Chapter - 8
Morning sunlight slipped through the curtains.
Nani stirred beneath the fluffy blanket.
He stretched lazily, hugging one of the side pillows before blinking awake.
"..."
For a few seconds...
He simply stared at the ceiling.
Then everything came rushing back.
The wedding.
The escape.
The balcony.
Manager Sky.
He suddenly sat upright.
"...Wait."
He looked around the familiar guest room.
The premium cotton bedsheets.
The oversized blanket.
The soft pillows.
The same luxurious room.
Nani covered his face with both hands.
"I literally told myself..."
"'I'm never coming back here.'"
A dramatic pause.
"...And now I'm sleeping here again."
He flopped backward onto the bed.
"Wow."
"What hypocrisy."
He pointed accusingly at the ceiling.
"You betrayed yourself, Nani."
After another minute of arguing with himself, he sighed.
"...Well."
"The bed is really comfortable."
"I regret nothing."
---
After changing into a comfortable oversized hoodie and jeans, Nani wandered downstairs.
The smell of breakfast drifted through the mansion.
His stomach immediately growled.
"Oh..."
"I'm starving."
The dining table was already set.
Fresh fruit.
Rice.
Soup.
Eggs.
Several side dishes.
The chef smiled politely.
"Good morning."
"Morning!"
Nani happily sat down.
Just as he reached for his spoon...
Another chair moved.
Sky sat opposite him.
As always...
Perfect posture.
Black shirt.
Cold expression.
Nani blinked.
"Oh."
"Good morning, Manager Sky."
Sky gave a short nod.
"Morning."
Nani looked around.
"Do managers always eat with hotel guests?"
Sky calmly picked up his chopsticks.
"...Sometimes."
The guards standing nearby nearly choked.
Sometimes?
Since when?
---
Breakfast began in silence.
Nani happily tasted one dish.
"Mmm..."
"This one's good."
Another bite.
"The chef deserves a raise."
The chef looked ready to cry from happiness.
Meanwhile...
Sky quietly ate his meal.
Normally...
His breakfasts lasted only a few minutes.
Half the food remained untouched.
Today...
He continued eating.
One plate.
Then another.
Until...
Everything on his plate was gone.
The chef blinked.
"...Boss finished everything."
Another guard whispered,
"He never finishes breakfast."
The younger guard stared in disbelief.
"Not once."
---
Behind the dining room...
The guards gathered quietly.
One whispered,
"Boss actually finished his food."
Another nodded.
"And he sat here longer than usual."
The youngest guard looked toward the table.
"I think..."
He lowered his voice dramatically.
"...he's addicted to Nani."
Everyone immediately looked around to make sure Sky hadn't heard.
Tee folded his arms.
"I wouldn't use that word."
The others waited.
Tee sighed.
"But..."
"Our boss definitely seems calmer whenever Nani is here."
He glanced toward the dining room.
"And whether that's good or bad..."
"I still don't know."
---
Back at the table...
Nani happily drank his juice.
"So..."
"This hotel really has amazing service."
Sky quietly looked at him.
His gaze lingered for a second longer than it should have.
Messy morning hair.
Sleepy eyes.
A tiny smile while eating.
Without realizing it...
Sky simply watched.
Nani suddenly looked up.
"Hm?"
Sky immediately looked away and reached for his coffee as if nothing had happened.
"..."
Nani narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"Were you looking at me?"
"No."
"You were."
"I wasn't."
"You definitely were."
Sky calmly took a sip of coffee.
"I was looking at the window."
Nani turned around.
"The window is behind you."
A brief silence followed.
One of the guards almost made a sound before Tee quietly elbowed him.
Sky remained perfectly composed.
"...Then I was looking past you."
Nani hummed.
"You're a strange manager."
Sky didn't respond.
But for the rest of breakfast...
Whenever Nani wasn't looking...
His eyes drifted back to him again.
And every single time...
They quietly moved away before Nani could catch him.
----------
The mansion was unusually quiet that afternoon.
Most of Sky's men had left on assignments.
The hallways echoed with little more than the ticking of a grandfather clock.
For once...
Nani wasn't talking to himself.
He sat curled up on the large sofa in the lounge, hugging one of the decorative cushions.
His thoughts refused to leave him alone.
"..."
He stared out the window.
Do they hate me now?
The question slipped into his mind before he could stop it.
He had argued.
He had run away.
He had disappeared on the wedding day.
His father must be furious.
His mother...
She was probably crying.
Even if he had been forced into everything...
Leaving the way he did had hurt everyone.
Nani let out a long sigh.
"I really made a mess..."
He pulled out his phone.
Dozens of notifications waited for him.
Most were missed calls.
He ignored them.
Then one familiar name caught his attention.
Dew ??
Nani immediately opened the chat.
?Dew: Bro... you're doomed.
Dew: Dad is seriously angry.
Dew: Someone told everyone you ran away with a guy.
Dew: That made everything worse.
Dew: Niran made a huge scene before leaving.
Dew: He said, "I'll see all of you. I won't take this lightly."
Dew: Mom keeps asking if you're safe.
Dew: ...Just tell me you're okay.?
Nani slowly lowered the phone.
He leaned his head against the sofa.
"...Wonderful."
"My unlucky life continues."
He let out a dry laugh.
"First I run away."
"Then I accidentally check into a strange free five star level hotel."
"Then I almost get married."
"Now apparently I've run away with a hot.....mysterious man."
He looked toward the ceiling.
"...Can life stop adding side quests?"
---
A few minutes later...
He typed a reply.
?Nani: I'm safe.
Don't tell Dad where I am.
Tell Mom I'm okay.
I'll explain everything one day.?
He stared at the message before pressing send.
Almost immediately...
Dew replied.
?Dew: I won't tell anyone.
Just... don't disappear again without telling me.?
A small smile appeared on Nani's face.
"Thanks, idiot."
---
Outside...
The sound of a car engine echoed through the estate.
The guards at the gate straightened instantly.
"Boss is back."
The black car rolled to a stop.
Sky stepped out, still dressed in a black suit after a long day of meetings.
He looked as composed as ever.
Cold.
Unreadable.
The day's work had been exhausting.
Normally, he would have walked straight to his office.
Today...
The first thing he did was glance toward the mansion windows.
Almost unconsciously.
---
Inside...
Nani heard the front door open.
Curious, he peeked into the hallway.
"Oh."
"Manager Sky's back."
Sky stepped inside and immediately noticed him standing there.
For a brief second...
The tension he'd carried all day eased.
It was subtle.
Barely visible.
But Tee, walking a few steps behind him, noticed.
There it is again...
That same quiet shift.
Not a smile.
Not happiness.
Just... relief.
Sky walked closer.
"You've been here all day?"
Nani nodded.
"Mhm."
"I was being responsible."
Sky raised an eyebrow.
"Responsible?"
"I didn't get lost."
"...Fair."
Nani laughed softly.
Then the smile faded as he remembered Dew's messages.
Sky noticed the change.
"Something happened?"
Nani looked down at his phone.
"My family is... complicated."
That was all he said.
Sky didn't press further.
He simply stood there for a moment before speaking in his usual calm tone.
"Dinner is in an hour."
Nani blinked.
"...Okay."
It wasn't advice.
It wasn't comfort.
Just a simple statement.
Yet somehow...
After the day he'd had...
The ordinary routine made the mansion feel a little less unfamiliar.
--------------
Evening settled gently over the estate.
The mansion, usually alive with footsteps and reports, had grown quieter.
A cool breeze rustled the trees.
The garden lights flickered on one by one.
---
After dinner...
Nani wandered outside.
He had spent most of the day inside the mansion.
His thoughts felt heavy.
He wanted fresh air.
The garden was enormous.
Stone pathways curved through blooming flowers.
A small fountain murmured softly in the distance.
Nani slowly walked along the paths, hands tucked inside the pockets of his oversized hoodie.
"...It's peaceful."
For the first time in weeks...
There were no wedding planners.
No arguments.
No relatives.
Just silence.
He found a grassy spot beneath a large tree.
"I'll just sit for five minutes."
He sat down.
Rested his back against the trunk.
The cool wind brushed against his face.
His eyelids became heavier.
"I shouldn't..."
He yawned.
"...sleep here..."
Another yawn.
"...just..."
"...five..."
His sentence never finished.
Within moments...
Nani had drifted into a deep sleep.
---
Almost an hour later...
A black car rolled through the gates.
Sky had returned later than expected after handling unfinished business.
He stepped out.
The guards greeted him.
"Good evening, Boss."
He gave a brief nod.
As he walked toward the mansion, something caught his attention.
A familiar figure beneath the old tree.
Sky stopped.
"..."
He changed direction without saying a word.
The guards exchanged confused looks.
Tee quietly followed several steps behind.
---
Sky reached the tree.
There...
Nani was asleep on the grass.
Curled slightly against the trunk.
One hand still loosely holding his phone.
His hair was messy from the breeze.
His expression was completely relaxed.
As if, for the first time in days...
He wasn't carrying the weight of the world.
Sky stood there longer than necessary.
Looking at him.
The ruthless mob boss who never lingered.
Never hesitated.
Never cared.
Found himself unable to simply walk away.
A strange feeling stirred again.
Not pity.
Not obligation.
Something quieter.
Something unfamiliar.
It unsettled him.
He slowly knelt beside the sleeping man.
"...You'll catch a cold."
The words were so quiet that even the wind almost stole them away.
Nani didn't wake.
Instead, he shifted slightly in his sleep, hugging the edge of his hoodie like a blanket.
Sky stared at him for another second.
Then made a decision.
He slid one arm carefully beneath Nani's knees.
The other supported his back.
With practiced ease, he lifted him from the ground.
Nani was surprisingly light.
As if he weighed almost nothing.
Still asleep, Nani instinctively leaned closer in search of warmth, resting his head lightly against Sky's shoulder.
He didn't wake.
He simply sighed softly and settled again.
Sky's steps paused for the briefest moment.
Then he continued walking toward the mansion.
---
Behind them...
Tee and two guards watched the scene from a respectful distance.
One guard whispered,
"...Boss is carrying him."
Another rubbed his eyes.
"I thought I was imagining things."
Tee remained quiet.
After a long pause, he spoke softly.
"I've worked beside him for years."
"I've seen him walk away from explosions without looking back."
"I've seen him face armed enemies without blinking."
He looked at Sky carrying the sleeping Nani through the quiet garden.
"...I've never seen him carry anyone."
The younger guard frowned.
"Should we say something?"
Tee immediately shook his head.
"If you value your life..."
"No."
---
Inside the mansion...
Sky walked upstairs.
He nudged the guest room door open with his shoulder.
The room was dimly lit.
He carefully lowered Nani onto the soft bed.
Nani stirred faintly, pulling the blanket toward himself without ever opening his eyes.
"...Mm..."
Then he was still again.
Fast asleep.
Sky stood beside the bed for a moment.
His gaze lingered.
That unfamiliar feeling returned, quieter this time, but impossible to ignore.
Without a word, he turned off the bedside lamp and left the room, closing the door gently behind him.
In the hallway, Tee caught a glimpse of his expression.
It wasn't soft.
It wasn't warm.
It was simply... thoughtful.
And somehow, that worried Tee more than anger ever had.