Five minutes before the agreed-upon time, I was hurriedly putting on layers of clothes, one after another, while carrying a bundle of bags. Once everything was on, I hoisted Neil into my arms and headed out. As I arrived at the hotel lobby, there was Harry, already waiting. He saw me laden with bags and, instead of offering to help, started spouting nonsense, comparing me to that pervert Roy."Why isn’t he awake yet? Don’t tell me you tortured him till this morning," he said."What nonsense. This little darling isn’t a morning person. I couldn’t bear to wake him up early, so I didn’t tell him the time. What, you got a problem with my baby?" I retorted."Of course not, here, let me," Harry said, his demeanor shifting completely upon hearing my explanation. He reached out to take Neil from my arms, but I swiftly turned to avoid his hands. As if I'd let anyone take Neil from me. The only thing Harry could do to help was carry the bags—just the bags, nothing more. Neil was not included in
As they were curious, Neil woke up, perhaps disturbed by our conversation. He stumbled out of the tent, rubbing his eyes with one hand and feeling his way forward with the other, probably looking for me. I took his hand, and he snuggled into my arms, hugging my waist tightly."Is this the youngest brother?""So cute.""Yes, this is our little brother. We’re not in that kind of relationship," Harry seized the opportunity to clarify and do a small revenge."Huh? Who’s the little brother? Me?" Neil asked, confused."Who else?" Harry said, pulling Neil closer. "Come on, say hi to the uncles.""Hello, uncles," Neil said, bowing politely."Good, good. Such a sweet boy.""The little brother is so fair-skinned, just like the older brother.""See, uncles, my little brother looks like me. The second brother is a bit different," Harry said, deliberately excluding me. "So, my little brother and I are closer." He even hugged Neil !Damn vampire."Aww, they have such a good relationship. I'm so jeal
Neil and I stayed an extra day at that place before leaving. We made sure to fly to the city hosting the Harry’s Music Festival before nightfall, so we could spend the night there. I didn't want Neil to have to wake up early and rush to fly on the day of the festival, as he might be exhausted by the time the evening festivities began. Arriving a night early gave us the chance to explore the local food street, filling Neil's stomach before heading back to the hotel to rest.After I finished my shower, I found that little guy sitting by the coffee table in the living room, busy with something. He wasn't sitting on the sofa behind or beside him but had wedged himself between the couch and the table, sitting on the floor. Being curious, I walked over to see what he was up to. It turned out he was looking at some small photographs Robert had given him—some of the best shots from a photo session we had at a studio.I stepped over the sofa and sat down on the floor next to him, scooting clos
After he finished his task, he didn't stand up but knelt there, repeatedly apologizing to me. These were just words spoken in anger, so why was he taking them so seriously, so sensitively? Without responding, I turned and went back to the room to get his clothes. When I returned to give them to him so he wouldn't catch a cold, I found him in that same ashamed posture—head down, body trembling slightly, hands clasped together and rubbing up and down.I bent down to hand him the clothes and realized he was crying. Gently, I placed my hand on his trembling shoulder, trying to help him up, but he didn't dare stand. He glanced at me before lowering his head again, his emotions out of control but his voice barely a whisper."Ryan, do you... don't want me anymore?"His sudden question took me by surprise. I had been so angry and said so many harsh things, but I had never considered that question or even thought I needed to. His outburst made me realize: Had I been too angry? Had my overreact
I woke up after a brief nap, only to find the person who had been lying beneath me was gone. At first, I thought I had overslept, but a glance at the clock, which told me it was only four in the morning. The sky was still dark. Where could this child have gone? He had left without making a sound, so much so that I hadn't even noticed. How quiet and careful must he have been to move without waking me?I walked out of the room and found him sitting by the coffee table again, but this time he was seated on the opposite side, with his back turned towards me. Silently, I approached him from behind, curious to see what he was up to. The sight before me was similar to earlier: numerous photographs scattered across the table and the wallet still open. However, this time his hands were busily engaged in some activity, though I couldn't discern what it was from my vantage point. Absorbed in his task, he hadn't realized I was standing right behind him until I spoke, startling him."What are you
The misunderstanding from last night wasn't resolved until early morning, and we didn't wake up until the afternoon. As soon as I turned on my phone, I saw nearly twenty missed calls and over thirty messages, all from Harry. And these numbers were just from my phone; Neil's phone had about double that. After freshening up, I sent Harry a message, "What's up?" My phone rang almost immediately, not even five seconds later."Did you torture my godbrother again? Now only you picking up the phone? Don't tell me you just got up? So, did you keep going until morning or stopped around noon? Can you please think about my godbrother for once? You're like a wolf, insatiable; my brother is human, his resources are limited! For his sake, so he can live longer, please take it easy. Rest is essential for a long journey, you know?" Harry rattled off as soon as I answered, not giving me a chance to speak. "Hey, hey, are you listening?""Yeah, are you done?""Finished, your turn.""I messed up." I glan
I sent a quick message to Ethan and rushed back to my car, intending to follow Roy. However, by the time I got there, Roy was already out of sight. I had no choice but to wait for Ethan to track Roy’s whereabouts. I had no idea what Roy was thinking or where he might take Neil. The only thing I knew for sure was that they couldn't fly, since I had all of Neil’s documents. I began to feel that Ethan was taking an unusually long time. I couldn't tell if it was just my anxiety or my growing dependency on him as my only hope.Finally, Ethan responded. He said that both Roy and Neil’s phones were turned off, making it impossible to track them via GPS. He had traced Roy's car, but it had mysteriously vanished after leaving the university area. Nevertheless, Ethan didn’t give up. He started checking the CCTV footage and road cameras outside the university area to see if he could find any clues about Roy’s car, but he needed time. Suddenly, I remembered the pink-haired boy who might still be
Lisa found evidence similar to what was around Roy's mansion. After dispelling the magic, she discovered another car. Without delay, Lisa contacted our mutual friend Ethan. By the time Harry and I emerged, Ethan had already traced the car—it belonged to Mike.Lisa and Ethan each contacted their magician friends to remove all the involved spells. Eventually, the car reappeared on various CCTV cameras across the roads. Ethan sent over some surveillance footage showing Neil being taken away by Mike. Neil was seen unconscious in the back seat, lying alone in a deep sleep.Armed with Ethan's information, we made our way back to Neil's hometown. By the time we arrived, it was nearly morning. I was running out of patience. Without further ado, we stormed into Mike's house, not considering the legal consequences of trespassing."Where's Neil?""He's not here with me," Mike shrugged indifferently, seeming to anticipate our visit."Let's search the place," Harry suggested."You can search till