It was November now, and the weather had already cooled down, a faint autumn breeze drifting through the air. On the balcony of a condo complex, a man stood with his figure hovering over the railing. A breeze tousled his black hair and caressed his chiseled cheeks gently; it was cool and crisp.
Settled between his lips was a thin cigarette, grey smoke, leaving the small lit bud. His expression was cold and detached as he drew in a breath - a sweet burning sensation curling throughout his lungs and throat.
It had been months since he last smoked. However, recently, he experienced the sudden urge to light one up and burn it recklessly.
Breathing out a puff of smoke, the sound of the balcony door opened behind him. A young man with blond hair and bright blue eyes walked onto the balcony to witness the scene of the man smoking, his feet covered with cigarette butts.
Alec coughed and his face skewed bitterly, "What the hell, you're still smoking that crap?"
Tobias was silent, continuing to release and drag in puffs of gray smoke. Alec watched him and sighed helplessly.
"How come you're still doing it? I thought you quit."
Tobias's voice came out a little hoarse as he said, "Bad day."
Alec nearly scoffed. "One bad day leads you to smoke this many cigarettes?"
Tobias didn't speak and stared out at the view, his black eyes resting on the hued sky. Alec mumbled under his breath and scratched his head; he stood beside him to watch the autumn sky.
Such a display brought back memories to when they were young, teenage boys. Both struggling but forced to endure. But life went on for them, the pain they felt disappeared with the sands of time, as the days faded away.
Alec immersed in the silence, his expression turning peaceful. He had almost forgotten how lonely and dull life was before he met that little sister of his. If it weren't for her, he would continue his life as an adopted member of the Hirogori family, a bastard child.
Though she slaved him away, wasted his money and treated him quite unfairly, Alec was grateful to Mimi. It was a shame she was a sadistic pervert with the appetite of a full-grown whale, otherwise, she would have been the ideal little sister!
While Alec cried bitterly in his heart over the little sister, he'd never get, Tobias took the cigarette from his lips and held it in his hand. He fiddled with the half-burnt cigarette for a while, the smoke clouding his beautiful facial features.
"What are Mimi's connections to the Hirogori's?"
Alec, who stood beside him, swept his eyes toward Tobias and fell silent. He was stunned.
Hey...
What the hell was with this sudden change in events?!
Caught off guard by his question, Alec nervously held his breath and hesitated to speak.
"What do you mean?"
Tobias continued to play with the burning cigarette between his fingers before putting it out and lighting another one. His expression was grim as if he were pondering over something. Alec grew nervous under this silence and almost felt as if he was under the interrogation of an evil mafia boss!
After a long silence, Tobias's voice still hoarse, said: "Yesterday the two of us happened to see Shen Jue with one of my employees. At the time I didn't think much of it, but after seeing her reaction…it would seem she knows him."
Alec once again was stunned and he couldn't help but knit his brows. She met Shen Jue? Alec knew Shen Jue for being Emily's former fiancé. The two of them hardly spoke and exchanged passing greetings to one another.
But Shen Jue was a different story to Mimi. He was the man her beloved sister was engaged to. The man who would take her away. For Mimi to meet Shen Jue, her reaction was bound to not be good. He would have to speak to her about this another time, but for now, his attention was focused on Tobias.
"I see…but what does meeting Shen Jue have to do with the Hirogori's?"
Tobias's expression was as cold as ice and those black eyes of him glanced toward Alec. Under his gaze, Alec felt the hairs on his neck rise. His eyes bore into his as if to say 'don't act dumb.'
Shit, shit, shit! He felt as if he were about to piss his pants from his stare!
With a stiff smile, Alec said, "Ahaha, Mimi's just a little resentful toward them for my sake. We've known one another for a while, so she's quite protective of me when it comes to them."
Alec felt the words he spoke were nothing but utter dog shit, even he didn't believe himself! Considering Mimi's personality, his words were nothing but fabricated delusions!
Toward his words, Tobias was impassive and didn't display a change in emotions. He stared at Alec a while longer, not uttering a single sound until his gaze landed back on the scenery.
"So that's it," Tobias responded lightly.
Alec looked toward Tobias nervously, his palms sweaty. The two fell into silence, one calm and indifferent, and the other on the verge of pleading for his life.
"Ah. Well, I have to go, it's getting pretty late!" Alec scratched his head. "Also, you shouldn't smoke too much. It's harmful to your health."
Unseen by Alec, a dark glint flashed across Tobias's eyes. With his expression calm, he sounded an 'en.' Alec sighed in his heart and left the balcony where the man continued to smoke cigarettes leisurely.
Another breeze drifted through the air, a familiar feeling swelling up inside his heart. Like now, the air that day was cold, the setting dark blue sky covered with soft fluttering snowflakes.
A gentle young girl's voice sounded through his ears, "You really shouldn't smoke. It's pretty harmful."
Tobias clenched the cigarette between his teeth. The air around him turned heavy and chilled. After a while, he put out the stick between his teeth and entered his condo.
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