Ezekiel couldn't sleep.
He turned from side to side, the silence of the night pressing against his thoughts. Every time he closed his eyes, his heart felt too awake.
Around 1 a.m., the door to his room opened quietly.
A shadow slipped inside.
Before Ezekiel could react, the figure had already crawled beneath his sheets, warm and trembling against him. His body stiffened as he reached for the covers and slowly pulled them back.
It was Lily.
His breath caught.
In the midst of his confusion, Lily suddenly wrapped her arms around his waist, burying herself against him as though she were afraid to be alone. Her touch was gentle, desperate, and achingly familiar.
Ezekiel froze — then slowly softened.
There was no strength left to push her away.
The sweet, cheerful scent of Lily surrounded him, wrapping around his senses like a quiet lullaby. His racing thoughts faded, his resistance melting into something fragile and tender.
And before he realized it…
Ezekiel drifted into sleep, holding the girl who had quietly claimed her place in his arms.
When dawn finally broke, Ezekiel woke to find Lily sleeping peacefully in his arms.
His body was warm against Ezekiel's, his breathing soft and steady, as though the night had never troubled him. And in that quiet moment, Ezekiel realized something that made his chest tighten—
With Lily beside him, he had slept peacefully.
Truly peacefully.
Since the day he lost his best friend, rest had never come this gently to him. There were always memories, always a lingering ache in the dark. But now, with Lily in his arms, those shadows had quietly faded.
A small smile touched Ezekiel's lips.
He held him a little tighter, drawing Lily closer, as if afraid the moment might vanish. Lily stirred faintly, instinctively snuggling deeper into Ezekiel's embrace.
And Ezekiel stayed like that, wrapped around him in the soft light of dawn, holding on to a peace he didn't want to lose.
When Lily woke up, he realized he had somehow ended up in Ezekiel's bed.
The memory came rushing back to him.
The night before, he had gone out with his new friends to celebrate getting into the university. He had hesitated at first — bars still made him uneasy after what he'd been through — but he didn't want to disappoint them, so he went along.
To his surprise, he had actually enjoyed himself.
There had been laughter, music, too many drinks… and before he knew it, one of his friends was driving him home. When they arrived, they were stunned by the massive house he lived in. Lily quickly explained that he was only the helper's nephew, nothing more. His friends nodded, said their goodbyes, and drove off.
Still intoxicated and half-asleep, Lily wandered inside.
Mistaking Ezekiel's room for his own, he crawled into the bed and fell asleep without realizing what he had done.
Now, standing there in the morning light, Lily finally understood.
He gasped when he saw Ezekiel watching him.
Panic took over. Lily jumped up and began apologizing over and over, begging Ezekiel to forgive him. His face burned with embarrassment, his words tumbling out in a rush.
Ezekiel, however, only crossed his arms and pretended to be annoyed.
"Get out," he said coldly.
Lily didn't hesitate. He hurried from the room, mortified.
But as soon as the door closed behind him, Ezekiel's serious expression broke — and a quiet, amused smile curved across his face.
From that day onward, Ezekiel began to watch Lily without meaning to.
Every small thing Lily did caught his attention — the way he spoke, the way he moved, the way his presence quietly filled a room. It unsettled him. How could someone so small, so unassuming, intrude so deeply into his mind?
He couldn't stop thinking about him.
Wherever Ezekiel went, his thoughts followed Lily. He found himself wanting to stand closer, to hear his voice again, to feel that strange calm Lily brought with him. What had begun as a simple disturbance was slowly turning into something else.
Something dangerous.
Something untamed.
A feeling so powerful that even a man trained like a soldier could not hold it back.
Jeremy was trying everything he could to make Lucas forgive him, but Lucas was still deeply upset.
There was one thing Lucas hated more than anything — being controlled. Being trapped. Being told where to stay and how to live. And Jeremy had crossed that line. He knew he had. No matter what he did now, Lucas wouldn't speak to him, and that silence hurt more than anything else.
Desperate, Jeremy took Lucas out shopping.
He decided to buy him everything he could afford, hoping it would soften the distance between them. But Lucas remained quiet, staring past the shop windows, past the clothes, past everything. He felt far away.
Anything Lucas touched, Jeremy bought.
It made Lucas uncomfortable, but he said nothing.
Inside a fitting room, Lucas got stuck while changing and called Jeremy for help. Jeremy stepped inside, helping him with the zipper, guiding his arms into the sleeves. The moment his hands touched Lucas's body, something powerful and dangerous rose between them — something emotional, raw, and tempting.
Lucas had never felt anything like it before.
They locked eyes.
For more than a second, they stayed that way, breath held, hearts racing. Jeremy slowly leaned closer — not to help, not to steady him…
But to kiss him.
Lucas suddenly pushed him away, startled by the feeling. Then, confused and shaken, he apologized, saying he hadn't meant to react that way.
Jeremy stepped back immediately.
"I understand," he said quietly. "I shouldn't have crossed that line."
He left the fitting room.
When they met again, an awkward silence hung between them. They paid for the clothes and went home, neither knowing how to face what had almost happened.
At the house, Ezekiel came downstairs, still smiling faintly from his moment with Lily — until he noticed the strange tension between his brothers.
When Ezekiel asked what was wrong, Lucas said nothing and ran upstairs.
Jeremy told Ezekiel everything.
Ezekiel sighed softly. "You're in love with someone you shouldn't be in love with," he said. "And instead of stepping away, you keep getting closer. What do you expect the outcome to be?"
Jeremy admitted he couldn't help it — especially when he saw Maggie with Lucas.
Ezekiel looked at him seriously.
"You need to learn to draw a line, Jeremy. If you let your heart overrule your mind, the consequences won't just hurt you — they'll hurt Lucas too. Be more careful."
Jeremy nodded.
"I understand."
But inside, he knew his heart wasn't listening.
On the other hand, Ili couldn't stop thinking about what had happened with Ezekiel. His mind kept drifting back to that night, to the warmth, the closeness… and it left him distracted and uneasy.
His uncle noticed.
"Are you okay?" he asked, studying Ili's face. "You look unwell."
"I'm fine," Ili replied quickly.
"No, you don't look fine. Go back to your room and rest for a while."
Ili nodded. "Okay… I won't bother you."
But even alone, his thoughts wouldn't quiet. Ezekiel's face kept appearing in his mind, and the feeling in his chest refused to fade. So he called his friend, Zerachariah.
After listening to everything, Zerachariah laughed softly.
"You're in love," he said. "You've fallen for your boss — Ezekiel."
Ili immediately denied it. "That's not true."
But no matter how much he tried to argue, the ache in his heart told him otherwise. He didn't know what to do with a feeling like that.
Later that day, his uncle called him.
"Ili, go to the garage park and get the parts we need. We're picking up the finisher, so the car has to be perfect."
As Ili was about to leave, Ezekiel walked past and offered, "I can give you a ride."
Ili tried to decline, but his uncle lightly smacked his stomach.
"Go with the boss," he said. "Don't mind him," he added to Ezekiel. "He doesn't know what he's doing today."
So they went together.
Inside the car, Ezekiel tried to start a conversation, but Ili kept his answers short, hoping to end it as quickly as possible. Still, Ezekiel looked at him and asked gently,
"Are you angry with me?"
Ili shook his head. "No. I can't be angry with you. It's just… a little awkward."
Ezekiel smiled.
That small, quiet smile caught Ili off guard. His breath hitched slightly.
"What?" Ezekiel asked. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"I've just… never really seen you smile before," Ili admitted.
Ezekiel chuckled softly. "I'm human. Of course I smile. I just don't smile for everyone."
Ili blushed.
"You should smile more often," he said quietly. "You'd look less scary."
And for a moment, the tension between them softened into something warm and fragile — something neither of them was ready to name.
When they arrived at the garage, it turned out the owner was someone who had been trying very hard to get on Ezekiel's good side. The moment he saw Ezekiel, his face lit up with excitement.
He immediately made sure everything was perfect.
While he took Ezekiel aside to discuss business and school matters, he instructed the staff to make Lily comfortable. Ezekiel glanced back and told Lily to follow him — and the owner quickly agreed.
But as the long discussion continued, Lily began to feel out of place.
Without thinking, Ezekiel reached out and held Lily's hand.
The sudden touch made Lily flinch slightly, but he didn't pull away.
"Are you okay?" Ezekiel asked quietly.
Lily nodded. "Yes."
"If you feel uncomfortable at any point, call me," Ezekiel said gently. "I'm right here."
"I'm fine," Lily replied, though his heart was racing.
Ezekiel asked the staff to bring Lily a snack, but Lily politely declined. The conversation dragged on, and soon Lily, exhausted and overwhelmed, slowly drifted off to sleep.
When Ezekiel noticed, he walked over and gently draped his jacket around Lily's shoulders.
The movement woke him.
"Did I wake you?" Ezekiel asked.
"No," Lily said softly. "It was just the wind."
Ezekiel smiled faintly. "Then it's time for us to go."
He helped Lily up carefully, holding him as though he might collapse at any moment. Lily was awake, but he allowed it, too tired to resist.
At the car, Ezekiel asked, "Did we get all the parts?"
"Yes," the owner replied. "They've already been sent to the house."
Lily fell asleep on the way back, mission accomplished.
When Ezekiel walked into the mansion, he found Lucas sitting on the couch, scrolling through his phone.
Ezekiel wanted to talk to him — just the two of them — so he started walking toward him. But before he could speak, Lucas looked up and noticed the faint smile on Ezekiel's face.
He smirked.
"Why are you smiling like that? What made you so happy?"
Ezekiel quickly wiped the expression away.
"Nothing. Just a little migraine. It's not serious."
Lucas didn't believe him. He had known Ezekiel too long — and he hadn't seen him smile like that in years. But Ezekiel changed the subject before Lucas could push further.
"So… what happened between you and Jeremy?"
Lucas scoffed.
"Nothing much. I'm just pissed at him. He keeps hovering around me like he owns me. Just because he cut the power once doesn't mean he gets to come chasing after me."
Ezekiel raised an eyebrow. "That's all?"
"Yes," Lucas said sharply. "That's why I'm angry. Nothing more."
"If there's something else, you can tell me," Ezekiel said.
Lucas looked away. "It's nothing."
Behind the hallway wall, Jeremy had been listening.
And it hurt.
He didn't want to be just a brother to Lucas. He wanted to be someone closer — someone who mattered the way Lucas had mattered to him for more than ten years.
But that was a love he was never meant to have.
And no matter how hard he tried… Lucas could never give it back.
Back at the estate, Cyrus praised Ezekiel for handling everything so well — the business, the accounts, the pressure — all of it. Ezekiel listened quietly.
Then he smiled.
And he smiled while looking at Lily.
The entire staff froze.
They had never seen Ezekiel smile before.
As he walked away, whispers filled the air — people wondering what Lily had done, what he had said, what magic he carried.
Lily himself didn't know.
But none of them realized the truth:
Ezekiel was beginning to find peace in Lily's presence.
And that quiet peace would become something far more dangerous — something desperate, consuming, and impossible to stop.