Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Grace
The penthouse was a disaster. Not in the traditional sense—there wasn’t trash everywhere, no broken furniture, no signs of an out-of-control party.
No, this was a different kind of wreckage.
The kind that came from exhaustion, from pushing too hard for too long, from running on caffeine and adrenaline until there was nothing left to burn.
The air was heavy with it, the unspoken weight of fatigue pressing down on the room.
I stepped inside, letting the door shut behind me, my eyes sweeping over the damage.
The coffee table was covered in half-empty cups, crumpled snack wrappers, and abandoned laptops still open on spreadsheets, music files, and unanswered emails.
The trash bin was overflowing with takeout containers, some still sealed, completely untouched.
The fridge was slightly ajar, and when I pulled it open, I wasn’t surprised to find barely anything inside.
Some orange juice, a couple of protein bars, and an old container of rice that looked questionable at best.
I exhaled slowly, my irritation mixing with something I refused to call concern.
The guys were scattered throughout the penthouse, each looking like a ghost of themselves.
Riley was slumped on the couch, one arm draped over his face, the other lazily scrolling through his phone.
His expression was blank, unfocused, like he wasn’t really seeing anything.
Theo sat at the dining table, hunched over his laptop, his fingers moving across the keyboard with mechanical precision, barely blinking.
Ezra stood by the kitchen counter, absently peeling the wrapper off a protein bar, but he didn’t take a bite—just kept rolling the foil between his fingers.
Jaden was in the corner, headphones on, staring at his laptop screen with glassy, unblinking eyes, fingers occasionally tapping out an aimless rhythm on the table.
And then there was Dominic.
He was near the floor-to-ceiling windows, standing still, staring out at the city.
His shoulders were too tense, his head slightly tilted downward, fingers gripping the edge of a glass filled with untouched water.
The dim light from the skyline cast long shadows across his face, accentuating the sharp angles of his jaw, the tired set of his features.
None of them were talking.
None of them even acknowledged me at first.
It was like they had nothing left to give, like their bodies were in the room, but their minds had already checked out.
I sighed, stepping further inside. “Alright, which one of you is actually still alive?”
Riley groaned but didn’t lift his arm from his face. “Debatable.”
Theo didn’t even look up. “Busy.”
Ezra finally met my gaze, eyes sharp despite the exhaustion in them. “You’re back early.”
I ignored that and gestured to the mess of uneaten food in the trash. “When was the last time any of you ate something that didn’t come out of a cardboard box?”
Silence.
Theo kept typing. Jaden didn’t react. Ezra shrugged. Riley finally peeked out from under his arm, smirking. “Define ‘ate.’”
I narrowed my eyes. “If you have to think about it, that’s your answer.”
Ezra raised a brow, leaning against the counter. “Why do you care?”
I crossed my arms. “Because I’d rather not deal with one of you collapsing from malnutrition. I already have to keep you all from getting trampled by mobs of screaming fans, I don’t need to add ‘spoon-feed a bunch of overgrown pop stars’ to my job description.”
Riley grinned lazily. “Aww, Dauntless has a heart.”
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t get used to it.”
Ezra smirked but didn’t argue. Instead, he turned his attention to Dominic, who still hadn’t moved from his spot by the window. “Hey, boss, when was the last time you ate?”
Dominic finally blinked, his grip tightening around the glass before he let out a quiet exhale. “I don’t know. Yesterday?”
Theo sighed, rubbing his temples. “I think we had sushi at some point.”
Riley made a face. “That was two days ago.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “You guys are idiots.”
Ezra snorted. “Thanks, Mom.”
I didn’t dignify that with a response. Instead, I turned and walked straight into the kitchen, scanning the cabinets. Nothing useful. Just more protein bars, instant noodles, and cereal with no milk. I opened the fridge again, sighing at the pathetic contents before grabbing my keys.
“I’ll be back,” I muttered, already heading toward the door.
Riley perked up. “Ooh, bring snacks.”
I threw a pillow at him.
An hour later, I was back, grocery bags in hand, dumping them onto the kitchen counter. The guys were watching me now, curiosity flickering in their tired expressions as I started pulling out ingredients. Fresh vegetables, real meat, actual food that required cooking.
Ezra leaned against the counter, arms crossed. “You’re seriously about to cook?”
I shot him a look. “What does it look like?”
He smirked. “It looks like you have a secret life as a housewife that you never told us about.”
I grabbed a knife and pointed it at him. “Keep talking and you’ll be eating your dinner through a straw.”
Riley grinned. “I like this domestic side of you.”
I ignored them, rolling up my sleeves and getting to work.
The moment real food started sizzling on the stove, the mood in the penthouse shifted.
The smell of garlic, butter, and roasted spices filled the air, and the exhaustion in their features softened just a little.
Theo had abandoned his laptop completely, sitting at the counter with a look of reluctant interest. Jaden had actually removed his headphones, watching quietly.
Riley had stopped pretending to scroll through his phone and was openly staring at the pan, eyes filled with hope.
Dominic, though…
He was still standing near the window, but he was watching me now.
I could feel his gaze, could sense the amusement beneath the exhaustion, like he was trying to figure something out.
I didn’t acknowledge it.
I just finished plating the food, setting the dishes down on the table. “Eat. And don’t whine about it.”
Ezra raised an eyebrow but took a plate.
Riley didn’t even hesitate, shoveling food into his mouth before I could change my mind.
Theo muttered something about “not having time for this” but still sat down, which meant he was grateful, even if he wouldn’t admit it.
Jaden stayed silent, but the way he picked up his fork without hesitation said everything.
And then there was Dominic.
He finally moved, taking the last plate, settling into a chair across from me. I arched an eyebrow. “Didn’t think the golden boy needed to be taken care of.”
He smirked, lifting his fork. “I don’t. But I’m not stupid enough to refuse free food.”
I rolled my eyes.
The exhaustion wasn’t gone.
But as they ate, something shifted.
They laughed. They joked. Theo bickered with Riley over finance reports, Ezra stole a piece of chicken off Jaden’s plate and got smacked for it, Dominic leaned back in his chair, watching the room with something softer in his eyes.
They felt normal again.
And for the first time since I started working for them, they felt real.
Dominic glanced at me, something unreadable in his expression. Then, softer than before, “Thanks.”
It was simple.
But something about the way he said it made my chest feel weirdly tight.
I pushed my chair back, standing up. “Don’t get used to it.”
Riley grinned. “Too late.”
I rolled my eyes but didn’t argue.
I told myself it didn’t mean anything.
That it was just food.
But the way they looked at me, like it was more than that, made me question it.