Kia didn't show up the next day.
Not because he didn't want to.
Not because he didn't care.
But because he was terrified.
Terrified of seeing Ryan's cold eyes again.
Terrified that the bunny he loved for five long years could look at him like a stranger.
Terrified that the sound of Ryan's sob — that broken, wounded sound — would play in his head the moment he saw him.
So Kia sat in his office, staring at paperwork he couldn't read, drinking coffee that tasted like regret, and trying to convince himself he was doing the right thing.
He wasn't.
And then the email came.
At first, he didn't believe it.
He blinked at the screen once.
Twice.
Then he snatched his glasses off.
"NO… what kind of nonsense is this—"
The company he had wanted to collaborate with — the same one he had spent months negotiating with — had backed out of their handshake deal.
And worse?
They had signed instead with Liam's company.
At first he thought it was coincidence.
But then the second document loaded.
The final contract.
Signed.
Stamped.
Sealed.
With his rival.
Kia dropped back in his chair, staring at the ceiling.
"…So Liam is THAT Liam."
The one who had been stepping on his toes in business for two years.
The one whose company always swooped in at the last minute to ruin his plans.
The one whose strategies were annoyingly crafty and unpredictable.
And now… apparently… the man lived inside Ryan's house?
Kia dragged his hand down his face.
"Jesus… I've been getting bullied this whole time by my bunny's friend."
To make matters worse…
The contract the other company abandoned?
They were the ones at fault.
They already signed agreements with Kia's company first — which meant Kia could sue them and win without even lifting a finger.
But they still left.
And the only explanation was:
They valued Liam more.
Kia leaned forward, elbows on his desk, heart beating with a strange mix of annoyance, respect, jealousy, and curiosity.
"Why did Liam even want that deal?" he muttered. "And why throw away a straightforward contract just to compete with me?"
He paused.
His eyes narrowed.
Because it didn't make sense.
Liam was smart.
Too smart to get into a legal mess just for ego.
That meant…
Liam knew exactly whose toes he was stepping on.
And he did it on purpose.
A slow, dangerous smile spread across Kia's lips.
"Oh. So he knew it was my company he messed with…"
He leaned back, arms crossed.
"Interesting."
He could crush Liam's company easily.
He had the power, the resources, the connections.
But he wouldn't.
Because Liam was Ryan's friend.
Because Ryan trusted him.
Because Ryan needed him right now.
And because Kia didn't even understand what game Liam was playing yet.
Kia rubbed his forehead.
"My God… what point is this man even trying to make?"
Why poke a bear?
Why risk his company over a deal he didn't even fully need?
Unless…
He was warning Kia.
Or testing him.
Or—
Kia froze.
A thought hit him so sharply he stopped breathing.
"Does Liam know… who I am to Ryan?"
His chest tightened.
If Liam knew…
If he suspected…
If he realized Kia was the one who broke Ryan's heart five years ago…
Then everything suddenly made sense.
The company sabotage.
The subtle hostility.
The way Liam's eyes always sharpened whenever Kia walked in.
Kia sat very still.
And for the first time in years…
He felt glad for a second even when he knows that Liam is also a love rival but he was glad that at the very least, this bunny had someone to relay on.
But the deep, gut-level fear of a man who was terrified of losing the one person he ever loved.
He whispered into the empty office:
"…Bunny… what exactly have I walked into?"