am writing. It is on pause for everyone except those on Patreon. This is because I am not actively writing the chapters as yet, and I am instead focusing on stockpiling chapters for SOEM. I have a month and two weeks of chapters so I don¡¯t fall behind on uploads. I am still actively writing though because my Patreon¡¯s have access to most of those chapters when they are finished. 9. Why don¡¯t you have Discord or social media? I¡¯m working on it. It¡¯s something else I need to set up. I don¡¯t want to start it, but not have the time to interact and keep it up to date. That¡¯s all the questions I have gotten so far. Most of which I answered privately, but I thought other people might want answers to some of the questions as well. Feel free to leave a comment and send me any questions. I am more than happy to answer. Thank you for the support! Chapter 20 I didn¡¯t keep track of my timeline properly. Please forgive me for sloppily organizing things in this chapter. The story started roughly at the end of August since school starts in September. I missed Christmas and the New Year, but I have decided to add those as side stories rather than go back and change anything. Those will be available to everyone and not only on Patreon because it was my mistake. It is somewhere in January, but for the sake of my sanity, I am going to start things in February. Zach rolled over. His hand stretched out but came up empty. It was funny how quickly he got used to Tynan¡¯s presence. Now that he wasn¡¯t here, Zach found himself missing his warmth. These five days made him realize he no longer wanted to be alone. It was already six months since he was reborn. The air in February was still cold and crisp. He burrowed deeper into the covers. Zach wanted Tynan to come back. He laughed at how silly he was being. Tynan would be back today. There were plenty of things he needed to do. He gave himself a pep talk before he worked up the energy to crawl from beneath the sheets. The information on Brad Maxwell was hard to find, and what he did have needed to be compiled. There were also the things he needed to do for Theo and tracing the equipment in Tynan''s office. When he listed the things he needed to do, he wanted to crawl back into bed. He trudged to the bathroom. The traces of Tynan that he could see everywhere did nothing to improve his mood. He got out of their room as fast as he could. Zach needed to get an office space outside of the house. It would be good to have a place to go to when he was in this sort of mood. He had breakfast on the balcony and did his best to keep all thought at bay. He didn¡¯t have the best success, but he was in a better mood when he finished. Zach laughed as he headed to his office. He was getting very comfortable for someone who was here for a visit. He was only allowed to spend three months here without a visa. He had two months left before he had to go back to Pe city. A week and it felt as though he was missing an arm. He didn¡¯t know how he would do it. Zach dived into work before his mood took another turn for the worst. Brad Maxwell was a fascinating man. If it wasn¡¯t for Brad¡¯s tendency to use violent means as his first choice to settle disputes, Zach would have befriended him. The man was brilliant. He would transform what was little more than a small-time smuggling operation into a global multi-national. When they met in his last life, Zach was already in his forties. He¡¯d been through many struggles and was awed by the commanding presence and force the man moved with. He¡¯d idolized him, but that changed when Zach found himself in the trunk of a car after a misunderstanding. Remembering that incident left a bad taste in his mouth. He might have ended up dead if he couldn¡¯t prove his innocence. After that, he did his best not to get involved with Brad and his various business dealings. His saving grace was that Brad was never that interested in him. After Zach sold his proprietary software, he rarely saw the man. He didn¡¯t enjoy finding himself in an even worse position in this life. Zach was sacred from that incident. As a result, he had no desire to fight toe to toe with that mad man. It would be best if Brad¡¯s goal was something else, and they could all co-exist. It was harder to get the information that he first anticipated. Most people didn¡¯t have adequate security measures in place. Thus it was a surprise when he ran into the system Brad had in place. The firewall was nothing close to what he expected, being years ahead of what others had. If he wasn¡¯t from the future, he didn¡¯t think him at the corresponding age would have been able to get through. After he gained access, he¡¯d run into another problem. Maxwell was paranoid about information, and anything that didn¡¯t have to be recorded wasn¡¯t. Zach had turned his attention to getting information from Brad¡¯s associates and enemies. They weren¡¯t nearly as careful. He compiled everything he had before calling Mrs. Brown. He had her courier the information to Morris. With that done. He focused on tracing the recording devices he found in Tynan¡¯s office. He expected them to lead back to Maxwell, but it was better to be careful. After being bounced around to different IP addresses, he traced it to a small security company. On paper, it had no connection to Brad. He searched around for a while before he found a connection. A maid that used to work in the Maxwell household, her son was the registered owner of the LLC. It was a loose tie, but that was all he needed. With that wrapped up, he would give the go-ahead for Tynan to have the devices removed from his office. He sent a text. A smile played at his lips when he received a quick response. He sniggered when he realized Tynan¡¯s reply had nothing to do with what Zach was talking about. They spoke every day and kept in contact through text. It was clear that he wasn¡¯t the only one adjusting to the distance. Tynan as the more emotionally rounded one out of the two of them usually reached out first. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Zach wasn¡¯t passive in their interactions, but it was harder for him to put himself out there. He pushed away from his desk. He stretched and walked around for a bit. He didn¡¯t notice how long he was sitting in the same place. As he was about to start on the background checks for Theo, his phone rang. He answered when he saw that it was Morris. ¡°Please tell me this is the first draft of a game you are making.¡± It took Zach a moment to figure out what he meant. Yes, Brad¡¯s life would make an excellent movie or backstory for a game. ¡°No. That¡¯s all fact. Some of it is hearsay, so it might not be that accurate.¡± ¡°Most of it is hearsay?¡± Zach heard the hopeful note in Morris¡¯ voice, but he would have to disappoint him. ¡°Nope. Most of it is fact. There is probably a lot I couldn¡¯t find.¡± ¡°Fuck.¡± There was the sound of papers being shuffled in the background. ¡°Any idea how you are going to approach him?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to move to A country and retire on the beach.¡± Despite his words, Morris still sounded calm. Zach was curious to see what it would take to get the man upset or annoyed. ¡°Do that after you approach Maxwell to see what he wants.¡± ¡°You are just like Tynan. Throwing the annoying things my way.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Zach held back a chuckle when he heard the choking sound from the other end of the line. ¡°That was not a compliment. Can you get Maxwell¡¯s itinerary?¡± ¡°I tried, but I couldn¡¯t find much. Other than his everyday activities I don¡¯t think anyone knows his schedule but him. According to the pattern, he should be in Lor City to meet Rain on Saturday.¡± Zach didn¡¯t think Rain¡¯s scandal would affect things. Theo had a body double for Rain make appearances. This way, they wouldn¡¯t tip their hand too early. ¡°That gives me four days, excluding today, to get ready. If you find anything else, send it my way.¡± Morris didn¡¯t wait for an answer before he hung up. Zach tossed the phone on the desk. He pulled up the profiles on the actors in Theo¡¯s company. Zach paused when the rumbling from his stomach became too intense to ignore. He stretched his arms up and heard a crack in his spine. The relief was instantaneous. Maybe he should add a standing desk to his office. Then again, he was lazy. If it was comfortable, he would lie down and work. He lamented his gaming workstation. The reclining chair and built-in screens. It was a pity that they hadn¡¯t been designed or developed yet. When he confessed to Tynan maybe he could give him the idea. Tynan could find someone to develop the technology ahead of time. He paid no heed to the people he was robbing of their invention. He wondered out of his office and down the hall. As if she read his mind Mrs. Brown appeared with a tray ladened with food. ¡°I¡¯ll take it in the solarium.¡± He texted Tynan while he ate. The other¡¯s plane would land in an hour. Zach only hesitated for a moment before instructing Mrs. Brown that he would go with the drive to pick up Tynan. Zach had his eyes glued out the window. Passengers were trickling out of the doors of the airport. It didn¡¯t take long before he saw Tynan. He didn¡¯t have time to think. In a flash, he was out of the car and walking towards Tynan. He knew the moment Tynan saw him. The older man¡¯s footsteps faltered before he picked up his pace. Zach was in Tynan''s arms in an instant. Zach tilted his head up and received the kiss he¡¯d been craving for days. He relaxed into the heat of Tynan¡¯s body, and he felt the tension leaving him. Their lips met and parted time and time again, neither of them satisfied. A hand cupped the back of his head, pinning him in place. The kiss wound down, moving from ravishing to tiny nips. As usual, Tynan was the first to regain his sanity. ¡°Hi.¡± His voice was gruff and the growled words sent shivers through Zach. ¡°Hey.¡± His hands were tangled in Tynan¡¯s coat. He leaned heavily on the other man. If Tynan stepped away, Zach would crumple to the ground because his knees had given up on supporting him. ¡°Didn¡¯t expect you to pick me up.¡± Tynan pulled him into a fierce hug. Neither of them paid attention to the people that were staring at them. ¡°It was meant to be a surprise.¡± Zach found his feet that had turned to jelly. He stepped back. Being close to Tynan wasn¡¯t the best way to regain control of himself or the situation. ¡°Surprise.¡± The bright smile he received from Tynan made everything worth it. ¡°Thanks.¡± Tynan entwined their fingers and headed to the car. The driver followed with Tynan¡¯s luggage. Zach spotted someone familiar out of the corner of his eye. When he turned to look, he didn¡¯t see the person anymore. He shook his head, chalking it up to a coincidence. It was probably someone he met in the future. The person was familiar but didn¡¯t stand out in his mind as important. ¡°What is it?¡± Tynan asked. He was pulled to a stop when Zach stopped moving. Zach shook his head. His lips tipped up in a reassuring smile. ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°Sure?¡± They started walking again. ¡°I thought I saw someone that I knew. It wasn¡¯t them.¡± Zach leaned into Tynan. His other hand came up to grip Tynan¡¯s arm. He took a deep breath, enjoying the earthy smell that was unique to Tynan. ¡°Hmm.¡± The moment they were in the car, everything else was forgotten. The partition went up and they did their best not to take things too far. They were successful only because Tynan didn¡¯t want Zach¡¯s voice to leak out. Zach burst into laughter when Tynan called Morris to tell him to make sure the cars were soundproofed. Morris had hung up with a ¡®fuck off.¡¯ Zach didn¡¯t wrong him. Tynan would probably have to buy a car that had the passenger seats soundproofed. He didn¡¯t think it would work to have it done on a regular car. Chapter 21.1 Tynan wanted to take the day off, but Zach kicked him out of the house, saying that Tuesday was too early in the week to skip work. He didn¡¯t agree. What was the point of being the boss if he couldn¡¯t take one or two days off? The first thing that greeted him when he got to work was the security team scanning the room for listening devices. It was a relief to have them removed. It was hard to work while pretending he didn¡¯t know he was being recorded. Diane, his secretary, wore something twice as inappropriate as the last time he saw her. She tittered precariously on her heels. He wondered how long it would take for it to reach her that he was gay. Chances are she already knew. That information wasn¡¯t always enough to deter some people. His trip abroad had reaped many benefits. The team, aided by Zach''s improved schematic, had no issue in raiding his uncle¡¯s hideout and stealing the millions he¡¯d saved as a slush fund. His uncle had been visibly distressed the whole conference, opting to leave early instead of continuing to hinder Tynan. Tynan almost told Julius, thank you. He would be sure to use the funds well. They would be more than enough for him to keep his family housed and fed. Zach hadn¡¯t been as amused by that, but they both agreed that funds should go to something important. Theo was handling the team of thieves. They didn¡¯t know who they were working for and were unlikely to cause problems. Zach had provided a burn book on each of them. It would be enough to keep them restrained should any of them get too greedy. His heat was light and joyful. Tynan¡¯s life was going in the right direction. His mood was too good. Maybe that is why trouble invited itself to his door. The intercom buzzed. ¡°Mr. Blackburn, there is a Brad Maxwell to see you. He said that you would want to speak to him despite him not having an appointment.¡± Tynan froze. His eyes flashed with a dangerous light. He¡¯d read the information that Zach had sent Morris. It wouldn¡¯t do to underestimate this man, but he wasn¡¯t so weak that he needed to cower. ¡°Let him in.¡± He indicated that the workmen should leave. Tynan pulled his face into a blank mask. At the last minute, he had the team leave the listening device on his desk. If Brad was here to test him, then it was only fair that he reciprocated. It wasn¡¯t long before the door opened, and his secretary showed Brad Maxwell in. Thankfully, she managed to find her professionalism and wasn¡¯t overly friendly or flirty. Tynan took a moment to evaluate Brad. He was surprised by the delicate impression the man gave off. If someone wasn¡¯t careful, they could become relaxed in his unassuming presence and end up in problems. The only feature that hinted at the man¡¯s dangerous nature was his eyes. These were hidden behind gold-rimmed glasses. Brad was about the same height as Tynan, but he wasn¡¯t as muscular. His hair was brown and slicked back. He gave the feel of a scholar or librarian. Tynan had seen the evidence of what this man had done, and he found it hard to believe that such atrocities were done by this green-eyed man. Standing, he rounded his desk and extended his hand. ¡°I¡¯m surprised to meet you.¡± Brad¡¯s eye froze on the listening devices on his desk before looking away. He extended his hand. ¡°I am surprised. I didn¡¯t know I was well known in S Country.¡± Brad gave a strong handshake. The force seemed greater than his body could produce. ¡°Haha.¡± Tynan gestured to the sofas. They sat opposite each other. ¡°I do my best to keep up with interesting news.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Brad leaned back in his chair. The mild persona he adopted started to melt away, giving him a sharp feel. The soft smile he had on his face disappeared. ¡°I take it your friend sold me out.¡± Tynan raised an eyebrow. He didn¡¯t expect the other party to admit things openly. ¡°Something like that.¡± It was Tynan¡¯s turn to put on an obfuscating smile. ¡°Aren¡¯t you interested in what I want?¡± ¡°Not particularly. I don¡¯t think it has much to do with me. Since Rain is out of the picture, I don¡¯t think you are interested in me.¡± There was a knock on the door before the secretary came in with refreshments. The conversation stopped, but they eyed each other. The silence held even after Diane left the room. ¡°My research didn¡¯t indicate that you were this interesting.¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to make an accurate judgment without meeting someone in person.¡± Tynan took a sip of his coffee. It would be a pity when Diane left. Out of all his secretaries so far, she was the best at making coffee. ¡°I can usually make an accurate assessment without meeting the other party.¡± He smoothed a hand down his pant leg but didn¡¯t touch his drink. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Tynan only smiled. If it wasn¡¯t for Zach, he would have known he was being targeted. The possible repercussions were staggering. He would be bombarded by attacks on multiple fronts and not even know that he was set up. He was convinced that he would have overcome the challenges, but he didn¡¯t think he could do it without experiencing great personal sacrifice. ¡°I didn¡¯t think this meeting would go this way.¡± ¡°What did you think would happen?¡± Tynan put down his cup. There was a sharp clink of porcelain against porcelain. Brad smiles, pulling out a folder from his portfolio. He handed it over. Tynan scanned the document. It was a business proposal. It took all his control not to react. It was the kind of development proposal that he wouldn¡¯t have turned down. If Brad had come three months earlier, they would have been in a partnership. Rain would have been acting in the background, and Brad would have legitimate access to his company. ¡°Is this offer still on the table?¡± If this was a legitimate offer, Tynan wouldn¡¯t pass on it. ¡°Yes. Much more interesting in person. It is a legitimate offer. I never planned to ruin your company. That actor had delusions of grandeur. When you were in a desperate situation, he would win your love by offering help.¡± Those words clued Tynan in. Brad never expected Rain¡¯s plan to succeed. He couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°What exactly did you want him to do for you?¡± ¡°Are you sure you want to know?¡± ¡°Forget I asked.¡± He put the document on the table and texted Morris. He was still going to use Morris as the liaison to Brad. ¡°I assume you want him back?¡± ¡°Not particularly. If he got caught, he won¡¯t be as useful as I first assumed.¡± Brad adjusted his glasses. If Tynan wasn¡¯t paying attention, he might have missed the glint in those green eyes after being distracted by the movement. Maxwell had other pawns he was grooming for whatever job he¡¯d recruited Rain. ¡°That works out better for me.¡± ¡°I was under the impression that you two were close friends.¡± ¡°Were being the operative word. He crossed the line, and I am not a forgiving man.¡± Tynan made sure to keep his voice light. ¡°A trait that runs in your family.¡± It was Tynan¡¯s turn to hide the glint in his eyes. The unpleasant memories of his uncle were brought to the forefront. He inherited the grudge his uncle had against his father and in the end, it was Tynan¡¯s mother who paid the price. Brad crossed his legs at the knee and rested his folded hands on top. ¡°I am curious as to how you discovered my little game.¡± ¡°It was by chance.¡± Tynan mirrored his pose. It was hard to tell what either of them was truly feeling. Brad gave a dry laugh. ¡°I doubt it.¡± Tynan would never expose Zach or the role he played in unraveling this entire plot. ¡°Rain was a poor piece to use as a pawn.¡± He didn¡¯t hesitate to throw his former friend under the bus. ¡°He didn¡¯t seem like the type to lose control of his emotions, and he was a superb actor.¡± Brad pushed the issue but never asked for the answer he wanted. ¡°His artistic talents were excellent, but he hadn¡¯t quite mastered how to control his emotions in real-life situations.¡± That was close to the truth. It was Zach¡¯s presence that destabilized Rain¡¯s carefully crafted persona. ¡°Really? He never had that problem when he met me.¡± Tynan was tempted to scoff. Maxwell was the most unassuming person he¡¯d ever met. The man was careful to only portray a harmless persona. In his arrogance, Rain probably didn¡¯t see him as a threat. ¡°You have that effect on people.¡± Tynan glanced at his phone when the chime went off. Morris was heading over. ¡°My lawyer will be here shortly, and we can discuss the contract then.¡± Tynan messaged Morris but also used the opportunity to let Zach know what was happening. It would be good if his lover could use this time to dig out the intricacies of the deal. It would assure him that this was a good investment. Cain would have been the person he would have turned to, but he doubted the other man was in the right frame of mind to handle the job. He heard from Zach that Cain was hyper-focused on the games that they were developing for their company. It hadn¡¯t reached an unhealthy level, but that was with Theo watching him. It was hard to say how things would go if he was left by himself. ¡°I know about Morris. Rain was very disparaging when he spoke about him.¡± Tynan was curious about how much information Rain had handed over and what was included, but he wouldn¡¯t ask. It would put him in a passive position. Since Brad didn¡¯t expect to have Rain back, he would instruct Theo to increase the intensity of his line of questioning. Rain should have been prepared to experience this much when he decided to betray them. ¡°Morris is a consummate professional. It is best to draw your own conclusion after working with him for a while.¡± ¡°Yes. That would be best. Your actor friend did seem a bit delusional.¡± Brad stood and walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows. ¡°This is a beautiful view.¡± Tynan followed. He couldn¡¯t say he spent that much time gazing out the window. Zach was the one who enjoyed it. His young lover had a problem with enclosed spaces and loved rooms with big windows and open spaces. ¡°I hadn¡¯t noticed,¡± Tynan said. ¡°People who get used to suffering and sorrow tend to crave open spaces.¡± The words had such an effect on him that he couldn¡¯t hide his reaction. Even when he saw Brad¡¯s raised eyebrow and curious expression, he couldn¡¯t get control of himself. He had just drawn a parallel to Zach, so those words hit him hard. He wasn¡¯t able to get much information, but he had investigated Zach. At only nineteen, he didn¡¯t have that many bad experiences. What did his lover experience and when did it happen? He felt sick when he thought of the possibility that it might have been something he experienced in childhood. It took a moment, but he got himself under control. He would keep an open mind and let Zach share his secrets at his own pace. ¡°I wonder what could elicit that reaction?¡± Tynan gave a small smile. ¡°Don¡¯t you already know?¡± If Brad said he didn¡¯t know about Zach, Tyna would call him out for being a liar. ¡°Zach, was it?¡± Brad turned his gaze back to the city out the window. ¡°He seemed like an ordinary boy. A bit young for you, but nothing special.¡± Tynan didn¡¯t react. ¡°He might be ordinary to other people, but he is perfect for me.¡± Chapter 21.2 Brad didn¡¯t look convinced, but Tynan was sure that Brad wouldn¡¯t be able to find anything that Zach didn¡¯t want him to. They stared each other down. Neither of them back down. The moment ended when a knock sounded on the door. Brad was the first to look away, but Tynan didn¡¯t think they settled the issue. Morris entered. His footsteps flattered when he noticed the man standing at the window. He caught himself. ¡°Am I interrupting?¡± ¡°Hardly. We were waiting on you.¡± Brad stepped away from the window and walked up to Morris with a smile on his face. ¡°You must be Brad Maxwell.¡± Morris extended his hand. ¡°I take it you are Morris Keller.¡± The handshake was brief. Tynan pressed the intercom and requested a new batch of refreshments. He also asked for an unopened bottle of water. ¡°I think that you were brought in to handle me.¡± Brad retook his seat. Tynan and Morris sat side by side. ¡°I was assigned to handle you in the first place. I can¡¯t tell you how relieved I am that I don¡¯t have to spend my Saturday lurking around a college campus.¡± The smile in Brad¡¯s eyes faded. ¡°It seems that Rain was even more unsuitable than I originally assumed.¡± It had nothing to do with Rain, but no one would correct the misunderstanding. This wasn¡¯t the only sin that would be attributed to him. ¡°What about the other pawns you have collected?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you need to worry about that.¡± Tynan lifted his hands in surrender. ¡°I was asking to be polite.¡± He kept a grin on his face. A sweet smile tilted Brad¡¯s lips. ¡°Has anyone said you look killable?¡± It was said in such a pleasant tone that Tynan thought he¡¯d misheard what the man said. ¡°You are the first to say it, but I¡¯m sure that other people have thought it.¡± ¡°Are you both finished? I have better things to do than wait for you two to establish who is superior.¡± Morris finished scanning the preliminary contract. ¡°There are no other issues. Who should I contact to hammer out the finer points?¡± ¡°You can talk to me.¡± Brad uncrossed his legs and leaned forward. ¡°I can¡¯t decide if you two have a lot of information about me or not enough.¡± The conversation paused as Diane entered. Things remained tense as she served them and continued even after she left. Brad opened a bottle of water and took a sip. ¡°You are too calm.¡± He gave an amused chuckle. ¡°I was warned not to lightly approach people in S Country. I should have paid more attention to that piece of advice.¡± Morris took a sip of his coffee. ¡°S Country has a long history.¡± This entire situation was an odd mix of open conversation and words with hidden meanings. It was hard not to get whiplash when talking to Brad. He changed his demeanor on a dime and didn¡¯t seem to have a problem with sharing. ¡°I will be more careful going forward. Morris, you will be dealing with me directly. I don¡¯t think I have anyone in my employment that will be able to work well with you.¡± Morris nodded. This was the best outcome. ¡°How long will you be in Lor City?¡± ¡°I planned to stay longer, but the other appointment I had got canceled.¡± ¡°We could arrange a meeting if you wanted,¡± Tynan said. He wondered how Rain would react when he saw that Brad had abandoned him. The actor was convinced that he would be rescued. ¡°That won''t be necessary.¡± Maxwell stood, buttoning his suit. ¡°I look forward to working with both of you in the future.¡± He made sure to take the bottle that he drank out of with him. He also walked to the desk and took the listening devices with him. ¡°I will have Diane see you out of the building.¡± Tynan stood. They exchanged a last round of handshakes. He didn''t need those devices. Zach had already traced them to the source, but he still asked about them. ¡°Do those belong to you?¡± ¡°Does your office often get bugged?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t yours? We have to routinely search the room for them.¡± This was the truth between his uncle and his business competitors: there was always someone willing to try and sneak in listening devices. ¡°No one would dare to try it now.¡± Tynan had the feeling he was being threatened, but he couldn¡¯t be sure. ¡°You can never be too careful.¡± This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°I would love to see someone try.¡± The blood froze in Tynan¡¯s veins as he saw the look on Brad¡¯s face. For the first time, he didn¡¯t doubt that this man could murder his father. His body gave off a bloody air, and his face was twisted into a cruel smirk. Brad was out the door before Tynan could figure out what to say. It took fifteen minutes before either of them spoke. ¡°They are similar. Brad, Theo, and Zach. They have a certain vibe that is alike.¡± Morris''s eyes kept drifting to the closed door. Tynan dropped his head into his hands. He knew about the suffering that Theo endured. He had information about what Brad was capable of. No, he resolved himself to allow Zach to explain during his own time. ¡°Personally, I think Zach is the most dangerous out of the three of them.¡± Morris didn¡¯t notice Tynan¡¯s reaction or the conflicting emotions drifting off his face. ¡°He acts normal, but he watches situations and people with bored detachment. He only seems alive when you are involved.¡± He wanted to refute, but Tynan had noticed the same thing on more than one occasion. It was better now than it was in the past. ¡°Do you think you can manage it?¡± It wouldn¡¯t be easy for Morris to work with Brad. Morris had experience with Theo, but when dealing with Theo, he knew instinctively that Theo wasn¡¯t trying to hurt him. If he was inattentive for a moment with Brad the consequences could be dire. ¡°I will see how it goes with this deal before deciding. It would be good if Rain would confess what Brad wanted him for.¡± Tynan also hoped to get answers from Rain, but it didn¡¯t appear that Rain had much to offer. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t let Rain have that kind of information.¡± ¡°We can hope.¡± Morris also thought Rain wouldn¡¯t have much to add. ¡°Do you think Ron will be able to find anything?¡± That was still up in the air. It would depend on what country Brad was operating in. ¡°The bigger issue will be narrowing down what he could be interested in.¡± From a preliminary glance, there were a lot of opportunities that Brad could be looking to benefit from. ¡°It would be easier if all his pawns were actors, but I don¡¯t think he would make such an obvious move.¡± Tynan nodded. The man wouldn¡¯t even leave an empty water bottle. Maxwell would be careful not to put all his eggs in one basket. ¡°I will have to ask Zach to keep an eye on it.¡± As if he spoke the man into being, the door opened, and Zach peaked his head into the room. ¡°Is he gone?¡± ¡°He just left, and this is where I make myself scarce.¡± Morris went out the door as Zach was coming in. Tynan couldn¡¯t restrain himself anymore. He pulled Zach into a hug, burying his face into his neck. He felt arms come up and clutch at his back. It was clear that Zach was confused, but he didn¡¯t break away from the hug. It took him a moment, but he got his volatile emotions under control. He pressed a kiss to Zach¡¯s forehead but didn¡¯t take things further. ¡°Were they any indicators that he would be coming to Lor City to see me?¡± Zach¡¯s eyebrows crinkled, and his expression was serious. ¡°There was nothing. He even had a meeting with someone else in his itinerary. He even used a fake passport to travel. I have his real one flagged.¡± Tynan digested that information. ¡°I wasn''t the person he was in Lor City to see. He also wasn¡¯t here for Rain.¡± ¡°Could he be here to see your uncle?¡± Zach knew about the project that Brad came to discuss with Tynan. It also happened in his past life, but he didn¡¯t know that Brad was the person behind the collaboration. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Tynan had considered that possibility, but his uncle wasn¡¯t in the city, and he didn¡¯t think Brad would move without confirming where his target was. ¡°I can try to use traffic and security cameras to find out where he goes while he is in Lor City. I will also expand the search when it comes to the dates that he was here visiting Rain.¡± Zach took out his phone and typed away. Tynan didn¡¯t like the passive position that he kept being pushed into. ¡°Do you think we can get anything useful from Rain?¡± Tynan sank into his chair behind his desk. Zach hopped onto the edge of the desk. ¡°No. We need to know what Rain has been up to so we can mitigate some of the damage he has done, but he wouldn¡¯t know anything about Brad¡¯s plans.¡± A finger tapped a staccato on the hardwood of his desk. ¡°He was testing Rain to see if he was suitable for something.¡± ¡°I would need at least five people he is grooming for the job before I can do a comparison to see what they have in common. It would be better if I had more.¡± Zach hopped off the table and moved behind Tynan to massage his shoulders. ¡°Can you track his movements in other countries?¡± Tynan¡¯s head rolled back. He could feel Zach¡¯s fingers digging into the tense muscles in his shoulder. ¡°I need different equipment, but it wouldn¡¯t be a problem. Tynan, you haven''t forgotten that I need to go back to Pe City, right? I have the right equipment there.¡± Tynan hadn¡¯t forgotten, but he had done his best to ignore it. It was hard spending a week away from Zach. He had trouble falling asleep when he was by himself. He didn¡¯t want to think about a time when Zach wasn¡¯t living with him or sharing his life. ¡°I will talk to Ron about arranging for you to get your Visa.¡± Tynan didn¡¯t want to live without Zach, so he would have to do something to make sure it never happened. ¡°Aren¡¯t you happy that S Country has a citizenship by investing program?¡± Zach moved his hands to massage Tynan¡¯s neck. Tynan accommodated him and bent his head forward. He did his best not to mw3esdzxoan. ¡°Even if there wasn¡¯t I would have found a way. If all else failed, I would have moved to Pe City to live with you. Zach''s fingers paused before he continued the massage. ¡°Ehmm.¡± Tynan held Zach¡¯s hand and stopped his movements. With a tug, he maneuvered Zach until he was sitting in his lap. Zach had his head bowed and he refused to look up. ¡°I¡¯m not letting you go. I know that you can¡¯t handle it when I am too sweet, but you are going to have to learn to put up with it. We are going to be together for a long time, Zach Mallory.¡± Zach didn¡¯t lift his head, but he nodded. ¡°Your mine, Tynan Blackburn.¡± Others might feel bothered by the odd possessive tone Zach spoke, but it didn¡¯t bother Tynan. Zach took his time before speaking. ¡°You have to get rid of your secretary.¡± ¡°It is good to know that I am not the only jealous one in this relationship. I have to keep her until Morris finds a suitable replacement. Other than trying to seduce me, she is very professional. She also has excellent references.¡± Tynan kissed the sneer off Zach¡¯s lips. He didn¡¯t even mind that his imp was biting his lips instead of reciprocating the kiss. His lips would be swollen, and it would leave no doubt in anyone¡¯s mind what they were doing. Chapter 22 Tynan brought the kiss to an end. Zach was the one who forced him to come to work today. Since he was here, he needed to clear the work that had accumulated because of his trip abroad. When his workload wasn¡¯t so heavy, he would invite Zach to his office and bend his lover over his desk. He would make sure to enjoy the opportunity he was passing on today. Zach took a step back, putting some distance between him and Tynan. ¡°Every time you get that look, I know you are thinking about something perverted.¡± Zach straightened his clothes and buttoned his shirt. There was an obvious bulge in his pants. Tynan took a moment to enjoy Zach¡¯s hooded eyes and disheveled look. ¡°What are your plans for the day?¡± He put on his jacket, not quite sure when it got removed in the first place. ¡°I was putting it off, but I am going to touch bases with Theo to see what he managed to get out of Rain. I also need to start tracking Brad¡¯s movements.¡± Zach also needed to track down a few pieces of equipment. They weren¡¯t illegal, but the government would prefer to know if you owned them. If he had more time, he would have liked to build some of his own components, but that would have to be done later. It would have been easier if he was willing to go to Pe City. ¡°Despite how things turned out, Rain is pretty astute. He was part of our circle for a reason.¡± Tynan was careful with the words he chose to use. Zach was not a fan of Rain for multiple reasons. While he liked seeing his lover being jealous on occasion, he wasn¡¯t trying to make his partner feel that way. It was hard for Zach to be objective about Rain. The man was a pain in his ass from the moment they met. To make things worse, Rain was in love with Tynan. ¡°He is astute when you aren¡¯t involved. From you are in the picture, his intelligence drops into negative numbers.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that good for us?¡± He grabbed Tynan¡¯s tie and pulled him down for a kiss. Rain intelligence didn¡¯t disappear around Tynan; it went away around Zach. He was the actor''s Achilles heel. He didn¡¯t know how successful Rain¡¯s plan went during his past life, but he was sure his actions had some success. ¡°That isn¡¯t something to gloat over.¡± ¡°Who cares about Rain? It is your intelligence I want to disappear when I¡¯m around.¡± Tynan was often tempted to take Zach and run. They would both retire, spending their days having sex and lying on a beach. If he was sure his uncle would leave them alone, he would do it right now. A deep rumble echoed out of Zach''s chest. ¡°Kiss me enough, and I don¡¯t even remember my name.¡± The words were spoken against Tynan¡¯s lips. It was Tynan¡¯s turn to increase the distance between them. They needed to be in separate rooms because anytime they were alone together, things escalated. ¡°Run along. I will never get anything done if you are here.¡± Zach closed the distance, giving Tynan a goodbye kiss. ¡°I will see you at home.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t wait for me to eat. I might have to stay late.¡± Tynan saw Zach nod as he left the room. He turn to the pile of documents that required his attention. *** Zach confirmed with Theo that Rain was still being held at the same location before arranging a visit. He didn¡¯t know if Morris had done it already, but Zach also planned to brief Theo on the visit from Brad. The driveway wasn¡¯t paved. Instead, it was lined with gravel. Despite the weather being chilly, the garden was in full bloom, though the flowers were drooping. He was able to see the house better during the day, or maybe he was preoccupied on the night of the party and didn¡¯t pay attention. It was a sweeping three-story mansion. The architecture wasn¡¯t what he was used to seeing in S country. Instead of clean modern lines, it was reminiscent of a church with tall arches and stained glass windows. Theo was waiting for him as the car pulled to a stop. ¡°Morris says that Brad, you, and I are similar,¡± Theo said by way of greeting. Zach didn¡¯t know how to react to that. They were similar in the past, but Zach did die. It warped him in ways he didn¡¯t know if he would ever truly comprehend. ¡°That doesn¡¯t say much other than he is dangerous. Men like us have our place in the world and there are reasons we exist.¡± Theo¡¯s smile was a mix of self-loathing and self-deprecating. ¡°It is other people who don¡¯t want us to exist.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that the truth.¡± He didn¡¯t remember the callus looks on the faces of his wife and children as much these days, but he would never be able to forget. ¡°We aren¡¯t the type to quietly die.¡± This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°I see what you meant when you said that it was better not to have Maxwell as an enemy.¡± They walked through the house. Theo brought Zach to greet Cain, who was in a meeting. Zach realized that Theo timed the meeting so that Cain would have an excuse not to be involved. ¡°He isn¡¯t a direct threat. He had no reason to act like that unless he was indicating that he wasn¡¯t targeting Tynan.¡± ¡°It could have been him trying to get us to lower or guard.¡± Theo didn¡¯t lead him to the basement room from before. Instead, they left the main building and had to travel into a forested area. ¡°Would you do that?¡± Zach asked. He¡¯d also considered that possibility, but when he factored in what he would do and what he knew about Brad, he realized it was unlikely. ¡°There are better ways to go about things.¡± Theo brought them to a log cabin. When they entered, there didn¡¯t seem to be anything special about the room, but Theo rolled a table out of the way and lifted a trap door up. Theo supplied the answer before Zach could ask the question. ¡°I don¡¯t want Cain to have access to Rain. These woods have several cabins like this that are used during hunting season. Not all of them have secret rooms though.¡± ¡°Do you think Cain would free Rain?¡± Theo didn¡¯t answer right away, but Zach didn¡¯t press him for an answer. ¡°No.¡± Theo went down the step ladder first. ¡°He¡¯s not naive enough to fall for whatever lies Rain would tell. However, Rain has the power to hurt him. He feels guilty, and I don''t know what that guilt would manifest as if he was confronted by Rain.¡± Guilt could be more dangerous than anger. Correcting a wrong or perceived injustice could lead to a person betraying their own moral compass. ¡°Rain would know how to manipulate that emotion. Why does he feel guilty?¡± ¡°It changes, but it all stems from the fact that he wasn¡¯t good enough for Rain to love. None of this would have happened if Rain was able to fall in love with him.¡± It didn¡¯t make sense to Zach, but that was how emotions were. Sometimes they didn''t even make sense to the person experiencing it. ¡°Has he thought about talking to someone?¡± Zach was careful as he raised the issue. Getting help from a professional was seen in a negative light. ¡°I¡¯ve mentioned it, but he doesn¡¯t want to go.¡± Theo didn¡¯t seem inclined to continue the conversation, so Zach dropped the subject. He expected that response. Speaking about your mental health became more normalized, but even when he died, there were certain groups and people that viewed it as unnecessary or a weakness. For therapy to be effective, it had to be something that Cain admitted to needing and sought out for himself. It might have a negative effect if people forced him to attend. ¡°What about you?¡± Zach asked as they walked along a narrow corridor. Since his rebirth, he didn¡¯t enjoy confined spaces. He needed conversation to fill the silence, or he wouldn¡¯t be able to bear it. ¡°I have never had a problem admitting my faults. I have someone I speak to. Though I would be lying if I said I told them everything. I don¡¯t trust doctor-patient confidentiality that much.¡± They game to a metal door that had a keypad. Theo entered the passcode. Zach had to smile at Theo¡¯s words. He was in a similar situation, but he couldn¡¯t speak because his therapist might recommend that he be institutionalized. He bundled his past life experiences as dreams when he needed to discuss something important with her. Theo allowed Zach to enter first. Rain¡¯s state now resembled someone who was being imprisoned against his will. His hair was disheveled. The air of superiority he gave off before was gone. In its place was a man who was starting to panic. ¡°Guess who I met today?¡± Zach asked. Rain head snapped up, and he didn¡¯t bother hiding the anger or hatred he was feeling. ¡°Get out!¡± The restraints on his hands and feet clanked as he moved. ¡°Out!¡± Zach smiled and moved further into the room. ¡°Good to see you too.¡± ¡°Arghhhh. I¡¯m going to kill you.¡± ¡°Good luck with that.¡± Zach moved to sit on a chair that was in the corner. From the scuff marks on the floor, he could tell it was a place in the room that Rain¡¯s chains wouldn¡¯t allow him to move. The scraps on the floor suggested he¡¯d tried many times. Theo probably sat here when he questioned Rain. ¡°What was I saying?¡± Zach turned to Theo. ¡°You were going to tell Rain who you have the pleasure of meeting today.¡± Theo leaned against the door his legs crossed at the ankles and his arms folded over his chest. ¡°Ah.¡± Zach slapped a hand against his thigh. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. ¡°Brad Maxwell.¡± Theo lowered his head to keep Rain from seeing the laughter on his face or the fact that he was rolling his eyes. Zach never met Brad. The meeting took place between Morris and Tynan. Zach was devious, and he was very good at riling up Rain¡¯s emotions. ¡°Your lying. He would have made sure I went free.¡± Rain managed to get himself under control. His eyes still were quite right, but he wasn¡¯t acting deranged. ¡°I knew you would say that. I made sure to bring you a present. Zach pulled out the image he had downloaded from the security cameras at Tynan¡¯s office. ¡°Here. Do you recognize this man?¡± Zach flicked his fingers. The picture sailed through the air before skidding to a stop on the ground. Rain did his best not to pounce on the picture, but in the end, he couldn¡¯t hold back. The last time they met, Zach had also pulled out pictures that ruined his life. His knees gave out, and he crumpled on the floor when he looked at the photo. ¡°He asked for me!¡± It wasn¡¯t a question. ¡°Desperate isn''t a good look on anyone.¡± Zach kept his voice light even as Rain screamed. ¡°You weren¡¯t the only person he was interested in. He was grooming other pawns. Do you even know what he wanted you to do? I bet you don¡¯t.¡± ¡°I do! He needs me to get close to someone.¡± ¡°You really do like to think of yourself as special. Are you the only person he can use? James Caster is just as handsome and twice as sane. You have been abandoned.¡± ¡°James isn¡¯t as active in B country. I might not know who the target is, but I was in the best position to get the job done.¡± Rain pulled on the chain as he tried to reach Zach. His hands were outstretched, and his fingers clenched and released as though he were imagining them tightening around Zach''s neck. Chapter 23 ¡°He doesn¡¯t need the job done now. James and other celebrities have time to grow before they are necessary. Plus, after everything he is doing to groom you and get you into the right position, this isn¡¯t the only job that you will be required to do. ¡°That¡­those things wouldn¡¯t be difficult to achieve. I already passed his test.¡± Rain banged his fists on the floor. Zach raised an eyebrow at Theo. This was far too easy, and it probably had something to do with what Theo was doing to him before Zach came here. He received a smile in response. Zach shivered. It was easier to get along with people who were similar to you, but because you understood them well, it was hard to be near them. Theo lifted a hand to his mouth and tilted his head back in a drinking motion. If Zach didn¡¯t dislike Rain as much, he might have felt sorry for the predicament the actor found himself in. It would have been better if he landed in anyone else''s hands. Theo, who cared about Cain, would never be lenient. Those thoughts only crossed his mind for a moment. Zach cared about Tynan. He was willing to be as cruel as Theo, if not worse. ¡°How did you think this would work out? Cain might have been willing to overlook it, but do you think Tynan would be satisfied with you sleeping with other men? He would have abandoned you faster than he did this time.¡± ¡°No. No. I only did that once. He promised that he wouldn¡¯t ask me to do that again.¡± Rain clawed at the floor. His nails chipped and broke, but he didn¡¯t seem to notice. Zach had to wonder what Theo was feeding him. He didn¡¯t have anyone to torture at the moment, but it seemed useful to have around. ¡°You were paid for your services. When you are paid in full, you don¡¯t have the luxury of turning down the requests from your employer. Is Brad Maxwell the type of person whose words you want to take at face value?¡± ¡°We were meant to be. We would have been happy.¡± Rain¡¯s voice broke, and he repeated his words. His head swayed from side to side. His expressions were colorful. He muttered Tynan¡¯s name and cursed at Zach. They were losing him, but that wasn''t unusual. His mental state was precarious. Pain would have to be applied to focus him. Zach wasn¡¯t interested in being a part of that process. He would write a list of questions for Theo to ask. He¡¯d gotten most of what he wanted. It could be misinformation on Brad¡¯s end, but it was a place to start looking. Zach didn¡¯t know much about B Country. He didn¡¯t go there often in either of his lifetimes. Theo pushed off of the door. He sauntered over to Rain, raising his foot, he stomped down on his hand. ¡°I will take things from here.¡± Zach nodded. He stood and stretched. ¡°Can you get back to the house without the cart, or should I wait for you?¡± ¡°Wait for me. I don¡¯t plan to do anything now. He gets too riled up when you are involved.¡± Theo used his foot to push Rain over until he was on his back. Zach turned away. He picked up his pace as he walked along the corridor. It was a relief when he stepped out of the cabin. He reached into his pocket, but his fingers came up empty. He quit smoking. This body had never picked up the habit of smoking a pack a day, but he still craved it. He didn¡¯t have to wait ten minutes before Theo joined him. Zach ignored the bloodstains on his shoe. They instructed Theo to be gentle since Brad might want Rain back, but now that Brad made it clear he had no further use for Rain, Theo¡¯s restraint disappeared. ¡°How much time do you need to get everything out of him?¡± They piled back into the cart. Zach slumped in his seat and closed his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m certain that the information I got during the last week is most of it, but I will use other means to double-check it before I pass it on to you.¡± The ride back to the house appeared shorter than the ride going to the cabin. This time, Cain was there to meet them. He was smiling at them, but the look in his eyes made it clear that it was fake. He looked tired. Zach worried about what would happen when he cracked. Tynan also had some misplaced guilt about this situation. It would be exacerbated if Cain''s mental state deteriorated more. Zach threw a concerned glance at Theo. ¡°I¡¯ll be with him.¡± Zach didn¡¯t bother pointing out the potential problem that might create. ¡°It¡¯s only been a week, but it feels like a lifetime. How are you, Zach?¡± Cain fell in step with Theo as they entered the house. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Since Cain was going to ignore where they¡¯d been and what they were doing, he was more than happy to play along. ¡°Nothing¡¯s changed. You?¡± ¡°I integrated your code into my game and also briefed my team on your idea of having the player be able to completely customize their characters.¡± The conversation slipped into talk about game development and the release dates they were aiming for. Theo volunteered some of the actors from his company to voice the character for cut scenes and event scenes in the game. The conversation stayed light until Cain had to leave for another meeting. It seemed that he was running away because Ron said that he would be coming over. ¡°He¡¯s in denial.¡± ¡°That¡¯s expected. It¡¯s only been two weeks. What I am worried about is when he starts bargaining. I don¡¯t know what he will ask for and how he will react when I tell him no.¡± Zach didn¡¯t know what to say to that. He didn¡¯t know the man well enough, but it seemed like Cain had been in denial a lot longer than that. ¡°Is that why you are trying to get rid of Rain quickly?¡± Zach pretended not to see the smile on Theo¡¯s face. It was time for him to practice some denial of his own. He would monitor the situation and see how he could help for Tynan¡¯s sake. ¡°I have a question. Why do you wear orthopedic shoes?¡± Theo didn¡¯t hide his look of disgust as he stared at Zach¡¯s feet. Was he being exposed for being an old man? Zach ignored Tynan¡¯s questioning looks when he opened the closet and saw his comfy sandals next to Tynan¡¯s dress shoes. There would be a trend to wear shoes that were good for your feet. It would lead to more stylish shoes. ¡°They''re comfortable.¡± He hated close-toed shoes with a passion and would never wear another one if he could avoid it. He only made exceptions for sneakers and formal events. When his standing in Lor City was better and he didn¡¯t have to care about the impression he gave people, he would wear sneakers or sandals to formal events. Theo seemed to read his mind. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious.¡± Zach gave him a full smile that showed all his teeth. It was a smile designed to make the person seeing it uncomfortable. ¡°Poor Tynan.¡± Theo¡¯s words and expressions didn¡¯t match. He was almost in tears from laughing. ¡°What the joke?¡± Ron came into the room. He was wearing gym clothes and his knuckles were bandaged. When Theo filled him in, his eyes stayed glued on Zach¡¯s feet for a long time. He gave a sad headshake. ¡°No one¡¯s perfect. Poor Tynan.¡± Ron was that guy in school who was really popular, but you couldn''t help hating them. Zach had the urge to throw something heavy at his head. ¡°Jokes on you. Tynan doesn¡¯t care what I wear as long as he can take it off easily.¡± Zach felt a level of satisfaction when their laughter died, and twin looks of constipation distorted their face. ¡°Why did you come here?¡± Theo asked. It was time to change the subject. Tynan had already told them that Zach was a handful, and he didn¡¯t have any moderation when it came to certain topics. ¡°I¡¯m meeting Liam, and I don¡¯t want him to know where I live.¡± Zach was curious to know more about Liam. Ron acted like he was heading to the guillotine. Zach never managed to break into the upper echelon of Lor City society and didn¡¯t often rub shoulders with politicians and important figures in the military. He knew of Liam but never met him. ¡°Give in.¡± Theo wasn¡¯t understanding of Ron¡¯s plight. Ron already slept with Liam. They had an on-again, off-again relationship that stemmed mostly from Ron¡¯s unwillingness to be constrained. Zach wouldn¡¯t know any of this. So Theo did the helpful thing and filled him in. Ignoring the loud protest coming from Ron. Zach kept his features neutral and laughed at the point where he should. At any other time, this would have been hilarious. There were few things he liked more than taking joy in other people''s misery. It was all good fun. Ron would die in a terrorist attack. The knowledge ate away at him. If he was going to warn Tynan, he would have to confess how he came to have that knowledge. The coward in him wanted to wait and see what happened because he¡¯d already changed many things. The future might be different. Even if the bombing happened, Ron might not be there. Then there was the flip side. What if he kept quiet and something did happen, how would he face Tynan? It also didn¡¯t account for the fact that Ron¡¯s parents would die. Ron¡¯s father was a politician. The whole family was at a summit on the war against terrorism when the hotel they were in was bombed. He could call the authorities and warn them of the bombing, but chances are he would be disregarded as playing a prank. In a year or two, all calls reporting a bomb threat were taken seriously, but that wasn¡¯t the case yet. Thankfully, Liam arrived and distracted Zach. No one noticed there was something wrong with his reaction. ¡°Ron, it¡¯s good to see you.¡± Liam looked similar to Cain, but his face was more angular, and his body was more muscular. His presence was also more commanding. He didn¡¯t have the emotional frail quality that Zaach had come to associate with Cain. ¡°Liam.¡± Ron kept things curt. He kept to the other side of the room. Liam appeared amused rather than offended. Zach assumed it was a weird form of foreplay and resolved not to get involved. Liam¡¯s eyes narrowed on the bandages on Ron¡¯s hands. His gaze intensified, but he didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°What can I help with?¡± Zach found it strange that he didn¡¯t ask about his brother. Cain also didn¡¯t make an appearance to greet him. ¡°We ran into a bit of an issue with Rain and his involvement with Brad Maxwell.¡± After he spoke, Zach had Liam¡¯s full attention directed at him. Coffee brown eyes stared at him and seemed to want to see through him. That gaze dissected him, and he had the feeling he was found lacking. ¡°You must be Zach.¡± ¡°Yep. That¡¯s me.¡± Zach wiggled his toes in his orthopedic sandals and wondered what kind of impression he was giving off. Liam came closer, and his actions became more threatening. ¡°I have heard a lot about you.¡± It didn¡¯t sound as if he liked what he was hearing. ¡°As the big brother of the group, I¡¯m a bit overprotective. You can understand why I was shocked when I started to investigate you. It¡¯s funny how you don¡¯t seem to exist. Even your birth certificate is fake.¡± Zach¡¯s mood got worse as he listened to Liam, but it was his last words that shocked Zach. ¡°Wait, what?¡± Chapter 24 Zach wasn¡¯t amused. He gauged Liam¡¯s expression and concluded that the man believed what he was saying. ¡°If you have proof, bring it out. I don¡¯t have the patience for the tit for tat. As far as I know, I was born in R country and haven¡¯t lived anywhere else. You can check with Tynan. I didn¡¯t have a passport when we met.¡± That wasn¡¯t the reaction Liam was expecting. He pulled a folded piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it over. ¡°This is from V Country. That is the city your mother was born. I didn¡¯t have any luck tracking you down, but there are people keeping track of your mother¡¯s movements.¡± If this was fake, he was a better actor than Rain. Zach unfolded the paper. It was identical to the birth certificate he was used to, except it didn¡¯t say R Country, and the section for his father had a name. Lance Castor. ¡°My mother doesn¡¯t like to talk about her past.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t know?¡± It took a moment before it registered that he was being asked a question. ¡°Huh, what did you say?¡± He couldn¡¯t look away from the document. His mother never told him about his father. No matter what he asked, she refused to speak about her past. ¡°Zach.¡± He felt a touch on his shoulder. He looked up to see Theo giving him a concerned look. He never learned the name of his father. He never met him. ¡°My mother said her family and her had a falling out.¡± Zach did his best to research himself, but he hadn¡¯t found any information. He tried hard in his last life, but since he didn¡¯t get any results, he didn¡¯t bother trying when he was reborn. It wasn¡¯t that he couldn¡¯t find any information. They buried the information after his mother died. ¡°Someone call Tynan.¡± Zach opened his mouth to tell them not to bother Tynan at work, but he wanted to see Tynan. He didn¡¯t know what to do. He wanted to know more about himself and his relatives, but looking into it might hurt his mother. A firm hand held his arm and brought him to a sofa. Someone pushed a glass of water into his hand. On reflex, Zach took a sip. He could hear arguing in the background, but other thoughts occupied his mind. He couldn¡¯t focus on what they were saying. He tried to sort through the information in his mind to see if his life intersected with members of his family. It was vague, but he had a memory about someone mentioning Castor. Zach held his head as the thought in his mind swirled, threatening to drown him. Zach took a deep breath in an attempt to calm his emotions. He could handle this. His situation hadn¡¯t changed other than having family members he didn¡¯t know about. They were monitoring his mother and didn¡¯t reach out to him in the past. He would consider them as an antagonistic force for the moment. He should be careful while investigating. It would be best to speak to his mother; she was his best source of information. If she pointed him in the right direction, he wouldn¡¯t muddle the situation. Zach¡¯s head snapped up, and he focused on Liam. He was worried about breaking the balance that his mother had with her family, but it might already be too late. ¡°How did you get this?¡± Zach rose from his seat and stalked towards Liam. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Theo stepped between them. ¡°Tynan is on his way.¡± Zach wanted to laugh. Did they think Tynan was chamomile tea, able to calm him whenever he lost his temper? Out of respect, he took a step back. He would find a different occasion to bash in Liam¡¯s face. ¡°You aren¡¯t the first person to investigate me. How did you find this when no one else did?¡± Zach wanted to burn the piece of paper and forget about all the problems it would bring into his life. ¡°I looked into you mother¡­.¡± ¡°Bullshit.¡± He didn¡¯t let him continue. Zach buried his mother¡¯s information even deeper than his own. ¡°Don¡¯t let me have to ask again. How did you get this?¡± Liam¡¯s eyes shifted around the room, looking to the others for support. Ron went to stand beside Liam. Zach¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°You need to tell him.¡± Ron held onto Liam¡¯s forearm and turned him around so that they were eye to eye. ¡°He is asking as a courtesy. You don¡¯t want him to go looking for that information on his own.¡± It was bigger than just Zach. Their friend group was already divided and being reshuffled. It wasn¡¯t hard to know whose side Tynan would pick, and Cain would get caught in the middle. Theo and Zach were different sides of the same coin. It was a lose-lose situation. Liam¡¯s eyes flashed with hurt. ¡°Ron.¡± Ron¡¯s eyes darted to Zach. The calmer Zach became, the more the hair on his body stood on end. Liam was underestimating him because of his age, but Ron remembered the detachment and apathy Zach used when dealing with Rain. ¡°Fucking listen.¡± Ron pulled Liam closer and dropped his voice. ¡°Zach is dangerous.¡± Liam scoffed and moved to step away until he saw how serious Ron was being. ¡°He is a child.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be arrogant. It will get you killed.¡± Tynan entered the room and made a beeline for Zach. He tugged on his lover''s arm, pulling him into a hug. ¡°Are you threatening me for your little lover now?¡± Liam didn¡¯t know what Zach had done to charm Tynan and weasel his way in, but he wasn¡¯t fooled. Those who can¡¯t listen must feel. If the situation was different, he would have used a softer approach. However, this involved his mother. He would cut out his heart for her, much less to destroy someone like Liam Granger. It might cost him a few people he was starting to consider as friends, but so be it. Zach took out his phone. Tynan grabbed his hand. Zach stared at those strong fingers. He took a moment to savor the heat against his skin. His mother came before Tynan too. His eyes moved up from Tynan¡¯s hand until their gazes collided. ¡°Liam, don¡¯t fuck around.¡± Cain joined the conversation. Zach noticed Theo walking in behind him. It was then he noticed that Theo had left the room. He was too comfortable around these people. He needed to be more aware of his situation going forward. He moved to step out of Tynan¡¯s arms, but they turned into bands of steel locking him in place. ¡°I won¡¯t let you.¡± Tynan refused to let go of Zach. Their relationship was new and fragile. It was an instinct, but he knew that if he let go of Zach, their relationship would end. ¡°Are you picking up for him too? You¡¯ve learned how to rebel against your family.¡± Liam pointed a finger at Cain. ¡°He is better than me. As my brother, you know what I am capable of on a computer. It is why you and our whole fucking family tried to force me into the military and tried to get me to do things I didn¡¯t want to. Zach is better than me. Think about what those words mean.¡± Liam paused. He looked at Ron¡¯s imploring eyes. Theo¡¯s calm judgment. Tynan¡¯s single-minded focus. Cain¡¯s contempt. This situation might have gotten out of his control without him realizing it. He knew there were geniuses in the world. Cain had hacked into the space program at twelve because he wanted the blueprints as a poster on the wall of his bedroom. What he didn¡¯t believe was that a nineteen-year-old with a clean history would be as dangerous as they were implying. Zach was out of patience. He wanted to get on the first plane to Jell City. His mother might already be a target. Liam relented. He didn¡¯t believe what they were saying, but on the off chance Zach Mallory was as dangerous as they were implying, it was better to be safe than sorry. ¡°It was a coincidence. While I was looking into it, a friend of mine, Cassidy Paige, and her sister Nina were visiting. They saw a picture of your mother and recognized her.¡± Zach paused before starting to laugh. He leaned into Tynan and broke down. He could contain himself. It was hard to process the hilarity of his situation. Wasn¡¯t that the name of his darling wife? Chapter 25 Liam looked at the other to see if they were as confused as him. There were concerned looks all around, except for Theo, who looked uncomfortable. He wasn¡¯t a senior personnel in the military for show, his instincts were pretty good. He held Ron and pulled him over to Theo. Theo recognized why he was coming over and volunteered an answer before the other party asked. ¡°When I laugh like that, someone usually ends up dead.¡± That should have been a joke, but Liam couldn¡¯t make himself laugh. Zach¡¯s laugh had a distinct tone to it that chilled your blood. He couldn¡¯t say it was deranged. Instead, it lacked all emotion. ¡°Are you sure he¡¯s nineteen?¡± Three sets of eyes focused on him. Liam squirmed. ¡°You better figure out how you''re going to apologize and make it up to him.¡± Cain took a last look at Zach before leaving the room. He took Theo with him. At times like these, it was best to make yourself scarce. Ron wanted to smack Liam upside the head. His biggest problem with Liam was his arrogance. It might be his military background, but he was arrogant. He thought his decisions were the best and when he made up his mind, everyone else was supposed to follow. Liam often failed to realize that the other people in his life weren¡¯t soldiers. They didn¡¯t have to follow orders. They had autonomy. There also wasn¡¯t one right path to take. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Ron didn¡¯t forget what the man was here for in the first place. Since he pissed off Zach, the best thing for Liam to do was to make himself useful in neutralizing Rain and Brad. Tynan rubbed circles on Zach¡¯s back. The younger man''s laugh made him uncomfortable. He would prefer if the man dissolved into hysterics or threw a tantrum. He kneaded at the tense muscles in Zach¡¯s back. Fingers gripped the front of his shirt. The knuckles popped under strain. The ending was as abrupt as the start. Zach stopped mid-laugh. It wasn¡¯t that the Castor family lost interest in him after his mother died. They just had a better way of monitoring him. A spy planted before his mother was dead. If someone said his wife wasn¡¯t a spy planted at his side, he would call them a liar. When they met, she said she was an only child. Her history and background were clean, and everything indicated that she was born and raised in R Country. He met her when he went to visit his mother. He was the one who helped her get her passport when their relationship became serious, and he wanted her to live with him in S country. It explained why she could be so calm as she watched him die. Since he never suspected or guarded against her, he had no clue what lessons she taught his children. Alright, this was an opportunity. He took a moment to savor Tynan¡¯s warmth. Depending on how Tynan reacted to what he had to say, this might be the last time he got to enjoy this feeling. He didn¡¯t have the courage to look up. ¡°We need to talk.¡± Tynan tensed for a moment, but when Zach didn¡¯t try to leave his arms, he relaxed. Index finger under Zach''s chin, he forced the man to look up. Crystal clear blue eyes looked up at him. They carried a story of pain and sadness. ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡± With an arm around Zach¡¯s waist, he led him out of the house. They didn¡¯t speak on the car ride home. Zach clung to Tynan. He tried to organize what he was going to say in his mind. How did you tell someone about your past life? He also needed to decide if he was going to talk about everything he remembered or keep to the main points. Zach changed his mind a hundred times before they reached home. In the end, he decided to tell everything. If he wanted a chance at a future without the burdens of his past, then he needed to be honest with Tynan and with himself. Tynan took his hand and led them to the solarium. It was one of Zach¡¯s favorite places in the house. When they reached the door, Zach stopped walking. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the library.¡± Zach didn¡¯t want to run the chance of ruining that room for himself. It might not make any sense if he tried to explain it. He didn¡¯t have the words to explain it to himself, but he didn¡¯t want his trauma to color the room. He wouldn¡¯t be able to separate the events that happened there from the place itself. ¡°To the library?¡± Tynan asked. Zach didn¡¯t even know the house had a library. Since he came here, he¡¯d been busy with one thing or the next. He hadn¡¯t explored on his own. He nodded his head and followed as Tynan led the way. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. They passed Mrs. Brown, who sensed the weird atmosphere between them. Zach pretended not to see the concerned look that flashed across her face before her mask of neutrality returned. When he saw the library, he was almost regretful that they chose this room. It was grand. There were two-story-high, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. On every wall except on that had a large window. It was a bibliophile¡¯s dream. If they were still together after this. He would take the time to explore all the wonders of Tynan¡¯s home. ¡°Do you want some?¡± Tynan held up a decanter with amber liquid inside. Zach considered it before declining. It was easy to fall back on a clutch like alcohol. He didn¡¯t need to develop any bad habits. He would learn to cope and manage his emotions. ¡°No, thank you.¡± Tynan poured a finger into a glass. He lifted it to his lips but didn¡¯t drink. ¡°How bad is it?¡± ¡°Depends.¡± Zach wandered over to the window, his arms crossed in front of his chest. ¡°More a fantastical tale.¡± The window overlooked a pond. Tynan didn¡¯t have a garden. Zach was curious as to why he didn¡¯t. There were many flowers in the solarium. He felt rather than saw Tynan come closer. ¡°I¡­,¡± Zack said. ¡°Well, we¡­wel.¡± Tynan rested a hand on Zach¡¯s shoulders. He kissed the back of his lover''s neck. ¡°Take your time.¡± It would be a lie to say that he wasn¡¯t anxious to hear what Zach had to say, but he¡¯d resolved himself to making things work no matter what. Zach took a deep breath. Once he started, the words flowed. At times, he needed to stop so that the sorrow didn¡¯t consume him. During other sections, he would laugh as he recounted something funny from a moment in his life. He talked about all the highs and lows. Zach didn¡¯t leave anything out from the time he won the lottery straight until he died. They moved from the window to sit on the floor at some point during the story. Then Tynan had led them to the sofa where he nestled Zach under his arm. When Zach started, he¡¯d been skeptical, but the more he listened, the more amazed he became. The mood towards the end became solemn. It took all his restraint not to crush Zach against him. If Zach was reborn, one key component was necessary. Zach had to have died. He¡¯d acted calm while listening, but it was hard listening to Zach talk about his wife and children. Zach had drifted off at several points, the memories too much to bear. His death caused Tynan so much anguish. He wanted to lash out on the behalf of the scared boy who did his best in the face of adversity. Tynan wanted to cherish the man who persevered and carved out a place for himself in the world. More than that, he wanted to punish those who¡¯d cause the person he cared about to endure so much suffering. Tynan had no one to direct his anger towards because those people hadn¡¯t committed any sins yet. Crystal and Ryan. They were unlucky. They were around and would have to bear the brunt of his fury. ¡°Tynan, my wife¡¯s name was¡­.¡± Tynan covered Zach''s mouth. He didn¡¯t want to hear it. She would never have a chance to get near Zach. Zach gripped Tynan¡¯s wrist, kissing his hand before pulling it away from his mouth. ¡°This is important. Her name is Nina Page.¡± The weight of those words settled onto Tynan¡¯s soul. He let out a mirthless laugh. Now he understood Zach''s reaction. He realized what had prompted his imp to share. Tynan was relieved. Other people had offered themselves up, and he had a new place to direct his anger. ¡°Live however you want. I will always be here to support you.¡± Tynan¡¯s words were earnest. ¡°I¡¯m falling in love with you Zach Mallory.¡± He brought his hands up to cup Zach on either side of his face. Those blue eyes would dance to his before looking away. A sweet blush stained his cheeks. Tynan could resist stoking that supple flesh with his thumb. Zach nuzzled into Tynan¡¯s touch. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the feel of roughened palms soothing his soul. ¡°I think you''re pretty perfect Tynan Blackburn.¡± Tynan would let Zach get away with it for now. This experience must have been draining. They would have years together to speak honeyed words to each other. Tynan stood, scooping Zach up into his arms. Zach''s arms came up and wrapped around his neck. He couldn¡¯t resist bending his head to pepper kisses on Zach¡¯s head. Their conversation lasted a long time. The moon was already high in the sky. Zach seemed all out of words and energy. His limp body rested against Tynan. He took him into the bathroom and drew him a bath. Zach¡¯s sleepy eyes crinkled at the edges with a smile. His little imp was cooperative as he undressed him. Tynan took a step back, leaving Zach to relax. He didn¡¯t say it, but Zach needed time and space to organize his thoughts and rebuild the walls he¡¯d torn down. He would be raw around the edges for a while, and it wasn¡¯t a good time for Tynan to push him or take advantage of his vulnerability. He called Mrs. Brown and asked her to send up something light for him and Zach to eat. He chuckled to himself as he headed to the guest bathroom to shower. He spent more time in there than the bathroom attached to his bedroom. Tynan left Zach to his own thought for thirty minutes before going in to collect him. He helped Zach get dressed and made sure he ate something before putting him to bed. Zach nuzzled into the sheets. ¡°You know I¡¯m an old man, right?¡± It was hard for Tynan to think of Zach as being older than nineteen because of how he looked. After all, humans were visual creatures. However, it answered many questionable points about Zach¡¯s experience and personality. His lucky investment in Pe City took on a different meaning. ¡°Naughty.¡± Tynan tapped him on the nose. He leaned down and captured Zach¡¯s lips. The kiss was a mere whisper as their lips grazed against each other. ¡°No matter how old you are, it¡¯s nice to have someone to support you and help you when you aren¡¯t feeling your best.¡± Tynan got in beside Zach and pulled him into his arms. ¡°You can take care of me next time.¡± Zach closed his eyes, savoring Tynan¡¯s strength. This was the outcome he¡¯d wanted but never let himself hope for. He closed his eyes and let his problem drift out of his mind. Tomorrow was another day, he would worry about everything then. At least now, he was assured that Tynan would be there to help him. He couldn¡¯t help smiling as he remembered Cain, Theo, and Ron. He wasn¡¯t alone. He was alive. He resolved to be open to new opportunities and people that entered his life. The easy do-over that he wanted would come later. Zach would make new friends and enemies as he lived his life. Chapter 26 Zach shifted as he felt something ticklish at his neck. He tried to roll over, but a stinging pain came from the same spot. He opened an eye to see brown hair. Tynan nipped at his neck mischievous hands wandered over his body. Those hands drifted lower. Zach tipped his head back, enjoying the sensations. This was a good way to start his day. Tynan moved up, kissing Zach and sharing some of the sweet essence that was still on his lips. ¡°Morning.¡± ¡°Morning.¡± Zach''s voice was roughed with sleep and the after-effects of talking too much. ¡°It''s early.¡± His words caught in the middle as he stretched. ¡°I couldn¡¯t sleep anymore.¡± Tynan¡¯s thumb skimmed over a nipple that begged for attention. Zach slapped away Tynan¡¯s wandering hands. ¡°So you decided to wake me up?¡± He rolled over onto Tynan. He crossed his hands over Tynan¡¯s chest and rested his chin on the back of them. Tynan was propped up against the bed with an arm bent behind his head. ¡°Are you complaining?¡± Tynan¡¯s eyes were soft as he looked at Zach. His head shifted through soft, black hair, massaging his scalp. He loved the way Zach¡¯s eyes drooped like a kitten being scratched behind the ear. He didn¡¯t have any complaints but felt he should protest anyway. ¡°Yep. Complain. Complain.¡± Zach was exhausted, but he also felt refreshed. Telling Tynan had taken a weight off of him. Tynan swatted the back of Zach''s head. ¡°Silly.¡± Zach rested his head on Tynan¡¯s chest and listened to his heartbeat. They stayed like that until the automatic curtains opened and sunlight streamed into the room. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Tynan trailed his fingers against Zach¡¯s back. He noticed that there were light freckles across his shoulder blades. The thoughts he¡¯d kept at bay came rushing back. It was time to face the world and all its problems. ¡°Can you put me in touch with Liam? It would also help if you had a contact in D County. On my end, I will see what I can find on the Mallory and Castor families. After that, I have to go and speak to my mother.¡± He didn¡¯t want to distress his mother with the conflicts happening around him. Nor did he want to open any old wound that surrounded her family. However, he couldn¡¯t ignore the threat to him and the people he cared about. If they targeted him once, they might have interfered on other occasions and he wasn¡¯t aware. It would be hard to confirm those events, but he needed to be prepared going forward. He wouldn¡¯t allow it to happen again. ¡°Do you need a mediator?¡± Tynan didn¡¯t think it was a good idea to leave Zach and Liam alone together. Zach considered Liam an annoyance, and it was hard to determine how the younger man would react if he had to put up with Liam¡¯s usual arrogance. ¡°Were adults. We can handle ourselves.¡± Zach crossed blackmailing Liam off his mental list. ¡°If he¡¯s civil. I don¡¯t see why there should be an issue.¡± He could understand Liam being protective of the group, but he didn¡¯t have to be a dick about it. He came in waving accusations around without confirming the citation or asking questions. Tynan winced at the dry tone in which Zach spoke. Liam left a bad impression, and Tynan didn¡¯t think it would be easy to correct in Zach¡¯s mind. Since learning of Zach''s past, he understood why his lover behaved like a crotchety old man sometimes. It explained his love of orthopedic shoes. His picky food taste. The way he hurmphed and haaa¡¯d every time he had to move. It wasn¡¯t all good news. He did his best not to show it, but he¡¯d had a hard time listening as Zach shared his story. It affected him and left a deep impact. Zach had an entire lifetime of memories and experiences that he would never be a part of. He wouldn¡¯t be able to comfort and help him through his trial. He couldn¡¯t share in his joy. It helped that they had a future together and that they didn¡¯t miss each other in this life, but he still had regrets. Nina Paige. The name left something burning and acidic in his stomach. She gave birth to Zach¡¯s children. She lived her life with him, a life Tynan was jealous of. Yet, she betrayed Zach in the worst way. She was only seventeen. He had to remind himself of that so that he didn¡¯t do something terrible to her. ¡°I¡¯ll ask Theo to sit in on the meeting.¡± Tynan didn¡¯t trust them to be rational. Zach was emotionally charged because he thought his mother was in danger. Liam thought Zach was trying to take advantage of Cain and company. This could be sorted out if Zach was willing to give Liam access to his information, but that wouldn¡¯t happen now. If Liam hadn¡¯t started their acquaintance in a combative way. Everything would have been sorted out after a few questions. ¡°Stubborn old man.¡± Tynan ruffled Zach¡¯s head. He kissed the unrepentant smile off Zach¡¯s face. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°I¡¯ll play nice. Promise.¡± Zach held up a pinky finger. Tynan spun them until Zach was pressed beneath him. He linked their pinkies together. ¡°It¡¯s a promise.¡± Zach looked into Tynan¡¯s eyes. They were solemn, he couldn¡¯t figure out what Tynan¡¯s gaze meant. He doubted it had anything to do with Liam. ¡°Ty?¡± Tynan couldn¡¯t answer. He didn¡¯t even know what he was promising other than he would cherish Zach to the best of his abilities. It seemed a trivial thing, but this was the first time he was committing to having someone in his life. ¡°Is it too early to meet your mother?¡± Tynan asked. It broke the mood. Zach rolled his eyes. He wouldn¡¯t push if Tynan didn¡¯t want to explain. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s too early.¡± His mother knew that he was seeing someone. He¡¯d also told her it was a man, but he hadn¡¯t said much else. It wasn¡¯t that he was ashamed or that he didn¡¯t want her to meet Tynan. He was just greedy to keep this to himself for a while longer. He already had to share Tynan with other people. ¡°I won¡¯t wait too long.¡± ¡°Ehm.¡± Zach kissed Tynan on the neck, trailing his lips up to his chin before claiming his lips. ¡°I¡¯ll still come with you to Jell City. We can stop in Pe City before coming home.¡± Tynan got off the bed. He did his best not to look at Zach lest he be tempted to get back in bed and savor him more. ¡°I can help you take care of that.¡± Zach¡¯s eyes were focused on the hardening bulge in Tynan¡¯s shorts. Tynan dashed into the bathroom, laughter following him the whole way. He had already gotten relief once this morning. Why was he getting hard again? As he used his hand under the warm shower stream, he imagined mischievous blue eyes looking up at him. Zach headed to the guest bathroom. It was usual Tynan who was banished here to take care of his daily needs. On entering, he couldn¡¯t stop his mouth from dropping open. Floor-to-ceiling mirrors covered every wall. His mind conjured a thousand naughty scenes. Why hadn¡¯t Tynan dragged him in here for some fun? There was a certain charm to the all-black decor of Tynan¡¯s bathroom, but this room was made for debauchery. Who designed this room? He sped through his shower as random thoughts crowded in. He made plans to lure Tynan into here soon. He¡¯d make good use of these mirrors. Zach was back at Theo¡¯s house. If this was a perfect world, he would be on a beach. Instead, he was finding out about buried family history, and the shit show his last life was. Theo stood at the top of the steps waiting for him. Zach did a finger wave as he got out of the car. The driver would park, and then find something to do while waiting for him. ¡°All is right in the world?¡± Zach asked in lu of a greeting. ¡°No worse than usual.¡± Theo couldn¡¯t put his finger on it, but there was something different about Zach. He seemed more present and less bored with the world. ¡°Liam is waiting. He also brought the Paige sisters.¡± Zach''s steps paused. Theo noticed his hesitations. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± ¡°Tynan¡¯s going to be pissed.¡± Zach felt conflicted about meeting Nina. Logically he knew she hadn¡¯t done anything to him, but emotionally he didn¡¯t care. He wanted her to suffer. Tynan, on the other hand, loathed her and didn¡¯t much care that she was innocent at the moment. His lover seemed to have adopted an out of sight, out of mind policy when it came to her. ¡°Why?¡± Theo couldn¡¯t understand Zach¡¯s reaction to the news about Cassidy and Nina. His reaction toward them was stronger than finding out his birth certificate was falsified. It seemed Tynan also knew the secret. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± The smile he forced in place was lighter than what he was feeling inside. They came to a sitting room. When he saw her, it was as if the years melted away. Her honey-blond hair hung in loose curls around her face small face. Laughter was in her green eyes and an easy smile on her lips. She looked the same way when he first laid eyes on her. He and his mother were taking a walk through the park. She¡¯d been sitting on a picnic blanket. She¡¯d come to walk her dog. He went to that park every day for two weeks before he worked up the courage to ask her out. It took all his restraint to keep his feet moving and his expression neutral. When she turned to look at him. The smile on her face died. Her sister had the same reaction. ¡°What is it doing here?¡± The older girl asked. He assumed she was Cassidy. ¡°It?¡± Liam was shocked. Cassidy was never anything but polite to him and around his social circle. ¡°Yes. It. That person.¡± She pointed a red manicured finger at Zach. Zach sniggered. They looked alike, Nina and her sister. The main difference was their ages, and Cassidy¡¯s hair had a reddish tint to it. The sneer on their faces was identical. ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be allowed in polite company. It and its mother were banished from polite company.¡± Cassidy kept her nose high in the air. Zach felt a low pressure emanating off of Theo. It was refreshing to know that he had someone on his side. He could only lament fools being ignorant and deciding their fate. Tynan was content to ignore them. If this conversation reached his ears, what would his partner do? ¡°Why is he here?¡± Nina asked. Her tone implied this was her house, and Zach was intruding. The sweet shy girl he had in his memories was nowhere to be seen. He shuddered at the implications. ¡°He¡¯s dating Tynan.¡± Liam supplied, not grasping the change in the situation. ¡°Gold digging trash. Just like his mother.¡± Nina had an acidic tongue for someone who was seventeen. In a few sentences, she¡¯d blown right past his bottom line. Theo shifted away from Zach. The more placid his smile became, the more Theo worried. Liam never guessed that Cassidy was brain dead. Couldn¡¯t she feel the antagonism Zach was letting off? Cain had given him a brief on Zach. His younger brother didn¡¯t know a lot about the boy, but what he did know was enough to make Liam weary. ¡°You recognize me?¡± Zach leaned back in his chair, not reacting to any of their comments. He wanted to have done his preliminary research before he met them, but things didn¡¯t go that way. Did Liam deliberately set him up? Liam loosed his collar. He could feel Zach¡¯s gaze on him, but he couldn¡¯t do anything. He hadn¡¯t expected this. When he invited Cassidy to meet Zach, she¡¯d been enthusiastic to meet her ¡®Auntie¡¯s¡¯ son. If he knew it was going to go like this, he would never have invited her here. If Tynan wasn¡¯t bad enough, it was clear that Theo was on Zach¡¯s side. This also didn¡¯t factor in how dangerous Zach was on his own. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t we recognize you? You have a resemblance to the Castor family, but that isn¡¯t a name someone like you can speak much less use. You¡¯re just a toyboy, why am I explaining this to you?¡± Cassidy flicked her hair over her shoulder. Liam felt a noose tightening around his neck. ¡°It¡¯s best you stop there.¡± Chapter 27 Too late. It was already too late. The gentle smile on Zach¡¯s face didn¡¯t comfort Liam. Instead, it made him nervous. This was why he wasn¡¯t a general. If his father had met Zach, the older man would have been able to recognize him as a threat in an instant. Now he was left with a rapidly devolving situation and no way to salvage it. ¡°I¡¯m doing this for your own good. When we marry-¡± ¡°He. Hehe. Hehehe.¡± Ron entered the room. ¡°When what happens with who?¡± Liam bolted from his seat, putting as much distance between him and Cassidy as possible. ¡°I didn¡¯t know about any of this?¡± Zach leaned back in his seat, a real smile coming to his face. There was never a dull moment when he came to Theo¡¯s house. ¡°You should get a popcorn machine.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t need one until you showed up. Why don¡¯t these get-togethers happen at Tynan¡¯s house.¡± Theo massaged his temples. When Zach left home this morning, he didn¡¯t know what he planned to achieve, but he¡¯d expected his day to be more productive than this. He wished he could get to the button of things from behind his computer, but it wasn¡¯t that easy. This wasn¡¯t the era where things were automated with everything online. It was also difficult to determine a person¡¯s character from over the internet. You had to meet them in person. ¡°Who are you?¡± Cassidy didn¡¯t expect Liam to turn her down. Their family''s social status was equal, and her father had said it would be advantageous for them to marry. ¡°We¡¯ve been dating for years.¡± Liam loosened the top button on his shirt. He backed away from Cassidy and moved towards Ron, making his stance clear. ¡°We¡¯re just friends. I¡¯m gay.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t a problem. All you have to do is try it with me.¡± She smoothed her hands down her body and jutted out her chest. Not for the first time, Zach wondered if gods were real. He imagined them looking down and using humans as their personal form of entertainment. If they tuned into his life, they would be in for a treat. He¡¯d managed to stumble into a delusional variety show. Between Rain and Cassidy, they were two for two. ¡°He¡¯s gay. Your breast could be perky enough to prop up the moon, and he still wouldn¡¯t be interested.¡± Ron marched to Liam. Grabbing his collar, he yanked down until their lips met. Their relationship might be on and off, but that didn¡¯t mean he would let anyone steal his man. Liam¡¯s hands flailed to the side before settling on Ron¡¯s hips. It was rare for Ron to approach him first. He was the one who took the initiative to chase down his lover. ¡°Argh!¡± Zach lifted his hand to cover his ears. Her lungs were powerful. Cassidy stood huffing. She didn¡¯t seem to know what to do with herself. Her arms lifted and flopped back to her side. Nina sat stunned. She didn¡¯t seem to know what to do. It was clear she mirrored and idolized her sister. I¡¯m going to have to ask you to leave.¡± Theo decided to step in and end this before it escalated. He¡¯d let the sisterly comedic duo continue because it put Zach in a better mood, but if he let it go on any longer it would be counterproductive. He stopped dead as Cassady held up a hand in his face. ¡°I¡¯m not done here. Do you know who I am? Do you know who my father is?¡± She stamped her foot. Theo crossed his arms and tapped his foot against the floor. Was she expecting an answer? Liam had his tongue down Ron¡¯s throat. It was clear neither of them would be coming up for air any time soon. ¡°Do you know who I am? Who my father is?¡± Zach asked. He enjoyed the way the sister''s eyes bugged out. ¡°Just kidding.¡± His eyes strayed to Nina. He didn¡¯t feel as much as he thought he would. It hurt, he was disappointed, but he wasn¡¯t as restrained by the past as he thought he would be. Since he¡¯d loved an imaginary person, a fictitious character. He would keep loving her. The perfect woman who shared his life. What he didn¡¯t need was the actor who was no longer in character. She could be discarded. It was at this moment he realized that he didn¡¯t come here for Liam. His end goal was always Nina. The masochist in him wanted to confirm the information he¡¯d received. The hopeful idiot wanted to be proven wrong. This outcome wasn¡¯t bad or good. It was something that happened. He would go back to where he should be. Eating meals with Tynan, having fun and exploring his new chance at happiness. He would tackle the problem of his family from behind his computer. The place he should have started from in the first place. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°I¡¯m heading out first.¡± Zach tapped Theo on the shoulder. He didn''t bother to acknowledge the Paige sisters and Ron was too distracted to care. ¡°You¡¯re going to leave me to deal with this.¡± Theo didn¡¯t take his eyes off Cassidy. She looked ready to kill someone. He wouldn¡¯t put it past her since she appeared to be the type that let her emotions run the show. ¡°I have a good recipe for getting blood out of the carpet.¡± A hand shot out and grabbed his arms. ¡°If you leave, I¡¯m telling Tynan about her.¡± Theo pointed at Nina, who was trying to calm her sister down. Her eyes darted between Ron and Liam to Theo and Zach. She was smarter than her sister. They were outnumbered, and the men around them didn¡¯t view them in a friendly way. ¡°No. It¡¯s going to be a perfect wedding. Perfect children.¡± Zach was about to shake Theo off when something unsettling crossed his mind. He squinted his eyes and focused on Cassady. ¡°Why?¡± His voice wasn¡¯t loud, and only Theo heard. ¡°What?¡± He turned to observe the situation more. Cassady was desperate. She looked as though her whole world was ending. ¡°Why is she insisting on Liam?¡± ¡°Cause she is crazy?¡± Theo said. He didn¡¯t see where Zach was going with this. Was she crazy, or did someone make her crazy? It wasn¡¯t unusual in these circles for political and business marriages to happen. It wasn¡¯t as common now, but engagements used to happen from the children were young. The girl would be groomed with stories of their husbands and the life they would have together. ¡°Is the Paige family subsidiary to the Castor family?¡± Zach asked. Cassady didn¡¯t acknowledge him, but Nina turned a scornful gaze in his direction. ¡°Don¡¯t be insulting. We are cousins related by marriage.¡± Her words made the picture in his mind clear, and something clicked. As dirty as they viewed him, he was still a direct descendant of the Castor bloodline. For Nina, it probably always was about having children for him. As a bonus, he was able to give her a life of luxury that she might not have enjoyed otherwise. It also explained why she didn¡¯t mind having his children and why she influenced them to be biased against him. He supposed he should be grateful they let him live that long. Nina could have chosen to kill him at several points. ¡°I see.¡± Theo picked up on it. ¡°Those types of things happen often, though it isn¡¯t spoken about or acknowledged. They don¡¯t want to use their daughters, so orphans or illegitimate children are chosen.¡± ¡°The worst part is they think they are special. They don¡¯t know they are cattle who will be sold to the highest bidder.¡± Zach digested this new information. After processing the repercussions, he concluded that he didn¡¯t care. He wasn¡¯t a good person to begin with. Innocent or guilty, they would be punished. She shouldn¡¯t have brought his mom into this. ¡°The younger one is more aware of the situation than the older one.¡± Theo tried to find the hidden meaning and connections between the Castor family, wanting a connection with the Grangers. ¡°What industry is the Castor family involved in?¡± Zach didn¡¯t know much about V country. It was a twelve-hour flight to reach there, and they were known for their cheese. That¡¯s all he knew. ¡°Don¡¯t know. But the Grangers are a military and political family.¡± Theo didn¡¯t know much about the structure of the social circle in V Country. He had actors that went on location to film movies there, but he¡¯d never been there. Zach scoured his memory before landing on something that was either far-fetched or horrifically accurate. ¡°I need to go.¡± This wasn¡¯t something he could sort out by himself. He needed to do some research and then consult with Tynan. He looked at Ron, who died in a terrorist attack. Ron whose entire family was murdered by a bomb placed in a hotel. The hotel that was hosting several world leaders and politicians. The Castor family better be squeaky clean. Even as he had the thought, he had the sinking feeling that his assumption was correct. He couldn¡¯t help cursing. The timing of this was the worst. Tynan was dealing with his uncle. Brad hovered in the background like a specter. Now, this. He needed to brainstorm a way to mitigate or redirect some of the conflicts. It didn¡¯t have to be a permanent solution. It just needed to make sure they weren¡¯t swamped with this all at once. ¡°You had the same look yesterday. When you heard Nina¡¯s name.¡± Theo observed Zach. The younger man looked like he was kicked in the solar plexus and had all the wind knocked out of him. It was nice and difficult to be around people who were too observant. They made some of the best companions, but on the flip side, they noticed everything. ¡°I have to run it by Tynan first.¡± He would never tell Theo about his past. It was enough if Tynan knew and understood. He would find a suitable excuse to tell Theo if the need arose. It probably wasn¡¯t. They were both the same type. Getting back to him later meant that it was unlikely to happen at all. ¡°Stay safe.¡± Theo waded into the shit show that was happening in his house. Cassady was pounding on Liam¡¯s back while screeching in hopes of getting Liam¡¯s attention. It wasn¡¯t working because Liam was doing his best to climb down Ron¡¯s throat and burrow into his belly. Theo never understood why they dance around each other. They were both crazy about one another. It came down to freedom for Ron and control for Liam. It rankled Theo since all he ever wanted was for Cain to be happy. He would prefer if that happiness was with him. If he was given a chance, he wouldn¡¯t waste a second. ¡°Cass. It¡¯s not going to work.¡± Nina was embarrassed about her sister''s behavior. She hadn¡¯t known what was happening, but it was clear that her sister wasn¡¯t in her right mind at the moment. She¡¯d always looked up to Cassady. Her older sister was calm, sophisticated, and educated. None of those characteristics were currently on display. Nina knew that her family was worried about securing the Granger family''s support on some matter. She¡¯d eavesdropped on the conversation and wasn¡¯t able to ask for clarification. Their father would be upset when he learned that the marriage wasn¡¯t going to happen. It was hard to tell how the main family would react. Then to add insult to injury, this fiasco was witnessed by the child that the Castor family abandoned. Nina dreaded being the person who had to carry all this information back to V Country. She was the one who would have to clean up the backlash. Nina channeled that frustration. She lifted her hand and brought it down hard across her sister''s face. Desperate times need an extreme solution. Chapter 28 ¡°Did you hit me?¡± Cassidy rounded on her sister, her eyes wide. Nina didn¡¯t like the way Cassidy was looking at her. She¡¯d seen that look in her sister¡¯s eyes before. Usually, when she was planning on retaliating against someone she thought had wronged her. She¡¯d been witness to her sister¡¯s petty actions and knew they didn¡¯t need solid justification. ¡°This isn¡¯t the time or place.¡± She whispered. Her eyes darted to the other occupants of the room. Even if they didn¡¯t have the same social standing as the Granger family, they were Liam¡¯s friends. How could her sister carelessly behave like a shrew in front of someone she wanted to marry? If he had even an incline of goodwill towards Cassidy that she could exploit, it would be gone now. ¡°What could be more important than this? My marriage is the highest priority, and I demand it be perfect. You wouldn''t understand because your finance has always been that creature.¡± Zach raised an eyebrow at the red nail that was pointing at him for the second time today. This time, something even more startling was coming out of her mouth. Nina wanted to slap her sister again. Better yet, she wanted to tap Cassidy¡¯s mouth shut. How could she say that? This was another thing they were going to have to report to the head of the family. Her attitude towards him was bad previously because she felt resentful of the fact that they were paired together. Zach had no money, no standing, and no career prospects. The last update she got said he¡¯d dropped out of school and disappeared. She was surprised to learn he was in Lor City clinging on to Tynan Blackburn. He was willing to sell himself to a man. How could someone that inferior become her husband? Nina was disgusted, but not worried. Tynan was famous for changing partners frequently, and since Zach could be bought, she only had to dangle the wealth and prestige of the Castor family for him to agree to marry her. She was smarter and prettier than her sister, but her fate had been sealed from the moment she was born. Someone would need to approach the mistake of Lance Castor and contain him so that he wasn¡¯t a problem for the Castor family. The Mallory family had abandoned their daughter to ensure their survival, but they were always looking for a chance to retaliate and regain their footing in V Country. If Lisa Mallory¡¯s son was outstanding and the Castor family couldn¡¯t control him, he would be a big threat. Nina grabbed her sister''s arm, squeezing it. Contrary to what she wanted, her sister didn''t sober up. ¡°Will you stop that? Our families are already in talks about the engagement, and I don¡¯t want my fiance to be seen galivanting around with a man. You can endure through that.¡± Cassidy brushed the hand that was restraining her off. Zach didn¡¯t know why they kept pulling him into this. He was minding his own business. Ron and Liam finally managed to figure out how to get their tongues back into their own mouths. ¡°You''re still here?¡± Ron couldn¡¯t understand this woman. She nagged and hit at them as though she were entitled to something. Nina spun her sister around and slapped her harder. ¡°This isn¡¯t V Country.¡± Her sister had gotten too used to swaggering around with the name of the Castor family behind her. She seemed to have forgotten that her last name was Paige. The Castor family also wasn¡¯t forgiving enough to accommodate a woman who¡¯d lost her value. Isn¡¯t that why they forced their son to divorce his wife and abandon his child? ¡°You better stop hitting me. Even if you''re my sister, I won''t let it go.¡± Nina scoffed at the threat. She wasn¡¯t valued by the family because she was to be married to Zach. Cassidy, on the other hand, was always slated to marry someone influential. Cassidy had lost her value. Nina was curious to see if her sister would still be arrogant when she saw the true face of the family. ¡°You are going to explain this to dad.¡± It took a single glance around the room to notice that the eyes watching them seemed amused more than anything else. Nina gritted her teeth as she realized she was reduced to a joke. Her eyes were drawn to Zach. He didn¡¯t appear out of place in Theo Graham¡¯s study. The men didn¡¯t treat him like Tynan¡¯s new toy. They respected his opinion, and on occasion deferred to him. Nina realized she¡¯d made a snap judgment using only the biased information she received from Liam. She¡¯d heard negative things about him all her life but did those people know him well enough to give accurate information. They wouldn¡¯t even be able to speak in his presence. The Castor family¡¯s intelligence was wrong or lacking. Zach Mallory was already a threat, and they learned about it too late. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± She tugged at Cassidy. Why couldn¡¯t her sister feel the cold gazes sizing them up? Why couldn¡¯t she see the laughter and scorn in their eyes? Nina wanted to get out of there before Tynan Blackburn showed up. If Zach wasn¡¯t a toy and they were in a serious relationship? She shuddered, her mind refusing to process the implications. The Blackburn family was in a league on its own. The Castor family didn¡¯t have the history or resources to match it. The family had been in decline, and there were constant disputes about inheritance, but that all ended when Tynan took over. And it was a hostile takeover. He shoe-horned his father out of his position of CEO and chairman of the board. The only person in the family still trying to fight for control was Julius Blackburn, and he hadn¡¯t made any headway. He was being restrained by his nephew. Nina didn¡¯t want Tynan targeting her. Cassidy and her big mouth might have gotten them both in trouble. She didn¡¯t doubt that the Castor family would abandon the Paige family if the Blackburn''s requested it. Cassidy shook Nina off. She couldn¡¯t understand why her sister was behaving like this. She wasn¡¯t demonstrating the pride that a descendant of the Castor family should have. The stench of fear and mediocrity coming off of her was unpleasant. However, considering who she would have to marry, it was hard to expect more of her. Yes, that was the woman he remembered. Zach could see the cunning light flash through Nina¡¯s eyes as she puzzled through the situation. His wife was an excellent partner who¡¯d aided him in his business and managed their social life to perfection. He¡¯d thought she hadn¡¯t developed those skills when he met her. She was only seventeen, but it was likely that she¡¯d already formed a judgment of him and didn¡¯t think he was worth the effort to be cordial to. If he was a toy Tynan was keeping, then Theo and Liam¡¯s attitude would also be one of contempt, and she wouldn¡¯t have been seen as being in the wrong for her behavior. She wasn¡¯t as sharp as she was in the past, but that could be due to inexperience. Zach would have been fond of her if he¡¯d learned of her poisonous personality in the past. It matched the ¡®him¡¯ right now perfectly. If she hadn¡¯t watched his death and probably contributed to it, then chances are he would have chosen her again. ¡°I knew I shouldn¡¯t have let you come by yourself.¡± Tynan didn¡¯t like the sparkly look in Zach¡¯s eyes. His lover''s head lolled to the side, and their eyes met as Zach looked over his shoulder. A light smile played on the young man¡¯s lips. He looked more devilish than usual. ¡°Is the company alright?¡± Zach no longer paid attention to the comedic duo. ¡°You spend more time running to my side than doing work in the office.¡± Tynan stalked towards him. Zach accommodated his lover as he was pulled into a rough hug. ¡°How should I punish you?¡± Tynan felt his teeth itch. Zach''s gaze as he looked at his ex-wife¡­, whatever the fuck she was, made Tynan want to wring her neck. Zach¡¯s gaze didn¡¯t contain love or hate. It was an amused curiosity. Zach didn¡¯t know how to comfort his vinegar jar. He was curious about her, but that didn¡¯t mean he¡¯d forgiven her or wasn¡¯t going to deal with her. ¡°I didn¡¯t know they¡¯d be here.¡± Tynan took in Cassidy, who railed at Ron and Liam. Her cheeks were as red as the nail polish on her fingers. Nina tried to drag her sister out of the room. She kept glancing at the occupants of the room, getting more anxious as time went on. She was smart. If she was his friend, that was a good thing. As an enemy, he had to clip her wings before she became a threat. ¡°Turns out she was always supposed to marry me.¡± Zach was successful, but he never achieved as much as he thought he could. Opportunities would fall through, or the timing would be bad. It seemed like a coincidence, but when you added in a shadowy family following your every move, it took on a different look. His mother probably didn¡¯t want him to waste his life battling the Castor family, or she genuinely thought they wouldn¡¯t target him. ¡°Are you pacifying me or making me angrier?¡± Tynan was conflicted. He hated that Zach experienced death and suffering, but he was also aware that if Zach didn¡¯t have those experiences, they wouldn¡¯t have met. Zach rolled his eyes. He didn¡¯t have to be a mind reader to know what Tynan was thinking, but there was nothing he could do. Time was the best way to assuage both of their insecurities. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who or what she was supposed to be. You won¡¯t be with anyone but me.¡± It was time the world started to realize what Zach''s position in his life was going to be. ¡°Do you think the Castor family will try to bring me back into the family?¡± He felt a shiver down his spine. No, they wouldn¡¯t be that shameless. Tynan¡¯s gut clenched. They would do it. For the Zach, who was his partner, they wouldn''t care too much, but Zach the computer and investment genius. They would want that man as part of the family. Zach balled the thought up and threw it out of his mind. ¡°Are you heading back to work?¡± He was done here. Theo could clean up the mess. ¡°The next pow wow we are having at your house.¡± Theo noticed that they planned to leave the mess for him to clean up. Cassidy decided to calm down at last. She didn¡¯t seem fazed about her uncivilized display or lack of manners. If there was one good thing to come out of the day, Ron and Liam were at least talking to each other. Theo knew that Cain was worried about his brother. Even though there was a bit of estrangement in the family. They didn¡¯t understand what Cain wanted to do for a living, and they were shocked when he rebelled against the path that the family laid out for him. ¡°Not a chance.¡± Tynan didn¡¯t want people intruding on his and Zach''s life. It was already an unwelcome surprise when Rain showed up on the first day Zach was in Lor City. ¡°Let¡¯s see if you turn me away at the door when I show up,¡± Theo said the words to Tynan¡¯s back as he beat a hasty retreat with Zach under his arm. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare.¡± Tynan knew he was wasting his breath. He wanted to bash the cheeky smile off Theo¡¯s face. Zach made a mental note to inform Mrs. Brown that they might be getting some uninvited guests at the house in the future. They should meet at the Golden Pixie like they used to. Why were they intruding on his honeymoon phase? Thankfully, they will be going to Jell City soon.