CEO loves me with all his soul.-Chapter 106. Jesper and Jael.

Adrian sat cross-legged on the large bed, his silver eyes gleaming under the warm bedroom light. The soft scent of Ethan’s cologne lingered in the air, mixing with the subtle fragrance of lavender from the open window. Ethan leaned against the headboard, one arm wrapped around Adrian’s waist as if he would never let him go.

A contemplative frown rested on Adrian’s face as he stared at his hands. "I’ve been thinking," he murmured, his voice calm but firm. "The Shaw family... I think they’re the biggest supporter of the criminal targeting us."

Ethan’s eyes darkened slightly, but he remained composed. "Why do you think that?"

Adrian looked up at him, his expression unreadable. "There’s too much evidence pointing in their direction. Their name keeps coming up. Whenever something major happens, they’re involved—either directly or through their connections. But the biggest thing is, I remember seeing the Shaw family’s head back when I was still a test subject in that lab."

Ethan’s grip on his waist tightened slightly. His thumb brushed along Adrian’s side in slow, reassuring circles. "If that’s true, then we’ll tear them apart," he said, his voice carrying an unshakable conviction.

Adrian blinked as Ethan leaned in, his lips pressing softly against Adrian’s closed eyelids. The kiss was warm, protective. "Don’t worry," Ethan whispered, his voice steady. "I’m here. No one is taking you or our family away from me."

Adrian’s lips curled into a soft smile, and for a moment, he let himself sink into Ethan’s embrace. They stayed like that for a while, the world outside their bedroom forgotten.

But just as Adrian was about to speak again, a knock on their bedroom door broke the moment.

Both of them turned toward the sound.

"Adrian..." Augustin’s voice came from the other side. His tone was hesitant, almost uncertain. "Someone’s here to meet you."

Adrian and Ethan exchanged a glance. Neither of them had been expecting visitors.

Ethan was the first to move, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and standing up. Adrian followed, slipping his hand into Ethan’s as they walked toward the door.

When they reached the stairs, they both came to an abrupt halt.

The person standing in the entrance of the Levistis Manor was the last person they ever expected to see.

At the same time, in another part of the city, Cain Sebanil leaned back in his chair, exhausted from the day’s events. The soft hum of his phone vibrating on the table made him sigh before he picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Sebanil," a deep voice came from the other end. It was Police Chief Argo. His voice was clipped, professional, but there was something urgent in his tone. "You need to come to the station immediately."

Cain’s eyes narrowed. "Why?"

Argo hesitated for only a second before delivering the news. "Wuner Hudel has been arrested. It’s something big—something related to your family."

Cain’s grip on the phone tightened. His jaw clenched. "I see," he said after a brief pause. "I’ll be there."

Ending the call, Cain turned toward the doorway, where Jesper sat, gazing out the window with an unreadable expression. He looked drained—too many things had happened lately.

Cain walked up to him and pressed a comforting hand against his shoulder. "Jesper," he murmured.

Jesper didn’t respond at first. He only looked up, his tired silver eyes searching Cain’s face.

Cain gave him a small smile. "I’ll handle it," he reassured.

Then, turning away, he caught sight of his third son, Yuin, standing nearby. Yuin was a sharp, observant young man with a quiet intensity about him.

Cain motioned him over. "Come here."

Yuin walked over without question. "Father?"

Cain lowered his voice. "Call Isaac. Tell him to meet me at the police station on Liso Road."

Yuin’s brows furrowed. "Why? What happened?"

Cain’s expression remained unreadable, but his tone was firm. "Just do it."

Yuin hesitated for a moment, his concern evident. "Father, be careful."

Cain gave him a nod before heading toward the door.

As he stepped out, he exhaled slowly, his thoughts running in a thousand directions.

--

The soft hum of the car engine filled the silence between them, broken only by the rhythmic sound of the tires rolling against the asphalt. The city lights blurred into streaks of gold and white as Isaac drove along the open highway.

Beside him, Lucas sat quietly, his golden eyes reflecting the night sky. The wind played with his blond hair, and there was a certain calmness about him that Isaac always found captivating.

Isaac glanced at him and then smiled. "It’s been a long time since we’ve been alone like this," he said, his voice carrying a hint of warmth.

Lucas turned his head slightly, his lips curling into a soft smile. "Yeah," he murmured. His gaze held a distant nostalgia, as if he were lost in old memories.

Isaac noticed the way Lucas’s fingers fidgeted slightly, his usual composed demeanor tinged with something unreadable. His brows furrowed. "What’s wrong?"

Lucas hesitated, then shook his head. "Nothing. It’s just..." He exhaled softly, his golden eyes darkening. "It’s always you who has to compromise for me."

Isaac’s hands tightened around the steering wheel for a moment before he suddenly pulled the car to the side of the road. The streetlights above cast a dim glow over them as the car settled into a stop.

He turned in his seat, facing Lucas fully. "What are you talking about?" he asked, his tone both gentle and firm.

Lucas smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. "You always put me first. Even when I don’t ask you to. You adjust, you compromise, and I just... I don’t know if I’ve done the same for you."

Isaac sighed, shaking his head in disbelief. Then, without a word, he reached out and cupped Lucas’s face, pulling him into a soft kiss.

Lucas stiffened for just a second before melting into the warmth of Isaac’s lips. The gentle press of their mouths was slow, unhurried, as if time itself had stopped just for them.

When they finally pulled apart, Isaac’s black eyes locked onto Lucas’s golden ones, unwavering. "You don’t have to do anything for me, Lucas. I do it because I love you."

Lucas stared at him, his lips parting slightly as if he wanted to say something—but then he just smiled. A genuine, warm smile. "You’re impossible," he muttered.

Isaac grinned. "You love me for it."

Lucas chuckled softly, and before either of them could say anything else, Isaac leaned in and captured his lips again.

But just as their moment deepened, the shrill ring of Isaac’s phone cut through the air.

Isaac groaned, resting his forehead against Lucas’s for a second before pulling back. "I swear, if this isn’t important—"

He grabbed the phone and glanced at the caller ID. It was Yuin.

Frowning, he answered. "Yuin?"

"Isaac," Yuin’s voice came through, steady but tense. "Father asked you to meet him at the police station on Liso Road."

Isaac frowned. "Is it urgent?"

Yuin hesitated for a beat. "Father looked serious."

That was all Isaac needed to hear. He exchanged a quick glance with Lucas, who nodded.

"Got it. We’re on our way."

As soon as he hung up, Lucas sighed. "So much for our alone time."

Isaac smirked as he started the car. "There’s always next time."

Lucas smiled, but as the car pulled back onto the road, a nagging feeling settled in his chest.

----

Jesper stood by the window, his silverish blonde hair cascading down his back, catching the faint light of the overcast sky. His silver eyes, usually calm like the surface of a still lake, were turbulent tonight—filled with grief, with longing, with something so sharp it nearly cut through him.

In the distance, the city lights shimmered, but they felt distant, like stars scattered in a sky he could no longer reach. The weight of Jael’s absence pressed against his chest, heavy and suffocating.

Jael...

His beloved younger brother.

Jesper had known pain before, had suffered through the torment of losing their parents, had endured the hellish nightmare of being reduced to nothing but an experimental subject in the hands of ruthless researchers. He had felt the cold grip of despair when his body had been damaged beyond natural recovery, when the very essence of his being had been altered by cruel, prying hands.

But through it all, Jael had been there.

Jael, with his boyish grin and mischievous silver eyes. Jael, who always had something sarcastic to say but would shield Jesper from the worst of the pain. Jael, who had been his anchor when everything else had been ripped away.

Jesper clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms as he fought back the overwhelming sorrow.

Jael had tried—God, he had tried so hard—to protect him. He had fought for Jesper’s life when neither of them had the power to change their fate. But it hadn’t been enough. Jael had been just a boy, and the world had been too cruel, too monstrous.

Jesper had never forgotten the nights when Jael sneaked into his sterile, cold room, pressing a warm hand against his forehead to check if he was still breathing. He had never forgotten how Jael would sit beside him, holding a small bottle of stabilizing medicine, whispering softly, "Drink this, Jes, just a little bit more... I won’t let them take you away from me."

Then, the fire.

Then, the escape.

Then, salvation—delivered not by Jael’s hands but by the government forces who stormed the facility, burning that cursed place to the ground.

Jesper had survived.

But Jael... Jael had changed.

Jesper had seen the way his brother looked at the world after that. The bitterness in his eyes, the resentment that festered like an unhealed wound. It had started slow—just a flicker of distrust, a simmering anger beneath the surface. But as time passed, that anger turned into something darker, something Jesper hadn’t been able to reach.

And then Jael was gone.

One day, after the accident with Jaya, Jael vanished.

No farewell. No letters. No explanations.

Jesper had waited. And waited.

Until the day he heard his name spoken again—not with warmth, not with the teasing fondness of a younger brother, but with fear.

Jael had returned, not as the carefree boy he once was, but as a monster who moved in the shadows. His name was whispered in the underworld, feared in places Jesper never thought he’d belong.

And then...

His body.

Jesper closed his eyes, pressing a trembling hand against his forehead.

Jael was gone. His brother—his beautiful, foolish, broken brother—was dead.

Jesper had seen the body with his own eyes, the lifeless shell of the boy he had once held so close. But no matter how much he tried to believe it, to accept it, his heart refused.

Jael had left him once before.

What if this was the same?

Jesper turned his gaze down to the old photograph in his hand.

Three figures stood in the frame.

A young man with silver eyes and black hair grinned playfully, his arm slung over Cain’s shoulder.

Cain, with his dark hair and equally dark eyes, stood beside him, looking exasperated but amused, his arm wrapped protectively around Jesper’s waist.

And then there was Jesper himself, standing at Cain’s other side, his long silverish blonde hair tied loosely behind him, a soft smile curving his lips.

They had looked so happy back then.

Jesper traced his fingers over Jael’s face in the picture, his breath shaky.

"Why...?" he whispered to the empty room.

Why had Jael walked down that path? Why had he become something Jesper could no longer recognize?

And why—after everything—had he died alone?

A tear slipped down Jesper’s cheek, but he didn’t bother wiping it away.

Instead, he simply held the photograph close to his heart and let the silence consume him.

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l