CEO loves me with all his soul.-Chapter 116.

The black sports utility vehicle glided quietly down the smooth highway that wound its way towards City D, slicing through great expanses of countryside and early morning mist. Inside the vehicle, the mood was peaceful, the silence punctuated by gentle instrumental music drifting from the in-car speakers. Outside, the sun was just beginning to rise, bathing the horizon in warm golden light.

Augustin was driving, eyes on the road, hands steady. His normally keen expression had relaxed slightly. Beside him in the front passenger seat was Adrian, wrapped in a cream cashmere sweater, scrolling through something on his tablet — notes, security feeds, coordinates.

In the rear seat, Ethan sat with the one Bluetooth earbud inserted and the other in its case, his tablet perched on his knees. He was on a video conference call, smiling and mumbling quick affirmations to a line of suited men on the screen.

They were on their way to City D on a mission — not any mission, but one to finally track down Wryn Hudel. Wryn, Wuner Hudel’s illegitimate son, had been working in the background for years, passing information to their foes like a rat hiding in their own walls. His path had brought them here, and now it was time to take care of him.

But first. a little morning chat.

Adrian looked up from his screen and turned to Augustin. "So. do we stop at that one place close to City D’s edges? The one serving dumplings the size of fists?"

Augustin laughed, still focusing on the road. "If you still recall that place, I’m impressed. That was, what, two months back?"

"Three," Adrian corrected, smiling. "And I still have dreams about those scallion pancakes."

"You and your food memory," Augustin teased, shaking his head affectionately. "Leclair’s the same, though. He always knows where we had the best salmon, even if it’s halfway across the country."

Adrian snorted. "Ironic. Ethan only remembers food if it’s accompanied by a spreadsheet or if I spoon-feed it to him."

Augustin laughed, finally shooting a quick glance at Adrian before looking back at the road. "That sounds like him. I once caught Leclair making a full meal, and Ethan came in, smelled it once, and said, ’Ah. Protein and carbs at a 1:3 ratio. Balanced.’ Like he was doing math instead of eating."

Adrian groaned theatrically. "Don’t even mention it. I baked a cake last week, and Ethan was like, ’That’s one slice too much glucose, love. Do you want me to put it in our health tracker sheet?’"

"Romance at its best," Augustin said dryly.

"Exactly?" Adrian chuckled, then slumped back in his chair and sighed, still grinning. "But I suppose it’s adorable in a very. frustrating way."

They both laughed.

Adrian then looked over at the back seat. Ethan remained in the meeting, fingers drumming lightly on his screen as he muttered something about restructuring law and flows of assets. The two men in front turned back to their discussion quietly.

"Have you considered where the twins will go to school?" Augustin asked after a pause.

Adrian blinked, taken aback by the abrupt change. "Ah... yeah, we’ve discussed it. Ethan wants them to be placed in the Valmont Academy system. It’s cutthroat, but with our influence, perhaps he can..."

"Leclair’s thinking the same," Augustin said with a small smile. "But I want them to have a more balanced upbringing. Music, arts, not elite academia only."

Adrian nodded slowly. "Same. I want Seraphina and Aurelius to have fun being kids. Not merely test scores and customized uniforms."

"Perhaps we’ll send them together," Augustin said flippantly.

Adrian smiled at the prospect. "That’d be nice. They’re twins, anyway. They already get along."

"They’re eight months old, Adrian," Augustin deadpanned.

"And they still get along better than most adults I know," Adrian responded without missing a beat.

Augustin snorted and shook his head once more.

A soft ding came from the back seat. Ethan grumbled a final "That’s all for now," and slammed his tablet shut, its screen darkening.

He retrieved the earbud and leaned forward a bit, stretching like a sleeping cat just waking up from a nap.

Before Adrian could utter a word, he was enveloped by warm arms wrapped around his waist from behind. A chin landed on his shoulder, and then the soft lips brushed twice against his cheek, lightly.

Adrian blinked, paralyzed. "Ethan—"

"Mm?" Ethan whispered, still snuggling into the bend of Adrian’s neck.

"We’re in public," Adrian hissed, turning red as he attempted to squirm free from his husband’s grasp. He glanced over at the driver’s seat. "Augustin is literally right there."

Augustin didn’t even look. "I’m pretending I’m deaf," he replied matter-of-factly. "And blind.

Ethan just laughed, holding on. "Everybody here’s family," he drawled, voice low. "Who’s going to complain? Augustin? He’s too besotted with my brother to even care."

"I can still hear you," Augustin groaned, rolling his eyes.

"See? He’s busy with Leclair already," Ethan said, laying one more kiss on Adrian’s cheek.

Adrian shoved him lightly and pushed him away with a big, exaggerated sigh. "Hopeless."

Ethan relaxed back lazily. "Hopelessly in love, maybe."

Augustin gagged. "Gross."

Adrian chuckled, pulling up his sweater a bit to cover his blush-colored face. "Don’t listen to him. He’s only like that when he’s had a meeting that didn’t make him want to toss his tablet out the window."

"Today’s meeting was bearable," Ethan assured, arms now propped behind his head. "No foolishness. Just slight incompetence."

"Growth," Augustin grumbled.

"Don’t fuel him," Adrian cautioned lightly.

The automobile slipped into an easy rhythm once more. The highway rolled out ahead, City D’s skyline miles off still but creeping gradually nearer. Some place in the city, Wryn Hudel lay in concealment, feeling safe.

He didn’t realize what was en route.

But in the meantime, within the SUV, things were cozy.

Yuin stood a short distance from the car, his brows furrowed in worry. He had witnessed Diana and Luri leaving the warehouse earlier, their faces taut and grim. The air was tense. The blue and red lights of the police cars flashed across the cracked pavement briefly, and the air was thick with the smell of burnt rubber and gunpowder. Something had definitely gone down inside. He hastened his step towards the two women, his tone low but insistent.

"Diana, Luri—what’s going on? Is everything all right? Where is Isaac?"

His questions rolled one over the other, but he received no ready answer. Diana did not look at him. She cast a fleeting glance, her face an unreadable mask, and then, wordlessly, leaned out and touched his shoulder lightly with her hand. It was not a comforting touch, nor a dismissive one—but there was something detached in it, as if she were giving him a fragment of her serenity while keeping a storm brewing within.

Before he could query again, Diana moved past him and proceeded to the car. Yuin spun around, bewildered, just as she yanked open the passenger-side door and slipped inside, exhaling heavily as she closed the door with a soft, final-sounding click. Her silence was more eloquent than words could ever be.

Yuin remained there, mouth open a fraction, looking from Diana to Luri, who had stopped beside him. She wasn’t rushing to get inside. Instead, she cocked her head a fraction in the direction of the warehouse behind them and raised her hand, pointing.

"There," she said.

Yuin looked where she indicated.

The doors of the warehouse stood now wide open, and the bitter artificial light within spilled out onto the night like a cold, white river. Police sirens screamed in the distance, overlaying the developing scene with an almost surreal rhythm. Uniformed officers were walking a man in handcuffs across the broken concrete lot—Dorian Shaw.

Despite his tousled hair and beaten stance, Yuin knew him. Dorian resembled a man who had aged ten years in one night. His face was battered at the lip, his look a blend of bitterness and shock, and yet, never once did he fight. He didn’t scream, didn’t resist. He was silent, nearly unnervingly so, as if he had known something horrible long before this night had come to its close.

Behind the officers’ group, frozen like a statue in the darkness just beyond the warehouse, was Isaac.

Yuin’s breath stopped.

Isaac wasn’t stirring, but his gaze was on Dorian. Cold. Unforgiving. There was no hint of uncertainty in his stance, no tremor of pity. He gazed... removed. Distant. As if something within him had turned off the instant he saw the man who once had the same bloodline.

Yuin experienced the familiar knot in his stomach. A year may have gone by since they were kidnapped, but he could still remember how brave and lively he was. They didn’t know they were brothers but knew the other was strong in mentality.

However, now that he was looking at that silent man.

He felt broken.

Like a Jade with no vitality.

That very same Isaac stood like stone, his eyes glued to the man who had betrayed him.

Yuin let out a heavy sigh, raking his hand through his unkempt hair before going to the rear seat of the car. He opened the door, waving wordlessly for Luri to precede him.

She nodded to him briefly, not quite warmly, not unkindly either, and got into the car, slumping into the seat as if all her strength had at last deserted her. She was tired, exhausted in a way that went beyond physical. He knew that look too well. It was the sort of exhaustion that followed facing something nasty, something that lingered with you long after the battle was over.

Yuin stepped into the seat beside her and shut the door on them.

There was silence in the car for some time. The engine was off, and the outside world was distant, muffled behind glass. The rare burst of static on the police radios, the creaking of officers moving, the metal sound of clashing cuffs—all far away, like they came from another universe.

He glanced at Luri once more. She sat upright, hands folded in her lap. She wasn’t gazing at him; her eyes were fixed on the dashboard, lost in thought.

"We’ve only known each other for a week," Yuin said quietly, shattering the silence. "But I can tell you’re not the kind to let things go."

Luri blinked, then glanced sideways at him. "I don’t have time to let things slide," she replied, her voice steady but quiet. "Not when lives are at stake."

He nodded slowly, appreciating the honesty.

"I’ve been trying to understand what exactly is happening," he continued. "I knew something was off the moment Ethan and Adrian even Diana started avoiding me."

Luri sighed.

"You will know many things by tonight."

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