Chapter 22 – A Dangerous Invitation
The mansion felt colder the next morning. Ethan woke to find the space beside him empty, the sheets cool to the touch. Adrian had left early, his absence heavy with unspoken tension.
Ethan sat up slowly, fingers brushing the faint mark Adrian had left on his shoulder the night before—a touch that had felt more like a plea than a claim. He should have felt comfort. Instead, unease gnawed at him.
The day stretched long. The mansion staff hovered, polite but distant, and Ethan felt the weight of isolation. He was surrounded by wealth and luxury, yet his chest ached like he was locked in a cage with invisible bars.
It was almost a relief when his phone buzzed with an unfamiliar number.
Meet me. Just for coffee. No tricks.
Leon.
Ethan's first instinct was to ignore it, but his thumb hovered over the screen. He told himself it was only coffee, only a conversation. He told himself he needed answers—truths Adrian wasn't giving him.
And so, against better judgment, he went.
---
The café was tucked away in a quiet corner of the city, far from the towering skyscrapers and business districts Adrian ruled. Leon sat near the window, sunlight catching the sharp lines of his face. He looked effortlessly composed, as though he owned not just the table but the air itself.
"You came," Leon said, a slow smile spreading across his lips.
Ethan slid into the seat opposite, crossing his arms. "Make it quick. I don't have time for your games."
"Games?" Leon's chuckle was low. "I invited you for coffee. But if you want answers, I'll give them."
The waiter appeared, and Leon ordered for both of them without asking. Ethan bristled at the arrogance, but he didn't correct it.
When they were alone again, Leon leaned forward, voice dropping. "Tell me, Ethan. Do you really believe Adrian Zhou is innocent?"
Ethan stiffened. "He said he's trying to shut it down."
"And you believed him?" Leon's gaze was sharp, almost pitying. "You think a man like Adrian can dismantle the Omega Project without dipping his hands in blood? He's profited from it for years. He's built his empire on it. Men like him don't change."
Ethan clenched his jaw, refusing to let Leon's words sink in. "Then why do you care? Why are you telling me this?"
Leon's expression softened, though his eyes glinted with something darker. "Because you deserve to know the truth. And because…" He paused, studying Ethan with unsettling intensity. "…I see the way he looks at you. You're not a partner to him, Ethan. You're leverage. You're the chain he uses to keep power in check."
Ethan's chest tightened. The words hit too close to his own fears.
Leon reached across the table, his fingers brushing against Ethan's hand. The contact was light, deliberate, sending a shiver down Ethan's spine. "You don't have to be his pawn. You could be more. With me, you'd be free."
Ethan jerked his hand back, eyes narrowing. "Don't."
Leon only smiled, unfazed. "I'm not asking for an answer now. But think about it. How many times has Adrian kept the truth from you? How many secrets will you let him bury?"
The words lingered long after Ethan left the café.
---
When he returned to the mansion, Adrian was waiting.
He stood by the windows, the city glowing behind him like a kingdom under his rule. His suit jacket was off, sleeves rolled, the faint tension in his posture betraying his usual composure.
"Where were you?" Adrian's voice was calm, but there was steel beneath it.
Ethan hesitated. "Out."
Adrian turned, eyes locking onto him with unnerving precision. "With him."
It wasn't a question.
Ethan's silence was enough.
Adrian closed the distance in measured steps, each one tightening the air around them. "What did Leon tell you?"
"Things you won't," Ethan snapped, frustration spilling out. "Things I deserve to know."
Adrian's jaw tightened. "Leon will twist the truth to turn you against me."
"Then why not give me the truth yourself?" Ethan shot back. His voice cracked, a mix of anger and desperation. "Do you have any idea how it feels to be kept in the dark? To wonder if the man I'm bound to is just another monster in a suit?"
The words sliced through the room, leaving silence in their wake.
For a moment, Adrian said nothing. Then, slowly, he reached into his desk and pulled out a thin file. He placed it on the table between them, his gaze unwavering.
"This is the truth you want," Adrian said. His voice was low, steady, but his eyes betrayed a storm. "Every detail of the Omega Project. Every deal, every death, every betrayal. It's all here. Read it. Hate me if you must. But don't take Leon's word over mine."
Ethan stared at the file as though it burned. His chest tightened painfully. This was what he'd asked for—proof, answers, truth.
But as his fingers hovered over the folder, Adrian's hand closed gently around his wrist.
"Ethan," Adrian murmured, his voice rough, almost vulnerable. "Whatever you read in there… remember this: I will never let them touch you. Not while I breathe."
Ethan's heart ached. He wanted to believe. He wanted to trust. But Leon's words, Adrian's secrecy, and the weight of the file between them tangled everything into a knot he couldn't unravel.
He pulled his hand back, clutching the folder to his chest.
"I'll read it," Ethan whispered. "Then I'll decide."
Adrian's jaw tightened, but he stepped back. "So be it."
The distance between them had never felt wider.
And somewhere, in a quiet café across the city, Leon sipped his coffee and smiled—because the seeds he'd planted were beginning to bloom.