Beneath the Surface: Secrets of an Obsessed Heart-Chapter 120 - 119

Raiden’s eyes hardened at Hiro’s accusations. How did Hiro find out? No. He couldn’t have found out on his own. Hiro wasn’t that smart. Someone must have told him. Which meant in the time that Hiro disappeared today, he was with someone. Someone he didn’t know. The realization sent a chill through him but he quickly composed himself. Right now, it wasn’t about how Hiro had found out. It was about making Hiro believe him. He would find out who Hiro was with later.

“Baby, listen to me,” Raiden said softly, moving closer to him. “It’s not like that at all. I don’t know what you were told but you have to believe me. I do like you and I would never hurt you."

“No!” Hiro cried, trying to push him away. “Go away, Raiden. I don’t want to talk to you right now.”

“Hiro, please,” Raiden pleaded, reaching out and grabbing Hiro’s hands gently but firmly. “Things aren’t as they seem. I can explain everything. Just listen to me, okay?”

Hiro tried to pull his hand away, but Raiden wouldn’t let go. Hiro yanked his arm harder. His hand flew out and before either of them realized it, a sharp crack echoed through the room as Hiro’s palm connected with Raiden’s cheek.

Hiro gasped, freezing in place, wide-eyed as he looked at Raiden, his hand trembling. He hadn’t meant to do it. He was just trying to pull away, to escape the suffocating emotions that seemed to be spiraling out of control. His eyes brimmed with fresh tears as the reality of what he had just done sank in.

“I-I’m sorry...” he stammered, his heart sinking in his chest. “Raiden... I didn’t mean to... I—”

Raiden stood still for a moment, his cheek stinging from the slap, but the pain was nothing compared to the look of sheer regret on Hiro’s face. He knew Hiro would never hurt him on purpose. His eyes softened and he let go of Hiro’s hand. “It’s okay. I know you didn’t mean it.” He said, his voice low and calm. He reached out slowly, wiping the tears on Hiro’s cheeks with his palms. "I’m not mad, Hiro. I just want you to listen to me. We’re a couple. How will we resolve this if we don’t communicate? Do you want to keep fighting with me?"

Hiro shook his head, sniffling. “I don’t want to fight. Fighting hurts. I feel like I cannot breathe. I don’t like it."

"Me neither baby." Raiden said, staring into Hiro’s beautiful champagne coloured eyes which were glistening with tears. "And seeing you cry hurts me even more. I hate seeing you cry."

"But you lied to me." Hiro said.

"I never lied to you."

"You’re still lying now." Hiro objected. "I saw you."

Raiden let out a deep sigh. It seemed he needed to show Hiro some evidence. He took Hiro’s hand. "Follow me."

He led Hiro into his study where Sora’s bag lay open on the desk. Different coloured files were scattered about, along with stacks of paperwork. A small pile of money rested on the table. "These are what I collected from Ginro," Raiden explained, pulling Hiro closer to the table. "I recently bought all the houses in your neighbourhood. My plan is to demolish the houses and build another company there. The people living there will, of course, be compensated. I had to meet with Ginro because he’s the landlord of the majority of the houses there, including the one you lived in.

He picked up a bundle of cash and showed it to Hiro. "These are the rents he collected recently, even when I had already paid him for the land in full and instructed him not to collect any more rent. He’s the main reason I came back today. He went into hiding after taking the money, but I paid his men to fish him out. Ginro is cunning and hard to find. I had to come back today, or I would have lost him."

Hiro’s eyes widened as he took in the scene before him. So Michi was right. It wasn’t what he thought. Gosh how could he have been so stupid?

Raiden pulled out his phone and handed it to Hiro, showing him his flight details. "Look, like I said, I really went to America. I came back early because of Ginro, and I didn’t tell you because I wanted it to be a surprise."

He circled around the desk and pulled out an envelope from the drawer. "I managed to get two tickets to that new movie you’ve been talking about." Raiden showed the tickets to Hiro, then stepped closer, snaking his arms around Hiro’s waist. "I wanted us to watch it together," he murmured, his voice dropping low and husky. "Then we’d have dinner at that fancy restaurant you like. The one that serves that milk cake you always ask me to buy."

Raiden’s lips brushed Hiro’s earlobe, making it twitch from the heated contact. "Then we’d come back home," he whispered, his hands slipping lower to cup Hiro’s ass hard, "and I’d fuck you till you can’t walk."

Hiro’s breath hitched, his heart racing and his hole clenching. His face burned with a mix of shame and shyness. Shame for believing Shoji and misjudging Raiden, and shyness from Raiden’s intimate words. He also felt happy. Happy that he was wrong about Raiden and that Raiden truly likes him.

His emotions were all jumbled up within him and he didn’t know which to express. He kept his head low, unable to meet Raiden’s eyes after hearing the truth.

Raiden already knew what Hiro was thinking and he couldn’t help but smile. Whoever it was that wanted to ruin their relationship had no idea who he was messing with. The 5 million Ginro collected from Sora at that time had already been collected by him that very day. If it weren’t for Ginro being an idiot, he wouldn’t have had to return to Japan today.

“Raiden...” Hiro murmured, biting his lip. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have listened to Shoji from the start. It’s just that he said you never lef—”

“Wait,” Raiden interrupted, his voice suddenly sharp. He grabbed Hiro’s shoulders, locking eyes with him. “Repeat what you just said. You shouldn’t have listened to who?”

“Sh-Shoji,” Hiro stammered, his eyes wide. “Y-Your best friend. H-He’s the one who told me everything.”

Raiden’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Shoji? Are you sure?”

Hiro nodded earnestly. “Of course. I would never lie to you. Especially about something like this.”

"Shoji..." Raiden muttered, still unable to believe it."But...why?" He and Shoji had been best friends since middle school. Why on earth would Shoji want to sabotage his relationship? ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com

"H-He said you won’t give Project Aegis." Hiro informed. "He was really mad about it."

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