JUST BEFORE SUMMER

It was never supposed to be this tender. What started as strategy ended in surrender.

~

Cyrus Shinzu has never had to chase anything in his life.
Seventeen. Wealthy heir to a trillion-dollar security empire. Half Greek, half Japanese, and fully aware of the power he holds. At school, he's the golden boy - untouchable, admired, feared in ways no one can quite explain. Information is currency, and Cyrus always collects what he's owed.

Until Leo Ramirez.

Leo is everything Cyrus isn't - warm, open, effortlessly loved. The kind of boy who laughs too loud, trusts too easily, and somehow knows everyone's secrets without ever asking for them. The perfect source. The perfect pawn.
So Cyrus does what he does best.
He charms him. Studies him. Keeps him close.

But Leo isn't just useful.

He's kind. He's sincere. He looks at Cyrus like there's something worth saving. And for the first time in his carefully constructed life, Cyrus doesn't know if he's pretending anymore.

What started as strategy turns into something dangerous. Something real. And Cyrus finds himself at a crossroads he's never faced before:

Lover or tool?

Control or connection?

Truth or performance?

Because just before summer begins, Cyrus Shinzu will have to decide whether Leo Ramirez is another piece on his board...

Or the only person who's ever had the power to ruin him.