Chapter 328

Chapter 328
​The elevator rode downward, and as they descended, Ice couldn't shake off the eagerness digging deep into his soul.
​He wanted to see what was underground.
​"Hey," Kenji stepped closer as the elevator slowed. "They can be overwhelming. Tell me anytime you want to go home—"
​"How about now?" Ice asked in a flat tone.
​Kenji smirked. "We're already here," he gestured to the hissing doors in front of them.
​The moment the doors opened, Ice refused to move, taking his time to make sure Kenji hadn't lured him to a crime scene.
​The sound of fighting and grunting was so loud it felt like they were stepping into a gang fight.
​"Come on?" Kenji reached his hand into the elevator, offering to hold Ice.
​"I can walk," Ice muttered and stepped out of the elevator and onto an awesome stretch of polished black concrete that gleamed under low, smoky lighting.
​The space that opened up before him was nothing short of a billionaire's private underground boxing gym dressed up like an exclusive nightclub. Dark velvet banquettes and low leather couches lined the perimeter, their surfaces reflecting the soft glow of recessed amber lights. The air was thick with the scent of expensive cologne, sweat, and the faint metallic tang of adrenaline. A long, sleek bar of black marble and backlit crystal ran along one wall, bottles of rare liquor glowing like trophies.
​At the very center of the cavernous room stood a raised boxing ring, its ropes thick and dark, the canvas a deep charcoal. A single powerful spotlight poured down from the high ceiling, isolating the ring in a sharp pool of white light while the rest of the space remained draped in seductive shadow.
​Inside that focused beam, two athletic, impossibly sexy men circled each other with predatory grace. Their bodies were sculpted and gleaming with sweat, muscles shifting under the light with every sharp movement. One—broad-shouldered, dark-haired, and fierce—moved with controlled power. The other—leaner, faster, with a dangerous smirk—ducked and weaved like a dancer who also happened to hit like a truck.
​A small cluster of rich-looking, equally attractive men in tailored shirts with sleeves rolled up stood around the ring, their eyes locked on the fight. They cheered loudly, voices overlapping in excitement.
​"That's it, Zeno! Keep the pressure!"
​"Andre, don't let him breathe!"
​The names rang out clearly over the grunts and the sharp crack of gloves meeting flesh. Zeno and Andre. The two men in the ring were the center of everything, and the rest of the underground club-gym existed only to watch them destroy each other in the most beautiful way possible.
​Ice stopped dead just a few steps from the elevator, eyes wide as the scene burned itself into his mind.
​Kenji paused and turned to Ice, seeing the disbelief in his eyes.
​He walked back and leaned his mouth close to Ice's ear. "Does that look boring to you?" he whispered, his arm going around Ice's waist just as the cheer around the ring hit the loudest.
​Zeno had won.
​Ice ignored Kenji's hand on his waist as he watched as Sebastian kissed a man from between the ropes, sweat and all.
​"That's my papi!" a boy yelled, jumping up and down by the side and clapping.
​"That's Sebastian and his husband, Zeno. The boy is—"
​"Ken... I remember him," Ice murmured.
​"Nice memory," Kenji smiled, his lips ghostly moving closer to Ice's.
​"Hey, Kenji's here!" Thomas announced.
​That paused Kenji's pursuit toward Ice's lips.
​With a frustrated sigh, he straightened and turned to his friends, who were now looking at him with a hidden meaning behind their gazes.
​Ice gulped, feeling like he was being placed under a microscope. He didn't realize he was subtly moving toward Kenji, the only one he was familiar with in the room.
​"And who is that?" Zeno asked, leaning into Sebastian as they stared at Kenji and Ice.
​"That is Ice, Papi. The one who called Kenji boring," Ken replied, smiling.
​Zeno exchanged a knowing look with Sebastian. "Are you two just going to stand there, or are you going to introduce your boyfriend to us?" he questioned.
​"I'm not his boyfriend," Ice finally found his voice, scanning his eyes across the room filled with wealthy-looking men.
​"He's not," Kenji said, wrapping his hand around Ice's wrist as he moved forward.
​"He's a business partner—"
​"Yeah, a business partner that you couldn't stop talking about—"
​"Thomas..." Jeremiah nudged his twin, shaking his head.
​"Just saying," Thomas shrugged.
​Kenji ignored them and paused in front of Sebastian and Zeno.
​"Hello, Ice," Zeno smiled at Ice.
​Ice managed a small nod. "Hi, Mr.—"
​"Zeno. Zeno is fine," Zeno replied.
​"Hold on," Thomas strode forward, narrowing his eyes at Kenji. "Dude sent you a picture of your boyfriend last night, all hyped up that I helped you find him, and you didn't bother to tell me that you already 'found' him?" he asked with a frown.
​"Calm down, Thomas. I was dealing with something last night," Kenji said, glancing at Ice.
​"It's fine. Let me do the introduction," Thomas reached out to take Ice's hand, but Ice moved away from his reach.
​"Don't touch me," he stated.
​He signed a contract to be a contracted husband, not making Kenji's friends do this too.
​"The biker gang leader is rude... just like his friend. Anyway, I'll continue," Thomas casually held Ice's wrist, pulling him along.
​"First, you must know that everyone here is a simp... except me... of course." He cleared his throat. "This is our boss, Mr. Seb—"
​"I know him," Ice interrupted.
​Thomas snapped his head to Ice, frowning. "You have to stop interrupting me."
​Kenji sighed behind them, walking over to Sebastian.
​"We need to talk," he said.
​"Chill, Kenji. Let Thomas introduce your husband first," Sebastian smirked.
​"Courtesy demands..." Zeno smiled.
​"Now, this is Jeremiah, who is unfortunately my twin, and his boyfriend, Jasper the boring," Thomas resumed.
​"Nice to meet you, Ice," Jeremiah said.
​Jasper only held Ice's gaze, giving only a small, subtle nod.
​"Moving forward," he paused in front of the leather sofa where Leon was sitting with Pole leaning into him. "This is Leon and Pole... boyfriends... obviously."
​Pole smiled. "You know... we've had someone tougher than you act... he's the greatest simp now." He winked. "You'll know him when you hear the name that starts with a 'C'. Right, baby?" He turned to Leon, who was busy on his phone.
​Leon lifted his face and, instead of replying, leaned in and started kissing Pole.
​Ice frowned, immediately looking away from them.
​Thomas shuddered, grimacing. "See? I told you, simps. Come on," he pulled Ice away from the couple.
​Ice risked a glance toward Kenji and found Kenji watching him with a steady gaze. He quickly looked away, hating the way his pulse jumped just knowing Kenji was watching him.
​"And over here," he paused in front of the bar, where two guys sat across from each other, nursing glasses of alcohol in their hands.
​"This is Tony... ugly Tony if you must, and his nuisance boyfriend, Andrew," Thomas introduced.
​"What?" Ice asked Andrew, who was narrowing his eyes at him.
​Andrew shrugged. "Just checking if you're trying to take my position as the coolest guy in the group—"
​"Oh, please," Ice murmured.
​"I'm sorry, did you say something to me?" Andrew asked, raising his brows.
​"Yeah, babe, he said, 'Oh, please' with an eyeroll," Tony answered, sipping his drink.
​Andrew locked his gaze on Ice. "I will have you know—"
​"Next couple, please," Ice said to Thomas, looking away from Andrew.
​"How insulting," Andrew scoffed.
​"It's okay, he'll come around," Tony consoled.
​"I don't want him around," Andrew stated.
​"Right ahead," Thomas pulled Ice away once more.
​Two guys were standing beside the ring; the shorter one had his head leaned toward the taller one's phone, watching everything he was doing as if he had no regard for personal space.
​"Hey guys, look who came around," Thomas tapped Ida's shoulder.
​Ida lifted his face from the phone and gave Ice a quick smile. "Nice to meet you, Ice Arisaka. This is my boyfriend, Cody." He placed an arm around Cody's shoulder.
​"Hey, buddy. Just a quick question: how long is it going to take you to fold for Kenji—"
​"And that is Cody... always with the inquisitive, intrusive questions... it's debated that he might even be more probing than myself," Thomas chuckled, draping his arm on Ice's shoulder.
​"Keep your hands down," Ice moved away, letting Thomas's hand drop.
​"Thought we were becoming buddies... follow," he murmured.
​He glanced around as he made his way back to Sebastian and Zeno, searching for a few people.
​"Where's Andre and Cross?" Thomas asked.
​"Cross said he's taking Andre behind the bar to console him for losing the fight," Ken spoke beside Zeno.
​Sebastian groaned. "I've told him to stop speaking to you like that. You're a kid."
​Ken rolled his eyes. "Chill, Dad. I'll be nine in a few weeks. I know what consoling someone means—"
​"You do? What does it mean?" Thomas asked, his eyes shining with mischief.
​"Thomas," Sebastian called slowly, warningly.
​Thomas cleared his throat and murmured an apology.
​"It means—"
​"Ken, don't answer that," Sebastian cut him off.
​"Answer it," Zeno said.
​"Papi?" Sebastian blinked at Zeno in disbelief.
​Zeno shrugged. "It's only a matter of time, Sen. What's the use? If he knows it, he knows it; if he doesn't, he will later. There's no guarding his mind forever," he reasoned.
​"You guys, chill. It's not that complicated," Ken said. "It's simply the act of making someone feel better when they're sad... like when I lost that race in school because I had hurt my knee, and Papi consoled me. Am I right?" He looked up at Zeno.
​A slow smile tugged on Zeno's lips. "You're right." He ruffled Ken's hair.
​"See?" Zeno smirked at Sebastian.
​"Ugh... boring," Thomas groaned.
​"I hear debates... about me?" Cross finally sauntered over from behind the bar, his lips wet and swollen, clothes slightly out of place.
​"Done consoling Andre?" Thomas questioned with a grin.
​"Yeah... he's catching his breath... was more intense than the fight—"
​"Cross..." Sebastian cut him off, glaring.
​"Fine, cousin... I'll keep my mouth shut... Hey, is that Ice?" Cross's silver eyes glowed with interest as he quickly walked over to Ice.
​"You found him." He slapped Kenji's chest, smirking as he turned to Ice, who remained expressionless.
​"Cross, behave," Kenji murmured, hoping Cross wouldn't start teasing him in front of Ice.
​"Oh, I'm on my best behavior. My little cousin is here." He extended his hand to Ice. "I'm Cross, the best guy you can ever find in the—"
​"You reek of consolation..." Ice stared down at Cross's hand with a disapproving look.
​Cross chuckled, reaching forward to pat Ice's cheek. "I was worse; everyone hated me. But now they can't live without me—"
​"Not true," Tony scoffed.
​"Don't mind ugly Tony... we have a... history." Cross winked. "My point is, you'll soon get dependent on our company. We're that good."
​"Agreed," Cody chipped in.
​"Anyone got water?" Andre asked, raking his fingers through his damp hair as he stepped forward.
​Ice's eyes immediately landed on him, then he paused, slowly looking back at Andrew.
​"Yeah, we get that look a lot. That's Andre, Andrew's twin," Thomas introduced.
​"I am the better twin; don't forget that," Andrew announced.
​Cross rolled his eyes. "He obviously isn't."
​"I obviously don't care," Ice replied.
​"He's still uptight... hard for you to tame?" Andre asked Kenji as he neared.
​"You should bother with showering first, Andre," Kenji said calmly.
​"Ken, can you sit with Ice?" Zeno asked, noting how Ice's shoulders looked so tense.
​"Sure, Papi. Just because you asked," Ken replied.
​Zeno smiled. "Aww, he does anything for me."
​Sebastian scoffed, almost rolling his eyes.
​"Do you want to sit with me, Ice? I promise I'm not boring." Ken smiled up at Ice.
​"Can't object to that," Ice smiled, surprising everyone.
​They watched Ken lead him to a quieter corner, already chatting about some animals or video games.
​"So he smiles," Thomas murmured.
​"So you said you ran into his friends the other night?" Jeremiah asked his twin.
​"Ah, yes... some very rude, annoying purple-eyed dude. He looks innocent at first, but don't let that fool you. Scraped my car," Thomas complained.
​"Can we talk now?" Kenji looked away from the group, fixing his gaze on Sebastian.
​Sebastian sighed. "Meet you upstairs?" he asked Zeno.
​"Meet you upstairs," Zeno gently cupped Sebastian's face and kissed his cheek.
​"See you, Kenji," Zeno winked at Kenji before leaving.
​"So?" Sebastian asked, moving toward the bar.
​"So? You're asking me? We promised the president—"
​"Ah, ah, ah," Sebastian lifted his finger to Kenji's face, shaking his head. "You promised him. Not me. I made it clear no one in this room will take that detail job. I can offer him some other people if he's willing," he said, gesturing for Tony to pass him a glass and a bottle.
​Tony did.
​"Listen, Sebastian. I got a message this morning, and he's saying his son can't even leave his room because of the threatening emails they keep receiving. You know we have to keep our business deal with him, and if we fail to provide what he needs, he pulls out. We can't lose that," Kenji stated, tapping his thumb impatiently over the bar countertop.
​Sebastian drew in a long sigh and turned his head back to the guys in the boxing ring.
​"Doesn't anyone here look like they'd want to go?" Sebastian questioned.
​Kenji carefully scanned through the room, realizing that indeed, they all seemed like a tight knit of wool, unwilling to break off.
​"Thomas," Kenji said at last.
​"Why?" Sebastian asked, genuinely curious.
​Kenji shrugged. "No one will miss him because he's single. It's just for a year, Sebastian. You know he'll go if you ask him to."
​Sebastian poured himself a drink and leaned against the counter.
​"He's still holding the dinner at Takumi Hall tonight?" Sebastian asked.
​Kenji nodded. "That's the main reason he asked for the detail. He's bringing his son."
​Sebastian nodded. "Tell him we'll be there."
​Kenji smiled, relieved. "Sure. Will tell him." He patted Sebastian's shoulder and was about to leave when he suddenly realized something.
​"What?" Sebastian asked flatly.
​"Nicholas and Ezra... where are they?" Kenji narrowed his eyes in suspicion.