Elio Novan has it all-wealth, power, and the success of YUI, the world's leading tech giant. But beneath the surface, his life is anything but perfect. Haunted by a tragic past and a betrayal that left him shattered, Elio has built walls around his...
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It was late. Too late to be out, honestly. I was practically half asleep, barely able to keep my eyes open as I leaned back in the worn-out barstool. My body was screaming for bed, but somehow-someway-Hellayon had talked me into this. Like he always does.
Hellayon, he's got this way about him. Annoying at times, but damn persuasive. I couldn't even remember how many pints we'd knocked back by now-maybe ten? Eleven? Hell, I'd lost count ages ago. What I did know was that I was way past drunk. The world around me had started spinning like I was on a carousel, and my head felt like it weighed a thousand pounds.
Meanwhile, Hellayon was still sitting there, downing pint after pint like it was water, not even a hint of a slur in his voice. The guy was a machine. Me? I could barely see straight, let alone form coherent thoughts.
"Hey... Elio..." Hellayon said, and I could hear that familiar playful tone in his voice. It always came right before he dropped something heavy on me.
I squinted at him, trying to focus, but all I saw were two versions of him dancing around. "W-wh... what?" I slurred, my words tripping over each other. I could barely string together a sentence.
"Ain't it a bit much... partnering' with ELAN? I mean, you are biggest rivals... just to deal with one organization? isn't YUI strong enough to handle this alone?"
I blinked, trying to process his words through the alcohol fog. My brain felt like it was stuck in molasses, slow and thick. "Th... the or-guh...ganisation... is called ENA," I mumbled, stumbling over the syllables. "We... flagged 'em as a... huuuge threat... a-and... ELAN did too..."
Hellayon just nodded, taking another swig of his beer, still looking way too sober for someone who'd downed that much. He leaned back in his chair, eyes flicking up to the ceiling, like he was thinking about something.
"Mhm..." he hummed thoughtfully. "Does it... feel weird?"
I stared at him, completely lost. "Does wha' feel weird?"
"Working'... with your brother."
That sobered me up for a second-just a second. The mention of him... always did that. I felt my throat tighten, and I turned my glass around in my hands, staring into the last few drops of beer like they'd have the answers to everything. My brother. The person that had defined my entire damn life.
I swallowed hard, the bitterness of it cutting through the alcohol for a moment. But it didn't last. The drunken haze swallowed me back up, and I shook my head.
"N-no... c-comment..." I muttered, my voice dropping.
"Fair answer," Hellayon said with a half-smile, tapping his glass against mine, not pressing me any further.
But the weight of it stayed, hanging in the air between us, even as the bar noise swirled around us-laughter, glasses clinking, the low murmur of voices, and the occasional roar from someone too far gone. Hellayon didn't push me to say more, and for that, I was grateful.
