Just as he clung desperately to the faintest glimmer of hope in the final moments, a sudden, crisp knock echoed from the door. The sound shattered the oppressive stillness of the room, sending Dean’s heart into a wild, pounding rhythm.He hurried toward the door, his steps urgent and almost frantic, driven by an uncontrollable need to confront whatever lay on the other side. A flicker of disbelief lingered in his mind—could it be the salvation he so desperately sought, waiting just beyond this threshold?As the door swung open, there stood Ted, his face adorned with that familiar nonchalant, almost indifferent expression. Dean’s eyes locked onto him, a nervous tension gripping his every muscle. He clung to the faintest thread of hope, his voice trembling ever so slightly as he spoke. “We don’t have to go to the party, right?” His question carried a fragile optimism as if the salvation he had been yearning for might finally arrive at this very moment, hanging on the next words to fall
Dean slowly opened his eyes, his mind clouded as if submerged in a dense fog. He looked around, realizing he was lying in an unfamiliar room. Unlike a hotel, the space was simple yet elegant, but more like a cozy bedroom in a private home. The wooden furniture carried a slightly aged feel, but it was well-kept and comfortable. A few landscape paintings on the walls added a touch of liveliness to the otherwise tranquil atmosphere. A faint scent of perfume lingered in the air, mixed with the heavier, more masculine scent of cologne. It made Dean feel uneasy, a strange sense of discomfort creeping through him. He blinked rapidly, struggling to clear his foggy mind and make sense of his surroundings. "Where am I?" Dean's voice was weak as he pushed himself up, his body trembling with the lingering effects of the drug, making his movements sluggish and uncoordinated. He tried to piece together the fragments of what had happened before—Shawn giving him that drink, the loss of consciousness
"Shut up!" Dean snarled, his body trembling with anger, but Ben's presence was like an impenetrable wall, holding him down with unyielding force.Ben sneered, cutting off any chance for Dean to retort. "You think these are just things of the past? Let me tell you... You're still that same little Dean who only knows how to 'lie down and obey‘, let me tell you the truth about what happened while you were unconscious," his voice dropped suddenly, filled with a provocative edge. "Why are you here? Why aren't you still asleep in the car, but instead brought to my room? Who do you think would willingly bring you here to me?"Dean's eyes widened, his breath quickening. "Shawn..." he struggled to force the name out, and in that moment, the trust he had felt shattered completely.Ben saw the expression on his face and grew even more smug. "My wife and kids are downstairs. The only way to keep them in the dark was to bring you here to me. Think about it—who could it be?" He slowly approached, t
Ben stood rooted to the spot, his gaze fixed on Dean, a mixture of probing and helplessness on his face. "You’re not going to jump, are you?" His lips curled into a slight smirk, but his tone dripped with mockery. "It’s a forest down there. You won’t die, but you’ll be broken. You think you can escape me like this?"Dean's knuckles turned white from gripping the knife, fully aware that he couldn't bring himself to jump, but he couldn't let Ben see his weakness. However, Ben's gaze grew more confident, a dangerous smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "Little Dean, you're not trying to hurt yourself. You're just trying to scare me, aren't you?"Dean's fingers tightened further, the edge of the knife pressing more forcefully against his throat. With a roar of pure anger, he shouted, "I said, get the hell away from me!"Ben finally raised his hands in mock surrender, his tone softening. "Alright, I'll step back. If you want to leave, I'll let you go. Just stop backing up toward the e
"Why are you here?" Dean managed to push Dr. Parker's hand away with the last of his strength, his voice hoarse and sharp. His eyes were filled with suspicion and confusion. "Why are you helping me?"Dr. Parker paused at the question, then let out a bitter smile. "Dean, they’re about to catch up. Do you really want to stay here and ask me questions?""Answer me!" Dean gritted his teeth, his voice trembling with anger. Everything that had happened today left him filled with distrust towards everyone. His mind echoed with Shawn's betrayal, Ben's threats, and the humiliation and despair he had just endured.Dr. Parker sighed; his voice steady but tinged with a hint of resignation. "Fine, I'll tell you. After I finished the report, I immediately handed it over to Mr. Hansley, but he didn’t look at it, and I was getting frantic. Then I heard that a good friend of mine was coming to this party tonight, and I had this terrible feeling, so I followed. As soon as I got here, I saw you being ca
Dean's mind was drawn into a whirlpool of memories. Chen's face appeared before him, that gentle and passionate man. He recalled the happiness and contentment he felt when he was with Chen, a pure connection so profound it nearly made him forget all his pain.His thoughts then shifted to Damon. Despite Damon’s domineering and forceful nature, there were those rare, tender moments when Dean couldn’t help but feel an extraordinary sense of peace and reassurance.Yet at that moment, an unexpected image invaded his mind—Shawn. The very person who had once plunged him into the depths of despair now appeared in his memories, pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead, his eyes carrying a faint trace of tenderness.“Why?” Dean murmured to himself; filled with confusion. He couldn’t understand why Shawn would surface in his thoughts at a moment like this, unbidden and inexplicable.The man in the car glanced at him, as if sensing his inner turmoil, but chose to remain silent. He simply carried on
This strange sensation began to erode the defenses within Dean, slowly weakening his resolve. His vision was taken away, and with it, his other senses grew acutely heightened, every touch, every breath, intensifying the experience. Each kiss seemed to magnify the sensation tenfold, sending jolts of electricity through his nerves, as though every touch was a spark igniting something within him.Dean struggled to remind himself not to be deceived by this feigned gentleness, trying to hold onto the walls he had built around himself, but as those nauseating memories were slowly replaced, his body seemed to relax, inch by inch, despite the resistance in his mind. He unconsciously let out a quiet gasp, then quickly bit his lip, attempting to suppress his reaction, struggling to regain control."Okay, this side's clean now." The man suddenly stopped, lifting his head to speak. He took hold of Dean's hand, guiding him to touch the spot where his lips had just been, he asked softly, "Feel it f
Dean snapped back to reality, only to realize that he hadn't been given a chance to respond. The man seized his arm with such strength that it effortlessly drew him closer, pulling him into his grasp and that hand showed no hesitation whatsoever, firmly holding him in place, began moving him up and down, to continue the previous intimacy.It was as though time itself came to a standstill in that moment. The air in the car thickened, and the rhythm of breathing grew frantic and disordered. Dean could feel every second tugging at the edges of his sanity. His body seemed to have lost all strength to resist, whether it was resisting the man before him or the growing desire within himself, he could no longer control either.The atmosphere inside the car seemed to have transformed entirely; everything outside had blurred into a haze, leaving only the man's hand in sharp focus, only the sound of his own breath, heavy and uneven, and only the overwhelming force of the collision, continuously
Sally sighed softly, as if speaking to a child who just didn’t understand. "My little Dean, that man was taken care of long ago by your four boyfriends, remember? The matter’s over, and yet you still want to dredge up the past?"Dean clenched his fists so tightly that the ropes around his wrists dug deeper into his skin, the pressure causing faint trickles of blood to surface."How can you... be so unreasonable?!" he spat, his voice strained with frustration.Sally’s smile grew even more pronounced, her expression now tinged with mockery. "Oh, dear brother, we’re in the underworld now. Unreasonable? That’s just how things are, isn't it?"Dean’s heart tightened painfully. He looked at the woman standing before him—once his closest ally, his sister—now standing firmly on the side of the enemy, speaking with such cold, merciless words."How did you become like this..." he muttered, the words heavy with disbelief and pain.But before he could even finish, he was interrupted by the mocking
He was silent for a few seconds, then finally pressed the answer button."Dean, you have to at least give me a chance to see you," Leo's voice came through the phone, tinged with frustration and a hint of urgency. "Just me. I’m coming alone."Dean knew Leo was different from the others. Leo had helped him before.After a brief hesitation, he spoke, "Twenty minutes. Meet me on the top floor."He hung up, leaned back in his chair, and exhaled deeply.Twenty minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Dean stood up to open it. Leo was standing there, looking anything but his usual carefree self. His face was uncharacteristically serious, even grim.Without a word, Leo walked straight to the liquor cabinet, poured himself a drink, and downed it in one go. Only then did he turn back to face Dean, his gaze a mixture of concern and something darker. "You really won’t give them any chance at all?"Dean leaned back on the sofa, his voice cold. "I don't want to."Leo sighed, setting his glass
He hadn’t taken it seriously at the time, but now, he never would have imagined that there would come a day when he would need such a place.The lobby manager was already waiting. As soon as he saw Dean, he immediately approached him with respectful professionalism. "Mr. Harrison, we've prepared a room for you on the top floor. You can check in at any time."Dean furrowed his brow, a hint of confusion in his expression. "How did you know I was coming?"The manager offered a polished smile. "Your friend, Leo, made the arrangements in advance. He said you might need a quiet place."Dean froze for a moment, an unexpected wave of emotion sweeping through him.Leo...That seemingly carefree, always acting nonchalant guy had taken the time to set up an escape plan for him?He had even gone so far as to ask the young lady to help and secure the quietest room on the top floor?Dean pressed his lips together, a mixture of emotions welling up inside him.He wasn’t without friends, after all.At
Among the four people he trusted the most, Shawn’s betrayal was the one he could never accept.Shawn had built his empire with his fists, carving a path through blood and corpses. And yet, he had always believed that, at the very least, Shawn was a man of honor.He was wrong.He couldn’t have been more wrong.The car rolled to a smooth stop in front of the Shark Gang’s headquarters. The gang members stationed at the entrance stepped aside the moment they saw him. No one tried to stop him—Ted had already given the order."Mr. Harrison." Someone greeted him with respectful deference.Dean didn’t respond immediately. He kept walking, his pace unwavering and his demeanor cold. The lobby was filled with whispers, the members of the Shark Gang pausing in their work to glance his way. No one dared to stop him, knowing that Ted had already made arrangements.As Dean strode through the building, his eyes briefly flickered over the gathered faces, cold and indifferent. It wasn’t long before Ted
Damon’s eyes instantly filled with panic.Unable to stand still any longer, he rushed toward Dean, and no matter how much Dean struggled, he held onto him tightly. "Dean! Please, listen to me—please, let me explain!""I don’t want to hear it!" Dean fought with every ounce of strength, his voice raw. "I don’t want to hear it! I’m nothing but a disposable pawn in your grand Dragon Gang plan!"Damon’s heart clenched violently. He had never felt so frantic in his life. "Dean, please! Calm down! Just listen to me—"Seizing the moment of Damon’s panic, Dean wrenched himself free from his grip and bolted toward the door of the office.He threw all his strength into yanking the door open, and there, just outside the elevator, he saw Leo standing, looking at him in confusion."Dean?"Dean’s gaze fell on the elevator as the doors slowly slid open. He turned back one last time to look at Damon, his eyes hollow with utter despair.He looked at Leo, his voice trembling. "Leo… If you consider me yo
He frowned, a sense of unease creeping up on him. It all felt a little too coincidental, like something was off, but he couldn't quite place it.Still, no matter what, he was always used to being alone. Shrugging off the nagging feeling, he let it go for now. Breakfast first.After breakfast, Dean went as usual to sort through the boxes that had been moved from Joe's villa. There were forty boxes in total, and he had already gone through most of them. The remaining ones seemed to hold little importance. Yet, he continued his meticulous search, knowing that even in these seemingly insignificant items, there might be a clue that could shed light on either Sally or Joe.However, today’s search felt different.When his eyes landed on a box in the corner of the room, he furrowed his brow.He had no memory of this box.It appeared older than the others, its surface covered in a thin layer of dust, as though it hadn't been touched in years. Stranger still, when he tried to move it, he found
Damon’s hand was the first to rest gently on his, his voice tender but tinged with worry. "Are you okay?"Chen gently supported his shoulder, carefully studying his face. "Do you feel any discomfort?"Shawn furrowed his brow, his gaze never leaving him. "Do you need me to call a doctor?"Greg’s expression was more somber than the others, a hint of restlessness in his voice as he sighed. "Why aren't you speaking? Does something hurt again?"Dean blinked, fully realizing that he had indeed returned.The words of the messenger from the afterlife echoed in his mind—he hadn’t been taken advantage of by Joe. Yet, even so, he still needed to hear it from these four, to hear the truth from them before he could truly find peace.He cleared his throat slowly, his voice hoarse. "I... was I... slept with?"The four of them froze almost simultaneously, their expressions varying, yet all betraying a mix of anger and concern.Damon tightened his grip on his hand, looking at him with unwavering deter
Dean held his breath, barely daring to hear the words that were about to follow.Joe slowly curved his lips into a smile, and with a soft exhale, he uttered two words that sent a chill through the air."Sleep with you."As his words hung in the air, Joe didn’t hesitate for a moment. He leaned down, capturing Dean’s lips with an intensity that left no room for escape.Joe’s kiss was ruthless and commanding, carrying the unmistakable weight of someone who expected complete control, without the slightest trace of tenderness. Dean tried to pull away, but he couldn’t even summon the strength to turn his head. The pressure from Joe’s presence was overwhelming. He fought desperately, but the lingering numbness from the shock earlier still gripped his body, leaving his limbs unresponsive. Every attempt at resistance only felt more futile than the last.Joe clearly showed no concern for Dean’s resistance; if anything, he seemed to take pleasure in the desperation of his prey. With one hand, he
Dean’s face drained of color in an instant, his pupils narrowing slightly. “What?” he breathed, his voice barely a whisper.Sally shrugged casually as if discussing something insignificant. “It was me who told everyone you were an easy target, which is why they liked bullying you.”It was as though the very foundation of Dean’s world crumbled at that moment.He stared at Sally, his eyes wide with shock, anger, and disbelief. He never could have imagined that the painful memories from his childhood and adolescence, the ones that haunted him, had all come from the very sister he had trusted most.He opened his mouth, but the words were trapped in his throat as if his very vocal cords had been scorched by fire. “Why…?”Sally’s laugh was sharp, dripping with sarcasm. “Why do you look so shocked? Fine, let me tell you,” she said with a lazy smile.She narrowed her eyes slightly, a malicious curve to her lips. “I did it all to make you angry, to push you into cutting ties with me.”Dean’s f