reigned. Sitting in the luxury of his penthouse office the next day, far away from the energy of the concert, he felt more himself. The only sou

ething

us Mo

tticus was everything Ivan normally despised-loud, flashy, and unpredictable. Yet there was something else

knew people like Atticus, or at least he thought he did. People who wore their emotions on their sleeve, who didn't play

as a "silent killer"-someone who moved through the ranks of power without drawing attention, destroying his competition with a quiet effi

idn't know how to han

-

hadn't worn off. He sat sprawled on the plush couch in his suite, his mind buzzing, replaying every moment

oved a go

ough his messy, dark hair. "I wonder how

ther side of the room but paused to gl

playful. "Nothing too serious. Just thinking abou

y. He barely spoke two words to you

lightly on his knee. "It's because he barely spoke that

ple's secrets," Jaxon said, half-joking, but he knew At

is face. "What can I say? I like breaking people.

trovert with a chaotic energy that no one could ever quite contain. His career as a K-pop star had put him on a pedestal, but even the fans w

art, as much

-

oughts of Ivan refusing to leave his mind. His phone buzzed on the c

t tomorrow. High-end crowd, bus

rled into a devil

t me

-

ranging from tech to entertainment. Atticus arrived fashionably late, as always, drawing eyes the moment he stepped through the door. He wore a black leather jacket over a crisp wh

ys. Ivan was in conversation with a few other high-powered figures, his face as unreadable as ever. But Attic

ad, he drifted through the crowd, making small talk with a few other guests, letting the n

toward Ivan, catching his eye with a mischievous grin. "Ivan,"

rded. "Atticus. I didn't take you for th

I'm full of surprises. And I thought I'

ed each other up. The energy between them

voice low and measured. "You

dened. "I'm not a

g unfamiliar. Atticus was different. He wasn't intimidated by Ivan's power

for Ivan. "You think you've got it all figured out, don't y

mastering control, building walls to protect himself. But Atticus was getting

s," Ivan said, his voice fi

ming with mischief. "That's the proble

but Ivan lived for control. They were opposites in every way, yet something was drawing

them fading into the background, both of t