-"Julian… I'm sorry. I don't know how things ended up like this. I truly am. Please… don't be mad at me, okay?"
The tall, handsome man stood behind, his eyes filled with guilt. His voice caught in his throat as he spoke.
Julian turned around. His beautiful face showed little emotion, and his eyes carried a strangely serene calm.
-"Do you still love me?" he asked, his voice light as smoke—neither accusatory nor bitter.
Raphael swallowed hard, his gaze shifting away, heart weighed down with anguish.
-"I do… I love you very much. That day… I was drunk. I couldn't control myself. But I didn't mean for it to happen…"
-"You still love me… that's good."
Julian smiled faintly, the corners of his lips curving slightly, though the smile never reached his eyes. His composure felt like a silent knife to Raphael's chest.
-"But… she's pregnant. It's… my child."
Raphael lowered his head, his voice barely audible. He couldn't bring himself to look Julian in the eye, hands clenched tight as if gripping onto the last shred of courage.
The wind swept through the open window. Julian stood silent for a long moment, his eyes gazing into the bleak sky beyond.
-"Then let her have the baby. After all… I can't give you a child."
His voice was low, yet clear—as if delivering a quiet, inevitable verdict.
-"Are… are you really okay?"
Raphael was stunned by Julian's calmness. His heart twisted painfully in his chest.
Julian shook his head softly, stepped closer, and gently touched his cheek, brushing it with tender fingers.
-"I'm fine, Raphael. I told you—it was just an accident."
-"Wife… thank you. Thank you for staying by my side."
Raphael pulled him into an embrace, burying his face into Julian's slender shoulder. Julian's body trembled slightly, but he didn't pull away.
-"Mm… Come on, let's eat. I made seaweed soup—your favorite."
Inside a car.
-"Raphael… where are we going?"
A young woman in the passenger seat asked, her voice laced with worry.
-"Prenatal check-up. Didn't you say you weren't feeling well?"
Raphael replied curtly, eyes fixed on the road ahead, tone indifferent.
-"Ah… right…"
She forced a smile, but her eyes suddenly lit up when she noticed a familiar car ahead.
-"Look… that car looks familiar."
Raphael's heart dropped. He instantly recognized it.
-"Julian? What's he doing here?"
He slammed the gas pedal, tailing the vehicle closely.
Julian's car began climbing the bridge when suddenly, a black vehicle from the adjacent lane swerved violently and rammed into the side of his car—then sped away without a trace.
-"No!!" Raphael screamed, but it was too late.
Julian's car veered out of control, slammed into the railing, and plunged into the river below.
A deafening explosion echoed through the air. Flames lit up the sky. Shards of metal scattered. Smoke billowed thick and black.
Raphael slammed the brakes, jumped out, and sprinted toward the bridge's edge.
-"Julian! JULIAN!!! NOOOO!!!"
He collapsed, hands clawing the pavement in helpless despair, tears streaming down his face like never before.
Behind him, the woman in the car sat frozen, eyes wide with shock, knuckles white as she gripped the steering wheel.
-"No way… No way… Julian can't be…"
...….
-"Julian… Julian… Don't go…"
Raphael jolted awake from his nightmare, drenched in sweat.
-"Are you okay?"
Lyra sat up beside him, worry in her voice, hand resting on his shoulder.
-"It's nothing… just a bad dream."
Raphael panted, covering his face with a trembling hand, trying to steady himself.
-"But… Raphael… Who's Julian? You kept calling his name in your sleep."
-"Just… a friend."
He answered quickly, eyes avoiding hers.
"Go back to sleep."
-"Okay…"
She lay back down, but her eyes remained wide open in the dark.
—————————————————
-"Raphael… live a happy life. I'll always be by your side, watching over you."
A voice echoed faintly, light as the wind…
—————————————————
Today, Lucian brought Aaron to his domain in the underworld—not only to help him gradually adapt to this brutal world, but also to make his identity public. Not merely a lover, but the queen beside the possessor.
At a vast compound, Lucian's subordinates stood in long rows from inside out, bowing in unison as he and Aaron appeared. Lucian's footsteps echoed, each slow step carrying a heavy pressure—an authority no one dared to take lightly.
Aaron walked beside him, his hand protected in Lucian's grasp. All eyes turned to him—curious, cautious. With Lucian's position, the one he held hands with could not be someone to be underestimated. No one dared harbor any improper thoughts.
Lucian led Aaron through the key areas of the territory. He didn't say much, only issued succinct commands as introductions:
– "Main storage."
– "Entrance to the underground tunnel."
– "Punishment zone for traitors."
– "Trading point."
Though the words were few, Aaron could feel Lucian's absolute control over every corner of this place. Every shadowed alcove, every stare from armed guards—were silent warnings to those who might defy him.
Once everything was done, Lucian led Aaron back to the car. Aaron glanced behind, eyes scanning the crowd, but found no trace of the person he was looking for. After a moment of hesitation, he turned to ask:
– "Lucian… Jimson Snake isn't here?"
Lucian didn't stop walking, nor did he look at Aaron. His voice was calm but cold:
– "He doesn't fall under my command."
– "I know… but he—"
– "No one controls Jimson Snake." His voice dropped. "He belongs to no organization. He appears and disappears at will. If he wants to meet, he'll come."
Aaron paused briefly, then asked with a serious tone:
– "Are you implying… I will meet him again?"
Lucian turned to look at Aaron, his eyes darkening. His voice was low, but sharp as a blade:
– "From now on, often."
– "You want him to train me?" Aaron stared directly into his eyes.
Lucian didn't answer right away. After a moment, he leaned close to Aaron's ear, his voice husky and deep:
- "To survive in my world… you can't stay a fragile flower forever."
"Jimson will help you… grow poisonous thorns."
With that, Lucian wrapped an arm around Aaron's waist and led him into the car.
The vehicle rolled away toward the mansion, leaving behind the cold underworld. But inside Aaron's heart, unease still lingered. He knew Lucian was preparing him for a harsher future.
And if the one chosen to shape him was Jimson Snake… then it definitely wouldn't be pleasant.
—————————————————
– "Are you using dirty tricks to steal this project from me?"
Raphael stood tall, eyes cold as steel, staring straight at the man across from him. His voice dropped, suppressing the fury within, but every word was laced with murderous intent. In his hand was the contract—its key clauses altered, all of them skewed against him.
The middle-aged man sat casually behind the desk, legs crossed, letting out a scornful laugh, as if Raphael were just a child playing in the world of business.
– "Dirty tricks?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow mockingly. "You're still green, little chairman. This is business—there's no such thing as fairness. There are only the fast and the dead. I just happened to be… faster than you."
– "You're a sly old fox," Raphael growled, gripping the contract tightly, his eyes darkening.
– "Flattery won't get you anywhere. This project is mine now. Want it back? Over my dead body."
The man laughed loudly, gathered his documents, and walked out without a second glance, leaving Raphael alone in the vast conference room—silent and heavy with tension.
He said nothing more. Raphael looked down at the contract as if crushing it with his gaze. No one heard the quiet, stifled sigh that escaped his chest. It was defeat.
As a young chairman, Raphael possessed sharp vision and unyielding determination. But unfortunately, his company wasn't yet big enough to speak loudly in the cold-blooded world of business. Corporate giants trampled him. Competitors looked down on him. Especially that old man—who was now preparing to sign a partnership with Lucian. And once Lucian's name appeared, every rival would bow their heads without question. The man knew that—and it only fed his arrogance.
But what he didn't know… was that Raphael wasn't one to be stepped on.
And even more so… that Lucian wouldn't be on his side.
The real threat didn't come from the business world—it came from the underworld he was so eager to dip his hands into.
—————————————————
At night, inside the grand villa bathed in the warm glow of golden lights, Lucian's study was cloaked in silence. The soft rustle of documents, the faint tapping on the keyboard, and the steady rhythm of breathing mingled in the air. Aaron sat obediently in Lucian's lap, cradling the little cat, Solace, who curled up peacefully against him. As he gently stroked its fur, he nuzzled his head lightly into Lucian's chest—a familiar habit.
Lucian handled his work with just one hand, while the other was wrapped tightly around Aaron's waist, holding him close as if afraid the person in his arms might vanish. Since he officially became Lucian's, Aaron no longer feared him—in fact, he had begun to rely on him. At times, he was so obedient it felt like the cruel world outside this room simply didn't exist.
The scene was almost too beautiful to be real.
Lucian's phone buzzed softly. He looked away from the computer screen and pulled out his phone. A message appeared, encrypted with a series of strange symbols—ones only people of the underworld could understand.
He read it. The corners of his lips lifted slowly.
A thin smile. A dangerous one.
Aaron looked up, his dark eyes gently flickering:
– "Lucian… is something wrong?"
Lucian didn't answer right away. He tilted the screen toward Aaron for a brief moment.
Aaron blinked in confusion. He didn't understand any of it. But Lucian's eyes were calm and deep—just like the way he studied his prey before the strike.
- "Things are about to get… interesting," he said, voice low and cold.
Aaron didn't ask further. He quietly rested his head against Lucian's chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart as if everything were still normal. But deep down, he knew—in Lucian's world, peace was never a sign of safety.
ENDOFCHAPTER13