Slowly, Ren fluttered his pretty lashes until he was fully awake. He stared at the ceiling for a while, enjoying the peace that his empty mind brought, only for him to hear the voice of a man he knew all too well.

He kept his eyes mostly shut and watched Cilian through the gaps in his lashes, his mind and body slow to process his situation or what had transpired the previous night.

Cilian was already dressed in a dark suit, his hair slicked backwards and his cufflinks glinting in the dim light. He looked perfect, as if the mess of the night before hadn’t happened. He was holding a phone to his ear and looking at a file in his hand.

"If Dock Three is compromised again, kill the entire management team," Cilian said. His voice was flat, but it didn’t look like he was angry, not with that smile on his lips. But it definitely sounded like he could kill someone in seconds flat. "And make sure to be quiet about it. If it gets noisy and the Council starts asking questions, you know what’s going to happen next... right?"

Ren shifted under the sheets. The sound was small, but Cilian heard it instantly and turned his head. He didn’t hang up the phone, but his expression slightly shifted. The cold smile on his lips vanished, replaced by a soft, genuine smile.

"Oh dear, did I wake you, Ren?" Cilian asked, delight dripping from his tongue. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

The person on the other end of the phone stayed silent. Cilian was practically announcing that Ren was more important than the issue they had on the ground.

"N-no," Ren answered, his voice sounding a bit strained, and he wondered what had happened to his voice. When he touched his neck, to his relief, the collar had been removed, but it left behind its trace in harsh, bruised purple.

"I have to go. My Ren is awake," Cilian said into the phone and clicked it off. He dropped the file in his hand and walked over to the bed, sitting on the edge. Ren flinched subtly, wondering what he was up to, but Cilian didn’t do anything.

His eyes scanned Ren’s face with a light, curious glint, and then he asked,

"How are you feeling this morning? Do you still feel hazy from all the excitement of last night?"

The question sent a jolt of memory through Ren. His empty mind was immediately filled with the sound of his moans and Cilian’s flushed expression as he moaned into his skin. He instinctively looked under the sheets, his face heating up.

He checked his body, expecting to feel the sticky, shameful evidence of his surrender, but he found he was perfectly clean. He even had a pair of cute banana-patterned briefs on.

"I cleared the mess while you were fast asleep," Cilian mused, his voice airy and cheerful as he watched Ren. "You have nothing to worry about. You looked so peaceful, I didn’t want to disturb you."

Ren felt a little conflicted and swallowed. What was going through this bastard’s head? He wondered.

And then, he saw Cilian leaning forward. He shut his eyes, bracing himself for something unfathomable, only for Cilian to press a soft, lingering kiss to the top of Ren’s head.

Ren, taken aback by this action, suddenly felt a wave of goosebumps break across his skin, a shiver of pure revulsion and confusion. Cilian was acting as if they were actually ’closer’ now, his hand trailing down to pat Ren’s cheek with a familiarity that felt like a brand.

"I have to go to work now, dear," Cilian hummed, standing up. "Make sure to eat your breakfast, okay?"

Ren sat up quickly, his body aching and his throat sore, but he did not stop. He grabbed the file Cilian had left on the bed to distract himself and scanned through it.

"Don’t read that, Ren. it’ll only give you a headache," but Ren read it anyway. It was a list of stolen shipments—guns and medicine that belonged to the Vane Family. Someone was actually pulling a fast one on them. Who could be so bold as to try to get on the Cilian’s nerves?

"You’re going to the docks right now?" Ren asked.

Cilian touched Ren’s cheek again, his thumb grazing the bone. Ren didn’t move. He just watched Cilian’s eyes that were curled up dangerously.

"Someone is stealing from me. I need to go remind them why that is a bad idea."

That probably meant he would be gone for a while, and Ren could have a whole day to himself. As great as the idea sounded to Ren, he was compelled to say,

"I’m going with you,"

Cilian looked at Ren, his lips pressed together in a desperate thin line, and then he laughed quietly.

"It’s a shipyard, Ren. It’s dirty and full of men who aren’t nice. Why would you want to go there?"

That’s right. Ren had no business going there, but he wanted to escape the walls of this mansion. The very mansion he had tried so hard to infiltrate. Now, he didn’t know anymore. There was just so much at stake, so fighting Cilian was kinda similar to fighting himself.

So, instead of defiance and stubbornness, he was going to try and get ’closer’ to this man and look for a way to ruin him in one fell swoop.

"Unless you bought me to be a decoration in your room, I’m going," Ren said, his eyes locked on Cilian’s.

Cilian studied him for a long time, his fox-like smile widening. He seemed to like the idea of Ren being a decoration in his room, and that made him chuckle lightly. But of course, Ren looks the cutest when he’s trying his best.

"Fine," Cilian said. "I’ll allow you to come with me, only if you promise not to leave my side."

Ren quickly nods, not planning to lose this opportunity.

"Words, Ren. Use your words. They have more credibility." Cilian said, brushing his hand gently over Ren’s face.

"I promise not to leave your side," Ren said, and Cilian smiled.

"Alright then. But before we leave, you have to have your breakfast. It’s a bad habit to skip meals, Ren." He was saying that as if he didn’t just plan to leave without eating.

Ren didn’t care. As long as he could go everywhere with Cilian, he would definitely be able to find a major flaw, and then the tables would turn. He would be the one doing the blackmailing then, and Cilian would be at his feet, begging.

He cackled, and Cilian watched him. I wonder why my Ren is so excited this morning. Must be the thought of going out with me.

’I should plan a date just for the two of us later,’ he placed his hand on his cheek, just imagining Ren being excited by the idea.

In any case, both men had different trains of thought and had no idea what was waiting for them at the docks.