By Zephyria 
Joshua’s face turned ashen as he looked at the photo, no matter how many times he checked. He zoomed in, confirming the face again and again, then pressed a hand to his forehead, muttering to himself.
“Oh my god, what is this…”
“Joshua.”
“Aah!”
Joshua screamed and dropped his tablet when someone suddenly called his name from behind and wrapped their arms around his waist. The tablet crashed onto the marble floor, the screen immediately cracking before going black. Joshua’s eyes widened, and he froze.
“Joshua…”
A flustered voice came from behind him. Chase seemed at a loss but still didn’t release his hold on Joshua’s waist. Joshua stared blankly at the broken tablet, sighed, and turned to look up at the man. Only then did Chase meet his eyes and apologize.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you like that.”
“It’s… nothing.”
Joshua’s brief annoyance melted away at Chase’s crestfallen expression. How could he be angry at that face? Instead of snapping, he grabbed the back of Chase’s head and pulled him down for a kiss. Chase accepted the kiss as if he’d been waiting for it. He turned in Joshua’s arms, wrapping his arms around his waist as Joshua tilted his head and kissed the other side of his lips. A satisfied sigh escaped him. He touched the sensitive part of Chase’s mouth with his tongue, and Chase responded immediately. Feeling Chase’s hardening member against him, Joshua chuckled silently.
“Wasn’t yesterday enough?”
Chase replied instantly, still whispering against his lips.
“Never enough. I waited four months.”
True enough.
Joshua lowered his hands from Chase’s waist to cup his ass, lost in thought. It had only been a week since he’d finished his job and returned home. He’d even told Team leader that he would take a break for the next job. He was planning to spend some quality time with his family, but…
The moment he frowned, remembering the photo he’d been looking at, the oven timer went off. Joshua gave Chase a quick, cute peck on the lips, released him, and headed to the oven.
The smell of freshly baked bread filled the kitchen, and he immediately felt hungry. He was about to prepare breakfast while the bread cooled when Chase readily joined him. Seeing him confidently take out the meat from the fridge and prepare to grill it made Joshua feel proud. When had the guy who barely knew how to make toast with jam grown so much?
Remembering that he’d been taking care of the kids alone while Joshua was away, it was only natural, but he couldn’t help but be impressed every time. As he watched with a pleased expression, Chase sprinkled black pepper on the meat and asked,
“What were you looking at earlier?”
“Huh?”
Joshua stuttered, uncharacteristically caught off guard by the sudden question. Chase looked at him, puzzled.
“The tablet, I mean. You looked like you were reading an article. What was it? Something important?”
Joshua stared back at him without a word. The silence lasted only two or three seconds, but Joshua’s mind was racing. He couldn’t imagine how Chase would react if he saw that article now.
“No, nothing.”
Let’s hide it for now.
Joshua smiled as usual and replied,
“Just a gossip article. Nothing to worry about.”
Then, he turned away, pretending to look for the sauce, hiding his expression. An article about Grayson having a new lover would probably just make him angry and curse a little. The problem was who that lover was.
What if he remembered Dane…?
It was embarrassing now, but Joshua had never imagined something like this would happen, so he had invited Dane to his wedding with Chase. Dane had gladly accepted the invitation, saying he didn’t need anything, and graced the occasion. Joshua had even noticed him disappearing with Chase’s secretary and reappearing later, but he had pretended not to notice. He thought everything had ended well without any major problems, but…
Why was it all twisted now?
He couldn’t understand the situation at all. How did Dane and Grayson get involved? The last request should have failed. What happened then? Why didn’t Dane tell him? Wait, that bastard never says anything unless asked. Damn it, what are you doing, Dane Striker…!
“I’ll be right back.”
Joshua pretended to go to the bathroom and quickly left the kitchen. He took out his phone and called Dane, but as expected, he didn’t answer.
So, he’s playing it like this.
He had a bad feeling about this. Even if he met with Dane and talked, he couldn’t guarantee that Dane would explain the situation properly. Did he have no choice but to confirm it himself…?
After a moment of consideration, Joshua looked at the time and quickly scrolled through his phone’s contacts. He stopped at one and made the call without hesitation. After two or three rings, the voice he’d been waiting for came through.
“Josh! How have you been? What’s up? Calling me like this…! No, don’t tell me something happened to Chase…”
“No, nothing like that.”
Joshua cut him off as the welcoming voice quickly turned worried. In a professional, friendly tone, he continued,
“About that matter you mentioned last time, yes.”
Joshua paused for a moment and nodded.
“You said you were looking for a team to guard Grayson Miller’s partner, right? Is that position still open? …Ah, I see.”
Joshua glanced towards the kitchen. After confirming that Chase was still inside, he continued,
“I have one question. Who is Grayson Miller’s partner? It would be helpful to know the information.”
He narrowed his eyes as he listened to the answer from the other end.
“Dane Striker.”
Joshua sighed softly and ran a hand through his hair.
“Alright, I’ll do it.”
His green eyes gleamed darkly.
“Since it’s related to Chase’s brother, I should lend a hand.”
What’s going on!
Koi couldn’t help but pace around the living room, his cheeks flushed. The phone call he received as he was finishing his schedule and preparing to leave France had made him incredibly excited. Joshua volunteering to take on this job, what kind of change of heart was this? He could trust Joshua completely. And if Grayson could have even a little conversation with Chase through this opportunity, how wonderful would that be…!
Just then, the door opened, and Ash entered. Koi stopped pacing and quickly approached him, his face lighting up.
“Ash!”
“Koi.”
Ash, who had entered with a stiff expression, relaxed his face slightly when he saw Koi. Had something bad happened? Koi tilted his head, puzzled, then naturally embraced Ash and said,
“Guess who I just got a call from?”
“Who?”
Koi giggled and replied to Ash’s question.
“Joshua called me! You said you’d get Dane a bodyguard, right? So, I asked Joshua if he could introduce me to some good people.”
“Yeah, didn’t he say no?”
Koi’s eyes sparkled as he exclaimed excitedly at Ash’s question.
“He did, but he just called and said he’ll do it! Himself! He’s going to guard Dane himself!”
Koi felt the arm around his waist twitch. Ash blinked in surprise, then frowned.
“Suddenly?”
“Yeah, maybe he thought it would be better if he did it himself? He said he’d lend a hand because he’s Chase’s brother…!”
Koi seemed to believe those words purely, but Ash didn’t. There must be a reason. What is it? Why would he think that…?
“Um, Mr. Miller.”
Just as he was thinking that, his secretary rushed in and handed him something. Ash, who was still holding Koi, reached out and froze the moment he saw the screen on the tablet.
“Wh-what…”
Koi looked up at him, puzzled, at his mumbling, but Ash didn’t say anything more, his eyes fixed on the screen.