"...She likes him." Jade pulls a petal from another rose, "She likes him not." Another drops to the floor of the car. I try not to groan, sitting in the front seat and munching on fries. She exhaled, and soon, there was a lone petal before my face. "Still don't wanna tell us how you caught the queen's eye?" We were parked in front of El Refugio, a club allowed only on invite, on the watch for the man who’d "mugged" me. Only once we got here did I realize I could’ve told her I hadn’t seen his face because it was dark. The guilt weighed on me as I stuffed more fries into my mouth, stealing a glance at the rearview mirror and seeing Jade’s eager expression. They didn’t need to be here—I’d lied and here they were, being involved, just to keep me close and not leave me alone with my thoughts. I forced myself to look at the petal in her hand and scowled, “I told you she’s just a caring person. She doesn’t want to be my girlfriend. Leo, say something.” When nothing came, I turned a
**MYLES** The room smelled of antiseptic mixed with the stomach-churning scent of open pill bottles scattered on the table beside the bed, the bed where she lay with the covers up to her neck. Thirteen hours, and Ma's fever still hasn't broken. I sat at the edge of the bed, staring at the wall, listening to the silence in the room. Yesterday, I’d walked in to find her half-slumped on the chair, midway through preparing for work, and since then, we've been like this. Quiet, with the weight of our last confrontation still hanging heavy between us. But even though I don't say anything, even though she doesn't talk to me, I stay. I felt her shift on the bed, her speech slower than usual. "I told you not to stay. I said I can handle myself, Carino." She looked at the clock on the table next to the medicine. "There's still time; you can make it. Don't you have practice?" I bit my cheek; she still didn't know that I had been kicked off the team. "That can wait." I forced a small smile.
To make matters worse, they’d found a seat dead center of the club—a spot where he didn’t even have to strain to watch me. I fixed my gaze on the ceiling, heart clenching every time I felt his eyes.Okay, someone really needed to ask this bastard what his problem was. Dressed in a fitted blue three-piece suit that practically screamed “danger,” he leaned back on the sofa next to Eros, nursing a half-filled glass, while his uncle worked the room. He was in his own world, or maybe just bored, his gaze drifting with a few half-hearted nods and handshakes.Yeah, yeah, I get it—how would I know all that if I wasn’t looking? Well, he’s in the middle of the room; where the hell else am I supposed to look?“Did you see Tristan and Eros?” Jade’s voice broke into my thoughts. “I mean, I knew he had pull, but wow, here too? Must be nice being rich.”I raised a brow at her.She rolled her eyes and gestured to the room. “That rich, smartass. That rich.” Her arms folded across her chest. “You think
**JADE**"Myles, are you okay?" I asked. He lifted his face from the kitchen sink, looked at me strangely, and nodded as he breathed, "Yeah. I'm just tired, that's all." I wasn’t stupid; I knew that wasn’t the case. It was instinct, the same way I knew there had been no mugger. That was an aggressive make-out mark. The reason his face had turned red when I touched it. But that bruise on his face—he’d been hit, and not by any mugger. "Give me a moment," he said as he walked around me, past the event where the audience had begun to clear out, and into the restroom. The crowd in the hall had started to thin. The ones remaining indulged in drunken revelry, the conversations louder than the music. But I was lost in thought, barely noticing any of it. What was wrong with Myles, really? Whatever it was... I walked out of the room, glaring at the figure emerging from the stairs. That had everything to do with it. Rage crawled up my chest. He caused it all. Myles had worked so
"I wasn’t myself."“Oh, come on, Astor, hold yourself accountable! You did it out of spite. Admit it!”“If you mean I was pissed, then yes! Anyone would be pissed if you gave their position away, darn it.”Silence. Then, “That’s the confession we needed. We’ll call you back after we’ve made a decision. You’re dismissed, Astor.”It was the next day, and I was still waiting for my name to be called as I sat in the cafeteria, skipping three classes in a row. My phone was switched off, unable to stand the endless ringing. The news had spread like wildfire. It was on everyone’s lips, and in no time, various versions of what had happened began to make rounds.“Yeah, the scholarship kid, the one with the shaved head? He was paid to steal the list, you know.”“He was always jealous of George. That must be why.”“I hate that I once pitied him when he was kicked off the team, but now it all makes sense.”Or the most popular one: “Being on a scholarship and such a vile human is insane.”They th
"...I don't really need you anymore." My eyes flew open, meeting the stark white ceiling above. Cold air chilled my bare upper body, bandaged and covered in medical stickers. I turned to my side, finding it empty except for a nurse asleep at the far end of the room. I swallowed hard. It was all in my head. He was all in my head. It stung that he wasn’t at school, yet he still ruled a corner of my mind, a part that wanted to crawl back to him and beg for the deal. But it was pointless now, with expulsion looming over me. I sighed, listening to the quiet—a fragile comfort keeping me together. But I felt someone nearby, this time real. I opened my eyes to see a second nurse. "You're awake." She pointed to the door. "Your friends want to see you. Feeling up to visitors?" My chest clenched, a different kind of pain than the one in my bones. How long had it been? They were still waiting outside? "I don't want to see them," I said. The nurse blinked, her brows furrowing. "Are you sur
JADEI slam the door shut, only to see him standing right in front of me. Eros takes a step closer, his expression stern. "I demand an apology."I blinked, glancing around for witnesses. Since that night I’d seen him at El Refugio, I understood he was no ordinary person. So I’d made it my goal to stay clear of him.But it was obvious we didn’t share the same goal.“Sorry,” I muttered. His eyes widened in surprise—probably at how easily he got it. I just wasn’t in the mood for anything. I wished I’d stayed home, anything to avoid hearing that Myles had been expelled. I felt hollow, like something essential had been ripped away. And breathing hurt. I didn’t even know you could hurt this much over someone who drove you up the wall as much as Myles did. But he was my best friend, the one who made me smile even when I wanted to strangle him. Being without him felt wrong, like a part of me had gone missing.“Jade,” Eros stopped me again, his hazel eyes softening. “I’m sorry about your fri
"...My sincerest apologies for how my actions might have hurt everyone." Tristan muttered into the mic, then turned to me. "Especially Myles..."The next day found us in the school hall, standing before a sea of students, their eyes sympathetic as they looked at him. They didn’t show this kind of pity for me. I’d gotten used to that.And Tristan played along, charisma oozing from him, hypnotizing. But I wasn’t fooled. I saw the glint in his eyes when he looked at me, the way he tilted his head, making it seem like he was adjusting his collar, or how he added a purr to his voice, his tone sending a shiver up my spine."We love you, Tristan!" someone screamed from the crowd."Thank you. Really, all of you," he replied, pausing for effect. Then he turned to me again. "Myles, if you can find it in your heart to forgive me, I promise..." His voice was smug, almost taunting. "Never to make you my plaything again."Applause broke out, the sound swinging in waves, echoing the confusion poundi
I dashed into the hospital, unsure where I was going, ignoring the nurses calling after me with warnings and Jake throwing them apologies as he hurried to get me."Calm down, Myles," he said after snatching me by the shoulders. "You won't find your mum if you lose control. Calm down."So I did, reining in my panic and following behind him as he led me past numerous white doors. According to what he told me, she’d collapsed on the terrace and was just fortunate he was passing by, so he’d taken her to the hospital.Collapsed. Mum never collapsed—she wouldn’t. Mum was strong, but maybe, just maybe, she’d been strong for too long.Five minutes later, I quietly turned a knob and silently walked into a ward, just in case she was asleep, but I was relieved to find her talking to a nurse.When she saw me, a tired smile broke across her lips, and despite my damn self, tears began to brush my lids.I stopped, staring down at her bed, scared that if I spoke, I’d break down completely—in front of
MYLES."...And he threw a tantrum. Can… you imagine that…" Natalie's voice trailed, her eyes darting hesitantly between Jade and Leo, then back at me.I shrugged."Uhh, are you two alright?"Obviously not, because at that question, Leo narrowed his gaze toward me, and Jade to Natalie. Did they get into a fight? Swallowing a mouthful of Coke, I glared. "You're dampening the table. What's going on?""Dampening the table?" Leo scoffed bitterly. "Jade looks quite happy, don’t you think?"I turned to Jade, whose gaze was just as fiery as Leo's. Muttering something unintelligible, she dropped her eyes to the table, pretending to study her fingers.Since middle school, when we became friends, Leo and Jade had never been so openly mad at each other. What exactly happened in the space of yesterday?Natalie gave a slow shrug, picked up her can of soft drink, and continued, “…so I told him I had someone I liked, so I didn’t want anything serious with anyone else, and he got mad.”Jade forced a l
**MYLES** I should’ve kept my mouth shut. Sticking my nose where it didn’t belong, trying to defend someone who, for all I knew, got himself into this mess to begin with. If there weren’t traces of him being a cold-hearted, manipulative jerk, maybe his uncle wouldn’t have singled him out of seven billion people on Earth. What did I care if he was being used? I glanced at the bathroom door, listening to the shower still running. It’d been almost an hour since he went in. Was he... I squared my shoulders and sank back against the sofa. The question was: *was he being used?* With how easily he got into people’s heads... I rolled up my sleeves, staring at the red dent around my wrist, and grimaced. *Fucking Asher.* If this wasn’t karma, I had no idea what was. In the shadows, he’d pinned me against the wall, his eyes fixed on the hickeys on my neck. Smirking, he’d said, “He’s a big fish. I don’t even blame you.” His face twisted into mock hurt as his grip on my wrist tightened.
We stayed in silence, eyes locked, and every time his hardened, I felt my rage soar. He got it all wrong. He thought—that I... and Tristan... He got it all fucking wrong.His eyes lit up—snarky, intrusive, amused—as he raised his glass, swirling the deep crimson liquid with a dark kind of menace. The silence grew heavier, and for just a flicker of a moment, I swore I saw something cross his face. Regret? No. That couldn’t be it.Or maybe the terror was finally making me lose my damn mind."You’re ruining everything I’ve built." His voice came soft, dangerous, a murmur threaded with warning, like he was talking more to himself than me. I froze."Tristan isn’t just anyone," Domenico continued, his eyes flicking up to mine, sharper than a knife. "He’s my sweat, my blood, and my empire."I stopped, narrowing my eyes.He said it like that meant something. Like Tristan wasn’t flesh and bone, wasn’t someone who laughed, who smirked, who... cared. No—Domenico didn’t see Tristan as a person at
TRISTANThroughout the ride to the Manor, Myles doesn’t look at me. His eyes stay fixed on the windshield, watching the lights spill onto his ashen face. His fingers tighten around the strap of his bag.The vans continued to follow behind us, their bright lights illuminating the road. Each time they beeped, Myles flinched.What was going through his mind? I wanted to know. If only I could read his eyes, but he didn’t spare me a glance.“Questions you want to ask?” I broke the silence as I parked in the center of the Manor's compound, questionable-looking men surrounding us, surrounding him. Waiting for us to get out.Myles finally looked at me, his eyes hard and accusing. “Something tells me I’m about to have them answered anyway.”It stung.I shut my eyes and exhaled. “You’ll be out of here in no time. He’s my uncle; he’s not going to hurt you.”But Myles, a bitter smile crossing his face, glanced around the compound and muttered, “Your uncle. Well,” his hand reached for the door, wh
EROSThe chase had stopped, ever since the night they spotted him scaling Jade's window. He hadn’t seen them again.Perhaps the Godfather decided Myles wasn’t worth the fuss now that he was no longer seeing his most priceless possession. But the real question was—would Tristan keep it that way?Eros had known the bastard since they were eleven, the grey-eyed boy whose gaze was just as soulless as the Boss’s—maybe worse. The only human who could make the Boss’s demeanor shift.They became friends, more out of necessity than connection, but as days passed and chaos surrounded Eros at every turn, he realized maybe the grey-eyed monster wasn’t so bad. Eros knew bad—his father, his stepbrother—but Tristan? Tristan had looked out for him.So, they became best friends. Even though Tristan was always one step away from plunging him into his grave, he had also always found a way to get him out of it.It was over, right? His father didn’t want him dead anymore, right? So why was he squatting by
‘Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep Beeeeeeeeeeeeeep…’ The sound grated against my nerves, cutting through the quiet of the afternoon. Standing at my window, I resisted the urge to grab my hockey stick and chuck it at the smug bastard below.Tristan sat casually in the driver’s seat of his sleek black car, his head tilted back like he had all the time in the world. He didn’t look impatient—no, that would require some level of normal human behavior. Instead, his gaze was locked on me, sharp and unyielding, as if daring me to ignore him.I cursed again, clutching the strap of my practice bag. He said four. Four! Not three, not three-thirty—four. And yet here he was, honking like a madman an hour early, as though time itself bent to his whims.I glanced at the clock again. 3:01.He’d been here for one minute and already made it feel like an eternity.Taking a deep breath, I swung the window open and leaned out. "Tristan, what the hell are you doing?"He grinned up at me, that infuriatingly perfect smi
JADE "What the hell is he doing?" Natalie sneered, her eyes—along with hundreds of others—fixed on the figure at the center of the school wielding a water pipe. "That's nudity! How do they allow it?" Leo cleared his throat loudly, flipping a page of his book. "Apparently, you're the only one not into him. Right, Myles?" Myles frowned at Leo. "What does that mean?" Leo said nothing, returning his gaze to the show before us. At the center of the school compound, watering the flowers lined along the walls, was Tristan. But somehow, it seemed the pipe had gone out of control, drenching the thin white shirt he wore. The material clung to his skin, leaving little to the imagination. From the second floor, we had a perfect view, close enough to make out every swell of his muscles—and by God, was this Greek god built. Girls oohed and ahhed, swooning each time he moved, each time he looked up squinting, and every damn time he "accidentally" flexed. But I saw it. None of this was a clums
**TRISTAN**After the brawl in my house days ago, I drove back to the condo, three pairs of eyes digging into my face, waiting for me to spill. I walked past them, striding to my room and turning in the key.In the darkness, I lay, watching the wall, my phone beside me, waiting for the call, yearning for the ring. His rage etched on his face replayed in my head. For an addict desperate for a taste of him, I really continued to fumble things up.He was going to call. He had to call.Two days later, he did. "Can you pick me up?"He didn’t need to ask twice. I just didn’t expect to see him there—in the parking lot of a hidden bar. Stopping right in front of him, Myles dove into the front seat, eyes pinned out of the windshield, hands still stuck in his pockets.Without another word, I drove down the road to the condo, waiting for his protest, but it never came. I kept the silence, my thoughts filling with questions I needed to ask.But it was as though Myles was hell-bent on making me su