All Chapters of Beneath The Mask: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Prince POVSuddenly, he leans forward, his lips meeting mine. For a moment, I forget everything. I forget who we are. I forget the consequences. And I kiss him back. My hand tangles in his hair as he groans into my mouth. His body presses me harder against the wall, his hips buck against mine, and I groan. Shit.“Ghost,” I growl, feeling my cock harden, but he only deepens the kiss, grinding against me harder.Forcing myself to take control, I push him back and step away from the wall, freeing myself from being caged in. We stand there, facing each other, our breathing ragged and heavy.“See? If you honestly felt nothing, that wouldn’t have happened. You fought Josie off harder than you did me.”He’s right, and I have nothing to argue with. There’s only one thing I can do now.“No one in our worlds is ready to accept that their heir—their future Boss—is gay and fuck

Ghost’s POVIt’s nothing new, the way my father acts. I know I’m the disappointment—not the perfect son or the right person. Hell, if he could throw me out and replace me with the perfect fucking Prince, he would.This shit is ridiculous. He complains, yet I’m the one following his orders. Taking their shipment? That was his idea. But the fallout? That lands squarely on me.Today was different, though. He did it in front of the De Lucas, like he wanted to make a spectacle of me. I want to go back to before—before I knew who Prince was, and before he knew me.I could’ve been normal. I could’ve forgotten this life that forces me to bury parts of myself that should never see the light. But now? I’m wondering why. Why am I hiding my darkest, deepest secrets when, let’s be honest, I’m already a disgrace? I may as well do something worthy of the title.“You two will need to start working together.” My father looks directly at me. “Many of our business deals will involve both families, so you

I arrive at the docks and step out of the car. I didn’t bring all my men—Ghost is supposed to show up with his own, and there’s no point in overcrowding the docks with guards. That would only draw the wrong kind of attention.Standing near the entrance, I give instructions to my men, making sure the critical areas of the docks are covered. Then, I head back to the entrance to wait for Ghost. He needs to get his men into position; otherwise, we’ll have weak spots.Glancing at my phone, I sigh. He’s cutting it close. Too close. I turn my gaze to the water and spot the shipment coming in.Where the hell are you?I send the text, my frustration growing as I watch them start unloading the shipment. Of course, Ghost isn’t here. Why the hell would I expect him to show up on time?The sound of shuffling feet behind me makes me turn, and I groan. “Not today. Nice try. Leave.” My glare locks on Deano, the second-in-command of the Calino crew.He chuckles, rolling the cigar between his fingers.

Prince POVAfter getting my shoulder patched up, I sit in the office, contemplating how to confront Ghost. He's the sort to run or refuse if he's told what to do which makes this entire thing even more complicated. Moving forward, we need to work together—that means respecting each other’s space and, more importantly, respecting each other enough to show up when needed.No more hiding away or making excuses.Taking out my phone, I type a message:We need to speak. We need to arrange getting the shipment back, and we’re doing it together.As I hit send, the door opens, and Josie walks in. Oh, for God’s sake—I can’t deal with this right now.“You got hurt,” she whispers, her eyes drifting to the bandage on my shoulder.“I’m fine. It’s nothing.” My tone comes out colder than I intend, and she stares at me. I sigh. “Sorry. I’m just stressed and have a lot to deal with.” It's not entirely a lie.She nods and perches on the desk in front of me. “Why did you defend him?”I frown. “Defend who

Ghost POVMy hands grip the wheel tightly as I pull out my phone and see messages from Prince.Meet me at the usual spot.My eyes flick to the clock. Shit. No.Don’t go there!I quickly type a reply, praying he listens. If he wants to talk, fine—but not tonight. Not there.My phone vibrates again, and I glance at the screen.We need to talk. I’ll sit there all fucking night if I have to. You keep screwing up, I took the fall for you, and now you’ve gone off on your own and made it worse.Is he joking? My anger flares as I hit the call button, the phone ringing in my ear. “Answer, you fucking prick!” I seethe, gripping the wheel tighter. He doesn’t answer. I curse and decide to head straight to the spot.The entire drive, I’m calling him. Over and over. Still nothing.Stopping just outside the trees, I leap out of the car and rush through the woods. He has to be here. I glance at my phone: 9:05. Hopefully, they’re fucking late.As I reach the spot, a sharp blow to the back of my head s