"What the fuck did you say?" he barked. Ryan's temper flared as he heard the news, the cloud of vape smoke swirling around his head like a storm.
"The wedding is off. Ivan Chase found someone else," his messenger repeated, keeping her voice steady despite Ryan's fury. "Our company is now on our own."
Ryan stood up abruptly, tossing the vape away as he paced the room. "Did they say who this Ivan Chase chose?" he demanded.
"No," she answered flatly, knowing better than to get involved in his tantrum. With her job done, she quickly left the room, not wanting to be caught in the crossfire of Ryan's wrath.
Ryan kicked the table in frustration, sending a glass flying off the edge and shattering against the floor. The noise echoed in the room, but it didn't stop him. He cursed under his breath, eyes wild with anger.
As if on cue, Valentina, his cousin, walked in, her face filled with irritation. She was wearing something that could make a statement, heels not her size clicking on the tile floor as she approached.
"What the hell is your problem now, Ryan?" she snapped, crossing her arms as she glared at him.
"The fucking wedding is off," Ryan spat, his voice laced with rage. "Ivan Chase ditched us for someone else. Our company is screwed, Valentina."
Valentina's eyes narrowed as her expression turned icy. "That fucking Chase family," she hissed. "They think they can just walk all over us. We made a pact—I marry Ivan, and our company gets saved."
"We can't let them get away with this," Ryan responded.
Valentina raised an eyebrow, calculating the damage. "So what's your plan? Throw another tantrum? Break a few more glasses?"
Ryan shot her a sharp look, but he knew she was right. His outbursts wouldn't solve anything. They needed to strike back—and hard.
As they stewed over their ruined plans, Valentina suddenly remembered something. "What about that hitman you hired? You never mentioned anything after that night... John Something?"
Ryan's eyes lit up with realisation. "Right. I forgot about that little arrangement. Maybe there's still a way to use him."
He grabbed his phone and quickly typed out a message to Callistus, explaining the current situation. He waited, pacing the room as the seconds ticked by with no response.
Frustrated, Ryan sent another message. Then another. Still nothing. His rage started bubbling up again, his grip tightening around the phone.
"It's midnight. Just wait until tomorrow," Valentina said, turning away.
—
Meanwhile, Ivan had just stepped out of the shower when he noticed Callistus's phone lying on the floor beside the bed.
"He must've dropped this," Ivan thought, picking it up. As he did, a notification buzzed on the screen.
More messages started pouring in from the same number. Curious, Ivan glanced at the unlocked phone.
"I have another job for you," the latest message read. "Ivan Chase found someone else, and I need you to take care of them so the wedding stays on."
"What the fuck?" Ivan whispered, staring at the screen in disbelief.
He scrolled up through the messages, hoping it was just a misunderstanding. As he read through the texts, he noticed that Callistus hadn't replied to any of them—it was just the other person sending message after message. Callistus had only read them.
Ivan's heart pounded as he looked over at Callistus, who was still sleeping peacefully. He needed time to think. Carefully, he closed the door behind him, making sure not to wake Callistus, and quietly left the bedroom, the phone still in his hand.
"'Van?" Callistus groaned, surprised to find himself awake before Ivan for the first time.
Sitting up, he squinted at the round alarm clock on the nightstand. He wasn't great at reading analog clocks, but he guessed it was around 10 a.m.
"He's usually up by 8:30," Callistus thought, getting out of bed.
He reached out to grab his phone, wanting to charge it, but realised he had forgotten where he'd left it. He quietly walked around the room, searching, but it was nowhere to be found. He stepped out into the hallway, glancing around their now tidy space, but still, no sign of his phone.
"I really forgot where I left it," Callistus muttered, scratching his head.
Determined, he headed downstairs, checking the storage room, the laundry room, even the office. Still nothing. Finally, he gave up and flopped onto the couch.
"Why are you so tired?" Ivan's voice suddenly came from above, his face hovering right over Callistus'.
"Can't find my phone," Callistus replied, giving Ivan a quick peck as he chuckled.
"I saw it charging on the TV stand in our room," Ivan said. "Why are you so eager to find it? You barely use it."
"I left it at 15% last night," Callistus explained, sitting up. "You got any food?"
Ivan laughed, "Just made eggs if you didn't know,"
Callistus hopped off the couch, grabbing Ivan's hand as he headed towards the kitchen. "I love you," he said, squeezing Ivan's hand.
"I know," Ivan teased, pulling Callistus closer as they walked. "But you can keep reminding me."
Callistus laughed, resting his head on Ivan's shoulder as they walked into the kitchen. Everything felt perfect at that moment, as if all their worries had melted away.
As they ate together, Ivan kept glancing at Callistus instead of his food, as if he was searching for something.
Callistus noticed and asked, "What are you looking at me like that for?"
"You had something on your face for a second," Ivan lied, just as his phone rang.
"Hello?" Ivan answered while taking a bite of his food. "What's wrong, Star?"
Ivan's expression quickly shifted to a frown as he listened to his sister. Star's voice was annoyed, and though it wasn't on speaker, Callistus could hear the irritation in her tone.
"Tonight?" Ivan asked. "I have plans, Star. Why tonight of all days?"
"Yes," was the only word Callistus could make out clearly.
Ivan stood up, pacing as Star continued to speak. His face showed increasing frustration.
"Tell Ryan I'll be there," Ivan said before heading to his office.
The name "Ryan" triggered something in Callistus's memory, but he couldn't quite place it. He continued eating, trying to remember where he had heard the name before.
After finishing his meal, he went upstairs to grab his phone. It was right where Ivan said, fully charged on the TV stand.
As Callistus checked his messages, he noticed a few from Mia and some unread ones from someone named Ryan.
"Last night?" Callistus thought, confused. "I don't remember reading these."
He opened Ryan's messages, and as he read them, his heart began to race. He realised he might have caused trouble for everyone.