Emil was in his room when a knock sounded at his door.
Frowning slightly, he got up and opened it—only to pause in surprise when he saw who was standing there.
"Ash?" he said, blinking.
"Hey, Emil," Ash replied, offering a small, casual smile. "Sorry for showing up unannounced."
Emil leaned against the doorframe, unimpressed.
"It's not like it's the first time," he said dryly before stepping aside. "Come in."
Ash walked in without hesitation, his eyes briefly scanning the familiar room before he made his way toward Emil's bed and sat down.
Emil closed the door behind him and grabbed a bottle of water, tossing it lightly to Ash.
"Here."
"Thanks," Ash said, catching it and taking a quick sip.
A short silence followed before Ash glanced around.
"Where's Dane?"
Emil dropped into the other bed across from him, stretching his legs out.
"He got transferred," he said. "To a different area, so he had to switch dorms."
Ash nodded.
Emil tilted his head, studying him now.
"So…" he started, a hint of curiosity creeping into his tone, "what brings you here? Aren't you supposed to be stuck to the boss 24/7?"
"Dmitri—" Ash began, then immediately corrected himself. "—the boss—"
But before he could finish, Emil's lips curved into a slow, teasing grin.
"Oh?" he cut in. "You're calling him by his name now? You two have become that close ?"
"It was just a mistake, Emil." Ash replied flatly.
"Mm-hmm," Emil hummed, clearly not convinced. "Sure it was. Go on, Ash… continue."
Ash let out a breath
"There's an event at the mansion," he said. "I wasn't really needed today, so he gave me the day off."
Emil raised an eyebrow.
"Huh," he said thoughtfully. "The boss treats you pretty well."
Ash didn't respond.
Which only made Emil grin wider.
"At this point," Emil continued, leaning back on his hands, "nothing can convince me the boss doesn't have a thing for you."
Ash gaze dropped to his hands
" Well he did mention that he wanted to eat me"
Emil blinked.
"wait–what" Emil said
"We'll talk about it over some drinks" Ash said standing up and making his way toward the door.
"Come on get dressed" Ash added.
Emil stated at him for a second..then broke into a grin.
Few hours later
The music in the club pulsed through the air, heavy and loud, blending with the low hum of voices and clinking glasses. Neon lights flickered across the bar as Emil and Ash sat side by side at the counter.
Emil took a long gulp of his drink, trying to process everything Ash had just told him.
Slowly, he set the glass down and turned to him.
"So… let me get this straight," he said, taking a breath. "You're telling me the boss has been making advances toward you… and you're only telling me now?"
Ash, completely calm, took a sip of his drink before replying.
"I thought he wasn't serious," he said. "I figured he was just playing around, so… I didn't see the need to mention it."
He glanced at Emil.
"And stop being dramatic."
Emil stared at him in disbelief.
"First of all, I am not dramatic," he said, pointing a finger at him. "That title belongs to Luca."
Ash let out a small huff of amusement.
"But seriously…" Emil continued, his tone shifting slightly. "It's surprising. Sir Dmitri being into men? I mean… nothing about his preferences has ever come out."
He turned fully to face Ash now, more curious than teasing.
"So how are you taking it?" he asked. "I mean… you're Bi, right? So do you—"
Ash immediately cut him off, narrowing his eyes.
"How do you know I'm Bi?"
Emil didn't even blink.
"That's not the answer to my question."
Ash exhaled, gripping his glass lightly before taking another sip.
"Emil," he said, quieter now, "you know very well that whatever the boss is trying to do… it's not going to end well."
Emil's expression softened just a little, sensing the shift in tone.
Ash hesitated, then continued.
"He keeps teasing me… touching me and—"
"And?" Emil leaned in slightly, eyes lighting up.
Ash groaned, dragging his hands over his face.
"This is so embarrassing."
That was it—Emil burst out laughing.
"Ash," he said between laughs, "you're actually blushing."
"Shut up, Emil," Ash muttered, his voice muffled behind his hands.
Emil grinned, clearly enjoying this.
"So…" he said, leaning closer. "Do you like him?"
Ash slowly lowered his hands, his expression calmer now—but not completely composed.
"I wouldn't say I like him," he admitted. "But… Like more affected by his actions."
He looked away slightly.
"I'm just good at hiding it in front of him."
Emil smirked, mischief returning instantly.
"Ok this one is not really important but have you ever gotten a hard-on—"
Ash shot him a cold look before he could finish.
Emil immediately raised his hands in surrender.
"Alright, alright—relax. I'm joking."
Ash gave him a flat, unimpressed look.
Emil chuckled, taking another sip of his drink, clearly pleased with himself.
But as the conversation continued, Ash grew quieter for a moment, his thoughts drifting elsewhere.
Because Dmitri wasn't the only one on his mind.
There was someone else too—
A guy with white hair and similar eye color as Dmitri …
Meanwhile at the twins' mansion.
The sharp sound of a slap echoed through the mansion.
Nik stood frozen in front of Dmitri, his face turned to the side from the impact. A few strands of his hair had fallen across his eyes, slightly disheveled from the force of the hit. A faint redness was already forming along his jaw where his father's hand had struck him.
Dmitri's breath caught in his throat.
He instinctively took a step forward, ready to check on him—but stopped.
Nik's glare.
Cold.Warning.
Stay back.
Dmitri froze where he stood, his hands tightening at his sides.
Their father Mikhail Petrovich stood before them, his posture straight, his presence suffocating. There was no warmth in his expression.
"I handed you the organization for a short period of time," he said coldly, his voice low but heavy with authority. "And this…"
He flung a stack of files at Nik without hesitation.
"…is what I come back to?"
The papers scattered across the floor, sliding in every direction.
Nik didn't move.
Mikhail's eyes darkened.
"And instead of handling the issue," he continued, his voice rising slightly terrifying the maid around, "you waste time on petty ceremonies…"
His lip curled in disgust.
"…for a woman who was as useless as her sons."
Dmitri flinched.
His hands trembled, anger and fear mixing together.
"Dad—" his voice came out unsteady but firm. "Don't talk about Mom like that."
For a moment, the room went completely still.
Then—
A slow, cruel smile spread across Mikhail's face.
"Look at you," he said softly, almost amused. "My little Dmitri is already bold enough to speak back to me"
He took a step forward.
Dmitri instinctively stepped back—
But before anything could happen, Nik moved.
He stepped in front of Dmitri, shielding him completely.
Mikhail stopped, his expression shifting into something colder.
For a few seconds, Nik and his Dad stared at each other.
With a sigh he said something in Russian to Nik beforeturning on his heel.
Without another glance, he walked out of the mansion.
Dmitri rushed to his brother's side
immediately.
"Nik—" he said, gently turning his brother's face to the side, inspecting the mark on his jaw. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine Dmitri" Then calmly he said " I need to go"
Dmitri frowned "You must not go and meet him"
"Dmitri don't be stupid, you know what Dad can do" Nik said.
with that, Nik turned and walked away.