The rain had reduced to a soft drizzle by the time Cealan finally arrived at the Luther estate.
The massive gates opened immediately after recognition clearance and his car rolled smoothly into the long driveway lined with dim golden lights. The estate looked calm on the outside like always.
Too calm.
Cealan parked slowly before stepping out, adjusting the sleeves of his dark coat while his eyes briefly scanned the surroundings automatically out of habit.
Guards.
Camera placements.
Movement shifts.
Exit points.
Even after all these years he still observed places like targets before comfort.
The front doors opened before he could reach them fully and Elena welcomed him in warmly, informing him everyone was still awake downstairs.
"Thank you," Cealan answered politely before walking deeper into the mansion.
The moment he stepped into the main hallway, voices drifted toward him from the lounge area.
Matteo arguing loudly.
Aiden laughing.
Kellan threatening somebody.
Normal chaos.
But the second Ethan looked up and saw him, his expression changed slightly.
Not visibly enough for others to catch.
But Cealan noticed.
Of course he did.
Ethan immediately stood from the couch. "You finally made it." He said all stern and normal while shaking inside
"Horrible traffic," Cealan muttered while loosening his watch slightly. "This city desperately needs help."
"you seem to always complain too much."
"And yet you still like me." he whispered only to Ethan's hearing
Ethan rolled his eyes but the corner of his mouth lifted anyway.
Still,
Cealan noticed the way Ethan's gaze lingered on him slightly longer tonight.
Studying him.
Something about that made guilt settle unpleasantly in his chest.
Lucas appeared shortly afterward from the hallway leading deeper into the estate, black shirt sleeves rolled slightly while one hand rested casually in his pocket.
"Cealan."
"Lucas."
No handshake. No fake formalities.
Just acknowledgment between two men who understood each other far too well already.
Lucas' sharp eyes scanned him briefly once before speaking calmly.
"My office please."
Straight to business.
Cealan nodded once.
"I figured."
The others barely reacted anymore.
At this point everyone already knew when Lucas used that tone, things weren't casual.
Cealan followed him upstairs in silence.
The office doors shut quietly behind them.
And immediately the atmosphere changed.
Cooler.
Sharper.
Lucas walked toward the liquor shelf calmly while Cealan remained standing near the center of the room for a moment.
Neither rushed to speak first.
Both simply observing.
Thinking.
Lucas finally poured two glasses before sliding one toward him.
"You look like somebody handed you a problem," Lucas said casually.
Cealan let out a quiet breath through his nose.
"Funny enough," he muttered while accepting the drink, "that's exactly what happened."
Lucas leaned lightly against the desk afterward. "Talk."
No hesitation.
No games.
Cealan appreciated that about him.
So without wasting time, he reached into his coat and pulled out the black phone before tossing it lightly onto the desk.
Lucas picked it up calmly.
Opened the file.
And for the very first time that evening, his expression hardened.
Not dramatically.
Just enough.
Neo and Aiden's files reflected against his eyes while silence settled heavily inside the room.
Cealan watched him carefully.
"This came through tonight," he explained quietly. "Private contract line. Surveillance first. Elimination pending."
Lucas continued scrolling through the documents carefully.
"Payment?"
"Triple my usual rate."
That finally made Lucas glance up.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Cealan continued calmly, "The request wasn't sloppy either. Whoever placed it has recent surveillance on both of them. School schedules. Routes. Behavioral notes. They've been watched for longer than we realized."
Lucas set the phone down slowly afterward.
"D'uther?"
"That's the problem." Cealan crossed his arms lightly. "I don't think it came directly from him."
Silence.
Heavy silence.
Lucas' fingers tapped once against the desk thoughtfully.
"If he wanted them dead," Lucas said quietly, "he wouldn't outsource it."
"Exactly."
The room fell quiet again afterward.
Two dangerous men.
Two intelligent minds already calculating ten moves ahead.
Lucas finally spoke again.
"You accepted it."
Cealan's gaze didn't shift. "Of course I did."
That answer didn't bother Lucas.
In fact, it almost looked like he expected it.
"Turning it down would've raised suspicion," Lucas said calmly.
"And removed our access to whoever's behind it."
Lucas nodded once slowly.
Mutual understanding.
No explanation needed.
Cealan moved toward the window afterward, staring briefly at the rain sliding slowly down the glass.
"The problem now," he muttered quietly, "is figuring out whether this connects back to D'uther… or if somebody else is entering the game independently."
Lucas remained silent for a moment before finally answering:
"Either way, somebody's getting too comfortable."
There it was again.
That terrifying calmness.
Cealan glanced toward him slightly afterward.
"You're taking this unusually well."
Lucas looked almost amused by that.
"No," he corrected calmly. "I'm taking it personally."
Somehow that sounded far worse.
Cealan let out a quiet laugh under his breath before shaking his head slightly.
"God, Ethan was right."
Lucas raised an eyebrow slightly. "About?"
"You really are terrifying when you stop smiling."
A faint smirk touched Lucas' lips afterward.
"Good."
Silence settled again while both men started mentally rearranging possibilities.
Roles.
Movements. Counterattacks. Information flow.
Then Lucas finally straightened slightly from the desk.
"We don't tell the boys yet."
Cealan agreed immediately. "Neo especially."
"He'll blame himself."
"And Aiden will react emotionally first before strategically."
Lucas nodded once.
"We move quietly until we identify the source."
Cealan hummed softly. "And if the elimination order becomes active?"
Lucas' gaze sharpened immediately.
"Then whoever signed that contract disappears first."
Simple answer.
Cold answer.
Final answer.
Cealan stared at him for a second before laughing quietly under his breath again.
Yeah.
No wonder D'uther saw Lucas as dangerous.
The man protected what belonged to him like violence itself was a love language.
Eventually Cealan checked the time and sighed softly. "I should go before Ethan starts stalking the hallways dramatically, because I know that he knows am hiding something."
Lucas' expression almost twitched with amusement. "Too late."
Cealan frowned slightly. "What?"
Lucas simply gestured toward the office door.
The moment Cealan opened it, there stood Ethan.
Arms folded tightly.
Leaning against the hallway wall.
Waiting.
And judging by the expression on his face,
he had absolutely been there longer than necessary.
Cealan sighed immediately. "You're terrifying."
"You're hiding something."
Straight to the point.
Cealan stepped out into the hallway carefully closing the office door behind him. "Ethan—"
"No." Ethan cut him off quickly, frustration slipping into his voice now. "Don't do that thing where you act calm and avoid the question."
Cealan glanced briefly down the hallway.
Anybody passing through the estate could easily see them right now.
"Can we discuss this later?"
Ethan looked genuinely annoyed now.
"No actually because you've been acting weird since you arrived and every time I look at you properly you avoid eye contact."
Cealan opened his mouth slightly before closing it again.
Damn.
Ethan really did know him too well.
"We're in the middle of the hallway," Cealan muttered quieter this time.
"And?"
"Anybody could walk past, are you not worried."
Ethan stepped closer immediately, clearly too irritated to care.
"Then let them walk past."
Cealan stared at him for a second.
Rain tapped softly against the nearby windows while tension stretched tightly between them.
Not angry tension.
Emotional tension.
The dangerous kind.
Ethan's voice lowered afterward.
"What's going on?"
God.
That tone.
Cealan hated when Ethan sounded genuinely hurt.
Because suddenly this stopped feeling like harmless avoidance and started feeling personal.
Cealan exhaled slowly before reaching up to rub lightly at the back of his neck.
"It's complicated."
"That's not an answer."
"I know."
"Then give me one."
Cealan looked at him quietly for several seconds.
Trying to think.
Trying to decide how much he could safely say without dragging Ethan deeper into something ugly.
Unfortunately Ethan mistook the silence completely.
His frustration cracked open immediately afterward.
"You know what forget it," Ethan muttered sharply while stepping back slightly. "Clearly whatever it is matters more than talking to me honestly."
Cealan's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Ethan." he called his name softly
"No seriously it's fine." Ethan laughed bitterly under his breath. "You disappear for days sometimes, come back acting strange, and now you can't even look at me properly."
"That's not fair."
"What isn't fair is feeling like you only tell me things after they explode."
The words landed harder than Ethan intended.
Cealan saw the exact moment emotion flashed across his face afterward.
Regret.
But also truth.
Silence stretched tightly between them.
Then suddenly, Cealan moved.
Fast.
One hand caught Ethan lightly by the waist before pulling him closer without warning.
Ethan barely had time to react before Cealan kissed him.
Not rough.
Not heated immediately.
Just enough to stop the spiral both of them were falling into.
Ethan froze briefly in surprise.
Then melted anyway.
Because no matter how irritated he got
Cealan kissing him still completely ruined his ability to think properly.
Cealan deepened it slightly after a few seconds, slower this time, calmer, his hand sliding upward along Ethan's back soothingly while rain continued tapping softly outside.
The tension slowly eased from Ethan's shoulders beneath his touch.
By the time Cealan finally pulled back slightly, Ethan looked visibly less angry.
Still annoyed.
But calmer.
Cealan rested his forehead lightly against his afterward and murmured quietly:
"I'm not hiding things because I don't trust you."
Ethan swallowed slightly.
"Then why?"
Cealan looked at him carefully before answering honestly this time.
"Because the moment you know certain things… you become part of them too."
That answer lingered heavily between them afterward.
And somehow, that scared Ethan more than if Cealan had simply lied.For several seconds the hallway stayed completely silent after Cealan's words.
Ethan remained standing close to him, breathing slightly uneven while his thoughts tangled themselves into complete chaos.
Because somehow that answer felt heavier than he expected.
"The moment you know certain things… you become part of them too."
God.
Who even says things like that?
Ethan stared at Cealan quietly before muttering under his breath, "You sound suspiciously illegal."
A faint smirk touched Cealan's lips. "That's a dangerous accusation."
"I'm serious."
"So am I."
Ethan opened his mouth again, ready to continue pressing him—
when suddenly the office door behind them opened.
Both men turned immediately.
Lucas stepped out calmly with one hand in his pocket the other holding a glass of wine, gaze moving between them once before settling on Ethan's slightly flushed face.
Then on Cealan.
Then back to Ethan again.
Silence.
Long enough to become embarrassing.
Cealan already knew that Lucas would definitely tease them now and forever.
Probably long before either of them officially admitted anything aloud.
Which honestly made this situation worse.
Lucas sighed softly afterward like a disappointed older brother catching teenagers sneaking around.
"In front of my office?" he asked flatly.
Ethan immediately straightened. "Nothing happened."
Lucas looked at him without blinking.
Then toward Cealan.
Then back again.
"Interesting," he murmured calmly sipping his wine. "Because from inside the office it definitely looked like something happened."
Ethan felt heat rush straight to his face.
"Lucas."
"No no," Lucas continued smoothly raising a finger to stop Ethan, "please continue pretending I'm blind."
Cealan actually laughed quietly this time while rubbing at the bridge of his nose.
"You're enjoying this."
"A little," Lucas admitted.
Ethan looked deeply offended. "You're supposed to be on my side."
"I am on your side." Lucas glanced toward Cealan calmly. "Unfortunately your taste in men is questionable."
Cealan placed a hand dramatically over his chest. "That hurt."
"Good."
Ethan groaned softly in embarrassment while Lucas finally started walking down the hallway casually.
Then very deliberately, he added:
"I should probably tell the others."
Both Ethan and Cealan froze instantly.
Ethan looked genuinely alarmed now. "Absolutely not."
Lucas kept walking calmly. "Matteo would find this very entertaining."
"Lucas!"
"And Elena would never let you breathe again."
Cealan immediately muttered, "Okay now we're entering psychological warfare."
Lucas' shoulders moved slightly with quiet amusement.
Meanwhile Ethan had already caught up to him quickly.
"You're not telling anybody."
Lucas looked down toward him calmly. "Or what?"
Ethan opened his mouth, then realized he actually had no threat prepared.
Cealan caught up beside them afterward looking entirely too entertained now.
"You know," he mused lightly, "watching you panic is surprisingly cute."
Ethan looked betrayed. "You're supposed to help me."
"I am helping." Cealan smiled faintly. "Emotionally."
"That's not helping."
Lucas stopped walking afterward and finally looked at both of them properly again.
The amusement in his eyes softened slightly.
Then casually, he fixed Ethan's crooked collar from earlier.
"Relax," he muttered quietly. "I'm not actually saying anything."
Ethan immediately exhaled in relief.
"Oh thank God."
Cealan shook his head softly beside him. "You really enjoy tormenting people."
Lucas looked completely unbothered. "Only people I like."
That answer lingered warmly for a second before Lucas' expression shifted back toward seriousness again.
Not fully cold.
Just focused.
"We move carefully from here onward," he said calmly. "No reckless decisions. No emotional reactions. Understood?"
Cealan nodded once immediately.
Ethan followed shortly after.
Even if he still looked mildly traumatized from almost being exposed.
Lucas noticed.
And unfortunately for Ethan, that seemed to amuse him all over again.