When you're looking at me
I've never felt so alive and free
When you're looking at me
I've never felt so happy
— Dandelions by Ruth B.
Everything about tonight was perfect; the sound of Gray's breaths, the heat from his body, and his fingers burning me where it touched.
My head rested on his chest as his fingers traced my back lazily. "You have the stamina of a bull," I blurted out.
I thought we'd stop after the first round, then spend the rest of the night catching up and making out. But we ended up going for another two rounds. We soaked in the bathtub for fifteen minutes after the first, which really helped with the soreness between my legs, then he pounced on me again. Like I said, the stamina of a bull.
Gray's chest shook as he laughed, and I couldn't stop myself from smiling. I really missed him and everything that came along with him.
I could finally say that Gray was a charismatic gentleman in public, but a beast under the sheets with a really filthy mouth. And I loved both sides equally.
"Rain check?" I asked.
"I searched for the person who drugged you," he said, his hold tightening around me. "We found him three days later."
"Is he in custody?"
"If you call being buried six feet underground as custody, then sure."
I propped myself up on my arm, eyeing him with wide eyes. There was nothing but direct bluntness as he stared up at me with those bright green eyes.
"What happened?" I asked.
"He was found dead in his house."
"You shouldn't have started with that," I grumbled, feeling a twinge of panic in my chest. I brushed off the feeling and scowled at him playfully. "You just ruined my libido."
He laughed again. "You're awfully quirky tonight."
"I just got laid, Gray. Cut me some slack."
He pinched both my cheeks, making me wrinkle my nose in annoyance.
"I love it when you do that."
"I know." I shook my head lightly. "Anyway, my mother told me that she changed her name to Sarah after she turned twenty-one, but in the yearbooks, she was already known as Sarah. It turned out that she had her name changed when she was only four."
"Your mother had a lot of secrets." He twirled a strand of my hair in his finger.
"And an alter ego," I added. "The name Sarah was like a Clark Kent alter ego."
"I stayed with your family when I was in South Korea," he shared in a hushed voice, his eyebrows pulling together. "Your mother helped suppress the scandal."
"So that was the real reason why she left immediately after the scandal happened," I scoffed in disbelief. "She went there to protect you because your father asked her to."
"No," he said, shaking his head discreetly. "Your mother offered to take me in."
"And my grandparents?"
"Your grandfather made me work as his secretary, and your grandmother taught me a few of her recipes." He brushed his thumb against my bottom lip.
I smiled. "Thank you for taking care of them."
"Do you want to know why I don't let people touch my hair?"
I swallowed hard as he took my hand and positioned it right behind his ear, where I could feel the bump of the scar. I had seen it up close a few times and felt it when I touched him.
"When I was in South Korea," he began, his fingers threading through my hair. "I decided that letting go was the right thing to do."
My heart squeezed as I finally understood what he meant that night he was drowsy. I laid my head on his chest again and wrapped my arms around him, heaving a great sigh as I considered the jumble of inexplicable images churning chaotically in my head.
"I'm so sorry for what you went through," I whispered.
"It's not your fault."
"What happened?"
"I tried to hang myself. I woke up at the hospital two days later. I didn't understand why I even tried to do it. It was like my body and mind moved on their own accord. But there was no use with crying over spilled milk; what I did was not going to be undone."
"I guess life always gives a chance for you to live no matter what."
"I'm indebted to your family."
I placed a kiss above his heart. "You'll always have me, Gray."
● ● ●
I woke up well-rested with a heavy arm keeping me prisoner. My back was pressed up against Gray's muscular chest, and our legs were tangled up under the sheets. I had never felt so rejuvenated, so relaxed. I could wake up like this every single day, in comfort and next to the person I loved.
Gray stirred and groaned, his arm loosening around me. I grabbed that as an opportunity to turn around and face him. A bright smile was plastered on his face, and I leaned in to peck him on the lips.
"I should start paying you for being my sleeping buddy." The rasp that vibrated through his vocal cords had my heart doing backflips.
I snickered. "I could use a little side income."
He kissed me softly, brushing his lips against mine so torturously that I couldn't stop the whimper from leaving my lips.
"Go shower," he said. "I'll prepare breakfast."
"You do realize that I have no spare clothes, right?"
"But you also love borrowing my clothes." He kissed my forehead, then sat up, reaching for his boxer briefs. "You don't see me complaining, right?"
"Sassy," I snorted.
He bent down and kissed me softly on the lips. "I love you," he said.
"I love you too."
Once Gray was out of the room, I rolled out of bed and headed to the adjoining bathroom. His room looked like those luxurious Presidential Suites, with a thin divider that separated the bedroom and the comfortable reading area with a private bar.
I let my fingers brush across the smooth surface of his wooden desk, tracing the line until they dipped, and a click echoed in the room. I jumped back in panic, clapping a hand over my mouth as a secret drawer extended further to the side. Then my eyes widened.
Guns...So many guns.
The crest on each weapon caught my attention — the Inner Circle. My throat constricted, and my chest moved up and down faster as my breath quickened. These were Class 4 weapons, military-grade weapons, and explosives.
A world far darker than what we both know.
"So I was about to mix the batter for the waffles but decided to join you in the shower instead—Summer?"
I was very aware of how naked I was, standing in front of a collection of weapons that he owned, and probably made exclusively for him, based on the crest. My head was swirling with questions as I struggled to comprehend what I was looking at.
His large hands slid down my arms, and I shuddered.
"Do you want to sit down?" he asked.
"That's..." I gasped, "unusually calm of you."
He said nothing and guided me back to his bed. I grabbed the comforter and pulled it up to my chin, watching him as he kneeled before me. His green eyes stared at me, and he reached to touch my cheek. I leaned into his palm, sighing.
"So, drugs and weapons. Our families are criminals?"
He stiffened and dropped his hand. "In perspective."
"It's yes or no, Gray."
"Yes."
"Are we talking about a lifetime imprisonment type of criminal?" I asked, my heart leaping out of its cage at just the thought.
"Families with incredible wealth and status usually stay together," he implied with a slight smile. "It's like the saying; birds of the same feather flock together. But not everybody gets along. How could they when they were each other's own enemies? You already know that my father and your mother used to be best friends, but it was never just them. There was another one who preferred being in the shadows."
"And why is that?" I asked, fiddling with my fingers.
"Because of his family," he answered. "In the eyes of plenty, his family seemed like regular folks. But they were far from that. Their identity was threatened quite a few times, but they found the perfect disguise. They kept that secret hidden for generations, and only those in the secret society knew who they were and what they did."
"Nobody has ever outed them?"
"If death is what they wish for."
"Jesus Christ," I exhaled, shaking my head. "Wait, let me get this straight. There is the world of business, and then the world of criminals? Hence the meaning of the symbol?"
"Have you ever wondered why your mother never revealed herself to the public as the CEO of HJ Corporation?" he asked.
My forehead creased. "She wanted to protect me."
"As an heir to a conglomerate, threats are common. But why did she go all that length to make sure you stayed hidden? She altered her past and yours."
I hated where this was going.
"She wanted to protect me from the secret society."
"There are rumors that she has a daughter, but nobody knows the truth. She disappeared when she was pregnant with you, thanks to your father, and she made sure that stayed buried."
I sucked in a breath, my leg bouncing anxiously as I waited for him to cut to the chase and reveal everything.
"Your mother was..." he trailed off, his eyes widening in alarm. He jumped to his feet and started pacing in front of me, his hands running through his hair repeatedly. "There are greater and more powerful hierarchies in this world, Summer."
"Just say it, damn it!" I snapped.
"The other person was from an organized crime family," he revealed, throwing his arms up in exasperation. "And your mother was their Consigliere."
"A what?" I blinked, muddled.
"A Consigliere is the person who—"
"I know what it means, asshole," I sneered, glaring at him. "You're saying that we're involved with the fucking Mafia. Just give me a damn minute to process this."
He let out a breath and sat beside me on the bed. His arms wrapped around me, and he pulled me in for an embrace. I buried my face on his chest and closed my eyes, allowing the information to sink in slowly.
"Can I meet the other person?" I asked.
"Not yet. But I'll introduce you to his son."
"Okay," I muttered, pulling away from him. "I'm gonna go take a shower."
I rushed to the bathroom and shut the door. My eyes closed as I pressed a palm over my racing heart, then I exhaled a long breath. I was trying to make sense of everything.
I was stunned, baffled even, but not hurt.
A part of me expected this.
I pressed a fist to my mouth as bile rose in my throat, and I dashed over to the sink, letting it all out. I coughed uncontrollably as my stomach twisted in pain. Then I washed away the taste of vomit in my mouth and slumped against the wall.
I stayed in the bathroom for over an hour, pacing back and forth as I clued in everything together.
My family wasn't just wealthy. They were founders of a secret society that merged two unparalleled worlds. There was a third person in my mother's friendship with Gray's father, who preferred to be in the shadows. He was in the Mafia — that I was a hundred percent sure of. My mother was their Consigliere, and she kept me hidden to protect me from that part of her life. Gray had a ton of guns stashed away in a hidden drawer under his desk, and he liked shooting.
Has he killed anyone before?
I shook away the thought. No doubt my family had.
Exiting the bathroom after my shower, I found a pair of clean clothes on Gray's bed, and I hurriedly slipped into them.
This was my reality, and I had to face it. I was the successor to HJ Corporation; I needed to know everything.
I stepped out of the room and sprinted down the stairs, finding Gray seated on the couch in the living room. He was already dressed in a simple shirt and jeans.
"He's on his way," Gray said without looking at me.
I glanced at the clock on the wall nervously, then sat beside him.
"Is he a middle-aged man with scars on his face?" I joked in an attempt to ease the brewing anxiety in my chest. "Or those handsome guys in movies with a lot of daddy and mommy issues?"
"I'm not quite sure about the daddy and mommy issues, but he looks annoying as hell." He snaked an arm around my waist and kissed my hair.
"So, you're saying I'm going to be disappointed?"
His eyes narrowed to slits. "And you're saying you're more concerned with how he looks?"
"You're so easily jealous," I grumbled.
"My father wanted to tell you everything himself. You're not supposed to hear this from me. I'm going against the rules by doing this, but I trust my judgment."
My eyes widened. "What will happen if they find out about this?"
"I'll face the consequences," he shrugged noncommittally, but the bitter edge in his voice told me it wasn't going to be good.
"No," I gritted my teeth. "I won't let you get hurt because of me."
He cupped my face in his hands and kissed me briefly on the lips. "I'm not going to put you in any more danger, Summer. Besides, the son is also breaking the rules, so if they ever find out, I'll have a companion to share the pain with."
"You're crazy," I grimaced. There was no point in arguing with him; he was settled with this decision.
And with that, the front door opened. My heart pounded as I raised my head in the direction of the door, an audible gasp escaping my lips. Gray tensed, tightening his hold around my waist.
I would never forget the condescending aura and side-profile of the man I saw at my mother's funeral.
The person Gray wanted me to meet and that man were the same.
And he turned out to be a friend all along.
"It's nice to officially meet you, Summer Hale, daughter of Jo Hyo-Jin." The man's lips lifted into a patronizing smile as he met my gaze, the familiar brown eyes twinkling with mischief. "I'm Isaac Vellucci. But everyone here knows me as Isaac Brooke-Andreas."
It was the perfect disguise.
dedicated to Itz_LadyMystic. Thank you for your continuous support. ilysm ♥♥