Chapter 139 Too taunting
“I’m not letting you go either,” he replied, his voice low in Lucas's ear.
Lucas smiled at that, leaning in just enough for their bodies to touch. “Good,” he whispered.
They stayed like that for a moment…close, steady, and feeling safe.
However, behind Alex’s eyes, something flickered, because even as Lucas spoke about not going anywhere…Mac’s voice echoed again.
“Break up with Lucas.”
Alex closed his eyes briefly, holding Lucas just a little tighter.
As if he held on long enough, nothing could take him away.
Then Lucas broke up the hug chuckling. “Why do you seem clingy, hmm?”
Alex tried a smile, “Maybe it's because I love you too much.”
“And I love you too much too.” He leaned in and kissed him lightly.
Alex caressed his cheek and kissed him again but before it could escalate, Lucas pulled back.
“Come on now, remember you have some unfinished work before we left earlier for dinner, so deal with it first.” He said, pecking his cheek. “After that, you can get all the kisses you want, hmm.”
Alex nodded with a mischievous smile, “Hmm, with some sugar?”
Lucas smiled, “With anything you want, honey. So go and change and finish up.”
With another light kiss, they walked towards the closet.
The night settled quietly around them. After a little conversation, they drifted into something softer, low voices, shared space, the kind of calm that made everything else feel far away.
Lucas eventually curled up on the bed, scrolling through his phone, occasionally glancing at Alex with a faint smile.
Alex sat nearby, pretending to focus on his laptop.
Pretending because his mind wasn’t there. It couldn’t be because of the call before they left for dinner.
That instant, Alex’s phone vibrated against the side table. His body tensed instantly. Lucas didn’t notice that. He was still distracted, humming lightly to himself.
Alex reached for the phone slowly… almost cautiously. The screen lit up with Mac's message. Alex’s thumb hovered for a second before opening it.
Everything inside him went cold as he read the message: “Nice dinner tonight.”
Alex’s eyes darkened. His jaw tightened. Before he could even process it, another message came in. “He looked pretty in a white shirt and brown trousers. And you dear Alex, you’re dashing in that white turtle-neck and black pants.”
Alex’s breath hitched. That was what he and Lucas wore to dinner.
His grip on the phone tightened.
He was still tense when his phone vibrated again. Alex opened it and his heart dropped.
“He looks really charming when he smiles like that and those kissable lips. Come on, look at him, so pretty hmm.”
For a moment, Alex couldn’t move or think. A cold wave of realization crashed over him. They were being watched because as he slowly turned to gaze at Lucas, he was all smiles.
Alex’s eyes snapped up instantly,
scanning the room. The windows,
the curtains, the shadows, anywhere and everywhere.
“Alex?”
Lucas’s voice pulled him back.
Lucas was sitting up now, watching him, and concern crept into his expression. “What’s wrong?”
Alex quickly locked his phone, forcing his face to relax. “Nothing,” he said too quickly.
Lucas frowned. “You sure?”
Alex nodded, already standing. “Yeah. Just, work stuff. I’ll be right back.”
Before Lucas could question him further, Alex turned and walked out of the room.
The moment he stepped into the hallway, the mask dropped. His breathing became uneven, fast, and
controlled in panic.
He unlocked his phone again, staring at the messages as if they might change, but they didn’t. That instant another one came in. Alex opened it immediately.
“Don’t look so tense, dear Alex.”
“You might scare him.”
His chest tightened and a chill ran down his spine. This wasn’t just a threat anymore. This was turning to control and precision.
It dawned on Alex. Whomever Mac was, he wasn’t guessing. He was watching them, right that minute but how?
Alex turned sharply, his eyes scanning the dark corners of the house again, his instincts screaming.
Then another message came in yet again. Alex hesitated before opening it. And when he did, his blood ran cold.
“Break up with him or next time, I won’t just watch.”
Silence filled the hallway. It was heavy and suffocating. Alex slowly lowered the phone, his mind racing, fear and anger colliding inside him.
Behind him, Lucas’s voice came again, softer this time. “Alex, is everything okay?”
Alex closed his eyes briefly. Just for a second. Then turned back toward the room. His expression was composed, but his eyes were no longer calm. What he was facing wasn't funny or a game, it was a warning.
He took one last breath in the hallway before stepping back in.
By the time he opened the door, his expression was composed again, calm, controlled, almost too normal.
Lucas was no longer lying down.
He was sitting up on the bed, watching the door, actually watching him.
“You took long,” Lucas said quietly. “Is everything alright?”
Alex gave a small shrug, walking in like nothing was wrong. “Work call. You know how it is.” He moved toward the wardrobe, pretending to adjust something, avoiding Lucas’s eyes just a little too carefully.
Lucas didn’t respond immediately. He just kept looking at him. “Alex.”
Something in the way his name was said made Alex pause. “Yeah?” he replied, still not turning fully.
Lucas shifted, getting off the bed slowly. “Look at me.”
Alex exhaled lightly before turning. Their eyes met, and for a second, everything Alex was trying to hide almost slipped.
Lucas stepped closer, his brows slightly drawn, concern clear on his face. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” Alex said smoothly. “I told you…”
“Don’t,” Lucas cut in gently, but firmly. “Don’t do that.”
Alex stilled.
“I know something is wrong. So don't do that. Don't shut me out because you’re trying to protect me.”
Alex just stared at him.
Lucas continued, his voice calm but laced with emotion. “Tell me what the matter is.”
A brief silence stretched between them.
Alex forced a small smile. “You’re overthinking.”
Lucas shook his head immediately. “No. I’m not.” He stepped even closer now, searching Alex’s face like he was trying to find something that was missing. “Your eyes don’t match your words,” he said softly.
That hit instantly, Alex looked away for a split second, and that was all Lucas needed to see.
“It’s him, isn’t it?” Lucas asked, his voice dropping. “Mac.”
Alex didn’t answer. And that silence spoke louder than anything.
Lucas’s chest tightened. “What did he say this time?”
Alex started, “Lucas…”
“No,” Lucas shook his head again, a little more urgently now. “Don’t brush it off. You’ve been tense since that call earlier, and now this? You walked out looking like something was seriously wrong.”
He reached for Alex’s hand.
“Honey, talk to me.”
Alex’s fingers twitched slightly in his grasp. For a moment, he almost did. The words sat right there on his lips.
‘He’s watching us. He wants me to leave you. You’re not safe.’
But then, Mac’s message flashed through his mind again.
“Next time, I won’t just watch.”
Alex’s jaw tightened. “