He knows.

He knows.
Chapter Eighty-Four

“So do we just leave him here?” Artemis asked, glancing at the wardrobe. Since the time Lucian knocked him out, Stefan has been tied up and locked in that wardrobe. “I don’t care much about him but his dad’s trouble, you know.”
Lucian kissed Artemis softly on the cheek, before taking the box from him. “Your assistant will take care of him. Let's just focus on our trip, yeah?”
Artemis smiled, nodding softly. Leo was NOT going to be happy with this development but the man was already bald, what more did he stand to lose?
He followed Lucian downstairs where the car was waiting. Lucian handed the box to the chauffeur and opened the door for Artemis. The boy flashed him a grin and climbed in. The car started moving as soon as Lucian settled in. 
Artemis stared at the redhead beside him in a daze. Every time he saw this man, he looked more mesmerizing than the last time. Lucian reached for his water bottle, oblivious to the boy’s stare. 
Before he could take a gulp, Artemis snatched the bottle from him. Wide blue eyes stared back at him like they just witnessed the ultimate betrayal. 
“You complained about me smoking but you can’t even try to control your addiction. Alcohol damages the liver too, you know?” he stated. Lucian frowned.
“But I'm thirsty,” the man complained. “This is the only liquid here.”
“Not really,” Artemis snorted, grabbing the bottled water from the wine holder. Lucian’s frown deepened. He did not want to drink water at all. 
“But…”
“If you’re going to make me quit smoking, then you tone down the alcohol. You can’t be half-drunk on our trip. I want you sober around me,” Artemis countered. Lucian looked away. 
“You’re not going to like that,” he mumbled.
“Why?” Artemis challenged. “Are your feelings for me not real enough? Or are you just hoping to use it as an excuse to get a refund on everything you spend on me?”
A surprised laugh escaped Lucian. Never had he heard anything more absurd. He grabbed the water and uncapped it. Artemis watched him gulp down the entire bottle. 
“Woah, are you really that thirsty?” He blurted, taking back the empty bottle from Lucian. He sniffed it, just to be sure that the man didn’t somehow sneak alcohol in. Reassured it was just water, he dropped the bottle. “I'll hold on to the alcohol for now.”
“I have pretty high alcohol tolerance,” Lucian told him.
“And?” Artemis arched a brow. He was not giving it back no matter what the man said. He never really thought about Lucian’s addiction before, he was too lost in his head trying to bed the man but now, he didn't want Lucian getting sick. It would be hard, but the alcohol had to go.
Lucian leaned in, “I'm perfectly sober every time I confess to you. I don’t care how much you take or where you want to go. Everything I give you is nonrefundable, including my heart…”
Artemis pushed his face away with a scoff. “You’re so cheesy I might die.” A small smile touched his lips. “Don’t think I'm going to go easy on you simply because feelings are involved. I'm very materialistic and I intend to bankrupt you.”
Lucian laughed. Initially, Artemis didn’t want to pack anything for this trip. He insisted all his clothes were old and he didn’t want to leave the country in them. Lucian had to change his entire wardrobe. 
The boy also insisted they fly private because he didn’t want to share the space with other people. Lucian rented a jet just for him without question. He had to rent a villa in HongKong as well. 
Artemis was indeed high maintenance but he wouldn't have it any other way. The boy had the money to do all of that if he wanted, the mere fact that he was letting Lucian do that for him made him very happy. 
“Good thing I have enough to spoil you for a lifetime,” Lucian responded.
“Still waiting for you to tell me what illegal job you did before joining security service. My dad pays you a lot but you've only been here for a couple of months. That alone wouldn’t cover the jet rental,” Artemis shrugged. 
Lucian’s smile slowly faded. Artemis noticed the closed off look and sighed. 
“Forget it. I don’t really want to know,” he tried to keep his tone as indifferent as possible but the hurt still managed to slip through. He cursed himself. His emotions were becoming harder to hide around Lucian. 
Lucian’s heart squeezed when he saw the hardness in those grey eyes. “I used to work with the…”
His phone rang at that moment, interrupting the words. He let go of Artemis' hand to pull out his phone. 
Trevor?
His jaw locked tightly. What did the man want now? 
He swiped the answer button without thinking much of it. He figured it was just another dirty job coming. 
“Sir?”
“Where in your job description did I permit you to mess around with my son?” The furious tone made Lucian's heart stop for a second.