LOGINELIANâI still think youâre avoiding my question.âAiden glanced at me across the center console, one hand resting loosely on the steering wheel while the city lights slid across his face in streaks of gold and white.âI answered your question.ââNo,â I replied, settling farther into the leather seat. âYou gave me the sort of answer politicians give when they donât actually want to answer anything.âA faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.âIs that your professional opinion, Doctor?ââIt is.ââAnd here I thought today was your day off.ââIt is my day off.ââThen stop analyzing me.ââI wouldnât have to if youâd simply answer me.ââI did.ââYou absolutely did not.âHe laughed under his breath, the sound low enough that I almost missed it.âYou enjoy arguing with me.ââI enjoy winning.ââYouâve never won.ââI have.ââWhen?âI folded my arms.âYouâve forgotten already.ââI donât forget victories.ââThatâs because there havenât been many.âHe shook his head slowly.âIâve created a
EMILEThe line went silent.Not because the call had dropped.Because neither of us had anything we wished to say first.Father had always possessed that ability. He could weaponize silence until the other person felt compelled to fill it. I had inherited the habit from him, although he would never admit it.I swirled the whiskey in my glass before setting it aside untouched.âYou donât usually call this late and Iâm sure youâre not calling because of Brooklyn what ever happened there is dead and buried as you know.. so let his therapy go according to plan,â I said.âI donât.ââThen I assume this isnât about business or Brooklyn.ââIt isnât.âHis voice remained even, almost detached, but I knew him well enough to recognize the warning hidden beneath that calm.âWhen I asked about Aidenâs therapy this afternoon, I wasnât making conversation.ââI gathered as much.ââYou lied to me.ââHmm loe is a strong word I may have omitted a few details.ââThere is a difference only lawyers apprecia
EMILEI did not enjoy being proven wrong.Unfortunately, life had developed an unpleasant habit of doing exactly that whenever my younger brother was involved.The drive back from the restaurant passed in silence. Candice had offered to continue the conversation another time, and for once I had not argued. There had been too much left unsaid between us, but none of it demanded an answer tonight especially as we both knew what it meant.The message on my phone did.Someone else has started watching the doctor.The words had refused to leave my mind. By the time my driver pulled into the estate, I was already reaching for my phone.âGood evening, sir.âVictor my little eyes and ears answered on the second ring.âI need every surveillance report from the last forty-eight hours.ââRegarding Dr. Moore?ââYes.ââIâll send them immediately.ââAnd Victor.ââSir?ââI donât want summaries.ââI want everything.ââUnderstood.âThe call ended.I stepped out of the car and climbed the wide stairca
EMILEThere were very few people capable of making me regret sending an invitation before they had even arrived.Candice Jones happened to be one of them.I stood on the balcony of the restaurant overlooking the glittering Manhattan skyline, one hand wrapped around a glass of whiskey that had long since lost its chill. The meeting with Father had ended almost thirty minutes ago, yet his questions still lingered in my head.âHow is Aidenâs therapy going?âHe had asked it too casually.. Far too casually.Father never asked questions he already didnât know the answer to.A soft pair of heels clicked against the polished stone behind me.âThey still serve whiskey before saying hello?âHer voice carried the same confidence I remembered and I turned.Candice smiled politely, though it didnât quite reach her eyes.âIt has been a while, Emile.ââIt has.âShe studied me for a second before extending her hand.âShould we pretend weâre meeting for the first time?âI looked at her hand for a bri
AidenI knew he noticed the pickup truck but I honestly couldnât care less..The maĂźtre dâ greeted us with the kind of smile reserved for people who looked like they belonged.I didnât.Not in places like this.The restaurant glowed beneath soft amber lights that reflected off crystal glasses and polished marble floors. Every table was dressed in white linen, candles flickering gently between expensive floral arrangements, while a pianist in the corner coaxed slow jazz from a grand piano. The room smelled of butter, rosemary, and expensive wine.Elian, however, looked perfectly at home.He slipped his hands into the pockets of his coat as we followed the hostess deeper into the dining room, his attention wandering over the artwork on the walls rather than the people staring discreetly in our direction.âI think they expect me to know which fork is for what,â he whispered.I laughed under my breath.âThey expect me to pay.âHis grin widened. âSo youâre saying I should order the lobster
ELIANI should have known something was wrong the moment Aiden refused to tell me where we were going.People with good intentions usually answered simple questions but Aiden only smiled. âYouâll see.ââI honestly now hate that sentence.ââI know.ââIt usually ends with me regretting something.âHis grin widened as he unlocked the passenger door of his car. âGet in.âI folded my arms. âYou really enjoy ordering people around, donât you?.ââNo.â He waited until I looked at him. âI enjoy ordering you around.âI sighed dramatically before climbing into the car. âOne day,â I muttered as I buckled my seat belt, âyouâre going to meet someone who refuses to entertain your nonsense.ââI already did.â He shut the door before walking around to the driverâs side. âYou.âI pretended to look out of the window so he wouldnât see the smile threatening to appear but it didnât work as nothing ever escaped him.âYou smiled.ââI absolutely did not.ââI saw it.ââYea well.. You imagined it.ââI have exce
ELIANâArgghhhâ A low groan escaped me as my consciousness slowly returned.For several seconds, I just remained exactly where I was, staring blankly at the ceiling while my brain tried its best to struggle in order to catch up with reality.Cause for some weird reason.. Something felt off or shoul
ELIANI should have asked him to leave.The thought repeated itself over and over inside my head.Aiden sat across from me in my office, holding the cup of coffee I had made for him like it was something precious.The sight felt absurd.Nothing about him should have looked soft, nothing about him s
ELIANâYou kept begging me not to leave..âThe words wrapped around my throat like fingers as I stared at Aiden, unable to breathe properly for a second.âNo that canât be,â I said immediately.Aidenâs expression didnât change. âOhh but you did.ââI wouldnât say that.ââYou were half asleep and hal
EILANI regretted texting him the second I stepped back into the hospital not because the conversation had gone badly.That was the problem.. It hadnât.The entire exchange replayed itself in my head while I walked through the corridor toward my office.Did you eat lunch?The question seemed harmle







