Charles opened his eyes. The first thing he heard was a muffled sniff. Maybe…a sob?Well, hell. That was one crazy thing to wake up to after almost dying from poison. If not for years of military instinct, he’d already be gone. He had swallowed a dose of his self-made antidote earlier that evening, a habit born from paranoia. Knowing August would never touch food brought to him—even if hunger killed him—Charles hadn’t bothered to ask if he wanted some too.He pushed himself upright. The room was dim, shadows crouched in every corner. A sofa piled with clothes. Old books stacked carelessly. The air smelled faintly of some female perfume. He noticed a figure on the floor. A woman leaning over it.“August…” The name left his lips before he could even think. .The woman looked up. The same nurse he had crossed paths with in the hospital yesterday.“What happened?” His eyes swept the floor—syringes scattered everywhere.The nurse broke down in messy sobs, her voice raw and trembling.Damn

The man’s face drained of color. “Stella! If this bastard hurts me, I’ll kill you!”That was it. August’s patience snapped. He hurled him against the wall.“You dare threaten her? In front of me?” His shadow loomed over the crumpled man.The ex whimpered, begging like a child. “Please—don’t! I haven’t done anything wrong!”Stella burst into laughter. She didn't try to hide her satisfaction or feel sorry for the crazy bastard she's been dating all these while. First time seeing someone capable of putting the bastard in his place. The man shot her a murderous glare——and August leaned closer. “Give her that look again, and I’ll take your eyes out.”The ex stammered. “Do… do you even know who I am to her?”From behind them, Charles whistled. “Damn, Stella. Didn’t think you had it in you to waste your time on trash like this.”August’s lips curled. “So? Who are you to her?”“I’m… her boyfriend,” the man said, puffing up as if the title was some crown.“You were about to slap her,” August

It was late, maybe 9 p.m.—though Charles couldn’t be sure. The clock on the wall had died weeks ago, its battery long gone, and he hadn’t had the luxury to change it.August and Stella had gone out on their so-called “date.” Not that Charles understood why they needed to be prancing around the city when they could have just sat in the damn house and saved themselves the risk of being spotted by Dario’s men. He’d made them promise, though—if trouble came, his name wasn’t to be dragged into it. And, being the gentleman he was, he was already planning to disappear into the back of the house to give them space when they returned.“Perfect,” he muttered under his breath, eyes locked on the device before him. After hours of frustration, the damn thing finally clicked—he’d managed to sync to one of the spy cams hidden in Ramiro’s place.Static. A shaky signal. At first, nothing but dead silence. Two minutes passed, and Charles was about ready to curse the wasted effort when a sound bled thr

“I ruined her life, sir,” Ramiro said, eyes red and swollen.“Get up first.”“Her life is ruined because of me, and there’s nothing we can do about it. She’s just nineteen, we—”Charles extended his hand. “I said get up.”“Sir…”“Shut it. If you haven’t got something useful to say, keep your damn mouth closed and get up.”Slowly, Ramiro took his hand and rose to his feet.They moved to a cracked wooden bench nearby, probably once used by people waiting for rides. The road was empty now—quiet, abandoned. Not a single car had passed since they arrived.“Listen,” Charles said at last. His tone dropped into that clipped, don’t-make-me-repeat-myself rhythm. “I’m only going to say this once.”Ramiro nodded quickly.“I’m not here to tell you it was a mistake. It was both of your choices. Nobody forced you. You two just ended up with responsibilities earlier than most. That’s the reality.”Charles paused, something tight flickering in his chest. For a second his brother’s face surfaced in his

It was late in the night, almost early in the morning. Charles had just started drifting off when a voice outside snapped him awake.“Break down the door!”Charles sat up. The voice was familiar.“I’ll show her she messed with the wrong person!” the voice barked again.Charles groaned. Of course. Stella’s idiot ex. Some people’s brains weren’t tools—they were just decorative ornaments they never bothered to use.The pounding started.Charles swung out of bed, crossed the room, and opened the door.Four men stood there, clutching rods. In the middle of them: Stella’s ex, puffed up like a bantam rooster.“You brought those to beat us?” Charles asked, eyebrow raised.“Deal with this idiot first!” Stella’s ex snapped.Charles shut the door behind him, nice and slow. No reason to drag Stella and August into this circus.Two men stepped forward, rods raised. Before they could swing, Charles caught both by their collars and smacked their heads together like coconuts. They collapsed with a sa