Ch. 121..130

Chapter 121

Zeno was standing behind Sebastian, listening to his conversation with his father.

"Sakura will be here tomorrow; you two can figure out the best approach for the project; her brother will be here; his arm is broken, but his ideas would be needed too. I expect the best from you, son," Mr. Orion tapped Sebastian’s shoulder.

"Let’s go, Sakura, a driver will bring you here tomorrow," Mr. Orion turned and walked away.

Sakura gently touched Sebastian’s arm, "I’ll see you tomorrow, Sebastian," She spoke quietly.

Sebastian stepped back, nodding at her, "Goodnight, Sakura," He replied.

Sakura smiled at him before she turned and followed Mr. Orion, she didn’t miss to send Zeno a meaningful look before she walked out of the house.

When Sebastian was sure they had left his home, he turned to look at Zeno behind him.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

Zeno nodded, "Yeah, you?"

Sebastian smiled, I’ll be after you tell me what my father asked of you," He held Zeno’s hand and led him out of the house.

"Where are we going?" Zeno questioned.

Sebastian remained quiet as she led Zeno to his carport.

"We’re going for a ride. We need to clear our heads," He said and opened the car door for Zeno.

"But it’s night," Zeno said.

Sebastian nodded, "Exactly, the best time to a ride; we need to let the bad aura they brought diffuse out of the house before we get back. Come on, get in," He gently tapped Zeno’s waist.

Zeno sighed and got into the car.

Sebastian shut Zeno’s door and walked around to get into the other side of the car.

Sebastian drove the car out of the compound and sped off into the road.

The windows were winded down, and the night’s air blew away their loaded thoughts, calming their minds.

They were quiet, the car drove through the busy city, and headed for a quieter road, the noise of the city slowly fading away as they drove toward nature.

"Woah, where is this?" Zeno asked as the car slowed down beside a quiet lake. Trees surrounded the whole place, and only a pole light was standing beside the lakeside, illuminating the still water while the moon tried its best to lighten up under the dim trees.

"A place I found...I used to come here when I wanted to clear my thoughts, especially after Georgia’s incident," Sebastian replied quietly, the back of his head resting against the chair.

"Oh... does this mean this place is a bad place for you?" Zeno asked.

Sebastian chuckled, "No, baby, it’s a good place, and I want to share it with you," He smiled at Zeno.

They got out of the car and walked toward the lake; they stopped under the tree that was beside the lake and lowered themselves onto the soft grass.

Sebastian held Zeno’s hand on top of his lap, slowly massaging his thumb into Zeno’s palm.

"Can I say something?" Sebastian asked.

Zeno nodded, "Mm,"

"I’ve always thought of doing it here with you, especially after the first time we did it," He informed.

Zeno turned his head to Sebastian and saw him smiling calmly. The out-of-the-blue information surprised him, and he couldn’t help but start to imagine what Sebastian had said.

"You’re thinking about it," Sebastian leaned closer to Zeno, kissing the side of his neck.

Zeno scoffed quietly, "You’re crazy, so is that why you brought us here?" He raised a brow at Sebastian.

"If it comes as a perk, I don’t mind," He placed a hand on Zeno’s thigh, sliding up between his legs.

"Be serious, babe. Listen to what I have to say first," He gently removed Sebastian’s hand from his thigh.

"Alright, but I want a happy ending tonight," Sebastian briefly touched Zeno’s lower lip before removing his hand and leaning against the tree.

Zeno sighed, shifted back, and copied Sebastian’s posture, "Remember when asked me to leave, and I told you I couldn’t?" He started.

Sebastian gave a small laugh as he recalled his first encounters with Zeno, he would have never believed it then if anyone told him that he’d end up loving the same guy he wanted out of his sight, the same guy he wanted to hurt just to spite his father.

"Yes, baby girl. You blatantly told me you couldn’t leave and proceeded to show me the contract you signed with my father," Sebastian replied.

"Yeah...well, being Ken’s Manny and your bodyguard wasn’t actually the main reason he hired me..." Zeno paused.

Sebastian was fully staring at Zeno’s face now; he was feeling anxious within, but he remained calm. He hoped that what he was about to hear was something he could stomach. He needed zero problems with Zeno at the moment.

"Go on, baby," He urged softly.

Zeno nodded, "He asked me to set you up with a woman, just like he did with Georgia... but I didn’t. You know that I didn’t..." He looked at Sebastian’s face, gauging his reaction.

Sebastian slowly nodded, "I know you didn’t, but how about Sakura? Are you not planning the same thing with her?" His voice was low.

Sebastian had the feeling that his father was trying to use Zeno to set him and Sakura up, but he didn’t believe that Zeno would key into the plan. When he saw the shocked expression on Zeno’s face, he was disappointed.

"You were planning to do it?" Sebastian asked slowly.

Zeno looked away from him. He didn’t expect Sebastian to know about it.

"Look at me, baby," He held Zeno’s chin and turned his face back to him.

"I just want to know one thing, did you agree to the plan?" Sebastian questioned.

"Sebastian, I never meant to do it, I thought -"

"Come on, baby, it’s a simple question, I just need to hear yes or no from you. Did you agree to do it?" He asked.

Zeno sighed; what was the use of hiding it anymore? He would just say it and get it over with, "Yes," He replied.

Sebastian muttered something and removed his hand from Zeno’s face. "Yet you say you love me," He shook his head in disappointment.

"I do, you know I do. And that was why I decided to tell you. I did agree to it at first, but I’m not going to do it," Zeno held Sebastian’s arm.

Sebastian shook his head, "And the time you said you had something to do with Ida and happened to run into Sakura...you didn’t just happen to run into her, right?" Sebastian asked, facing away from Zeno.

Zeno bit his lips; his throat suddenly felt dry; he knew Sebastian would definitely hurt from that one; he had even gone ahead to lie to him by telling him that he wasn’t expecting to meet Sakura and her brother that day, he had led so effortlessly and he was ashamed of his actions.

"I’m sorry, I didn’t know how to tell you then, I didn’t want to hurt you...I’m sorry, Sebastian," Zeno apologized.

Sebastian scoffed and turned his face back to Zeno, "But you did. You are hurting me right now. You chose to hurt me the moment you agreed to that stupid arrangement with my father," He accused.

Zeno shook his head, "I didn’t have a -"

"I can understand. I meant nothing to you at the beginning. But Sakura? We were fucking each other by then for fuck’s sake! Did my feelings never matter to you?! Or is this you telling me that you’re okay with me taking a wife and leaving what we have?" Sebastian’s voice was shaky as he spoke to Zeno, his eyes were moistening as he stared hard at Zeno.

Zeno shut his eyes for a few seconds; he opened them and locked them with Sebastian’s, the pole light reflected on Sebastian’s perfect skin, making him look attractive even as he was angry.

"Calm down, Sebastian. Yes, we were fucking by the time he proposed it to me, but you can’t blame me for agreeing to it. I know, I know I’m wrong, but I wasn’t entirely wrong. It’s just like you said, we were just fucking, nothing else to it, and you always told me I was getting ahead of myself whenever I tried to address our feelings, we weren’t practically in a relationship and even though I knew that I loved you, I wasn’t very sure of your feelings for me. I didn’t want to get ahead of myself and keep waiting for someone who would never feel the same way for me. I thought, maybe, doing it for you might actually bring you the happiness I couldn’t give you then, even though it’ll shatter me, I just wanted you to be happy," Zeno explained.

Sebastian chuckled darkly and shook his head, he slowly removed Zeno’s hand from his thigh and stood from the ground, walking closer to the lake.

Zeno watched Sebastian’s tall figure walk away from him and felt his heart break; this was what he feared: a rift.

He feared that Sebastian wouldn’t understand his point of view, and that was what was happening; Sebastian was failing to actually reason with him, but it was also understandable; he was hurt.

"Then why did you come?" Sebastian suddenly asked.

Zeno was quiet, not knowing what Sebastian was talking about.

"Why did you come to me that night? Why did you let me open myself to you? Why did you make me believe you were all in if you had in mind that we wouldn’t be the end game? Why did you come to me after agreeing to such an arrangement with my father, Zeno? Why?" Sebastian stared blankly into the lake.

"Am I a joke to you? Just for fun? Do you just want to see how it would be to break my heart? Perhaps this is your way of getting back at me for what I did to you in the past, then maybe I deserve it," He slowly shrugged.

Zeno stood and walked over to Sebastian, hugging him from behind. "Everything you said is wrong, Sebastian. I came to you because I love you; because I want us to be the end game, and because I can’t see myself with anyone else but you. Again, I was wrong, but I really didn’t have any choice; please don’t be like this; I don’t want this between us; I can’t live without you, Sebastian, you know it," his arms hugged Sebastian’s center tightly.

Sebastian drew in a sharp breath. He wanted to believe Zeno, but he wasn’t so sure anymore. He’d been betrayed before; how could he be sure that this wasn’t Zeno manipulating him to remain close to him, and, in the end, they would set him up just like they did with Georgia?

He couldn’t let himself be fooled twice, he sighed and gently removed Zeno’s hand from around him; he turned and looked at Zeno’s worried face, his heart hurting as he realized that he was irrevocably in love with him. But as they say, ’Love is blind,’ and maybe he’d been blinded by love.

He sidestepped Zeno and took two steps away from him before pausing, "You should have thought about everything you said before agreeing to do it, Zeno. I’m hurt; you hurt me; even after getting in a relationship with me, you still went on with the damn plan, tell me how I’m not supposed to be hurt," Sebastian scoffed.

Zeno went and blocked Sebastian’s part, "I said I’m sorry, Sebastian. I was wrong, okay? I’m sorry, just stop being this way, please," He went to hold Sebastian but he moved away.

"Stay the fuck away, Zeno, all it would cost you was to say a fucking no!" Sebastian glared at Zeno, his hurt was starting to get the better of him.

"I’m fucking sorry! It’s not like you can stand your ground with your father either!" He pointed out.

Zeno’s had it; he’d tried to really make Sebastian understand, but Sebastian wasn’t listening. He wasn’t even letting him tell him what was at stake if he didn’t go on with his father’s plan.

Sebastian narrowed his eyes at him, "What did you say?" He asked Zeno in a menacing tone, his face hardening.

Zeno didn’t speak again, he knew he had gone too far, "Babe, I’m sorry, I-"

"Quit it, Zeno," Sebastian muttered and walked away from Zeno, heading back to the car.

"Fuck it," Zeno muttered.

His fears were slowly creeping up on him, he was on his way to losing the man he loved so much.

 

 

Chapter 122

The car is parked in front of Ezra’s house, silence dominating the inside of it as Sebastian refuses to loom at Zeno.

Zeno had tried to speak to him when he entered the car, but Sebastian wouldn’t listen to him.

Zeno realized that Sebastian didn’t want him at that moment, so he decided to stay away. Maybe they’ve been by each other’s side for so long and have forgotten how to let the other breathe. Sebastian needed his space, and he would respect that.

He had asked Sebastian to drop him off at Ezra’s home; he couldn’t bear the silent treatment that he knew Sebastian was going to give him at home, so he’d just give him that space. They would talk when Sebastian had released some steam.

Zeno looked out and saw the building beside their car; he knew it was Ezra’s; if not, Sebastian wouldn’t have parked in front of it.

Zeno turned and looked at Sebastian, and he still had his face looking straight as if there was no one in the car with him.

"Goodnight..." Zeno wished him but still got no response.

He sighed, opened the door, and left the car.

Sebastian shit his eyes the moment Zeno left his car; his fingers were gripping the steering wheel so tightly that they turned pale.

He gritted his teeth and marched the pedal, speeding away from the front of Ezra’s house.

Zeno sighed when he heard the car drive away behind him. His heart wrenched, he felt abandoned, and his world was crumbling on him; he could not still process the fact that for the first time since they started dating, Sebastian was really angry at him and truly abandoned him in the house of another man.

He walked close to Ezra’s door and knocked, hoping he was home and not in the hospital.

Inside the house, Ezra was lying on the sofa when he heard a knock on his door; he was almost half-asleep, and the first thing that came to his mind when he heard it was the barcode sign.

Have they managed to trace Nicholas here? He didn’t have visitors because he was always at work, it was weird for him to have them, especially by that time of the night.

He picked up his eyeglasses from the table and fixed them on his face.

He looked at the clock and frowned; it was a few minutes past nine; who would want to visit him by that time?

He was about to ignore whoever it was and go into his study when a call came through on his phone.

He looked and saw that it was Zeno, he picked it up immediately, maybe they knew something about the people knocking on his door.

"Hello, Zeno, everything alright?" Ezra asked quietly.

"I’m knocking on your door..." Zeno informed.

Ezra paused, he frowned, unsure if he heard correctly. "What did you say, Zsno?" He asked slowly.

"I’m in front of your house, Doc," Zeno said more firmly this time.

Ezra couldn’t believe it, "Um, hang on, I’m coming right away," He replied and ended the call.

As he walked toward his door, he was still in doubt, but when he opened it and saw Zeno looking down at the floor, he knew he couldn’t be seeing things.

"Zeno?" He called cautiously.

Zeno looked up and bit his lips. He was suddenly feeling like hugging Ezra and letting his pent-up emotions go, but he didn’t; that would be awkward between them.

"Can I come in?" Zeno asked in a low voice.

Ezra blinked, "Yes, yes, of course, please," He pushed his glasses in place and stepped aside to let Zeno in.

Zeno walked into the house, his eyes immediately spotting the sofa. He instantly knew that that was where he’d be sleeping that night. Even if Ezra offered him a bed, he would refuse; a couch was just the best thing he needed at that moment; his mood matched the couch perfectly.

Ezra shut the door and went over to Zeno, who was already sitting on the sofa.

"Everything alright, Zeno?" Ezra asked, squatting in front of Zeno.

Zeno shook his head, "Can I just sleep here tonight? I don’t want to talk about it..." He replied.

Ezra sighed; he read Zeno’s face and realized that he looked on the brink of crying. He moved close and gently hugged Zeno, "It’s okay, Zeno. It’s going to be alright, whatever you have going on with Sebastian will be alright. Or I have a better idea for you," Ezra smirked at him.

Zeno looked up at him, "What?" He asked quietly.

"You can leave him, you have other options, like me...or Nicholas. But I’m advocating for myself. I’ll never make you sad, want to try?" Ezra teased.

Zeno chuckled, shook his head, and shifted away from Ezra, "I’ll stick with Sebastian...it’s not that serious, he just needs some time to think it over," He informed.

Ezra nodded and stood, "I knew I’d get rejected; that’s why I never bothered," He sighed, pretending to be sad.

Zeno smiled, "Thank you for taking me in, Doc; I’ll just sleep over here; I won’t be a bother," He said.

Ezra nodded, "I’m sorry, my guest room is in disorder, and as you know, Nick is in my room. I’ll just have to share the bed with him, or would you-"

"No, no, it’s fine; I still have an unsettled issue with him; you go share a bed with him; I’m fine here," Zeno replied.

"That’s what I thought...goodnight, Zeno," Ezra said and went over to his other sofa to pick up the pillow he had thrown over there.

He didn’t like using pillows while lying on a sofa, but he didn’t know about Zeno, so he gave it to him just in case he wanted to use it.

"Thank you," Zeno took the pillow from him and hugged it.

The pillow was going to be his companion for the night. He missed Sebastian, and he couldn’t help thinking about what he must be doing alone at that moment.

Was he missing him too? Or was he trying his best to get over him?

"Stop the thinking, Zeno. Get some rest, I’ll drive you back in the morning," Ezra gently touched Zeno’s shoulder.

Zeno nodded, "You can go, I’ll sleep soon," He said to Ezra.

"Alright," Ezra sighed and walked away.

As he reached his door, he took a deep breath, pushed the door open, and walked in.

The lights were turned off, but he didn’t bother turning it on. He could find his way to his bed.

It was better this way; asking Zeno to sleep on the same bed with Nicholas would be very wrong; he would be putting Nicholas in an uncomfortable position. He was still trying to come to terms with the fact that Zeno was dating Sebastian; it would be a torment for him to sleep in the same bed with Zeno.

However, Ezra believed that Nicholas didn’t have a problem sleeping on the same bed with him; he had tested that, and he knew that there was no possibility of any romantic relationship between them.

He quietly walked over to the side of the bed that he knew was empty and gently lowered himself to it.

He lifted the cover and got under it. He felt for his pillow, but he couldn’t find it. He lay on his side and stretched his hand over to the other side of the bed, searching for the pillow.

His hand collided with Nicholas’s thighs, and he instantly withdrew his hand.

He didn’t want to disturb someone who was sleeping, Nicholas would push him out of the bed if he dared to do so.

He brought his phone and used the light from his screen to search for the other pillow, and that’s when he saw it between Nicholas’ thighs.

He was hugging the pillow between his legs, sleeping soundly. Ezra knew that it would be hard to take it out without disturbing him.

He took a deep breath and moved closer to Nicholas, prying the bitter man didn’t wake up to catch him.

However, The moment he put his hands between Nicholas’ thighs, his hand was grabbed, and Nicholas’ eyes flew open, looking right at Ezra.

"What do you think you’re doing, Doc?" Nicholas asked, his voice hinting that he had been disturbed from sleep.

Ezra sighed and tried removing his hand, but Nicholas held him tighter.

"Answer me, Doc, are you trying to take advantage of me?" Nicholas lifted his upper body by placing his elbow on the bed.

"No. I just wanted to get my pillow. Pillow, not your dick, Nick. Chill, I just want to sleep too," Ezra replied and proceeded to draw the pillow out from Nicholas’ thighs.

"See? It’s just a pillow..." He raised the pillow to show Nicholas.

Nicholas blinked, "Why are you here...what happened to the couch?" He asked.

Ezra placed the pillow behind him as he answered, "Zeno’s lying there,"

"What?!" Nicholas asked in disbelief.

Ezra moved fast and placed a hand over Nicholas’ mouth, "Shh, don’t be so loud, you’ll disturb him," he whispered.

Nicholas removed Ezra’s hand and spoke in a lower tone, "Why? What is he doing here?"

Ezra smiled, "I don’t know, he didn’t say. Maybe he fought with his boyfriend," He said.

Nicholas scoffed, "Sebastian’s such a fool..." He mumbled.

"I know, hurting someone like Zeno, it’s a shame..." Ezra agreed.

Nicholas paused; he suddenly remembered that Ezra had asked him if he liked Zeno too, with emphasis on the "too." Does it mean he liked Zeno, too?

Could they just have liked the same person again, just like in college?

"Ezra?" Nicholas called quietly.

"Do you like...no, did you have feelings for Zeno?" He questioned.

Ezra shrugged, "Not anymore...how about you?"

Nicholas was quiet for a while, "I don’t know,"

"I’ll take that as a yes..." Ezra chuckled lowly.

"Leave me alone, Ezra, I’m going to speak to him," Nicholas said and turned away from Ezra.

Ezra wasted no time in drawing him back and pinned him down on the bed; he got above Nicholas and pinned his head above him.

"Are you that heartbroken that you’ve lost your mind?" Ezra asked with a frown.

Nicholas could barely make out Ezra’s face, "Get off-"

"Shh, be quiet, Nicholas..." Ezra raised his hand above Nicholas and turned on the bed lamp, the dim light illuminating their surroundings and allowing them to see each other’s faces clearly.

"Ezra...this is not funny," Nicholas said.

Ezra nodded, "It’s not meant to be funny...how about I help you get over Zeno? It’s not healthy, being stuck up on someone..." His face lowered onto Nicholas’ face, stopping when their nose bridge touched.

"What are you- mm..." Nicholas’s eyes widened, and his fists clenched above him.

Ezra had kissed him. A real kiss this time, he was fighting to come up with a reaction, push or pull, he didn’t know which one to do.

Ezra’s lips moved slowly against his, and he gasped the moment he felt Ezra’s tongue lick across his lips.

Ezra smiled and pulled away a little, "See? You liked it, didn’t you? There’s more from where that came from," He whispered.

Ezra wasn’t sure of what he was doing, but it felt good at that moment, so why not?

Nicholas was breathing hard, he stared up at Ezra and couldn’t believe what he said next, "Do it without your glasses...they were in the way," He whispered.

Ezra smirked, he released Nicholas’ wrists and whispered in his ears, "Do it yourself, Nicholas,"

 

Chapter 123

Nicholas sucked in a sharp breath, he knew he’d regret this, but he was doing it anyway.

He brought his hand to Ezra’s face and gently removed Ezra’s eyeglasses, dropping them beside them.

Ezra chuckled when he saw Nicholas blankly staring at his face, "I work with consent, Nicholas. You have to make the move, so I know I’m not the only one in this...we don’t want problems later, do we?" His fingers were already hooked inside Nicholas’ pants, tracing his waist.

"I...I want to have sex with you..." Nicholas said in a shaky voice.

"Good boy," Ezra smirked before he leaned his face down and captured Nicholas’ lips in a hard kiss.

This time, he kissed him with purpose; he knew what he was going for this time; he wasn’t testing the waters this time around.

However, Ezra’s hand was about to go inside Nicholas’ pants but he was stopped by Nicholas.

"Wait..." Nicholas placed a hand on Ezra’s chest.

Ezra paused, he removed his hand from Nicholas’ wait, holding himself up with his hands placed on each side of Nicholas’ head.

"Why?" Ezra asked gently.

Nicholas shook his head. "I can’t," He muttered.

Ezra sighed, "It’s just sex, Nicholas, don’t read-"

"I just can’t, Ezra, I’m not attracted to you, and I told you...I don’t fuck someone I don’t love," he pushed gently against Ezra’s chest.

Ezra gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and slowly nodded. "It was just sex, Nicholas, you didn’t have to be so dumb," He rolled off Nicholas and lay on his side of the bed.

"Fuck," Ezra used his pillow to place between his legs, hiding his arousal, what was he supposed to do with it now?

Nicholas noticed Ezra’s discomfort and was surprised. He never knew Ezra could react that much to him, but he did encourage him. He was really trying to see if he could forget Zeno as Ezra suggested, and maybe he would have gone ahead with it if Zeno wasn’t lying right outside their door.

He just thought it was weird doing it with the person he was trying to forget right outside their door.

Plus, he wasn’t really sure how he felt about Ezra’s approach. Was he turned on? Yes. Anyone would be turned on if they were kissed that way. But he couldn’t carry on with it. He still hated Ezra, his years-long feud couldn’t let him carry on with it.

He looked at Ezra and saw him lying with his face facing the ceiling, his arm blocking his eyes from the light.

His eyes caught Ezra’s eyeglasses beside him and picked it up.

"Here," He said to Ezra.

Ezra slowly removed his arm from his eyes and turned to see what Nicholas was giving to him. He saw his eyeglasses and quietly took them from him, but he also held Nicholas’ hand, staring into his eyes.

"What now?" Nicholas asked in a bored tone.

"Why? I need to have a reason. Don’t you think what you did was too cruel?" Ezra questioned, his voice hinting at a restrained hurt.

Nicholas slowly shook his head, "Don’t be funny, Doc. We hate each other; I have Zero feelings for you and don’t forget, we’re both tops," He reasoned.

"I can top you," Ezra replied immediately.

Nicholas scoffed, "Was the only thing you picked for all I said? I’ve told you before, I can’t bottom for you, even if we were attracted to each other, our positions wouldn’t allow us...stop this crazy discussion and go to sleep, Doc, stop being a headache," He drew his hand away from Nicholas.

"You know, you just made me dislike you more," Ezra spoke calmly.

"My pleasure, goodnight, Doc," Nicholas replied and turned away from Ezra.

Ezra released a deep breath; it was going to be a long night for him. Meanwhile, the person responsible for his condition was peacefully lying next to him, caring less about the condition he’d gotten him into.

Ezra was confused; it was just sex; why was Nicholas thinking too much about it? They would have been over with the damn lust by now.

But it looked like he wasn’t getting any action tonight, which was fine; he worked with consent, but the other party refused; he couldn’t force him; that wasn’t his style.

It was good this way, they would have really just gotten their already bad relationship to worsen.

***

It was 2 a.m., and Sebastian hadn’t slept a wink, he couldn’t.

Zeno wasn’t by his side, how could he sleep knowing that the other side of his bed was empty?

However, this attachment was what scared him; he was really scared of getting hurt; what if Zeno didn’t really love him? What if he’s been fooled for so long? Just as a fun thing for his father to do.

He missed Zeno, but he knew he needed this space; he wanted to be able to think for himself, but so far, he’d not thought about anything if not that he was missing Zeno.

He sighed and got off the bed.

He walked out of his room and went down to Ken’s room. He gently opened the door and walked in.

He didn’t turn on the light, Ken would wake immediately if he did.

He gently got in bed and drew his son I to his arms. Je wanted to sleep with his son tonight. Ken was the only one Sebastian trusted with his life; he knew Ken would never betray him and would t lie to him; at least, if he ended up losing everyone, he’d always have his son beside him.

"Daddy?" Ken’s cute voice called quietly when he felt his father’s arms around him.

"I’m here, Kenneth, go to sleep," Sebastian spoke calmly.

Ken yawned sleepily, "Where is he, Daddy? Where I’d Zeno?" Ken’s sleepy voice questioned.

Sebastian paused; this was another problem; Ken was so used to Zeno. Who wasn’t?

Zeno was just lovable, and he feared it would be so hard to let him go, but he wouldn’t have a choice if it came to that; his family’s security came first before anything else.

"Sleep, Kenneth, he’ll be here tomorrow," Sebastian assured.

"Promise?" Ken whispered.

"I promise, son. Sleep now," Sebastian gently rubbed Ken’s scalp.

Soon, he fell asleep, wondering what Zeno was doing at that moment. He was worried that Zeno was alone with two guys who had feelings for him, and no matter how ridiculous it might sound, he was scared that Zeno might actually end up doing something with one of them, in a worst-case scenario... both of them.

Yes, it would never happen, and he knew it, but his brain just decided to torment him with this horrendous thought.

He couldn’t wait for tomorrow to come so he could speak to Zeno. He knew he had let his anger get the best of him, he should have done better by remaining calm and listening to Zeno’s explanation, but hearing Zeno mention his relationship with his father ticked him off, he never expected Zeno to say that, knowing how it was between him and his father, he was quite disappointed.

After a very stressful sleep, Sebastian woke up when he felt Ken’s tiny hand on his face.

"Wake up, Daddy, it’s morning already; let’s go get Zeno," Ken smiled down at his father.

Sebastian sighed, of course, Zeno was the first thing his son asked for in the morning.

"What do you have to say, Ken?" Sebastian asked, rubbing his eyes.

Ken pouted, "Good morning, Daddy. Now, canwe go get Zeno?" Ken asked, blinking at Sebastian.

Sebastian was speechless; this wasn’t healthy; he needed to let his son know that nothing and no one lasts forever.

He needed to prepare his little heat for a heartbreak, just in case Zeno was really living them.

"I’ve got a question for you, Kenneth," Sebastian lifted himself and leaned against the headboard.

"What’s that? Is Zeno gone? Left us?" Ken knelt beside his father and stared at him with questioning eyes.

Sebastian shook his head, but he was glad Ken was thinking the same thing he wanted to ask. He carried Ken and placed him on his thigh.

"Then, what do you want to ask, Daddy?" Ken was eager to know.

Sebastian took a deep breath before asking, "You know, Zeno is not part of our family...right?" He massaged the boy’s smaller hand.

Ken frowned, the biggest frown Sebastian had ever seen on his face.

"What’s the frown? I asked a question, Kenneth," Sebastian pinched Ken’s cheek.

Ken pushed Sebastian’s hand away, "What do you mean, Daddy? I thought Zeno was family?" He folded his little hands over his chest.

Sebastian sighed. He thought the same, too, but incidents were making him question his beliefs, "What if he left, son? What would you do? You know his time with us is almost over, we have to get used to ourselves again, just like before," Saying those words felt like his heart was being sawed, but he had to call a spade, a spade.

Ken’s face flushed as his lips wobbled; he gently leaned in and hugged his father; he sniffed silently, hiding his face in Sebastian’s chest, "But I don’t want to go back to just you and I, Daddy. Zeno is awesome, I...I love Zeno and he loves me, too. I thought you loved him, too, Daddy, just like Dave and August...I thought you were going to make him stay forever...like, he’ll be like my second Daddy!" Ken’s shoulder shook, his quiet sob reaching his father’s ears and breaking his heart.

Sebastian was shocked; he didn’t expect Ken to give him that kind of answer; he gently patted Ken’s back and kissed his head.

"Do you want Zeno as your second Daddy?" Sebastian asked carefully, he needed to confirm that he heard right.

Ken nodded his little head, "Yes, Daddy, that’s what I said. Can we go get him now?" He raised his teary face to his father.

Sebastian didn’t know how to feel; he and Zeno were still far apart emotionally to fulfill Ken’s wish, but he had to start by getting him back home first.

"Let’s go, little man, you can ask him to come home yourself," Sebastian lifted Ken and carried him out of the room.

 

Chapter 124

"Do you like eggs?" Ezra asked Zeno in the kitchen.

Zeno nodded.

Zeno was absentmindedly drumming his fingers on top of the round black marble table at the center of Ezra’s kitchen.

Ezra was trying to make an omelette for him but he wasn’t hungry. He wanted to tell Ezra not to, but he knew it would seem rude, so he just let him do it.

He was lazily drawing his thumb over the screen on his phone, his mind thinking of only one man, Sebastian.

His night was a mess. Guilt and hurt couldn’t let him sleep, he missed Sebastian so much. One time, he almost called him, but he always held himself back, knowing that Sebastian would probably be fast asleep or even if he wasn’t, he wouldn’t be in the best of moods to speak to him.

He decided to let Sebastian be; Ezra had offered to drive him back to Sebastian’s place after having breakfast.

Nicholas hadn’t come out yet; Ezra said he was still sleeping when he left the room, but Zeno also believed that Nicholas might have just been pretending to sleep so he wouldn’t come out and meet him.

Zeno felt like a bad guy; what he did to Nicholas wasn’t fair; however, in all fairness, he had told him from the onset that he only saw him as a friend; it was Nicholas who just kept trying.

But it still didn’t stop him from feeling guilty; he just wanted to make sure that everything was alright between them; he couldn’t lose him as a friend, too.

"Here you are, quit thinking and eat. Trust me, my food will make you forget him," Ezra placed the omelet in front of Zeno on top of the table.

"Thank you," Zeno smiled faintly, picking up the fork.

"Mm. I’ll go get our sleeping beauty," Ezra said and walked out of the kitchen.

Zeno nodded, slowly taking the food into his mouth. Indeed, it was good, but it didn’t make him forget Sebastian; nothing could make him forget Sebastian.

His heart hurt badly; he wanted to hurry back and get back into Sebastian’s arms, hug him, and tell him how sorry he was and how much he had missed him.

Zeno was distracted by the message that entered his phone; he looked down at his phone and frowned.

Inside the room, Ezra had gone in and found Nicholas sitting by the side of the bed; his elbows were placed on his thighs, and he placed his face on his palms.

"Thinking about me?" Ezra asked as he walked up to him.

Nicholas didn’t respond, he just sat that way, not raising his face.

Ezra wanted to tease him that morning, but he decided against it. Nicholas had made it clear that he didn’t appreciate his sexual jokes so he was mature enough to respect that decision.

"I made an omelet, how about you come out and eat?" Ezra questioned, standing a little away from him.

Nicholas finally raised his face and stared at Ezra’s face.

"Are you sure I wouldn’t be disrupting your special time with him if I go put?" His voice was calm, an attribute that was always missing whenever he was speaking to Ezra.

Ezra frowned, "Come on, firstly, Zeno has a man. Secondly, I told you I don’t have feelings for him anymore; I don’t work that way; my friend’s boyfriend automatically becomes a brother. Thirdly, what’s your stand? Are you jealous of Zeno or me? You don’t like me talking to him? Are you starting to feel territorial over me?" Ezra took a step forward, but that was it; he didn’t want to annoy Nicholas that morning.

Nicholas stood up and covered the space between them by standing right in front of Ezra; he looked into his eyes and asked in a condescending tone, "Your friend’s boyfriend automatically becomes your brother. He raised his brows, ignoring everything other things Ezra had said.

Ezra sighed and nodded, "Yes, Nicholas, that’s what I said." He didn’t remove his eyes from Nicholas, wanting to see his reaction.

Nicholas shook his head, "You’re crazy...then what do you call what you did to me in college? I was your friend but you went behind my back to date the guy I liked," He pushed Ezra on the chest.

Ezra staggered but regained his balance, "Chill...I’ve told you numerous times that I didn’t have sex with him, and he wasn’t even your boyfriend yet; he wasn’t even aware of your feelings," Ezra defended himself.

Nicholas glared at him, "Whatever you’re saying doesn’t make sense, I’m just trying to let you know that you ruined my first love," He pointed at Ezra.

Ezra suddenly grabbed the Nicholas was using to point at him and drew to himself, his arms wrapping around Nicholas.

"Here’s what we’re going to do," Ezra whispered.

Nicholas was angry and frowning, he swore to punch Ezra if he tried to do anything to him again.

"Listen, I’m too old for always engaging in a fight for something that happened years ago...you either forgive me right now or become an enemy for real. I’m tired of all your constant whining over a guy who wasn’t even that fine," Ezra spoke firmly.

Nicholas knew he was going to punch Ezra; from his words, Nicholas concluded that Ezra wasn’t even sorry he just wanted him to stop reminding him of what he had done in the past.

"Enemy, it is," Nicholas said and pushed Ezra away once again.

Ezra nodded, "You made your choice, Nicholas. I tried to be reasonable with you but you’ve refused. Have it your way. Food is ready when you’re ready," He said to him and walked out of the room, annoyed.

Nicholas scoffed; this was why he hated Ezra; he was always full of himself; who did he think he was to order him to forgive him? Forgiveness isn’t ordered; it is given.

He took a deep breath and walked into the bathroom walked into the bathroom.

In the living room, Zeno’s food and barely been touched.

"You’re with the wrong people, your parent’s death wasn’t an accident. Meet me at your place. Come alone."

He stared at the message and felt his brain shut down for a while.

He had to force his brain to go back to the beginning of everything. His parents had died on the day of their anniversary in an accident, his Nana had been comatose for months now, and now, someone was telling him that his parent’s death wasn’t an accident.

Their death had been painful for him to cope with. As much as he got himself occupied with activities, he always felt their absence in his heart. However, learning now that his parents had been murdered made it tenfold more painful; his darling parents had been killed.

Zeno started to wonder who his innocent parents had offended; they couldn’t hurt a fly; how could they get themselves involved with such people?

Zeno was curious; his parents were long gone and couldn’t answer all the questions he had to ask. His Nana was still in a coma and even if she wasn’t, she might not be able to provide him with the questions he had to ask.

He was left with one option, meeting the person who had sent this message. The person had requested he net him in his home, the last he went there was the day he got kidnapped by his now-friends. Why did this person want to meet him there?

Could he even trust this strange messenger? But the short message left him very curious; he wanted to know all the details, who killed his parents? Why? And how his parents got involved with such people.

Zeno suddenly didn’t want to go back to Sebastian’s mansion immediately; it would be hard for him to get out and go to his house, plus the visitors that were coming to visit Sebastian that morning. Sakura and her brother were coming to discuss business with Sebastian, so it’d be very unlikely that he could leave if he wanted to.

He’d rather hurry over to his house first before returning to Sebastian’s mansion.

He had to find a way to burrow Ezra or Nicholas’ car, the messenger had strictly stated he came alone. Asking any of them for their car would definitely raise suspicion and it was likely they wouldn’t let him go without a proper explanation, so Zeno quickly came to the conclusion that he was going to leave without notifying anyone.

He looked behind him and found that the kitchen door was still closed, and he couldn’t hear any sound of anyone in the living room either.

He slowly stood from the chair and walked to the kitchen door, opened it, and quietly walked out of the kitchen.

He listened carefully and heard the faint voice of Ezra and Nicholas; it seemed like they were arguing.

Good, they wouldn’t notice he’d left.

Zeno tipped over to the door, biting his lower lip as he opened the door, glad that it didn’t make any noise.

He quickly bent and picked his shoes beside the bed and left the house, shutting the door behind him.

 

Chapter 125

Ezra was standing in his living room, trying to recall if he had actually seen Zeno last night and this morning.

It almost felt like he had imagined it, but the food on the table inside his kitchen told him that he hadn’t imagined any of it.

Then, Where is Zeno?

Could he have left without informing him? Why?

However, The main problem was the father and son duo sitting in front of him, especially the son, who was looking at him as if he had used Zeno for breakfast.

"Let me something straight, Ezra," Sebastian stood and walked close to Ezra.

"You did receive Zeno in your house last night, right?" Sebastian questioned in a calm voice, but everyone knew there was nothing calm about him when he got that way.

"Yes, Sebastian, Zeno was eight here before I went to call that mother..." He paused when he realized that Ken was looking at him.

He sighed and pointed to Nicholas, who was sitting behind him, "Him. Zeno was here when I went to call Nicholas for breakfast." Ezra said.

"Then? Where is he now?" Sebastian asked, his fists balled inside his pocket.

He didn’t want to lose it in front of his son, but he was so angry, he wanted to punch something, Ezra’s face preferably.

"I don’t know, Sebastian. He left, he left without saying a word to anyone," Ezra replied.

"What do you mean he-"

"Chill, Sebastian. Maybe he left because you didn’t treat him right; I mean, you’ve been nothing but mean to the poor guy ever since you met him; it surprises me how he fell for you," Nicholas suddenly spoke from behind Ezra.

Sebastian was about to walk towards Nicholas but Ezra held him back.

"Leave him, he’s not worth it," Ezra turned to Nicholas and said, "Remain quiet, Nicholas. No one needs your jealousy and toxicity," He reprimanded.

Nicholas scoffed, "I was just being honest, someone had to say it," He shrugged and crossed his legs.

Sebastian sighed and removed Ezra’s hand from his arm.

He slowly paced the living room, wondering if what Nicholas had said was the truth.

Had Zeno really run away from him? Does it mean that Zeno never really loved him?

Wasn’t he allowed to vent too? Had he overreacted last night with Zeno? Or, has, Zeno always been looking for a way to leave him?

"Fuck!" He muttered.

Zeno should have at least told him why he was leaving him. Now he was left to forever wonder what he didn’t do right.

Ken suddenly started to sob, making all the adults in the room turn to him.

They had let their emotions get the better of them; they shouldn’t be fighting in front of a little boy who was still trying to comprehend why he couldn’t find his friend.

"Now look what you both caused," Nicholas said and pushed Ezra out of the way.

"Hey, Ken, Zenonis going to come back, okay? He probably went to get some groceries," Nicholas assured, carrying the boy in his arms.

"Is it true, Daddy?" Ken looked at his father, who was standing beside the couch, looking lost in thought.

Sebastian blinked, looking at his son, "Yes, Zeno will be back soon," He wished he could believe his own words.

He was the one who was trying to prepare his son’s mind for Zeno’s absence last night, but look how badly he was taking it. He was barely holding up; he felt empty, as if Zeno had left with a part of him, and that part of him could never be replaced.

Nicholas carried Ken away, showing him some video on his phone to keep him distracted.

Ezra sighed, "What are you going to do?" He stared at Sebastian’s face and knew that he was hurting, his face said it all.

For the first time, he saw his friend clueless and helpless.

"I have no idea, Ezra. He’s not answering his calls, it’s probably on airplane mode, doesn’t that say something? He doesn’t want to be contacted," Sebastian replied slowly, almost like he was talking to himself.

Ezra was quiet, "He can’t leave, his Grandma is still in my care, remember? Zeno would never leave her, he means the world to her. So chill, maybe he just wanted to clear his head before going back to you. Don’t overthink it, friend." He went to Sebastian and spread his arms for him.

"Hug?" Ezra asked.

Sebastian eyed him and walked away from him.

"No hug," Ezra muttered.

Sebastian was anxious; he needed to return to his side; he promised himself to try and work it out with him. He admitted that his actions were harsh and pushed Zeno away, but he was also angry for the right reasons.

They needed to talk, address the issue once and for all, and let it go.

***

Zeno reached his house and got out of the cab.

He felt so strange coming back to his own house that he walked up to the front deck and noticed something.

His door handle was broken and lying on the floor; he bent and picked it up, looking around for anyone, but didn’t see.

He frowned.

Could it be that strange messenger who broke his lock? Why?

He was starting to rethink his decision, maybe he should not have come here, or at least, alone.

What if he was walking into a trap?

His curiosity had gotten the better of him, he was so eager to know everything that he decided in a rush.

He looked around for anyone, still, nothing. He thought the stranger’s message would already be waiting for him; it turns out no one was there.

He faced his door and sighed; he was going to go in; after all, it was his home. But he heard that whoever broke the lock might just be hiding inside, waiting for him to get in, so he walked into their trap.

Still, he slowly pushed the door open, standing beside the wall to listen for any sounds.

He stayed like that for fifteen seconds, when he didn’t hear anyone, he moved away from the wall and looked into the house.

Zeno was shocked, everything was destroyed. His heart broke all over again, this was the only place he had all his memories with his parents. Now, those memories were broken, literally.

The couch, TV, pictures, tables, and every other thing was broken to pieces.

Zeno slowly walked into their living room, tears feeling up his eyes; every step he took unlocked a precious memory of his family in that same room that now looked vandalized.

Ge walked over to the table and noticed something, the drawers looked untouched, with the contents neatly placed on the floor as if someone was carefully searching for something inside the drawers.

He frowned; what could they possibly be looking for in their home? They were just an ordinary family with no secrets; this kind of thing only happens to dirty upper-class families who have a lot of skeletons hiding in their closets.

"I see you came," A voice spoke from the door, startling Zeno.

Zeno immediately stood from the floor and faced the door.

He stood on alert in case of an attack.

He saw the man standing in front of the door and frowned. The man looked oddly familiar, but he couldn’t remember from where.

"Who are you?" Zeno asked firmly.

The man chuckled, "You forget so soon, Zeno. I’ve been waiting for your call, you never called, why?" He slowly started walking toward Zeno.

Zeno immediately picked a sharp wood from the broken mess and pointed it to the man, "Remain where you are, old man. I asked who you are," He spoke loudly.

The man paused and raised his hands beside his head.

"Calm down, Mr. Evader, I’m not the enemy. My name is Bison...remember now? I gave you my card at the gala in Japan, you never called," He informed.

Zeno relaxed a little, he stared at the man’s face and recalled him asking him to come work for him if he ever got tired of working for Sebastian.

However, that wasn’t the only thing he remembered. He remembered seeing the barcode tattoo on his sleeve. Bison was the Barcode man!

Zeno knew he was in trouble, he had effortlessly walked into the enemy’s den.

"It was you; you sent those men to attack us, threatened Sebastian’s son, and are still looking for a way to harm them. What do you want from me? What do you want from my home? Why did you do this?" Zeno’s face was angry; he didn’t care if he was going to die the next minute; he would never submit to the foe.

Bison shook his head, "Me? No, I didn’t do this to your house. About haunting the Orions? Yes, and I’ll stop at nothing till I kill them all," He smiled at Zeno and started walking toward him again.

Zeno was moving back, his weapon in front of him; he knew the man would be armed and probably had men with him outside; fighting him was a sure way to go, but he didn’t mind doing it.

"I’ll say it again, Zeno, I’m not the enemy, Zeno...he is," Bison raised his phone to Zeno.

Zeno stopped moving back, he couldn’t believe what he was looking at.

In Bison’s phone, Mr. Orion stood in the middle of the living room, watching his men destroy everything.

He couldn’t comprehend it.

Mr. Orion? Why?

"Now, you know that you’ve been living with the enemy," Bison said with a mysterious tone.

 

 

Chapter 126

Zeno sat beside Bison in his car, his fists balled in anger.

He felt like a fool.

Everything had been a lie from the beginning.

He was now left to wonder why Sebastian even bothered with him. Was it a kind of thrill for him to fuck his hostages?

"I want to help you, Zeno. But I also want you to help me," Bison spoke beside him.

"Drive," He commanded the driver in the front seat.

The car immediately started moving in a steady but fast motion.

Zeno remained quiet; he didn’t even bother to ask them where they were taking him. At that moment, he didn’t care; he wouldn’t even mind if Bison decided to kidnap him out of the country; after all, no one would really care if he never came back.

"What do you want from me, Bison? I’m going, to be honest with you; I don’t want to be anyone’s pawn anymore. I don’t care what you need from the Orions, you can go ahead and get it from them. My parents are dead, and whatever it is the Orions wanted from them is none of my business, too. I want no part of this chaos anymore. I do appreciate you for sharing your knowledge with me, but respectfully, I don’t care," Zeno informed firmly.

Bison chuckled, "Oh, poor boy. You can never be free from the mafia, Zeno. You think you can run away and not be found. Believe me, no matter where you ate in the world, the Orions will find you, as long as they mean to," he warned Zeno.

Zeno knew it was the truth; they had connections all over the world, and finding people was an easy tax for them.

"You’re already in their claws, just like your parents were. They will never let you go, but you can be free from them if you help me out," Budin suggested.

Zeno stared at his feet; it was too much for him, he was going through heartbreak and betrayal.

"What do want me to do?" He questioned, raising his face to look at Bison.

Bison smiled, "All I need to stop the Orions is a Pen, a secret pen. Black in color with a code: 2536 on the side. Find the pen for me. I believe it’s in Sebastian’s possession, and I hear that you’re his personal bodyguard...it’ll be easier for you to find it than anyone else. Help me find it and I’ll help you take revenge on those who killed your parents," His face was masked with dark uncertainty, his voice resolved.

Zeno drummed his fingers on his lap, he was suddenly feeling sentimental. Sebastian’s father had killed his parents over some unknown video that was believed to have strong evidence of his illegal activities. Now, he was allowed to get back at them, but he felt his will wasn’t strong enough, reason: Sebastian.

He didn’t want to hurt Sebastian, especially Ken.

Sebastian was surely aware of his father’s act, but what about little Ken? He didn’t want to do anything that would separate the boy from his father; he was already living without a mother, and losing his father would be a horrible experience. And Zeno knew Sebastian didn’t give a shit about him, but he still couldn’t think of hurting him.

He was weak, love made him weak.

He understood that Bison wanted to bring Mr. Orion to justice for doing evil things, one of which was killing his parents, but he really didn’t want to get too involved and also didn’t want to hurt the people he loved.

Even if he was going to break up with Sebastian, yes, he was. When everything was over, he would break up with Sebastian, he couldn’t be in a relationship that was built on lies. However, breaking up with Sebastian didn’t mean that he wanted him to die, it was just that he didn’t want to love someone as manipulating and deceptive as Sebastian.

"I have a request," Zeno spoke up.

"Of course, Zeno, what do you want to ask?" He turned to Zeno with a straight face.

"If I find this pen for you. I need you to promise me that you will only deal with the person involved, which is Mr. Orion. His son and grandson had nothing to do with it. His son was just following his father’s orders. Do you agree?" Zeno questioned.

Bison went quiet, he thought of Zeno’s request for a while and nodded, "Agreed, Zeno. I’m a man of word," He replied.

Zeno nodded, feeling better about himself; at least now, he wasn’t going to put Sebastian and Ken in danger.

"We will drop you off here, Zeno. I can’t ride unto Sebastian’s domain, rules are rules," Bison said as his car stopped a good distance away from Sebastian’s mansion.

Zeno nodded, "It’s alright," He replied and pushed the door open.

"Keep in touch, Zeno...remember, you have one month, or our deal is off; I’ll kill the little boy first, then his father and I’ll have my fun dealing with that old hag," Bison chuckled darkly.

Zeno felt unsettled, "You’ll get the pen before then, Bison," He slammed the door shut, releasing a long breath.

He stood there and watched the car drive away from him before he looked forward to his destination.

He needed this walk to clear his head, he felt like every voice in the world was speaking inside his head.

Zeno started walking, his hands in his pocket and his head lowered.

Bison’s information had left his head reeling; he had just realized that nothing was a coincidence.

First of all, Zeno learned that his parent worked at the firm, and Mr. Orion happened to be the owner of that unnamed firm; he never knew about that.

Now, they had found a video of Mr. Orion’s illegal activity, which led him to kill them, and his father destroyed their house to retrieve the evidence.

Zeno realized that Mr. Orion’s threat to his Nana wasn’t a lie; he had actually held her as his hostage from the start, and Sebastian had been aware of all raised from the beginning.

They had kept him beside them to make sure he never returned to his home and found the evidence they had taken.

Zeno reached the gate and put in the password before pushing it open and walking inside.

He recognized Kenji’s car immediately; it only meant that Sebastian’s guests had arrived and they would probably be inside his office discussing business.

He walked toward the stairs and saw Ida and Cody coming out of the house, "Hey, man, where have you been?" Ida asked in a worried tone.

"Well, he just told me about you and..." Cody pointed inside the house, indicating that he was referring to Sebastian, "Him, are an item. He seemed pretty worried, Zeno. Talk with him before he loses his mind," He tapped Zeno’s shoulder.

Zeno scoffed, "Don’t worry, he won’t, he doesn’t love me as he claims," he replied and smiled at them before walking away.

"They’ll be alright," Zeno heard Cody before the door slid close behind him.

"No, we won’t," He muttered and walked toward the stairs.

He wasn’t going to go into Sebastian’s office, he didn’t want to see him just yet.

He was halfway up the stairs when he heard his name from behind.

"Zeno Evander," Sebastian called, watching Zeno with unreadable eyes.

Zeno gritted his teeth before turning to look at him down the stairs.

"Where are you coming from?" Sebastian started walking toward him.

Zeno didn’t respond; he wasn’t even looking at Sebastian’s face; he couldn’t; it would hurt more to look at him.

Sebastian stopped a step lower than the one Zeno was standing on, "Answer me, Zeno. Where are you coming from?"

Zeno sighed and looked up at his face, "I just went for a walk, everything was just...too much. And I wanted to give you some space-"

"I never asked for space, Zeno," Sebastian cut him off.

Zeno scoffed, he was wondering why Sebastian even bothered with acting as if he cared, "Your actions told me otherwise, Boss. You wanted space and I gave it to you," He shrugged.

"Zeno..." Sebastian went to hold Zeno, but he moved back, dodging him.

Sebastian frowned, he didn’t want this, "Babe-"

"Sebastian," Sakura called from behind.

"Looks like your girlfriend needs your attention," Zeno said and turned, walking away from him.

Sebastian couldn’t stop him, he only sighed in frustration and went down to attend to Sakura.

"Was that Zeno?" Kenji asked, sitting g beside his sister.

"What’s your business with him?" Sebastian questioned.

"Well, Mr. Orion informed me that his contract with you would be ending in a few months, so I was wondering if I could speak to him about working for me after that," Kenji explained.

Sebastian chuckled, "Zeno doesn’t work for my father, Kenji. I’m the one to say when his contract ends with me, do you understand?" His voice left no room for negotiations.

 

Chapter 127

Inside Zeno’s room, the lights were turned off, and he was lying across the bed staring up at the dark ceiling.

He was quiet, but his head was filling with loud thoughts.

A jumble of emotions and thoughts were racing together in a maddening dance. The silence around him was sinking him deeper and deeper into the endless abyss of destructive thoughts.

Zeno felt alone.

The image of Mr. Orion in his home, as he orchestrated the destruction of his home, as he orchestrated the destruction of his home was seared into his brain like a branding iron.

The pain and anger simmering beneath the surface were now threatening to boil over, and Zeno was struggling to keep them in check.

In the darkness, he felt abandoned, unsure of what to do next or who to trust. The only that was certain was that he couldn’t stay in that state of limbo forever; eventually, he would have to face his darkness head-on and find a way to overcome it, even if it involved disagreeing with the people he loved.

But, at that moment, he just lay there, trapped in his own private hell, with no escape I’m sight. He didn’t want to do it, and he didn’t want to work with Bison, but would he be considered a coward if he chose to let the person who killed his parents go scot-free?

How about Sebastian? Was he willing to walk away from him? If he wasn’t, was he ready to stay with someone who he knew didn’t love him? Someone who probably just got together with him to spite his father.

Yes, he was jumping to conclusions, but he knew that his instincts were never wrong.

Zeno soon heard his door being opened and he knew it was Sebastian. He didn’t move from his position, he lay there, waiting to hear what Sebastian wanted to tell him.

He and a sudden urge to tell Sebastian about Bison, but he decided against it. Bison might think he was a fool, but he wasn’t. If he succeeded in finding that secret pen, he wasn’t going to give it to any party; he would hold it until he heard the story from both sides of the party.

Sebastian walked into Zeno’s room and saw how dark it was. This was the first time Zeno was leaving his room in utter darkness. He didn’t turn on the light, he knew that Zeno wanted to stay that way.

He carefully walked over to the bed and stood beside it, "Zeno..." He sighed and lowered himself on the bed, his hand sought out for Zeno on the bed and he soon found his thigh.

Sebastian realized that Zeno was lying across the bed, he removed his hand from his thigh and lowered his upper body across the bed to lie beside Zeno.

He tried again, "Zeno," He moved his hand to the side and found Zeno’s hands, gently taking it in his, "We need to talk," Sebastian said in a calm voice even though he was anything but calm.

He was scared, anxious, and unsure of what was going to happen from that moment.

Zeno didn’t remove his hand; he didn’t want to; he still loved Sebastian; he just wished that Sebastian was more honest with him.

"We do..." Zeno replied, feeling his throat hurting from holding back the sudden sob that wanted to escape.

He could feel it; he was going to lose Sebastian; it hurt, it hurt him so badly, and he wished they never got to the point of confessing their love to each other because now it was very hard for him to leave him.

"What’s happening to us? We’re drifting apart...and, it seems like we don’t have control over it. How do we resolve our differences? Because; I do want to. I don’t want to lose you, Zeno," Sebastian’s calm voice seemed to be the key to Zeno’s locked emotions because the moment he heard his words, a sob escaped his lips, and he felt tears rolling down from the side of his eyes.

Sebastian heard his sobbing and immediately pulled Zeno into his arms, holding him close to himself.

Zeno let Sebastian hold him; his face was buried in Sebastian’s neck, and his arm behind Sebastian, clutching his shirt.

"Don’t cry, baby, we’ll work it out, okay?" Sebastian whispered soothingly, rubbing Zeno’s back.

Zeno forced himself to stop crying, he couldn’t speak to Sebastian if all he did was cry.

"It’s alright, baby...I need to see your face, can I turn on the light?" Sebastian asked gently.

Zeno nodded.

"Lights on, Siri," Sebastian spoke.

Zeno squinted his eyes as the lights came on, brightening the whole room.

"Hey," Sebastian placed a hand on the side of Zeno’s face, waiting for him to open his eyes and look at him.

Zeno slowly opened his eyes and saw Sebastian’s handsome face staring at him with admiration in his eyes.

Zeno would always fall for Sebastian’s charm; the man was fire. But Zeno feared that he might just be falling for deception all over again.

"I miss you," Sebastian whispered.

Zeno bit his lips, he missed him too; heck, he was almost dying when he couldn’t see or hold him.

Sebastian slowly slid his hand inside Zeno’s hair, his face leaning in on Zeno’s, "I love you," He whispered and kissed Zeno.

Zeno kissed him back; he felt the warm rush of tingles ripple through his body from the satisfaction of finally having Sebastian in his arms and his lips on his.

He’d missed Sebastian so much.

Zeno was the first to make the bold move, he slid his hand into Sebastian’s shirt and started to trace his abs, pushing it further by tracing his nipple.

Sebastian groaned, gently withdrawing from Zeno’s kiss; his eyes were heated up and darkening with lust, "I do want you, baby, but we have to talk," He kissed Zeno’s forehead and removed his hand from inside his chest.

"Our lust can never be questioned, Zeno. But how about our love?" Sebastian looked into Zeno’s eyes; he could see the turmoil going on in there, and he wished Zeno could let him in.

Zeno sighed, "What do you want to talk about, Sebastian?" He slowly lifted himself and went to sit at the edge of the bed.

Sebastian went to sit beside him too, "About yesterday, I’m sorry for overreacting. I was feeling so hurt, Zeno. I thought you never loved me and were just here because my father had asked you to. I’m sorry," He stared at Zeno’s face.

Zeno blinked slowly, this was the hard part. Even though Sebastian might actually be innocent of his father’s actions, but wasn’t free of the knowledge. Why hadn’t he told him? Even after they got into a relationship.

He was conflicted.

He shifted closer to Sebastian and held his hand, "I love you, Sebastian, and I’m sorry for keeping those things from you. However..." Zeno paused and removed his hand from Sebastian’s.

Sebastian felt the withdrawal deep in his soul, "What do want to say, Zeno?" He asked quietly.

Zeno looked at Sebastian, he saw the fear in his eyes, and he knew that what he was about to say would probably make Sebastian’s fear come to pass.

It was his fear too, but he had to say it.

"I think we should break-"

"No!" Sebastian pushed Zeno down on the bed and got on top of him.

Zeno was shocked to find himself lying back on the bed with Sebastian on top of him, "Sebastian..." He called in surprise.

"Now, what did you want to say? You want us to do what? Break some glasses? I don’t know, maybe break some rules?" Sebastian pinned Zeno down with a hard glare.

Zeno couldn’t believe Sebastian, he didn’t even let him finish his sentence.

"You didn’t let me finish, Sebastian," He said.

Sebastian nodded, "I’m not letting you finish if what I’m thinking was what you were about to say. You promised never to leave me, Zeno, not even if I pointed a gun at you, remember?" He asked him.

Zeno sighed. True, he had said that.

"But that’s not what I wanted to say," he stared up at Sebastian.

Sebastian scoffed, "Then, what did you want to say?"

"It’d just going to be for a while; a lot is going on now; we can’t let our relationship be the center of everything. Let’s break off for a little while until everything is over," Zeno cautiously spoke, he felt very torn as he spoke those words.

Sebastian’s face hardened, "I don’t want that, Zeno. If you can think about a temporary break up means you might make up your mind in our period of separation. Don’t you understand, Zeno? I love you as I could really give my life for you, Zeno. Doesn’t that make it any less good? Do I not deserve any benefits? Don’t you love me at all? Because; all I see is me being the only one who is trying to make this work between us," He placed his forehead on Zeno’s.

"Please, Zeno, I beg you, don’t do this to me. Leaving me would hurt more than letting my enemies defeat me. I’m so into you that I’m ready to change whatever you want, Zeno. This is me begging you to stay with me, Sweetheart, please," Sebastian was pleading, but he was also playing dirty.

As he pleaded with Zeno, his hand had snuck inside Zeno’s pants, rubbing his thighs without touching his dick yet.

Zeno heard Sebastian’s words and felt his heart tugging violently. It wasn’t possible that someone like this could deceive you into loving them. He felt Sebastian’s raw emotions, and he knew they were real. His heart ached for Sebastian and himself.

When he felt Sebastian’s hand moving inside his pants, he immediately locked his eyes with Sebastian, silently watching him seduce him.

"I love you," Sebastian whispered.

Zeno but his lips, his hands coming up around Sebastian’s neck, "You promise?" He asked.

It wasn’t just a question, it was him seeking reassurance. He knew he’d gone through numerous conversations with himself on how he shouldn’t trust Sebastian, but God help him! He loved this man above him and he wasn’t sure he could live without him. He had learned his lessons from Sakura’s case, keeping things from Sebastian only made it worse.

He was going to tell Sebastian about Bison. Even if Bison ended up being right, Zeno chose to stand by Sebastian and fight both Bison and Mr. Orion.

No matter what, he’d always choose Sebastian.

Before Sebastian answered, he had already started to slowly stroke Zeno’s cock in his hand, "I promise, Baby girl, I will for as long as I breathe, even when you don’t love me anymore," his voice was shaky.

Zeno was breathing faster now, he shook his head and drew Sebastian closer, "I’ll never stop loving you, Seb...trust me, even if I tried," He crashed his lips on Sebastian’s, pouring all his emotions into that one kiss.

Sebastian’s tongue was no stranger to Zeno’s mouth, it smoothly invaded every corner of it, his breath ragged as his heart pumped loudly.

"Clothes...off..." Zeno broke away to whisper.

Sebastian smirked, he was more than willing to obey Zeno’s command.

He moved away from Zeno and helped him get on his knees on the bed, he gave Zeno a dark, seductive look before hooking his fingers under Zeno’s shirt and pulling off his body.

He removed his shirt and threw it wherever before drawing Zeno close to him and slamming his lips into Zeno’s again.

Their hands were everywhere as they couldn’t get enough of themselves.

"Want to try something new, baby girl? I got us some toys..." Sebastian whispered against Zeno’s neck.

Zeno shivered, his dirty thoughts already imagining what Sebastian wanted to do.

He rubbed his thumb over Sebastian’s lip, "I trust you," his voice was whispery and beckoning.

Sebastian leaned his head to kiss Zeno but the door was pushed open, forcing them to get away from each other.

They were surprised to find Ken standing there and looking betrayed, "Zeno..." He called softly before his face scrunched up cutely, followed by his wobbling lip and heart-wrenching cry.

Zeno quickly pushed Sebastian aside and went to the little guy.

Sebastian sighed and gritted his teeth, "Fuck you, Ken," He muttered under his breath.

 

Chapter 128

Nicholas was sitting on the floor, going through his emails on his phone. They were all from work, and he wasn’t in the mood for work; he was about to drop his phone beside him when he saw an unreadable email from an unknown source.

He frowned and opened it.

His email was heavily protected; not everyone could send him a message unless they were among his few verified people.

That was why he knew that whoever sent this message was trouble, and as he read the message, he confirmed his suspension.

"You can run, but you cannot hide. I’m coming to get you with your little doctor friend."

After reading the message, Nicholas’ eyes widened when he saw the barcode sign under it as the sender’s logo. He immediately sprang up from the floor and stared at the screen; he was mortified to see that the barcode guy had indeed pinned Ezra’s location under the message.

His heart was pumping in fear; it’d been five minutes since the email was sent, and he was just seeing it then; he wondered if they were almost here or already here.

He hurried inside Ezra’s room just at the moment his towel was leaving his waist.

"Hey, can you knock?" Ezra frowned and picked his pants from the bed, pulling them up his waist.

Nicholas was thankful he had his back to him; he didn’t want to see his soldier down there.

"We need to leave, Ezra, now," He walked over to the bed and threw Ezra’s shirt to him.

Ezra caught it but didn’t wear it, he raised a brow at Nicholas and asked, "And why do I have to leave with you?" He stared at Nicholas.

Nicholas was anxious, he walked over to Ezra and held his arm, "Because they’re coming for me, the barcode guys are coming for me. We need to leave!" He tugged Ezra’s arm but Ezra removed his hand from him, stepping back and sitting on the bed.

"Well, that’s your problem, Nick, you can leave; it’s not me they’re coming for; it’s you. And I don’t get involved in the business of my enemy. Sort yourself out, Nick," Ezra said, lowering his upper body to the bed.

Nicholas was frustrated, he went over to Ezra and placed his phone on his in front of Ezra’s face.

"You think it’s just me they’re after now? Look closer," He gritted out, tapping his feet anxiously on the floor.

Ezra narrowed his eyes as he wasn’t wearing his eyeglasses, but when he finally read the context of the message, he pushed Nicholas’ hand out of the way and sprang up from the bed.

"Why the fuck did you not say they are coming for me, too? I’m not even related to you; why am I included now?" Ezra hurried over to his drawer and picked up his phone and eyeglasses, fixing them on his face.

He dragged his shirt over his head and hurried out of the room, "Well, hurry up, unless you’re waiting to host them," Ezra muttered as he left the room.

Nicholas followed him, trailing behind him as they walked out of the door.

Ezra made sure to lock his door properly before walking over to his car.

"Why are you heading over to your car? Let’s take my-"

"Shut the fuck up, Nicholas. You can ride your car if you want to, make it easier for them to track you," Ezra had already entered his car as he replied.

Nicholas watched in alarm as Ezra started the car without waiting for him.

He hurried over to the car, pulled the front door open, and entered it.

"Just drive," He said, fastening his seat belt.

Ezra rolled his eyes and drove the car onto the road.

He sped on the road, his destination: Sebastian’s house. There was nowhere else he could go to at the moment that would be as safe as Sebastian’s house. He was sure whoever the barcode man was wouldn’t have the audacity to come close to Sebastian’s house.

They sped through the busy streets, weaving past cars and bikes and hoping the barcode man didn’t see them.

But it seemed like their prayers weren’t answered.

"Ezra, I think that car is following us," Nicholas tapped Ezra’s thigh as he stared at the side mirror.

Ezra glanced at the front mirror, and truly, there was a particular black-tinted car driving at a steady distance.

"Fuck, now what?" Ezra asked, stepping on the pedal.

"Just keep driving; we’re still out on the street, they can’t possibly hurt us, right?" Nicholas spoke while looking back at the black car.

"I hate this, it’s all your fault," Ezra muttered.

Nicholas sighed, "Keep your blame aside and drive, Doc," He stated.

Ezra didn’t say a word, he kept his eyes focused on the road and kept driving.

"We’re getting closer to Sebastian’s home," Ezra informed.

Nicholas nodded, "And it looks like they’re backing off," He replied.

Ezra sighed in relief but didn’t slow down the car. It might just be a trap to get them to relax so they could corner them.

Nicholas suddenly received another message on his phone, he wasted no time reading it when he saw it was from the same barcode man.

"I just got a text from them," he said to Ezra.

Ezra frowned, "What does it say,"

Nicholas rubbed his face before reading it out loud, "Say hi to Sebastian Orion. We’ll meet again, Nicholas." He stared at Ezra’s side profile, waiting for him to reply.

Ezra was speechless, "He doesn’t seem like he wants to hurt you, Nick," He stated seriously.

Nicholas furrowed his brows, "What do you mean? He’s a dangerous man, Doc; what do think he wants with me, a coffee date?" He questioned.

Ezra smiled, "Then he must have a bad choice in choosing his dates; who would date you?" He smirked.

"Ha-ha-ha...not funny," Nicholas replied dryly and relaxed back on the chair.

They soon reached Sebastian’s house and got out of the car, hurrying into his house.

Sebastian was busy speaking to Andre in his living room when he saw Ezra and Nicholas walking inside.

"What now, Doc? Why are you here with your patient...uninvited," Sebastian asked from the sofa, hiabfcae showing how bored he was already by their presence.

Ezra ignored him and sat on the sofa couch close to him, "Make yourself at home, Nick," He said to Nicholas, who had yet to sit.

Nicholas eyed Ezra before he sat beside Sebastian.

"Andre, ask Jasper and Jeremiah to make sure they return with him, or they know what is at stake," Sebastian ordered dismissively.

Andre bowed his head, "Yes, boss," He replied and turned away from them, walking out to inform the concerned people about the order.

"What’s happening? Who’s taking who?" Ezra questioned, pointing at Andre who was walking out of the house.

"The barcode man, no one has found him. I can’t play those games anymore. My men will have to accompany one of his men to my house, preferably, Baron," Sebastian informed.

"Baron?" Ezra asked in surprise.

"You know, that’s like the second in command, right," He leaned in Sebastian’s direction and asked him in a low tone.

"I don’t care if he’s their boss, Ezra. He’s Messing with me, with us. He needs to stop," Sebastian replied.

Nicholas frowned, "Ezra, can’t you tell him why we’re here? You’re more concerned about who he is kidnapping," He glared at Ezra.

"Yeah...about that. I think we might just be mistaking this barcode’s man agenda," Ezra started.

Sebastian frowned, "What do you mean?" He asked.

"Yeah...what do you mean?" Nicholas narrowed his eyes at Ezra.

"Just this morning, he sent Nicholas a text, don’t be shy, show him," Ezra pointed to Nicholas’ phone.

Nicholas gave Sebastian his phone, waiting for him to read it, "So what do you mean that we might be mistaken for his agenda?" Sebastian returned Nicholas’ phone to him.

"Maybe he’s just a shy guy who has a crush on Nicholas and is angry because he’s finding it hard to reach him. And he’s targeting you because, just maybe, he feels that you’re close to his crush and might be jealous, so that’s why he’s threatening you. In my opinion, I say we just give him what he wants, and he’s left us alone. What do you say?" Ezra explained seriously.

"Bastard," Nicholas cursed from his position.

Sebastian sighed in disappointment, he stood and faced Ezra, "We’ll know what he wants when they bring Baron over," He walked away from them.

"Hey, where is Zeno?" Nicholas questioned before Sebastian could disappear upstairs.

"Out with Ken," Sebastian replied and moved on.

"Oh," Nicholas murmured.

Ezra scoffed, "What is ’Oh?’ The earlier you get over Zeno, the earlier you find yourself a better partner," Ezra commented.

Nicholas turned toward him, "You’re so concerned about my heartbreak. Do you want to be that partner for me?" He asked in a calm voice.

Ezra removed his eyes, Nicholas, "I’d rather electricity my dick than date you, Nicholas. You know it," He spoke.

"Do I now?" Nicholas questioned.

Ezra ignored him and took out his phone, standing from the chair and walking out of the house.

 

Chapter 129

Jasper and Jeremiah were sitting in the car, patiently waiting for someone to walk out of the barcode boxing gym.

The car was quiet as both of them didn’t have anything in common except the mission.

Jasper drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, leaning his head on the seat.

"Can you not? I’m trying to concentrate?" Jeremiah spoke from the passenger’s seat.

Jasper didn’t turn or speak, but he did stop the drumming.

Jeremiah sighed, "We’ve been here close to an hour; maybe we should just come in," He suggested.

Jasper remained unmoving, "Common sense would tell you that we’ll be outnumbered, but, be my guest," He said.

Jeremiah stared at Jasper and suddenly smiled.

Jasper immediately snapped his head to Jeremiah. He had seen his smile from his peripheral vision and became alarmed.

Jeremiah had never smiled at him, "What was that for?" Jasper frowned.

Jeremiah shrugged, "Nothing, just feeling bad for you so I thought a smile would help you feel good," He answered.

Jasper was more confused. "What do you mean?"

"Zeno won’t date you," Jeremiah stated.

Jasper sighed, "Can you not? We’re in the middle of a mission. We can argue about this later," He looked away from Jeremiah.

Jeremiah shook his head, "No, no, for real. This is not me trying to look for trouble. I’m just stating facts; he won’t even date me, too," He informed.

Jasper looked back at Jeremiah, "Just tell me what you mean already," He urged.

"He’s dating the boss," Jeremiah announced.

"What?!" Jasper exclaimed.

"Shh!" Jeremiah placed his finger in his mouth with his eyes widened in disbelief.

"Be quiet, Jasper. Do you Want to invite them over?" Jeremiah asked.

Jasper looked out the window and back at Jeremiah, "Did you mean what you said?" He asked quietly.

Jeremiah nodded, "A hundred percent. Ida and Cody told me and Andre confirmed it. Would they be lying?"

Jasper pushed his fingers through his hair. "Damn..." He muttered.

"Yeah, Damn... so, friends?" Jeremiah stretched his hand to Jasper.

Jasper eyed him suspiciously.

"Come on, we don’t have to keep fighting over someone who’s already out of our league. That’s what women do, and we’re not women, so friends?" Jeremiah poked Jasper’s arm.

Jasper reluctantly shook Jeremiah’s hand, "Friend’s," He replied.

"Look, maybe we should have become friends sooner, it seems like they were waiting for us to unite," Jeremiah pointed to the gym.

Jasper saw two guys walking out of it. "The boss had said, anyone you see coming out from the gym, right?" He asked.

Jeremiah nodded, "Yeah, but what if they were just some random people who came to practice?" He questioned.

Jasper shrugged, "Then no one will know we kidnapped them, we’ll just let them go. We can identify them by the barcode tattoo on their neck or wrists," He informed.

Jeremiah slowly nodded. "Okay, but look, they’re driving away," He alerted.

Jasper calmly nodded, "Mm, we have a car too. Fasten up," He said and immediately sped off.

He gave the car a good distance behind it, driving at a steady speed. He was just waiting for the car to leave the territory before he chased it.

He didn’t have time to waste; he needed to be done with this mission, go home, and get some rest.

"Where are they going?" Jeremiah asked worriedly.

"Don’t know, don’t care," Jasper replied.

"Do you think they’re aware that we’re following them?" Jeremiah glanced at Jasper.

"What do you think?" Jasper raised his brow.

"Yes?" Jeremiah frowned.

"Awesome, now quit asking annoying questions and take out your gun. Once I get close enough, shott the tires," He ordered.

Jeremiah rolled his eyes, "Yes, boss," He replied and readied his gun to shoot.

Jasper sped up the car, smiling when the car in front of them looked up speed.

"In three, two, one; roll down the damn window, Jerry; how do you what to shoot them," Jasper groaned in anger; he couldn’t believe Jeremiah was waiting for him to wind down the window for him too.

"Shoot! Sorry about that," Jeremiah winded down the window and placed his arm on the window.

"Fuck!" Jasper exclaimed and swerved the car.

Someone was shooting from the car in front.

"You see what you caused? You could have shot them the first time," Jasper complained.

Jeremiah lowered his head and smiled at Jasper. "Come on, have some fun." He winked at him.

Jasper breathed out in anger.

"Alright, play times over. Step on it, Jasper," Jeremiah raised his face and looked out of the window, his gun aiming at the car.

Jasper obeyed, he was speeding while still trying to avoid getting shot by the person in the front car.

"Three, two, one..." Jeremiah shot the two rear tires of the car in front of them, causing it to lose balance and slide right into the tree beside the road.

Jaoser hit the brakes immediately and got out of the car, Jeremiah following behind.

They hurried over to their target and saw them still trying to get the airbag out of their face.

Jasper and Jeremiah stood on each side of the car, pointing a sedation gun at them. The moment the guys inside the car saw them, they reached for their guns, but Jasper and Jeremiah instantly fired at them, knocking them off.

"Wheew! That was fun," Jeremiah laughed.

Jalser smirked, "Get your man out of the car," He said and pulled the driver’s door open, dragging the man out and toward his car.

He could easily carry the guy but he didn’t want to waste his energy on some rival.

Jeremiah saw what Jasper did and decided to copy him. He dragged the other guy out and toward their car.

"How long till they wake up?" Jeremiah asked as they drove away from the accident scene.

"An hour," Jasper provided.

"Awesome, enough time to nap," Jeremiah said and relaxed against the chair, closing his eyes.

***

Zeno placed Ken in the car and fastened his seat belt, "Careful not to spew your drink," He said to Ken.

Ken nodded, seeping his drink.

Zeno smiled at him and went to enter the car; this was their third stop for the day. Ken had demanded that he spend his whole day with him as compensation for disappearing from him.

The little boy hadn’t left Zeno’s since last night he had barged in on his father and Zeno.

Zeno understood the boy’s feelings, so he willingly agreed to his requests.

He was about to drive the car away when he remembered that he had forgotten the takeout he got for Ken in the restaurant.

"Aw, little guy, mind going in with me one last time?" He asked apologetically.

"Why?" Ken asked in pure curiosity, no anger or impatience, just curious to know why they needed to go back in there.

"I forgot the food we ordered for your father," Zeno calmly informed.

Ken widened his eyes, "Okay, let’s go then, don’t want daddy to be sad again," He replied.

Zeno chuckled and came out of the car again, he opened Ken’s door and carefully carried him out.

He entered the restaurant and dropped Ken beside him in front of the counter, "Um, hi," He called to the staff.

"Yes, oh, Mr. Zeno, I think you forgot your order," The female staff told him.

"Yes, please," Zeno replied.

"Just a minute," The staff told him and disappeared into the kitchen.

Zeno was just about to turn to Ken when he heard him scream.

"Zeno!" Ken screamed, his drink falling to the ground.

Zeno immediately tuned in and felt his blood drain from his face as he saw Ken’s mouth covered by someone in a hoodie; he knew that person even without seeing the face.

The hand made it very obvious that it was Georgia, the bitch doesn’t just quit.

He immediately reached for his gun but stopped when Georgia pulled it and pointed it at Ken’s head.

"Don’t fucking move or kill him!" Georgia screamed.

Everyone in the restaurant was on their feet, starting with the mad woman who had a boy in her hold.

A man from behind tried walking subtly close to her as she pointed her gun at him, "Stay away, old man; I’ll kill you if you get close!" She warned.

The man raised his hands above his head and stepped back.

"Now, Zeno, you’re going to stand there, while I leave with him, understood?" Georgia asked maliciously.

Zeno nodded, keeping his hands above his waist, but his eyes were looking at Ken’s troubled ones, the boy was silently crying, but he watched Zeno, waiting for him to save him.

"I’m standing right here, Georgia; I’m not moving an inch, my hands are in the air, too," He raised his hands higher.

"Good. Move it, little boy," Georgia removed her hand from Ken’s mouth and dragged him by the collar, slowly stepping back with him while keeping her eyes on Zeno.

Zeno subtly nodded at Ken, looking down at Ken’s pants pocket.

Ken widened his little eyes but immediately became determined.

He held Zeno’s gaze as he reached his little hand into his pocket while still allowing Georgia to drag him out.

Georgia thought everything would go as she planned, but before she could step out of the door, she suddenly screamed and fell to the floor, her body convulsing in shock.

Ken had tased her.

Ken held the taser on Georgia’s stomach, and Zeno immediately ran over and carried his little form away from Georgia, who was breathing hard.

Georgia realized that the taser had been taken off and wanted to reach for her gun.

"Look away, Ken," Zeno instructed.

Ken obeyed, facing away from him.

The neck thing that followed was the sound of a heavy object hitting Georgia’s head.

Zeno had knocked her out with a chair.

 

 

Chapter 130

Zeno quickly got out of the car when they reached the house and carried Ken out of the car; the boy looked scared but was trying his best to look brave.

Zeno hugged him, patting his head, "You did great, Ken, you’re brave," He whispered to him.

Ken hugged Zeno, hurrying his face into his neck.

Zeno was glad that teaching Ken how to safely use a Taser was one of the things he’d taught him. He was proud of him.

"Is she going to die?" Ken stated at the woman lying in the back of the car.

’I wish,’ Zeno said to himself before speaking to Ken.

"No, she’s just unconscious, she’ll wake soon," Zsno replied.

"What happened?" Sebastian hurried down the stairs; Zeno had texted him on his way back, telling him that they got into a situation, he’d been so worried and couldn’t wait for them to return.

Zeno points inside the car.

Sebastian reached but didn’t hurry to see what was inside the car; he held Ken’s hand and stared at Zeno in a questioning manner. He studied Ken’s face, "You alright, little man?" He asked.

Ken nodded, staring at Zeno as if asking for a silent permit.

Zeno subtly nodded.

"I Tased her," He pointed inside the car and brought out his Taser from his pocket to show his father.

"Woah, easy there, little man. Tased who? Why the eff are you even in possession of this?" He gently took a picture of Ken’s hand, frowning.

"Give it back, Daddy, it’s mine. Zeno taught me how to use it," Ken stretched his hand toward his father, but Sebastian pocketed the taser, frowning at Zeno.

"What’s going on, Zeno?" He asked and opened the door of the car to see why they’d been pointing inside the car; the windows were tinted, so he couldn’t possibly see through.

"What the...what did you do, Zeno? Why the eff is she here?!" He asked in shock.

Zeno sighed. "You’re not even listening..." He stepped away from the car, lowering Ken to his feet.

"She tried to kidnap me, so I Tased her. Can I have my Taser back, Daddy? It’d for bad guys," Ken asked beside his father.

Sebastian glanced at Zeno, who just gave him a shrug and removed his face from him.

Sebastian sighed and lowered himself in front of his son.

"You defeated the enemy, huh?" He smiled at him.

Ken nodded, smiling, "Yes, she’s an evil lady; I don’t lie to her," He pointed to Georgia, unaware that she was his mother.

Sebastian slowly nodded, "Yes, she is evil..." He sighed.

He was never going to let him know that she was his mother; it was better he never knew her than telling a child that his mother was the evil lady who tried to kidnap him.

It would change his whole perspective of how mothers should be.

Sebastian hugged Ken and kissed his forehead. "You’re a brave boy, Ken. I love you," He kissed him one more time before handing him back his Taser.

Ken wore a big smile on his face, kissing his father’s cheek, "Thank you," He said.

"You’re welcome, little guy. You can go inside the house, Julia is waiting for you in the kitchen," Sebastian patted Ken’s hair.

Ken smiled, "Okay, Daddy. Bye, Zeno," He waves at Zeno.

"Bye, kiddo," He smiled, watching Ken run up the stairs with his little legs.

The boy was very smart and strong for his age; he had thought that he’d be crying and all after the incident, but he was handling it quite well.

Sebastian stood and faced Zeno, "Hey, are you okay?" He moved closer and held his hand.

Zeno looked at him, "I’m fine if you’re finally asking." He replied.

Sebastian hugged Zeno, "I’m sorry if I came off as rude or careless; I was just anxious, but that’s not an excuse; you saved my son, thank you," He kissed the side of Zeno’s lips.

Zeno gently pushed Sebastian away to stare at his face, "I understand, you should be worried about your son. It’s totally understandable," He smiled at Sebastian.

"You’re not about to bench me, right?" Sebastian narrowed his eyes at Zeno.

Zeno chuckled, "No, silly, I’m serious," He said.

Sebastian hugged Zeno again, "But what are we going to do with her now? He whispered.

Zeno shrugged, "I don’t know, it’s up to you. You should be happy I brought your wife back to you, you know, old flames burn -"

"Zeno..." Sebastian called with a frown.

Zeno laughed, "I’m kidding, I’m kidding," He patted Sebastian’s cheek.

"What a bunch of unserious people," Exra walked over to them.

Sebastian sighed and faced him, "What do you want now, Ezra?" He asked.

"Ah, nothing. Just want to know if you guys are going to keep making out in front of a hostage. Is that a new method of torture?" He questioned.

"You answer that," Zeno said to Sebastian, smirking.

"I don’t know; if my baby girl wants to make out in front of a hostage, then I’m down for it," Sebastian places to arm around Zeno’s waist.

"Uhhgg!" Ezra bent over, pretending to vomit.

His attack had backfired; he had wanted to tease them, but it seemed like they had gotten bolder with each other in front of people; they had served him dog food.

A car drives inside the gates, parking right next to Zeno’s.

Japaer and Jeremiah got out and bowed to Sebastian, "Boss, we got the men," Jasper informed.

Zeno frowned, "Which men?" He asked.

"I asked them to bring the barcode men for a visit; sorry I couldn’t tell you; you were already out with Ken," Sebastian explained.

"Oh..." Zeno was startled by that reply.

He had yet to tell Sebastian about Biosn; he didn’t want more problems arising for something he could have just prevented.

Sebastian was about to walk over to the car Jasper had returned with, but Zeno held his hand, "Everything alright?" Sebastian turned to face Zeno fully.

"I need to tell you to tell you something," Zeno informed.

"Alright, you can tell me when we’re done with these guys. Don’t want them waking up and having trouble, yeah?" He gently suggested.

Zeno slowly nodded, "Alright,"

Jeremiah gave Jasper a secret look as they watched Sebastian and Zeno, "See? I told you," He whispered to Jasper.

Sebastian turned, and Jeremiah immediately stepped away from Jasper as if he wasn’t about to gossip about him right in front of him.

"Take the guys below the house. Love the lady in a separate room," Sebastian ordered and held Zeno’s hand, leading him to walk around the house.

Zeno knew where they were heading, it was the same place Sebastian had locked and chained him when he suspected that he was working for Georgia.

There was a door on the wall behind the mansion; the door led down a few stairs, which opened up to a long passage with rooms facing each other. They were all torture rooms.

"Bringing me back here, are you trying to remind me of what you did to me?" Zeno asked as they walked along the passage.

Sebastian smirked and suddenly pinned Zeno to the wall. "I do apologize for what I did in the past, but right now...I’m thinking about doing it again, and I won’t apologize about it," He whispered into Zeno’s ear.

Zeno bit his lips, tingles spending all over his body; he moved his head to the side to see if Jasper and Jeremiah were already coming, and he sighed in relief when he saw no one.

She turned his head to look at Sebastian, "W-what do you mean?" He whispered.

Sebastian smiled darkly, his hands started to travel down Zeno’s body, cupping him between the legs, his hands slowly rubbing him through his pants.

"You know what I mean, baby girl. I know you want me fucking you roughly from behind while you’re helplessly chained to the wall, at my mercy. You will take me...all of me, inside your tight little ass," Sebastian sensually breathed out those words like a secret prayer.

Zeno was panting, he parted his lips to get enough air as his body suddenly felt very warm from Sebastian’s dirty words, his cock was responding quickly to Sebastian’s slow massage, hardening with every run, and he ached badly, aching for Sebastian’s cock to slam inside of him.

"No words...you’d like that, won’t you?" Sebastian asked in a husky voice.

Zeno let a soft moan slip through his lips, his hands wrapped around Sebastian’s neck, and he pulled his face close to his, "Did you know that you’re incredibly sexy, Sebastian?" He leaned in and dragged his tongue across Sebastian’s lips.

Sebastian moaned quietly, feeling his cock throbbing in his pants, "Do you want me to fuck you right here, Zeno? Tempted me one more time, and I will," He held Zeno’s neck and pressed him to the wall.

"You have no idea what dirty things I’m thinking about right now, Sebastian," Zeno smirked sexily at Sebastian.

"Fuck," Sebastian gave a guttural growl before crashing his lips on Zeno’s.

Zeno kissed him for a second and gently pushed him away. "I hear their footsteps... we’ll save this for later," Zeno bit his lips while running Sebastian’s hardness.

Sebastian shut his eyes and sighed, "Damn, I’m fucking hard..." He groaned.