(Kia POV)
Kia sat behind the polished mahogany desk in his office, eyes staring out over the city lights, but his mind wasn't on the numbers or the deals. It hadn't been for years.
Five years. Five long years since he had broken Rylan's heart. Five years since he had walked away, crushed under the weight of pressure, family expectations, and fear.
And yet… every day, Rylan's face haunted him. That timid smile. Those wide, trusting eyes. The way he had looked at him when Kia had walked away—it had scarred him, shaped him, and refused to leave.
He had searched. Every city. Every contact. Every whisper. And nothing. Until weeks ago, when he had closed a deal with a client in a far-off city, and there he had seen him.
Rylan. The same face that had haunted his dreams and obsessed his thoughts. Only now… he was different. Stronger. Confident. Handsome to the point of breathtaking. His presence radiated a quiet power, a command of the world around him. Kia's chest tightened. His heart skipped.
He had almost fallen back into old patterns, almost reached out, almost begged for a chance. But reality had always been cruel.
His engagement with Seth had been broken off two years ago, but the brother… the ever-watchful, overbearing shadow… had refused to let him be. Kia had made a silent vow not to kill him, not to create more bloodshed, because he believed Rylan would handle it his own way. And he couldn't, wouldn't, interfere.
Yet, the thought of Rylan, of that boy who had grown into a man he now craved more than air, gnawed at him relentlessly. Every deal, every meeting, every sleepless night was colored with the memory of him.
And now… the possibility of seeing him again.
He glanced at his phone, scrolling through the picture he had managed to get—a stolen glimpse from a business report. Rylan was flawless. Every feature sharp, every movement confident. Handsome. Gorgeous. Beautiful. And so entirely his.
Kia's pulse quickened. His office, his world, even the city beyond the glass walls couldn't contain the flood of anticipation and longing that rushed through him.
He's really back…
A low groan escaped him as he sank into his chair, resting his face in his hands. His heart pounded with both dread and excitement. Would Rylan even recognize him? Would he forgive him? Or had the years of abandonment hardened him too much?
Kia shook his head, trying to steady himself. No. I have to see him. I have to…
A knock at the door snapped him back. "Sir?" his assistant asked tentatively.
"I'm going out," Kia said without looking up. "And don't. Follow. Me."
The words were sharp, almost harsh, but his mind was elsewhere—on Rylan. On the man he had never stopped craving. On the chance, finally, to see him again after five years of longing, regret, and obsession.
He took a deep breath, smoothed his suit, and headed out of the office. Every step carried the weight of anticipation, every heartbeat the echo of a love he had never truly let go.
Somewhere out there, the man he had loved—lost—was waiting. And Kia could barely contain himself.
Soon… soon I'll see him.