"Dr. Ethan Stan!"
The sharp, deep Lucas voice made the three doctors whip around. Ethan's face drained of color. What is he doing here?!
"Hey, guys, what are you all doing here?" Lucas asked, his eyes immediately assessing the scene—three doctors in street clothes aggressively questioning a shop owner.
"None of your business, Mr. Lucas," Ethan snapped, his tone laced with venom.
In the brief distraction, the shop owner slipped into the back room. He quickly called someone. "Boss, something is wrong. There are three doctors here asking for legal information on every single medicine!"
"Okay, give me a bit of time. I'll handle it," a violent voice answered.
Satraus, sensing the danger in the air and needing to appease the CEO, tried to intervene. "Ah, Sir, we have some professional errands from the hospital, so we ended up here for work."
"You all do work in our hospital. When did you all start working here?" Lucas challenged, his suspicion deepening.
Ethan rolled his eyes. In his mind, why is he interfering?
Cury started to explain, "Ahhh, Sir, actually, there's a problem with the hospital medicine supply, and—"
"Cury!" Ethan cut her off, his voice low and dangerous. "You don't have to tell anyone anything for no reason! Did you both forget? We have many shops to visit!" He demanded that Cury and Satraus refocus.
"Dr. Ethan Stan, I guess you forgot," Lucas said, stepping closer. "I'm a partner owner of your hospital. Then I'm also in charge of this."
Before Ethan could fiercely reject him, Satraus quickly jumped in. "Yes! Of course, Sir, we need your help! With your big, influential hand, this burden will be lifted faster!"
Suddenly, the back door burst open. "Here they are! Kill them all!" Five large, menacing men, armed with iron rods, charged.
Before the iron rods could hit Ethan, Lucas moved like a shadow. He snatched the rod aimed at Ethan and delivered a powerful hit to the attacker's arm.
"Hey, guys, you two run that way! We run this way! Let's split up!" Lucas shouted, grabbing Ethan's arm and sprinting out the shop entrance.
Cury and Satraus, shocked but seeing their chance, bolted in the opposite direction.
Lucas dragged Ethan away, running through the narrow alleyways and toward a large, still-under-construction apartment block.
"Oh my god! Oh my god!" Ethan muttered, his voice trembling. "I'll call the cops now! If something happens to me, what will Eli do?"
"Ohhh, calm down, baby," Lucas soothed, pulling him around a corner. "We've run far. They won't find us."
"Baby!?" Ethan stopped, forgetting the immediate danger in his fury. "Who are you calling 'baby'?! First, you called me 'darling' in front of everyone, and now 'baby'! What do you think of me, huh?!" Ethan argued, a surprisingly cute pout on his face.
"Aww," Lucas smirked, grabbing Ethan's waist and pulling him flush against the wall. "It's been years, and your cuteness hasn't decreased a bit." His eyes were intense. "Look at you. You're the baby I spoke of, worrying about others when you should can't be worried about protecting yourself first."
Ethan snatched Lucas's hand away, regaining his composure. "Hey, can't I protect myself?!" To prove his point, Ethan smoothly grabbed Lucas's arm, twisted it behind his back in a painful hold, and leaned in close. "Don't underestimate me," he whispered fiercely into Lucas's ear.
Lucas chuckled softly. With a smooth, easy motion that didn't harm Ethan, he slipped out of the hold. "And you're still a baby."
Ethan was genuinely angered now. He tried to swing a hard punch at Lucas. Before it could land, one of the two remaining goons spotted them and lunged. Lucas grabbed Ethan's punching hand mid-air, pinning Ethan tightly against his side, and delivered a swift, hard kick to the attacker's chest.
"Run!" Lucas shouted.
They ran until they couldn't breathe. They finally collapsed near a deserted road.
"Ohh, we're here," Lucas said, gasping for air.
"Where are we?" Ethan asked, leaning on his knees.
"Near where I stay," Lucas replied. "Come on, let's go to my place first."
"Your place? No way. I'm not coming," Ethan immediately refused.
"Hey, this isn't the time to judge or refuse! We need to survive!" Lucas was frantic, patting his pockets. "Oh, no! My phone is missing. It must have fallen out while fighting. Can I use yours for a minute?"
Ethan reluctantly handed over his phone. Lucas's eyes instantly caught the wallpaper: a beautiful, smiling picture of Ethan and Eli. He smirked slightly, then quickly dialed his driver, giving the instructions for their location.
A minute later, a luxurious car pulled up. They both got inside.
"Sir, your hotel or your new—" the driver began.
"Don't go to the hotel," Lucas interrupted.
"Yes, Sir." The driver knew exactly what Lucas meant. The car drove straight toward a lavish, secluded house.
Lucas invited Ethan inside. Before stepping across the threshold, Ethan stopped.
"I think I have to go home," Ethan said, anxiously. "I can book a taxi back to the hospital, get my car, and go straight to pick up Eli. I don't have time."
"Please, Ethan." Lucas placed a gentle hand on his arm. "This is the first time you've come here. If you're okay with it, I'll send someone to pick up your car and get Eli. Later, you two can go home together in your own car."
Ethan hesitated, seeing the sincerity and knowing the danger outside. "Ah, it's okay. I'll come inside."
They entered the huge, quiet house. "Why is no one here?" Ethan asked, surprised.
Lucas laughed softly. "I bought this house just a day ago, when I found out you were here."
"What? You totally moved here? Just because of me?" Ethan was utterly shocked. "What about your business?"
Lucas led him into the large kitchen. "Look, when I came back, my mother forced me to do it for the business. But by good fate, it led me to you again. I never thought I would meet you in my life." He turned, his gaze full of intense love. "I know I did terrible things in the past, but now I'll try my best to follow my heart. My heart says the one who belongs to my heart is here."
Ethan blushed, locked in Lucas's romantic gaze. "Ahhh... ahhh... can I have some water?" he stammered, pulling back from the distraction.
Lucas poured him a glass. As Ethan took it, his hand shook, and he accidentally spilled water all over his shirt.
"Ohhh, it's okay. Let me get you a towel. Come with me." Lucas took Ethan's hand and led him toward the master bedroom.
The room was vast, easily big enough to hold a small apartment. Ethan's eyes widened. Lucas handed him a towel.
"I think you need to change, or you'll catch a cold. Let me find some clothes." Lucas headed toward a massive walk-in closet. "The outfits I unpacked here are too big. I'll go find something smaller. Wait here. I'll be fast." Lucas disappeared.
Ethan's eyes fell on a second, small door inside the bedroom. A room inside a room? He grew immediately suspicious. What's inside? Don't tell me he has an affair! Maybe I can find something about his affair in there that he's trying to hide!
A fierce, protective jealousy flared in his chest. Hmm, let me teach you a lesson today!
He stepped toward the door, turned the handle, and opened it. The room inside was pitch dark. He fumbled for the light switch and flicked it on.
Ethan froze.
The walls were completely covered in massive, stunning wallpaper photos of himself. The room was decorated solely with every single day's worth of photos from when they were in their relationship.
Ethan's surprise turned into a gasp. Lucas hadn't moved on; he had built a monument to their memory.