The infirmary was once again steeped in tension, the air heavy with unresolved conflict. Raja sat upright now, his body trembling from both the lingering pain of his injuries and the storm of emotions raging within him. It seemed like the injury had gotten the best of him, and his fragility made him blurt out his most hidden emotions that he had never imagined letting out unless he were to die. Tales stood a few feet away, his arms crossed, his face a mask of indifference.“You weren’t there,” Raja said again, his voice sharp but laced with exhaustion. “You left me all alone. You promised you’d come back.”Tales didn’t flinch by his remarks. His gaze was steady, cold, and void of any remorse. Raja don't know if it's because his body is battered from Father's torture but his chest tightened even more upon seeing Tales eyes."You said that you'd come back. You promised. But you're just like them, you abandoned me."Tales’ jaw tightened, but his face remained impassive. “I did what I had
The grand dining hall of the mansion was eerily quiet, the weight of the decision hanging over everyone present. Members of the organization sat around the massive table, their eyes nervously flickering toward Raja, who was at the head of the table with an air of authority that demanded silence. The glow of the chandelier above cast long shadows. Claren, sitting near Raja, gave Raja a cautious look, his brow furrowed. Tales lingered in the back, his posture relaxed, but his eyes sharp as ever, scanning the room, unreadable. 'This guy must be a freak. Holding a meeting when he's not healed yet.' Tales murmured in his mind. After the last of the silverware was cleared and the faint clinking of glasses settled into silence, Raja look at them and clasped his hands above the table. "I’ve decided," he began, his tone low but firm, "to sever ties with Father." Silence. The words hung in the air, thick with unspoken meaning. No one moved, no one spoke. The members of the organization s
'Why am I still here?' Tales thought bitterly, his gaze fixed on the flickering flames of the fire. The warmth should have been comforting, but it felt suffocating, like it was burning away the last of his defenses. He gripped the armrest of his chair, enough to make his knuckles white. 'I should leave. I should have left minutes ago. This isn't right!' He stole a glance at Raja, whose forehead rested against his shoulder. Tales could feel Raja’s uneven breaths, the tremor in his body as if holding himself together was becoming too much. 'This isn’t fair,' Tales thought, anger bubbling beneath his skin. Not at Raja—never at him—but at the universe, at himself. 'Why does he have to speak at me like that? Like I’m the only thing holding him together even though I’m the one who broke him?'The silence was deafening, broken only by the crackle of the fire. Tales clenched his fists, willing himself to say something, anything, but the words wouldn’t come. They were stucked in his throat,
'How do you even begin to tell someone the truth when it’s uglier than anything they’ve imagined?'Tales was scared. His past is nothing but an utter pit of agony and dirt. He couldn't even dare to remember it. Much less say it out loud, informing Raja. But here he is.Raja leaned forward slightly, his presence overwhelming even in his stillness. “Please,” he urged softly, his voice steady but thick with emotion. “I’m not going anywhere.”Tales’ lips parted, but no words came out. The room felt too small and the air too heavy. He wanted to run, to escape the unbearable pressure of Raja’s gaze, but his body betrayed him. He stayed rooted to the spot, unable to move.'He deserves the truth,' Tales thought bitterly. 'Even if it makes him hate me more than he already does. Even if he'll stare at me with scrutiny.'Tales leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his voice steady but tinged with bitterness as he began. “My life before this... it wasn’t much. My mother was a drunk. A
Raja’s grip tightened around him, his mind caught between the agony of knowing and the fury of what had been done. They hurt him. They broke him. And they’re still out there. Freely roaming around!Tales shifted, his fingers still gripping Raja’s shirt like a lifeline. “Raja…” his voice was weak, exhausted. “Shut it.”Raja’s jaw clenched, his breath heavy with barely contained rage. “Tell me their names, Tales,” he demanded, his voice low but seething. “Every single one of them.”Tales hesitated, his throat tightening. “It won’t change anything,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. Raja leaned forward, his hands gripping the sides of Tales’ face, forcing him to look at him. “It is not over,” he growled. “You think they get to just disappear into the world after what they did to you? After what they took from you?” His voice shook with fury. “No, Tales. It’s not over until they’ve paid for it.”Then, just as Raja opened his mouth to swear vengeance, Tales’ voice cut through the
The fire burned low, casting dancing shadows against the walls, but neither of them moved. The air between them was filled with heavy tension, charged with something neither of them wanted to name. Tales still hadn’t pulled away. Raja’s breath was restrictedly shallow, his heart pounding against his ribs. He had expected disgust, rejection—anything but this unbearable stillness, this heat between them that neither seemed willing to break. Tales’ fingers twitched where they rested on his lap. His lips were slightly parted, his breaths uneven. Raja swallowed hard. “Tales…” His voice was rough, strained, barely above a whisper. Tales lifted his gaze and met his intense stare, and that was all it took. Raja moved first, or maybe they moved at the same time. It didn’t matter. Their mouths crashed together in a desperate, clumsy kiss, full of anger, regret, and something deeper—something neither of them could name. Tales’ hands gripped Raja’s shoulders, not pushing away, not pulling c
Tales blushes because he felt really embarrassed. How come in just one thrust, he came? But what's even worse is the shocked look of Raja's face bathing with his cum."Raja, that's —"Raja immediately displayed his playful smirk. He licked the side of his lips with Tales cum. "All it takes is one thrust? How sensitive are you Tales?" He teased. Tales immediately cover his face in embarrassment. He couldn't look at the man infront of him. And what's more worse is the fact that it keeps on licking his load. "Stop licking that!" He squawk. "Why not?" Raja asking with his raised eyebrows. And after sometime chuckled by Tales reaction. "So this is what you taste. I can't say I am a fan but I like the way you taste.""Shut up!" Tales hissed that is almost a whisper. A desperate plea to make Raja stop teasing him. "Make me then."Tales pressed his lips. Why does he keep being playful? But look who's talking — looking at Raja who's drench in sweat is making him even more horny. Without fu
Raja let out a slow, calculated breath, his hand still resting on Tales’ waist. His voice, when he finally spoke again, was steady—but there was something sorrowful beneath it. Something painful.“I followed you,” he admitted, his grip tightening slightly. “After I found you in that café, I followed you.”Tales inhaled sharply, but he didn’t move.“I watched you leave, just… sipping your coffee like nothing had happened.” Raja’s tone was quiet, but the bitterness was unmistakable. “Like you didn’t spend years trapped in hell with me. Like you never made that promise.”His fingers twitched against Tales’ skin, his nails almost digging in. He's careful not to hurt Tales. “So I followed you. To your apartment. To your school. I watched you live your life—this peaceful life. You had friends. You laughed. You went out, went to class, walked around like you didn’t have a single goddamn worry in the world.”Tales can only close his eyes as he imagined Raja's statement and play it in his mind
Two Years LaterIt was early morning, the sun only just beginning to spill its gold over the horizon, casting soft light on the water that glistened like starlights. Gentle waves rolled onto the smooth, pale shore with a hush-hush rhythm, as though the ocean itself was content, no longer raging.The scent of freshly baked bread drifted through the open windows of the small kitchen. A warm, golden glow filled the room as the sun streamed through the window, catching on the various plants that hung from the rafters. The air smelled like saltwater and fresh herbs, mingling together creating a very fragrant smell.Tales stood at the kitchen counter, his hands moving expertly as he kneaded dough, humming under his breath. The simple rhythm of the task was grounding for him, a reminder of how far he’d come from the chaos that had once filled his life.Behind him, Raja was leaning against the doorframe, watching with a soft smile playing at the corners of his lips. His hair was ruffled becau
"I promise."Tales’ breath hitched, eyes searching Raja’s with raw desperation. His voice trembled, barely more than a whisper.It wasn't enough. He need more assurance. He needs to know that this is not just a dream.“Say that you love me.”Raja didn’t even pause. His answer came fast—like it had been sitting on the edge of his tongue for far too long. His eyes were shining from the faint street lights as he said those words.“I love you.”The air between them shifted—thick, electric, impossible to ignore. It feels like Tales' saw millions of stars in Raja's eyes. His heart beat fast and he can only clench his hands on Raja's chest before surged forward, clasping his hands on Raja's nape. This kiss wasn’t soft.It wasn’t hesitant.It was fire and hunger and every unspoken word finally released. Their mouths collided with much urgency, lips crashing together like they’d been starved—like they were desperate to claim, to prove, to feel. Hands tangled in hair, fingers fisted in clothes
"Are you out of your damn mind?!"Tales blinked because of the familiar voice. He rubbed his eyes to get a clear view of who it is and when he confirmed who it was, he immediately turned his face away. It's Raja!“Why are you... here…” Tales managed to rasp, his voice thick with the weight of everything unsaid, all the pain that had built up in his chest. "You should've just stayed hidden. You tormented me so much and now you appeared and act like a hero? If you don't love me anymore, then don't bother. Do you take me for a pushover?!"But even so... even if I am a pushover —I missed you.Raja’s gaze softened for just a second, but it was gone almost as quickly as it came. He shook his head, his voice dropping to a more dangerous tone. “You’re an idiot, you know that? You think drowning yourself in alcohol will bring me back? It won’t.”Tales stared at him, his breath coming in short gasps. His mind reeled, trying to process everything. Raja was here. Raja was standing in front of hi
Hah. Hah. Hah. Tales stopped running in the middle of the road as he put his two palms on his thighs. He was out of breath and his sweating buckets. His heart was pounding so much from running and the information he acquired. 'Oliver Ortega, even now, you're still hunting me and making me miserable.'Does Raja knew? Why? Why would he want me to know that Oliver is my father? When he could just bury it for the betterment of us. Even now, the taught of Raja's disappearance seems to bury the weight of the recent information he just acquire.Call... I should make a call—Oh.Tales crouch in frustration. He don't have a phone, and even if he had, be don't know Rajas personal number. Still, if he had, he could have ask his unanswered questions. Why hadn’t he called? He could’ve at least sent a message, some sign that he wasn’t lost to him forever. But he had vanished. Not just physically, but emotionally, disappearing without a trace, leaving him with nothing but the ache of abandonmen
Tales stand up and patted his pants before walking back inside the headquarters. He went into his room and find out that his belongings are still there. He clench his teeth. This hurts like hell. He may not want to admit it but Raja's disappearance leave a bitter taste. He packed his belongings but he stop midway when he heard that he's not alone. Who is it?Is it—It couldn't be him—The sound of footsteps echoed down the empty hallway of the headquarters. Tales immediately towards the terrace and looked down from above. His hand grips the rails tightly anticipating the person who's here but to his disappoinment it wasn't him but—“Tales?”He blinked, caught off guard by the familiar voice. Then his vision become clearer—“Ria?”She stood in the base of the staircase, a little out of breath, holding a paper bag in one hand and a curious look in her eyes. Her long black coat fluttered as she stepped inside. For a second, she didn’t move. Then she smiled.“Wow. You’re really here.”Ta
A Month Later.Tales had healed—physically, at least. The bruises had faded, the wounds had closed. He hadn't been discharged, he was just given pain meds and instructions to rest to avoid stress. But resting was impossible.Because Raja never came back.At first, Tales had understood. He told himself Raja was busy. That he was handling his men, making sure they had shelter, rebuilding what was lost.But a week turned into two. Then three. Then a full month.No visits.No calls.No messages.Tales tried to ignore it. Tried to pretend it didn’t hurt, that it didn’t eat away at him every time he glanced at his phone and saw nothing.But it did. It really did.He hated how much it affected him.How much Raja’s absence felt like a wound all on its own.Tales feels like waking up in the aftermath of a storm that only he remember—where the sky looks calm, but everything inside him is in ruins. It’s like carrying around a wave of silence in your chest, every breath echoing against his jumbl
The hospital was colder than Raja expected. Too white and too sterile. The scent of antiseptic seems to clung desperately to his skin, mixing with the dried blood in his body. He hadn’t moved from his spot beside the bed since the doctors had taken Tales in.He will not leave. Not until Tales opened his eyes.If Tales were to... No. That can't happen. It shouldn't happen or else he'll really follow him to hell.When he had first stormed into the emergency room, carrying Tales’ limp, bloody body in his arms, the entire hospital had gone silent as if the scene they're witnessing straight out of the movies. The nurses had frozen in place, their eyes widening as they took in his disheveled state."Get me a fucking doctor!" Raja had roared, his voice slicing through the silence like a blade."Sir—" one of them had started hesitantly."Put him into the bed. Now." One of the personnel that seems like a doctor shouted to gain the attention of the people who's in dazed and is hesitant to appro
Back to the present.The air smelled strongly of blood. It soaked the concrete of the building, pooling around the bodies of Jake’s men, their throats slit, skulls broken, guts spilling out onto the floor. Raja stood among the massacre with his chest heaving and sweat mixing with the splattered blood that coated his skin. His blade dripped, each drop of blood falling with a rhythmic pat against the ground.Jake on the other hand sighed after his long flashback of memories. He's irritated of why he remembered that now. He look at Raja who's attention is not on him but on Tales. “You really like him huh,” he mused, gazing towards Tales direction. “Didn't really know you like used products." He dissed.Raja flinches and his aura darkened, but after sometime, his facial expression is relax. "You can't get anything by saying such nonsense, Jake. You still have to die." He says while his focus was still on Tales. His body. His breathing even though it was shallow and faint. Too faint."Oh
Jake’s resentment festered like an untreated wound.For years, he swallowed the bitterness, forced himself to held his head high in front of Oliver, forced himself to play the loyal unambitious son, even as something in him curdled and rotted with every passing day.He should’ve given up. He should’ve accepted it. Raja became Oliver’s favorite. Raja became the chosen one. Raja was the one who mattered.But Jake wasn’t built to accept. He wasn’t built to be cast aside. He was trained for survival. So if Oliver didn’t see him as his son—Then Jake would make sure Oliver had nothing left to see at all. If he couldn’t be Oliver’s greatest creation, he would be his greatest failure.However, that alone wasn’t enough to burn Oliver’s empire to the ground. Being a disgrace would only give a little to no impact towards Oliver and the organization. No—Jake wanted to carve it apart, piece by piece, while Oliver was still alive to witness it crumble.And so, he planned.He started with Victor.