Danny didn't know what he expected a syndicate meeting to look like—something like a conference room on TV, maybe.
He was wrong.
The war room felt like a storm trapped in four walls.
A long table of dark wood dominated the center, polished so smoothly it reflected the golden lanterns overhead. Men in tailored black suits surrounded it, each one radiating silent authority. Their presence alone made the air thick.
Danny lingered behind Verdric, unsure where he belonged.
Verdric walked to the head of the table, and the room fell into an instant, suffocating silence.
He didn't even have to speak.
Verdric simply existed, and the entire room obeyed.
A lieutenant pulled out Verdric's chair. Verdric sat.
Danny remained standing, gripping the sleeve of his borrowed jacket tightly.
One of the captains—a man in his early forties with a smirking mouth and eyes like poisoned honey—leaned back in his chair.
"So this is him," he said.
Danny felt every pair of eyes turn to him.
He forced himself to breathe.
He didn't want to embarrass Verdric—not again.
The captain tilted his head.
"I thought the Verlixaz family was sending us their precious heir, not…"
His gaze flickered over Danny from head to toe.
"…whatever this is."
A few men chuckled under their breath.
Danny swallowed hard, fingers curling.
He tried to keep quiet. He really did.
He didn't belong here.
He knew his place.
Verdric remained still. Too still.
The captain continued carelessly, "If Van Deric wanted charity, he could have adopted someone from the streets instead—"
There was a sound like thunder.
In one fluid movement, Verdric stood.
Not quickly.
Not violently.
But the aura that burst from him was suffocating.
The entire table went dead silent.
Verdric's eyes were fixed on the captain—calm, unreadable, but somehow more dangerous than a raised weapon.
"Say another word," Verdric said quietly, "and you will regret every breath you've taken today."
The man's blood drained from his face.
No one moved.
Danny's heart hammered.
He'd never seen Verdric angry—not truly. But this wasn't anger. This was something colder. Something that chilled bone and silenced entire rooms without raising a voice.
A different captain cleared his throat nervously.
"Sir, we didn't mean any disrespect—"
"You did," Verdric said.
The captain shut up instantly.
Verdric's gaze slid to Danny.
For a moment, something soft flickered there.
Something protective.
Something almost tender.
"Come here," Verdric said.
Danny froze. "M-Me?"
"Yes."
Danny stepped forward slowly, every eye following him. Verdric reached out, took Danny's wrist, and guided him to stand at his side.
He didn't have to touch Danny.
He could have pointed.
Ordered.
Gesture lightly.
But Verdric wrapped his fingers gently around Danny's wrist, something deliberate and almost possessive in the gesture.
Heat rushed up Danny's neck.
Verdric's thumb stroked once against Danny's skin—
a small, grounding touch no one else would notice.
To everyone else, it looked like a command.
To Danny…
it felt like reassurance.
Verdric spoke to the room without looking away from Danny.
"This man stands beside me."
The room exhaled in hesitation.
Verdric's tone sharpened.
"He is not charity.
He is not a burden.
And if any of you insult him again—"
He paused, lowering his voice until the room nearly held its breath.
"—you will answer to me personally."
The captain who mocked Danny bowed his head so fast he nearly hit the table.
"My deepest apologies, Mr. Reaves."
Danny blinked.
He opened his mouth to say It's okay—the way he always did when people stepped on him.
But Verdric squeezed his wrist gently.
A silent command:
Don't forgive what they haven't earned.
Danny closed his mouth.
For the rest of the meeting, no one spoke to him.
They barely even looked at him.
Which was fine.
Danny didn't trust himself to speak anyway—not when Verdric's hand lingered near him the entire time, close enough to brush Danny's sleeve whenever either of them moved.
It wasn't much.
But for Danny, it felt like standing behind a shield no one dared cross.
When the meeting ended, Verdric led Danny out of the room. The second the door shut behind them, Verdric stopped walking.
Danny almost bumped into him.
Verdric turned, his expression unreadable.
"Are you hurt?" he asked.
Danny shook his head. "No. Just… shaken."
Verdric nodded once.
"You handled yourself well."
Danny stared.
Had Verdric just… complimented him?
The praise heated Danny's face in a way he couldn't control.
"T-Thank you," Danny whispered.
Verdric stepped closer.
Before Danny could speak again, Verdric's hand rose—slowly, hesitantly—and brushed a strand of hair away from Danny's forehead.
The touch was soft.
Too soft.
Danny's breath stilled.
Verdric's eyes dipped impossibly low—down to Danny's lips—before he caught himself and looked away.
"Come," Verdric said, voice lower than before.
"You've seen enough for one day."
Danny followed, his pulse racing.
Not from fear.
From the way Verdric touched him,
defended him,
looked at him—
Like Danny was something he didn't realize he needed.
Something he didn't know how to want.
Danny remained quiet as they walked down the hall. Verdric's silence wasn't unusual, but today it felt heavier, like he was carrying something unspoken.
Danny kept glancing at him, waiting for a sign of… anything. Anger. Disappointment. A flicker of emotion. But Verdric's expression revealed nothing.
He stayed three steps ahead—
until he suddenly stopped.
Danny halted so abruptly he almost collided with him.
Verdric didn't turn… but Danny felt him breathe in.
"You did nothing wrong."
Danny blinked.
His voice came out small. "That's not how it felt."
Verdric turned slowly, eyes darker than the dim lighting above them.
"They were out of line," Verdric said. "Every one of them."
Danny swallowed. "I'm used to people looking down on me."
Verdric stepped closer.
"Not here."
Danny looked away, throat tight.
"It's just… I don't belong."
"Of course you do," Verdric said, as if the matter was already decided.
And maybe in his mind, it was.
Still, Danny forced a smile—weak, unsure.
"I'm clumsy. I'm not rich. I don't know how to talk like they do. I embarrassed you when I dropped the chopsticks—"
Verdric's tone cut through the air, sharp but soft.
"You did not embarrass me."
Danny froze.
Verdric's gaze swept over him slowly, deliberately.
"I'm not accustomed to being questioned," he said. "But when you ask—"
He paused as if searching for a word he rarely used.
"—I don't mind."
Danny stared at him, heartbeat picking up.
He didn't know what to say, not when Verdric looked at him like that—
like Danny was something fragile he didn't know how to handle but refused to let break.
Verdric pressed two fingers to his temple, exhaling quietly—an uncharacteristic show of strain.
"I owe you something," Verdric said.
Danny blinked. "Owe me?"
"Yes."
Verdric reached into his jacket and pulled out a small black box.
Something elegant. Heavy.
Black lacquer with a silver ribbon.
Danny looked up at him nervously. "What's that?"
"A gift," Verdric said simply.
Danny's eyes widened. "A—gift? For me?"
"Yes."
"As in… now?"
Verdric nodded.
Danny stared at the box as if it might explode. No one had given him anything in years—not something that wasn't secondhand or borrowed.
He hesitated. "Are you sure this is—"
"Open it," Verdric said.
Danny swallowed and lifted the lid.
Inside was a suit.
Soft fabric. Fitted lines. Hand-tailored.
It looked expensive enough to pay three months of rent.
Danny nearly dropped the box.
"Verdric… I can't wear something like this."
"You can," Verdric said calmly. "And you will."
Danny shook his head, panic rising. "I'll ruin it. I'll spill something on it. I don't deserve—"
"Danny."
The quiet authority in Verdric's voice made Danny fall silent.
"You belong at my side. You should dress like it."
Danny's chest squeezed painfully.
This wasn't sympathy.
It wasn't pity.
It was Verdric's version of an apology.
Of care.
Of respect.
Danny's voice cracked.
"I don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything," Verdric replied.
Danny looked up at him—and Verdric met his gaze without looking away.
Something passed between them.
Something neither of them dared to name.
Verdric stepped close enough that Danny could feel the faint warmth radiating through his suit. He reached out—slowly, giving Danny time to pull away—and brushed a thumb along Danny's jawline, a touch soft but grounding.
Danny's breath caught.
Verdric's voice dropped lower, almost a whisper.
"I will not allow anyone in this house to treat you with disrespect. You are with me."
Danny's heart thudded so hard it felt like a confession waiting to escape.
Verdric seemed to notice because his gaze lowered—
not to Danny's throat—
but to his lips.
Danny felt the world tilt.
He didn't step back.
Neither did Verdric.
For a moment, the hallway held its breath.
Danny whispered, "Verdric…"
The name slipped between them like a secret.
Verdric leaned in—just enough that Danny felt his breath brush across his skin.
A soft warmth.
A promise.
A danger.
Then Verdric stopped.
Not because he wanted to.
Danny saw it—
the restraint in his jaw
the tension in his shoulders
the quiet war behind his eyes.
Verdric drew back first, jaw tight.
"This room is too open," he said quietly. "Someone could walk by."
Danny's cheeks heated.
He wondered—if the hallway had been empty—
if Verdric would have closed the distance.
Verdric cleared his throat, regaining his usual composure.
"Try on the suit. I had it tailored to you."
Danny looked at the box again, overwhelmed.
"You didn't have to do this."
Verdric paused.
Then, very softly:
"I know."
Danny felt that speak deeper than any confession.
Verdric led him back to their shared room. Danny held the box close to his chest, as if afraid it might vanish.
Verdric stopped at the door.
"Danny."
Danny turned.
Verdric hesitated for the briefest second.
"If anyone else speaks to you the way that captain did today—tell me."
Danny nodded slowly. "I will."
Verdric added, quieter:
"And do not let anyone convince you that you do not belong here."
Danny swallowed.
"I'll try."
Verdric gave a subtle nod and stepped aside.
Danny walked into the room, closing the door gently behind him.
Only then did Verdric allow himself to exhale.
His hand lingered on the doorframe—
the same hand that had touched Danny's jaw.
And for the first time in a long, long while…
Verdric wondered what would have happened
if he hadn't stopped himself.
CHAPTER 11 — THE FIRST KISS
(Danny's POV)
The suit fit almost too perfectly.
Danny stared at himself in the full-length mirror, fingers tracing the lapel as if the fabric might vanish beneath his touch. The material felt soft, expensive in a way he couldn't fully comprehend. Verdric had chosen this for him.
Verdric had touched his jaw.
Verdric had looked at his lips.
Danny felt heat crawl up his neck again.
He shook his head, trying to pull himself together. This wasn't a fairytale. Verdric was not a man people like him ended up with. Verdric was power, precision, control. Danny was… just Danny, a boy who'd spent the last decade drowning quietly.
But when he stepped out into the hall, Verdric stood waiting.
Not by accident.
He was standing there—still, composed—like he'd been there longer than he'd admit.
Danny's breath hitched when Verdric's eyes lifted.
Verdric froze.
Everything in his posture tightened—shoulders, jaw, hands. His gaze moved slowly down Danny's figure, lingering in places that made Danny's pulse stutter.
The hallway felt too quiet. Too intimate.
Verdric stepped forward.
The air changed with every inch he closed between them.
"That suits you," Verdric said, voice deeper, almost rougher.
Danny swallowed. "Y-You think so?"
"Very much."
Verdric lifted a hand as if to touch the fabric—then paused. Waiting. Checking. Always checking with Danny.
Danny didn't know he'd nodded until Verdric's fingertips brushed his collar.
The touch was light.
Barely there.
But Danny felt it everywhere.
Verdric's eyes softened just slightly. "You look good."
Danny looked down, embarrassed, heart pounding loud enough he was sure Verdric could hear it.
"You didn't have to—"
"Danny."
One word.
Just one.
And Danny fell silent.
Verdric leaned in, close enough that Danny felt the warmth of his breath. His fingers slipped to Danny's jawline again, tracing the same place they had earlier. Danny's eyes fluttered.
Verdric's voice dropped to something almost intimate.
"Hold still."
Like Danny could move.
Verdric tilted his chin gently, examining the collar, smoothing a wrinkle that probably wasn't there. The touch lingered—too long, too tender to be purely practical.
Danny's heart stumbled.
Verdric didn't remove his hand.
Their faces were inches apart now.
Danny could see every detail—the faint scar near Verdric's lip, the intensity in his eyes, the way his breath shivered slightly, like he was holding something back.
Then Verdric did something Danny didn't expect.
He whispered:
"Do I frighten you?"
Danny blinked. "No."
Verdric's expression wavered—just a flicker of something fragile, quickly buried.
"Good," he murmured.
And his thumb brushed Danny's cheek.
Danny's pulse leapt.
Verdric's gaze lowered—
slow, deliberate—
toward Danny's lips.
The world narrowed to a single beat.
"Verdric…" Danny whispered.
Verdric exhaled softly, as if he'd been waiting to hear his name spoken like that again.
He leaned in—
closer—
closer—
Danny's breath hitched—
And Verdric kissed him.
Soft.
Slow.
A quiet, controlled press of lips that felt like a confession he didn't know how to speak aloud.
Danny froze, stunned.
Then he melted.
Their second kiss wasn't soft.
Verdric's hand cupped the back of Danny's neck and pulled him closer, kissing him with more certainty, more hunger than Danny expected from a man so composed.
Danny grasped Verdric's shirt, needing something to hold onto. Verdric's breath caught against Danny's lips, and Danny swore he felt Verdric's self-control crack.
Just a little.
When Verdric finally pulled back, his forehead rested against Danny's.
Danny was breathless.
Verdric whispered, "You should go rest."
Danny stared at him—dazed, flushed, lips tingling.
"That was…"
He couldn't finish.
Verdric stepped back just enough that Danny felt cold rush in where Verdric's warmth had been.
"It won't happen again tonight," Verdric said quietly.
Danny didn't miss the way Verdric's hands tightened at his sides, as if he were holding himself together by threads.
He turned away before Danny could see the war in his eyes.
Danny breathed out shakily.
It was already too late—
he was falling.
Falling for the man who kissed like he was afraid of breaking something precious.