Chapter 174: Zenith mischieve

“Yeah, yeah,” Tobi waved him off casually.

The door slammed shut behind him.

Silence settled again.

Minutes later, Tobi stood up stretched, and headed towards the door. “Pretty boy, behave.” He said as he stepped out of the room.

Minutes later, footsteps echoed from outside. It felt measured and

unhurried.

The door creaked open.

The masked man stepped in.

“Tobi,” he called, voice slightly muffled. “Where is Lucas?”

“In the room,” Tobi replied lazily.

The masked man nodded once, adjusting the edge of his mask before heading inside.

Lucas lifted his head the moment the door opened. Their eyes met.

Or rather, Lucas stared into the darkness behind the mask.

Something twisted in his chest, that feeling again.

The man walked closer, then too close.

Lucas’s body tensed instantly as the masked figure reached out towards him. His fingers brushed against Lucas’s cheek. A slow, deliberate caress.

“Take your hands off me,” Lucas snapped sharply, jerking his head away as much as the restraints allowed.

But the man didn’t stop. Instead, his grip tightened slightly, cupping Lucas’s face, forcing him to look up.

Lucas’s heart skipped. Not from fear. From recognition trying, and failing to surface.

“Don’t,” he started, anger rising,

But the man leaned in. Close enough to kiss him.

The door suddenly burst open.

“What are you doing, man?” Tobi’s voice cut through sharply. “Are you harassing him?”

Lucas seized the moment immediately. “Yes, he is,” he said quickly, his voice edged with unease now. “Please, keep him away from me.”

The masked man paused. Then,

He chuckled. It was low and amusing, but still said nothing.

And that was what made Lucas’s chest tighten more.

Why isn’t he talking? Why is he hiding his voice? Suspicion flared stronger now. He’s hiding something.

“Come on, man, let him be,” Tobi said, stepping further into the room.

The masked man straightened slowly, running a hand through his hair in a strangely familiar gesture.

Lucas’s eyes widened, just slightly.

That movement… but before he could grasp it, the man turned, as if nothing had happened.

He lifted his fingers and blew Lucas a kiss with a wink. It was mocking and yet wrongly playful. Then he walked out and the door shut behind him.

Silence followed.

Lucas sat frozen for a moment, his breathing uneven, mind racing.

That feeling surged again, and stronger this time.

“I know him…” he whispered under his breath.

His brows drew together tightly.

“But from where…?”

The question wouldn’t leave him.

Lucas sat in the same position. His shoulders were aching, but his mind was far from the ropes digging into his skin.

Who is he? He wondered. The masked man’s presence lingered like a shadow he couldn’t shake. The touch, and even the way he moved, was too familiar.

Lucas exhaled slowly, eyes narrowing as he replayed it again and again.

But the answer refused to come.

Two hours later, the warehouse stirred with movement. James grabbed his jacket, checking his phone one last time. “Time.”

Tobi stretched lazily beside him. “Finally. Let’s get paid.”

James shot him a look before turning to the masked figure standing near the door.

“Hey, mask man.”

Lucas’s head lifted slightly at that, ears picking up every word now.

“If anything goes wrong,” James continued, voice firm, “you release him, immediately.”

Zenith didn’t respond, but his posture stiffened just slightly.

“And if we succeed,” James added, smirking faintly, “and something happens after, keep my share safe.”

Tobi chuckled. “Don’t worry, we won’t spend it without you.”

James shot him an annoyed glance. “I’m serious.”

A beat.

Then, “Let’s go.”

The door slammed behind them.

And just like that, they were gone.

A heavy and lingering silence returned.

Zenith stood still for a moment, listening, waiting, making sure the sound of their footsteps had truly faded.

Then he exhaled, slowly.

“Finally,” he muttered.

His hand lifted to his face, adjusting the mask, not to secure it, but as if he was resisting the urge to take it off. His gaze shifted toward the closed door of the room Lucas was in.

A flicker of something crossed his eyes. Desire, possession, and something darker.

“Just a minute,” he muttered under his breath. But as he turned to head toward Lucas, his eyes caught something on the table.

A small device. The voice modulator. The same one Larrissa used whenever they called Alex.

Zenith paused as his mouth curled in a smile.

Slowly, he walked over, picking it up between his fingers.

“Bingo…” he murmured, almost amused.

His eyes gleamed as an idea formed in his head. It was something reckless and dangerous.

His grip tightened slightly around the device as his gaze flicked back toward Lucas’s room.

This time, there was no hesitation. Zenith turned and began walking toward the door.

Whatever restraint he had left, was gone.

Zenith paused just outside the door. He lifted the small device, attaching it carefully before pressing the switch.

A low distortion crackled. Then he tested it.

“Hello”

The voice that came out wasn’t his. It was Hunter’s. A slow, satisfied smile spread on his masked face. “Perfect.”

For a brief second, he stood there, savoring it, this control, this advantage.

Then he pushed the door open.

“Hello, sweetheart… I’m here.”

Lucas’s head snapped up instantly, eyes wide, heart skipping at the familiar, yet wrong voice.

Zenith stepped inside, closing the door behind him with a soft click.

“How about some fun, hmm?” he said, walking closer, each step deliberate.

Lucas’s expression hardened despite the unease crawling under his skin. “I’m not interested. Please.”

“Oh, sweetheart,” Zenith tilted his head, voice dripping with mock affection. “But I am.”

He stopped right in front of him now, gaze dragging slowly over Lucas like he had all the time in the world.

Lucas shifted uncomfortably, trying to lean back as much as the chair allowed.

Zenith reached out, lifting Lucas’s chin, forcing their eyes to meet. He leaned in, but Lucas jerked his head away, knocking his hand aside.

“Please stop it!” Lucas snapped, anger breaking through the fear. “This is harassment. I’m already in enough pain.”

Zenith let out a low chuckle, amused rather than offended.

“Come on, dear Lucas…” he murmured, voice soft but unsettling. “I’ve been watching you for a long time, craving this prettiness.”

Lucas’s stomach twisted.

“Let’s not waste time,” Zenith continued, his tone lowering. “Just a little fun…”

“No,” Lucas said firmly, his voice sharper now despite the tremor underneath. “I don’t want this.”

Zenith’s hand moved again, brushing lightly over Lucas’s chest in a slow, deliberate motion.

Lucas’s breath hitched, not from desire, but from anger and helplessness.

“Don’t touch me!” he snapped, struggling against the ropes. “Tobi! Tobi, please help me!”

His voice echoed through the space before he recalled that they had gone out.

No sound came, just Zenith’s quiet laughter.

He leaned in closer, pressing a brief possessive kiss against Lucas’s cheek.

Lucas’s eyes burned, fury replacing fear.

And in that moment, his suspicion sharpened into something clearer. That voice might be fake. But the behavior and the way he moved…

Lucas’s gaze locked onto him, searching, piecing it together.

“Who are you?”