Chapter 89: Someone... Who Loves Me?
I sit in the chair, my body leaning back as if the leather might swallow me whole.
It shifts beneath me—just a little, just enough to remind me that I’m still here, still breathing, still sitting in this room.
Beyond the glass wall, the night is scattered with gold. Tiny lights. Thousands of them.
Each one a small pulse in the darkness, like stars that forgot they belonged to the sky. They flicker and fade and flicker again, indifferent to the lives being lived beneath them.
Everic sits across from me, the meeting still weighing heavily on his shoulders.
The file lies open in front of him—pages spread, numbers bleeding into numbers, black ink on white paper. His eyes move across them slowly, methodically, like he’s dissecting something alive.
Calculating. Analyzing.
The room is quiet. Too quiet.
"You didn’t hear anything else?" he asks.
I don’t look at him.
"No."
He closes the file. The sound is soft. Almost gentle. Like the closing of something that shouldn’t have been opened in the first place.
He leans back in his chair, and for a moment, he just sits there.
His hand rises to his temple. Two fingers. He presses hard, digging into the skin as if he can force the exhaustion out through sheer pressure alone.
"What a strange meeting," he murmurs. His voice is distant, like he’s speaking more to himself than to me.
"I’m so tired."
He leans forward slightly, his elbows resting on the table, his eyes finding me even when mine refuse to find him.
"What about you?" He pauses. "Are you feeling better?"
"Yes."
Just one syllable. Flat. Empty. I don’t have the energy to fill it with anything else.
His fingers tap lightly against each other.
Thoughtful. Distracted.
"I remember the last time you bled like that." His voice drops, quieter now, meant only for the space between us.
"You were little. Maybe fourteen."
A pause. The air between us thickens.
"So why is it starting again?" He looks at me now—really looks. "It’s not normal to bleed like this."
Another pause. Longer this time. "You should get yourself checked. At the hospital."
He shifts in his seat, uncomfortable with the weight of his own concern.
"Should I call our family doctor?"
I take a slow breath. Let the air fill my lungs. Hold it there for a moment, feeling it press against my ribs.
Then release it. Slowly. Deliberately.
I shift my gaze to him. The movement feels slow. Like moving through water.
"No."
Everic shakes his head, a small, defeated motion. A whisper escapes him, soft enough that I almost miss it.
"You’re not going to listen. Always like this."
My phone buzzes against my thigh. The vibration is sharp in the quiet room—too loud, too sudden, like a stone dropped into still water. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
I pull it from my pocket. The screen glows.
Bright. Harsh.
Sum.
Hey dude... should I assume you’ve abandoned me?
Another message appears before I can blink.
Ellis... let’s meet at the club. Drink together
Then another. Quicker this time. More urgent.
I’m missing my best friend...
My thumb hovers over the screen. I begin to type.
Fine. I’ll come.
My thumb moves toward send—
And stops.
Silas’s words rise up from somewhere I didn’t know they were hiding. Soft. Uninvited.
I’ll wait for you at dinner. At home.
Come home early.
I stare at the screen. The cursor blinks at me. Waiting. Patient. Accusing.
He’s waiting.
I don’t send the message.
I turn off the phone. The screen goes black. I slip it back into my pocket, and the weight of it feels heavier than before.
Everic tilts his head, studying me with eyes that see too much.
"What happened?" He pauses. "Is Silas messaging you?"
I stand.
The chair doesn’t make a sound. I’ve learned how to move without being heard, how to exist in spaces without leaving marks.
"Why do you ask?"
"Just curious."
He shrugs, but the movement feels forced.
"My secretary told me he came to the company to meet you. And when he found out you were bleeding—that you were in the restroom—he rushed like the pain was his own."
A pause. His voice grows quieter. More careful. "You should be thankful."
His gaze drifts away for a moment.
"You have someone who loves you like that."
He leans back in his chair. The leather shifts beneath him.
"With your bad temper and behavior, I was sure you’d die alone."
A soft laugh escapes him. Tired. Fond.
"But I don’t know how..." He shakes his head slowly. "Out of all the people in the world, Silas somehow ended up with you."
I don’t speak.
I walk toward the coat stand. My steps are measured. Even.
Everic’s eyes follow me. I can feel them on my back. "I don’t know what that innocent Beta sees in you," he continues.
He rubs his temple again, like the thought itself gives him a headache. "Why he always runs to you. No matter what you do to him."
I pull my coat from the stand. The fabric is cool beneath my fingers. I put it on slowly. Deliberately. Each movement controlled. Practiced.
My eyes drift to the glass wall. The city is still glowing. Still breathing.
I adjust my collar.
Everic’s voice hardens. Just a little. Just enough to notice.
"If I were in Silas’s place—with how you ignored him this morning—I would’ve beaten you to death." A pause. "Divorced you on the spot."
Despite myself, a corner of my mouth almost twitches.
His voice softens again. "But he still came here to see you." A pause.
"He worries about you more than he should."
I turn and walk toward the door. My voice comes out cold. Flat. Sharp enough to cut.
"Are you done?"
Everic exhales—a long, slow breath. "Anyway. Let’s have dinner together. It’s been a while since we brothers shared a meal."
I reach the door. My hand settles on the handle. The metal is cold against my palm. Cold and solid.
I don’t turn around.
"No."
Everic leans back in his chair. The movement is dramatic, exaggerated—the way he’s always been when he doesn’t get what he wants.
"You’re seriously impossible, Ellis. Refusing your brother like this." His voice rises, then falls. "You have no respect for your elders."
A pause.
"Where did your manners go?"
I open the door. Step into the hallway.
"Because you don’t deserve them."
"Ellis—"
I don’t answer. I don’t look back. The door closes behind me with a soft click.
The executive floor hallway is silent now. The lights are dim. Soft. Each bulb casts a pale gold glow.
I glance at my watch.
Late night.
The elevator doors slide open when I press the button. I step inside. The walls are mirrored. My reflection stares back at me.
My phone buzzes.
The doors close with a soft clink—the sound of something sealing shut.
I take my phone from my pocket. The screen glows. It’s not Sum.
Silas.
Are you coming home?
A pause between messages.
I’m waiting...
Another message.
Come home safely.
I stare at the screen.
The elevator begins its descent—smooth and silent, carrying me down through floors of empty offices.
Everic’s words echo in my mind. Soft. Insistent. Unwanted.
Ellis... you should be thankful. You have someone who loves you.
Someone... who loves me?