Chapter 64: Unusual Guest [II]

...what someone like that was doing in Darius’s private suite, was beyond Basil.

The second man was the complete opposite. He wore a fitted, short-sleeved black turtleneck that stretched across his broad chest and revealed heavily tattooed arms, intricate ink covering nearly every inch of his skin. He stood well over six feet tall, with a massive, muscular frame that made the first man look almost lean by comparison. Dark trousers and heavy black boots completed his intimidating appearance, while his sheer size and the way he stood slightly too close behind the suited man made it clear he was there for more than decoration. He barely moved, his expression unreadable as he silently watched the room, giving off the unmistakable presence of a man who could become a serious problem if provoked. The pair looked like a high-profile crime boss and his hulking enforcer who had somehow barged into the wrong wing.

Basil frowned deeply, his grip instinctively tightening around Darius’s hand. He didn’t recognize either of them, and nothing about their arrival made him feel safe. The suited man stopped a few feet from the bed, while the tattooed man remained directly behind him, watching Basil with sharp, unreadable eyes.

​"Your Highness," the suited man greeted respectfully, dipping his head.

The man beside him mirrored the gesture.

"Who the hell are you people?" Basil asked, his voice low and guarded.

The suited man immediately straightened, a faint look of apology crossing his sharp features.

"Forgive me, Your Highness. I should have introduced myself immediately." He dipped his head respectfully before continuing. "My name is Leo Valentine. I’m a close friend of Prince Darius." He gestured toward the hulking man standing behind him. "And this is my boyfriend, Marcus. We just returned from a business trip and heard about what happened and came down as soon as we could to check on him."

Basil’s eyes moved between the two men, taking them in with renewed curiosity, his mind struggling to process the information.

First, he found himself wondering what kind of life Darius led to have friends who looked like high-level criminals. They looked nothing like Darius, who always seemed so laid-back and carefree, like the kind of person who never took anything seriously and could turn even the most serious situation into a joke.

Seems like you have no sense of friendship, Darius, Basil thought, but immediately chastised himself for the judgment. Who was he to judge Darius’s friends when he barely knew anything about the man’s life? Besides, he had seen firsthand how his own friends had abandoned him the moment they realized they could no longer use him. At least Darius’s friends had rushed to visit him the moment they returned.

But what really caught Basil off guard was the casual, unapologetic way the man named Leo had introduced the tattooed giant as his boyfriend. He shifted his gaze back to the enormous man called Marcus, then back to Leo, his brows drawing together slightly.

So, two men could just date boldly and openly without worrying about what others would think? The realization struck a strange chord deep inside Basil, making his own hidden, confusing feelings for Darius ache just a little more.

Basil had never really stopped to think about relationships like that before. He had always assumed there were certain things people simply didn’t like talking about, but here was a man standing before him, casually introducing another man as his boyfriend without a hint of embarrassment.

"We are deeply sorry for what happened to Prince Darius, Your Highness," Leo continued, pulling Basil out of his wandering thoughts. "We came straight from the airport. We couldn’t just sit by without seeing how he was doing." His expression softened as he glanced at Darius’s still form. "We heard that he was hit by a car and that he’s been unconscious ever since. I wish I had come sooner."

Marcus glanced at Leo, his expression remaining perfectly neutral. Leo was selling the lie remarkably well, from his carefully chosen words to the concern reflected in his eyes and even the subtle changes in his expression. If Marcus didn’t already know every word coming out of Leo’s mouth was a carefully constructed lie, he would have believed him without a second thought.

Basil swallowed the lump in his throat, trying to regain his composure as he studied Leo carefully, his guard still up despite the man’s polite tone. "Thank you," he finally said, his voice quiet.

He looked back and forth between the two men, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You say you’re his friend. How exactly do you know Darius? Did you grow up in the same orphanage?"

Marcus watched as Leo’s face nearly cracked. The question had clearly caught him off guard.

How the hell am I supposed to answer that? Leo thought. He had barely known the man until he barged into his headquarters, except for the rumors that had circulated about the Reaper among the syndicates and criminal organizations, spoken about like some kind of cautionary tale. The name alone was enough to make hardened criminals lower their voices.

It certainly wasn’t the kind of story he could tell a prince. Or should he just say, I first met your brother when he came to claim my gang and bring it under his control, just because he’s obsessed with swallowing gangs in the name of protecting you? Nah. That definitely sounded like the kind of answer that would get him thrown out of the room, if not arrested.

Honestly, he had thought getting into the hospital and reaching Darius’s room would be the hardest part of this mission. In fact, getting into the wing had nearly turned into a confrontation. The Royal Guards stationed at the hallway doors had immediately reached for their sidearms the moment he and Marcus approached, demanding identification and clearance. If not for the guard who had accompanied Prince Darius to the Wild Hound Headquarters a month ago being among those standing post near the entrance, they wouldn’t have made it through at all.