It was dusk. The road was deserted except for green bushes, trees, and some warehouses that seemed to have been dumped for over two decades.Walking down the deserted road were five thin and malnourished children dressed in haggard and torn clothing, with dirt sticking to their clothes, faces, and bodies. They seemed to haven't taken their bath for a few days.Despite the five children's tired and hungry expressions, they stuck together, their hands holding each other as they walked down the lonely road.Upon seeing a large ditch ahead, the five children decided to cross to the other side of the road to continue their walk with the hope of finding a house nearby, someone, or a car, but they knew it was hardly possible.This side of the country is a no-go zone for humans since it's rumored to be a dangerous place.Without bothering to look to the right or left, the tired children began to cross the road to the other side while panting weakly.They were in the middle of the road when a
“No place feels as beautiful as home; I didn't realize how much I missed here,” Sean uttered, his hands spread horizontally as he inhaled the air of Green State.Sean, David, Jude, Zenos, and Xavier have just alighted from their car and are making their way out of the car to inside the mansion.The bodyguards in the mansion kept bowing at them while giving the accompanying Xavier a subtle, curious look.“True.” David nodded with a smile on his face. “It's hard to fathom how much I've missed here already.” He concurred.Jude sighed and increased his striding pace. “I wondered if Michael is doing okay; we haven't heard from him throughout the journey.” He said, his voice laced with extreme worry.They didn't hear from Michael, since he never picked up his call or replied to their texts, and it made the three distressed. They can only hope that his trauma didn't act up during their absence.“It must be all because of that Xav,” Sean grunted and bit into a fresh and clean apple a bodyguar
"Wait!" Sean pointed at Xavier coldly and said, "We brought you here only for you to try to get our brother?" Sean retorted, glaring coldly at Xavier.Indifferently, Xavier bypassed Sean and stopped in front of Michael. "Brother-in-law, your brother has always been mine," he divulged, turning to stare at Michael with a naughty smirk on his face. "Right, wifey?"Although Xavier looks indifferent, only heaven knows how fast his heart is pounding against his chest by just staying in front of Michael. It was hard for him to control himself from holding the man or hugging him.Michael blinked and began to panic upon seeing Xavier. He never expected this surprise. Although he was the one who texted Xavier first, Xavier ignored him, making him believe that the man had probably moved on, but what he never expected was Xavier giving him such a surprise.Michael's heart was pounding against his chest; his knees weakened, and he suddenly felt thirsty.As if he were dreaming, he stretched his han
"Zenos, you're home?" Hayden, who had just woken up from sleep, asked with a pleasant laugh that drifted into Zenos' ears.Right at that moment, Zenos could finally fathom how much he missed seeing Hayden's face, hearing Hayden's voice, and everything about Hayden. His lips curled up slightly, and his blue eyes were filled with shiny light that could capture whoever stared into them at that moment. With happiness reflecting in his blue orb, Zenos opened his luggage to unpack it. "Yes," Zenos admitted, and right at that moment, Zenos paused.Right in his luggage, what welcomed Zenos were three paintings of him. His brows quirked in surprise, and he picked one of them up.Zenos knew Hayden must have been the one to place the painting in his luggage when he wasn't watching.Since Zenos wasn't the one to carry his luggage out of the suite, he didn't notice anything amiss.Carefully, Zenos placed the three paintings on his bed, intending to arrange them in his room after unpacking them.A
Xavier paced around the hotel room; his mind was running chaotically. Suddenly, he paused in his tracks, and his cold eyes were pinned on the shrinking Michael, who had almost plastered himself to the bed.Xavier's things were delivered to the hotel, and the embarrassed Michael refused to tell his house location, which brought them to the hotel."Now tell me why you left. You should have a sufficient reason to explain the sudden disappearance three years ago, shouldn't you? After all, I've given you sufficient time to prepare your mind. Xavier sneered. All his emotions were revealed now that the two were alone with each other."Three years. Three years, Michael. You left without thinking of us. Throughout the time we were together, I did all I could, and everything kept telling me we were doing well! Did you know how hard I prepared for our first anniversary? Did you know the surprises I planned only to discover you lied to me and ran away?" Xavier's voice boomed coldly in the room.M
Happy New Month, everyone! I'M SO SORRY FOR THE LACK OF UPDATE; THIS AUTHOR HAS BEEN SICK AND BUSY.(In case y'all are confused, the previous chapter had a flashback, which is the continuation of chapter 70, YOU CRASHED MY CAR.)"Are you playing with me?" A furious Michael's veins throbbed; his fists were clenched, which shows his irritation and annoyance for the man who wants to mess up his workload and peace of mind.Michael had the inkling that the blue-eyed devil was a wealthy man whose intention was to trouble Michael, or perhaps he was there for something Michael had yet to find out.Besides, all the signs this blue-eyed devil had displayed revealed that the blue-eyed devil was among those types of wealthy people Michael hated to the core. Those sorts of people who believed that money could do anything and purposely made others' lives a living hell!"Do you think I have the time?" The blue-eyed devil replied and leisurely sat up.Despite all his lazy and leisurely behavior, his
FLASHBACK CONTINUES.TWO MONTHS LATER."Yeah, Dad. I'm here. I'll be in the private room in a few minutes from now." Michael conveyed to his dad—his phone was placed next to his right ear. He took out his car keys and placed them in his pocket. He alighted from the car and locked the door after picking up his wallet and phone.Michael had just finished an emergency case when he received a call from his dad. Michael's dad had called Michael to inform him to meet him (M.D.) at Fantasy Restaurant.Due to the seemingly anxious voice of his dad, Michael had left the hospital without even taking a breather, not to mention changing his clothes, but still, that didn't make him look less handsome.Michael, in his official doctor suit, attracted a lot of ladies' attention, which he paid no mind to. As Michael elegantly made his way toward Country B Fantasy restaurant, a lot of ladies began to point and whisper with a blush on their faces.Michael smirked and waved at the girls before he casuall
(Thank you guys so much for sticking around. I may not say this frequently, but I'm really grateful that you stayed despite my scattered updates. Thank you. Enjoy. And yeah. Don't hesitate to read my new book. Ciao for now.) FLASHBACK CONTINUES Michael furrowed his brows. Was he mistaken, or did he just hear his father mention that he was engaged? Wait! How can that even be possible?Michael quickly brushed it off, thinking that his ears must have been playing a joke on him. That must be it! After all, Mr. Denzel had never planned Michael's life for him.Even when Michael ditched taking over the company to become a doctor after graduating from a top university with a record-breaking score as a business student, his father didn't let out any form of argument. How could it be that his dad would be the one to tell him that he was engaged?Mr. Denzel has always been such a father who only cares about his son's happiness above anything else, and that confirms that Michael's ears must be
Hayden's eyes flew wide open, and he made an attempt to stretch his body, but in the next second, tears slipped past his eyes, and he stared at the ceiling. Why does his hand ache so much? Ah! What's wrong with his body again? It’s really too much! Hayden slowly but achingly walked towards his phone. However, by the time Hayden checked his phone, he was completely shocked… Hayden could remember that he left his phone charging last night, but how come his phone is completely turned off right now? Not only was the charging socket off but his phone's battery was completely shut down. His phone battery isn't the type to drain for no reason! A wicked grin immediately crept onto Hayden's lips. Something is extremely fishy. Now, he doesn't believe that Zenos is truly innocent. Tonight, he'll change his plan. Let's see if Zenos will be able to hide again! Hayden smirked evilly, the plan on how to catch Zenos pervading his mind. He should have expected that his plan was childish in the b
Hayden drowsily stretched his arms and yawned leisurely. His hand flew towards his eyes, and he leisurely rubbed his eyes.His eyes flew wide open, and he evaluated himself. It seems falling asleep is the best health treatment. His arms and body feel so much better after sleeping.Hayden's finger landed on his lips, and he slowly stroked them. It's just that his lips don't seem to go with the flow and still remain the same from when he woke up in the morning.However, everything feels so great. Suddenly, Hayden paused, and his eyes shone with an enigmatic glint.The ointment seems to work despite Zeno teasing his chest.Hayden immediately became energetic, and he sat up while stretching actively. He could probably do some painting, or he could just tease Zenos too…Definitely teasing Zenos.Even though Zenos' expression shows innocence, Hayden doesn't fall for it, and he believes that his situation can only be none other than Zenos' handiwork. After all, who could step into the room i
Hayden's eyes flew wide open, and he leisurely yawned, “Ha… Ahh. Ahh. Ahh. It hurts.” Hayden's leisure yawns were immediately replaced with a pitiful cry and teary eyes. Hayden sucked in a cold breath and evaluated his aching body. He slept fine last night. Why does his whole body ache now? Especially his red dots, which felt as if they had been sucked sore. Ah! His hand feels so heavy too. This feeling feels like whenever he used his hand to help Zenos. Ahem. Hayden almost smacked himself. How could he have such naughty thoughts at such a serious time? “Ahhh!” Hayden let out a pitiful cry upon using his aching hand to mistakenly touch his stiff and sore red dots.This feels so unusual. Very unusual! And very painful. Immediately, Hayden's eyes landed on the bed. Did Zenos come in? Hayden took a glance at the door, and he immediately rejected the idea. Judging by how everything seemed fine the way he left it before he fell asleep, it could be seen that Zenos didn't step into t
Silence fell immediately, but in the next second, Zenos' broke into a peal of sarcastic laughter, cruelly poking into Xavier's wound. He fell silent in the next second and asked, “Why?” Xavier leaned forward and truthfully replied, his eyes filled with regret. “Dealing with business and failing to return for weeks.” Oh. Zenos fell silent, and his eyes fell on the beautiful city view, his expression deep and enigmatic and his thoughts unfathomable. "How?" A rueful smile appeared on Xavier's face, and he ran his hands through his hair. "On a business trip that was supposed to take three days, I ended up spending two weeks. Every day coaxing and promising to return the next day.” And when he finally arrived at the mansion a few hours ago, Xavier made his return a surprise. The man had eagerly kissed him, jumped on him, and attended to him well while acting clingy, leaving no trace of suspicion in Xavier's mind. Who knew that when Xavier was about to step into the room and hug the
Hayden puckered his lips and rolled around on the bed. He sighed heavily and tightly clutched the pillow. Hayden is certain that Zenos will feel bad for not being able to cuddle with him, right? Especially when Zenos thought about not being able to kiss and touch Hayden for three days. Zenos had always been touchy and couldn't do without kissing the boy, hugging him, etc. Hehe. Serves Zenos right! Suddenly, Hayden's eyes shone, and he giggled. Zenos, that person has always been strict when it comes to Hayden. Seeing Zenos nervous and the tide switching. Hayden inexplicably feels good, and his illusionary tail hangs high into the clouds. Serves Zenos right. Hmph. Zenos won't only be missing Hayden, but he won't be able to act touchy or bully him for three days! The more Hayden thought like this, the more eager he was to experience these three days. Hayden leisurely rubbed his eyes and yawned. He slipped into the bedcover and covered himself. Soon, his eyes shut, and he f
The sensor-activated range hood and air purifiers already began to operate after detecting the exuding smoke. Due to the fact that he had returned to the study, Zenos hadn't heard the timer finish its timer countdown, so the oven continued to work. Zenos pulled open the oven, and his expression changed upon seeing the Turducken's current state. The expected crispy brown turkey is now burnt and dark, its edges slightly blackened. A sense of dread hit Zenos immediately. The boy already warned Zenos not to mess things up, or else he'll be really infuriated. The boy's infuriated expression immediately appeared in Zenos' mind, and his heart sank. If the turkey skin is burnt, then the inside…Zenos grabbed a knife and sliced the turkey, clearly hoping that the damage was minimal. His expression slipped upon noticing that the turkey meat was dry around the edges, its moisture beginning to evaporate. The outer layer of the duck is overcooked and drier than it should be. However, th
The Heart product that the sweet tongue Hayden was completely obsessed with was a completely new product and brand Zenos created solely because of Hayden's sweet tongue. Months ago, when Zenos first presented the new product to the shareholders, the product idea was completely opposed by a lot of shareholders. After all, the company has always done something different, so why would their company stoop so low to do something risky and low like creating junk like chocolate, cookies, etc.? What if it doesn't sell? Regardless of the shareholders' disgruntlement and rejections, Zenos went on to launch the product with his resources. Even though Heart was just a product that was launched in less than one month with no advertisement made, it broke world record sales and became the nation's favorite and the most expected snack brand in the country in less than a month! By then, the shareholders who all went against it could only bite their fingers in regret. Seeing the huge profits that
"Zen, you can back out and let me bid.” Hayden smacked his lips together and raised his head to stare at Zenos seriously; his actions of helping Zenos fix the apron came to a pause.Hayden saying this… It's not that Hayden looked down on or underestimated Zenos' ability to make a turducken. After all, Zen is the best, and Zen is a multi-talented genius.It's just that Zenos has been busy dealing with company work since the past week, and Zenos doing this means that Zenos won't be able to complete the work he had to do during this time.This means that Zenos has extended his work, and the time Zenos is supposed to spend resting will be spent completing the work.Furthermore, judging by the details on the web and cooking recipes, Turducken requires focus and patience, which means that at the end of the day, Zenos will be tired.Zenos is already busy dealing with work, and Hayden has been trying to make Zenos rest; the thought of adding Turducken to all this chaos doesn't sit well with H
Hayden hummed rhythmically and shook his perky butt to the tune, his hands drawing and painting and his eyes fixated on the drawing.Suddenly, Hayden's phone alarm rang, interjecting Hayden's actions.Upon hearing the alarm sound, Hayden straightened his back, carefully took the painting, and hid it at the back of the shelf.Immediately, Hayden returned to the board and took out another paper. He began to doodle on the paper and resume his humming and shaking.Zenos silently opened the door and stepped into the gallery in order not to disturb someone. Upon seeing the enticing sight of Hayden shaking his butt while humming rhythmically, Zenos paused and gulped.Immediately, Zenos strode toward the boy and smacked his perky butt, albeit gently.Hayden's face flushed, and his ear turned red. He straightened his back and turned back to glare at Zenos fiercely. "What was that for?" He uttered with a harrumph.Zenos extended his hands and hugged Hayden from behind, his hands slowly massagin