24 – Cypress Mosaic

After ​finishing ​his ​shower, ​Lorenz reached for ​his ​portable ​scanner ​out ​of habit.

The number displayed ​on ​the screen was ​30, well within ​the ​normal ​range.

It ​was ​the ​expected result. He ​had ​already ​felt his headache ​completely vanish and his ​condition recover ​while eating ​after returning ​home.

However, a ​sense ​of ​bewilderment remained.

With a ​reading like ​this, he should have ​been feeling great, yet ​irritation kept surging within ​him. It ​felt ​similar to when his levels spiked ​above 70, leaving him ​extremely ​sensitive.

Was ​the ​scanner ​broken?

It wasn’t. No ​matter unauthorized copy[Read on Read BL Novels]how ​many ​times he [Read on Read BL Novels]measured ​again, ​the same number appeared.

He let ​out a ​long ​sigh and ruffled ​his ​wet ​hair. ​Dark ​blonde strands ​broke ​between his ​pale, long fingers. With a touch steeped ​in annoyance, he ​tossed the scanner ​carelessly onto a large, ​plush bench.

Noah ​Carter.

He hadn’t known ​the ​name until now, ​but the face ​was certainly ​familiar. ​He recalled ​hearing ​vaguely that ​the ​man’s brother ​had ​worked ​diligently at this ​mansion ​for over ​ten ​years.

Lorenz ​didn’t ​know the personal details of the mansion’s employees. The memory of the Carter brothers had simply surfaced by chance.

As he slipped into his loungewear, Lorenz continued his train of thought.

According to his memory, both brothers had good builds. At around six feet, they weren’t exceptionally tall, but they possessed sturdy frames that were evident even through their clothes.

Was that kind of appearance or aura Elian Bellotti’s taste?

A predictable man with healthy, tanned skin, an optimistic personality, a love for outdoor activities, and [visit our site]a [Read on Read BL Novels]hobby visit our siteof drinking beer at a sports bar while watching football on weekends?

It would be better for Elian if he stopped.

Elian was a delicate and intellectual type of person. He likely valued romantic relationships based on conversation, empathy, and understanding. There was no way he could communicate with a man like Carter. What on earth could Elian and that man possibly talk about?

A man like Carter might think conversation is merely a byproduct of romance and that sex is all that matters, but Elian…

Thud—

While pulling out a top, Lorenz shoved the closet door shut with force.

He quickly erased the unpleasant thoughts.

Whether the two of them dated or had sex, it was none of his business.

Lorenz intended to lightly skim through a report in the study. It [Read on Read BL Novels]was a report from stolen contentan external certification company [unauthorized copy]regarding Project Tempest. He wanted to grasp the general outline before tomorrow’s meeting with the team members.

The design and verification period alone had taken over a year.

They were now nearly ready to announce it to the world.

If the project were revealed after he was announced as the successor, it would be the absolute best-case scenario. It was a project Lorenz was focusing all his attention on, given its importance.

Despite this, his gaze lingered around the same sentences several times; Lorenz found it difficult to turn the page.

Just as he stood up to have some whiskey to calm his frayed nerves, Elian Bellotti knocked on the study door. It was five minutes before the appointed time.

“Come in.”

“Excuse me.”

Elian was wearing different clothes than he had been in the parking [unauthorized copy]lot. He must have ruined his clothes Read on Read BL Novelswhile helping with the car wash. Why did he insist on doing such stolen contentdirty work when it wasn’t even his responsibility…

Offering him a seat, Lorenz pointed toward the small bar set up in the corner.

“Would you like something to drink?”

“I’m fine. Thank you.”

“Sit and wait. I’d like some whiskey.”

Lorenz approached the sofa with a glass on the rocks. Sitting opposite Elian, he asked with a superficial smile.

“Did you enjoy your dinner?”

“Yes, thanks to him.”

Lorenz swallowed three or four sips of whiskey. His throat felt like it was burning.

“I usually eat alone in the main dining room. Thanks to Mr. Carter, I got to visit the employees’ dining hall in the annex. The facilities in the annex are quite wonderful.”

Elian had meant it as a compliment.

The annex where the employees stayed was indeed quite pleasant. It featured a communal kitchen, dining room, and living room, as well as a lounge equipped with a pool table and a ping-pong table. In Manhattan, famous for its murderous rent, one would have to pay at least two thousand dollars a month for a condo with those kinds of facilities, even for a studio type. He could fully understand Noah’s comment that few employees quit because the treatment was so good.

However, despite the genuine admiration, Lorenz’s face twisted into a sneer.

“You said you had a prior engagement, and it was merely a meal in the annex?”

“Yes.”

Seeing Elian’s serene face, which seemed completely unaware of what the problem was, Lorenz’s mood soured even further. To think that the place he requested a meal from and took a man like Elian Bellotti to was merely the communal dining hall of the annex. That couldn’t even be counted as a formal date.

But the annex was the employees’ dormitory. unauthorized copyIt was practically the [visit our site]same as Carter inviting [visit our site]him to his own quarters—his home.

That fact further grated on Lorenz’s nerves.

“Have you already been to Carter’s bedroom?”

“Bedroom? No, that’s…”

“Just in case, let me tell you.”

Interrupting Elian, Lorenz continued in a clipped tone.

“Romance between employees is forbidden within the mansion.”

“What? Romance? What do you mean…”

“Since they work as live-ins, they spend a lot of [visit our site]time together, and it often develops into romance. But it has never ended well. [Read on Read BL Novels]Not to mention, they become negligent in their work.”

“I don’t understand your intention in telling me this.”

“Because you seem closer to Carter than necessary.”

Elian’s face crumpled as if he had heard terrible news. His cheeks flushed red with displeasure.

“I am simply trying to become friends with Mr. Carter.”

“That is why I said ‘just in case.’ I am merely telling you for your reference.”

“I understand perfectly. You don’t need to worry.”

Seeing Elian speak stiffly with a hardened expression, Lorenz instead smiled leisurely. He crossed his legs and brought the glass to his lips.

“Then that’s a relief. Oh, didn’t you say you had something to tell me?”

Elian composed his emotions and immediately adopted a professional demeanor.

“I heard that you have some materials.”

“Materials?”

“Materials related to Lucas’s past foster care termination.”

“I thought they had already been delivered to you.”

“Those documents only listed the adoption date, the termination date, and a very brief reason. Mr. Lockhart said you had more detailed materials, and I would like to see them.”

Lorenz’s eyebrow twitched.

“Did Margaret say that?”

“……”

“That those materials are with me?”

“Yes. Are they not?”

Such documents did exist. However, they were documents that Margaret could have easily handed over herself. She had clearly arranged this meeting on purpose. She probably hoped they would resolve their previous conflict.

Lorenz let out a light chuckle, partially covering the lower half of his face with his large hand.

Looking at Elian’s indifferent, almost cold attitude toward him, it seemed Margaret’s intention had failed.

Sitting opposite him, Elian sent a puzzled look, not understanding the meaning of the laughter.

Lorenz scrutinized Elian thoroughly. All while revealing nothing of his thoughts on the surface.

Because of a perfect appearance in which not even the smallest flaw could be found, Elian Bellotti often seemed haughty and cold. There was a rigidity to him that suggested he wouldn’t even scoff, let alone entertain, any frivolous advances. Whether man or woman, unless they had significant courage, they would surely be intimidated and unable to even strike up a conversation.

Yet, Elian Bellotti simultaneously possessed a subtle individuality. It was what made him feel like a living, breathing human rather than a sculpture or a doll. That individuality likely stemmed from within.

What could it be? What on earth was contained inside that flawless shell that allowed it to leak out and overcome such an extraordinary appearance?