The next day arrived swiftly, the golden sun spilling its warm rays across a lone figure fast asleep inside the tent.
Fred shifted in his sleep, turning to the other side and burying his face against the fabric beneath him. But no matter how much he moved, the sunlight stubbornly followed, shining directly onto his face. With a groan, he was finally forced to open his eyes.
He sat up slowly, blinking several tis as he tried to fight off the lingering sleepiness clinging to him. His head felt heavy, his body relaxed—far too relaxed. As his vision cleared, his surroundings ca into focus.
The tent.
"...Wait."
His eyes widened slightly.
"Fuck!" Fred suddenly yelled, the drowsiness vanishing in an instant as realization hit him. "I actually slept here through the night?!"
He scrambled out of the tent in a hurry, frustration written all over his face as he looked around. "Why didn’t he wake up?" he muttered angrily. "And where the fuck is he?"
"You’re awake!"
Damien’s voice ca from behind, causing Fred to whip around imdiately.
"I went to get so drinks and water from the building," Damien continued casually, holding up the bags in his hands. "We almost exhausted everything we had here."
"Why didn’t you wake up?" Fred snapped, placing his hands on his waist in frustration. "So we could go back to the vacation house. I know I fell asleep, but you could’ve at least tried!"
Damien raised an eyebrow, clearly unfazed. "You were tired, so I didn’t," he replied calmly. "And there’s nothing wrong with spending the night in a tent."
He chuckled lightly before adding, "Besides, if we’d gone back, we might’ve ended up getting dragged into whatever wild ga happened last night."
"They played a ga again?" Fred asked, raising an eyebrow. "Truth or dare, right?"
"I think it was sothing else," Damien replied with a tired sigh. "This one was... very wild. Lucas and Roo even brought in so ogas—male and female—and started ssing around right in front of Alex and Gabe."
Fred blinked. "That’s beyond wild."
"Exactly," Damien said, shaking his head. "Anyway, are you hungry? Should we eat here or go back to the vacation house?"
"Are you serious right now?" Fred asked, staring at him in disbelief. "They’re doing that outside the house? Like—seriously?"
"Oh yeah," Damien replied with a small laugh. "Lucas and Roo are known for being completely unhinged. They’ll go after anything they find attractive. They don’t control their urges at all. Even the servants here already know how they are."
He shrugged. "Just wait till you et them. You’ll see."
"That’s really crazy," Fred said, disgust clearly written all over his face. After a pause, he added, "Now that you’ve said that... I kind of want to et them. Just to see what kind of people they are."
"Oh? No problem then," Damien said easily. "Everyone’s getting ready for a ga anyway."
"A ga?" Fred repeated.
"Yeah," Damien continued with a sigh. "We might as well participate too. We’re four already, and they’ll add so servants to make it five players per team."
"If that’s the case," Fred replied flatly, "I’ll just wait until the ga is over. I’m not interested in participating in any wild nonsense."
"It’s a basketball ga," Damien corrected with a laugh. "Not a dirty one."
Fred paused. "...Oh."
Damien smiled. "We still need to be present anyway."
"I see," Fred said, nodding slowly in understanding. Then he glanced at Damien thoughtfully. "What about the painting though? Did you finish it?"
Damien’s expression softened at the question, and his gaze briefly drifted away—toward the tent, where the canvas still rested.
"Oh no," Damien replied imdiately, shaking his head. "I’ll deliver it to your house the mont I’m done with it. It’s not like it’s unfinished, exactly—there are just a few details I still need to add. So final touches."
"Alright then," Fred replied calmly. "Anyti you’re done, I’ll be waiting."
Damien nodded in response, a small smile tugging at his lips. Without another word, the two of them began making their way toward the vacation house, leaving the tent and everything inside it behind as the morning air slowly ward.
---
anwhile, Gabe couldn’t find peace the mont he had t Lucas and Roo.
No matter how hard he tried to calm himself, his chest felt tight. He sat down on the edge of the bed, his gaze fixed on the floor as his thoughts spiraled out of control.
Out of everyone he had t in this life, his deepest wish had always been the sa—to never cross paths with Lucas and Roo again.
Lucas, the blond-haired one, was a burly man with a solid, intimidating build. His sharp expression made him look more like a bodyguard than anything else—except he wasn’t one. He carried himself with quiet nace, the kind that didn’t need words to instill fear.
Roo, on the other hand, was entirely different.
With dark hair streaked deliberately with white dye and a neatly grood white beard, he wore glasses that were ant to correct his eyesight—but instead of making him look nerdy, they only added to his allure. His body was lean yet gym-toned, his presence refined and dangerous at the sa ti.
He looked even hotter than he had back when Gabe knew him.
That alone sent a chill down Gabe’s spine.
"What the hell did I just see?" Fred’s voice suddenly rang out as he dashed into the room, panic written all over his face. "What are those two bastards doing here in this state? My heart almost stoped working because I was beyong shocked. I had to put my gaze down till I got to your room as I couldn’t look at those idiots in the eye."
"Oh, thank goodness you’ve seen them too," Gabe replied with a heavy sigh, finally lifting his head. "I never imagined they’d ever end up here this after I left that life behind. I already abandoned everything started over completely yet here they are, standing right in front of again. I went far away from them but they still ca here. Like seriously?!"
He scoffed bitterly. "I really thought I was done with them."
"Considering how much money you took from Roo back when you were still trying to build yourself," Fred said sharply, already pacing back and forth across the room, "it’s obvious he was never going to let you go that easily."
Fred ran a hand through his hair, his worry deepening. "Yes, you’re an Enigma but that doesn’t an much right now. Roo doesn’t need to be one to be dangerous. He’s powerful, well-connected, and surrounded by n who would kill without hesitation. And Lucas?" Fred stopped pacing and looked straight at Gabe. "Lucas is one of them. One of his closest."
"Just what the fuck are they doing here?" Fred added darkly. "Them being here spells trouble. Roo is definitely going to co after you. Or did he actually ca because of you. This can’t be a coincidence right?!"
"You have no idea how speechless I was last night," Gabe muttered, clenching his fists. "I was having a good ti with Alex—laughing, relaxed for once. Then I stepped outside to greet his friends, and there they were."
He laughed bitterly. "I honestly wished the ground would open up and swallow whole."
"Those bastards," he added under his breath.
Fred stopped pacing. "You know the best thing you can do right now, right?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"What’s that?" Gabe asked, though his voice already carried a hint of dread.
"Avoid them at all costs," Fred replied firmly. "Never et Roo or Lucas alone. Thank goodness they don’t have your contact information at least they can’t threaten you over calls."
He took a deep breath. "Once this vacation ends, you need to leave this city with ."
Fred’s tone was unyielding. "You know exactly what Roo is capable of. He’s killed rivals before even back when you were still dating him. And let’s not forget, you only stayed with him for the money."
Fred hesitated briefly before adding, "And don’t think Alex will protect you either. Roo won’t harm a friend. His target will be you....only you."
"I can’t leave the city because of him," Gabe finally said.
The words hit Fred like a slap.
"What?" Fred stared at him in shock. "Are you for real right now?!"
"I won’t run," Gabe continued quietly. "Not again. I’ll think things through properly this ti. And yes I’ll avoid eting him privately. That much, I promise."
Fred let out a long, heavy sigh, his shoulders sagging. "Alright," he said at last. "We’ll talk more after the ga."
He pointed a finger at Gabe. "For now, keep yourself calm. Stay composed. And whatever you do....don’t let Alex see through any of this."
"Definitely," Gabe replied without hesitation.
Fred nodded once, then turned and walked out of the room, leaving Gabe alone once again alone with his thoughts,
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