CHAPTER 118: GLARING AT THE DOOR

At first, it was casual.

A call home. Nothing odd about it.

Hades sat on the leather couch in his office, legs crossed, phone held loosely to his ear. Milo was seated in the corner typing something on his tablet, but the unusual lull in the room did not escape him.

"Everything okay at the house?" Hades asked into the phone, voice even. Almost bored.

Milo paused his typing to look at Hades. Was he... calling home? Out of the blue?

Rowan, who seemed alert already by the random home call blinked up, confused. "You mean security-wise? Yeah. Nothing’s moved on the sensors. You want a report?"

"What about the dogs?" Hades asks calmly.

Dogs?

Milo paused. His brain was beginning to work fast. He stealthily stood up from his seat and tiptoed towards Hades.

"All in order, Boss." Rowan’s voice was crisp and efficient. "The dogs are all fed and napping. Took them for a walk in the garden earlier."

"Anything worth... reporting?" Hades asked. He was beginning to sound impatient. Milo noticed.

Milo was not sure what Rowan was saying, since the phone was not on speaker, but he could tell from Hades’s facial expression that whatever info he was getting was useless to him.

It only meant one thing...

"Rowan, is Miss Boss doing well? Did she have lunch?" Milo cut in. He was simply testing the waters. But the way Hades’s expression shifted a little told him all he needed to know.

Ah! So that was indeed it.

There was a pause on the other end of the call. Then Rowan’s voice brightened. "Oh, her? Nah. She’s been out all day."

Hades stiffened ever so slightly. The leather beneath his hand creaked.

"Since morning?" Hades voice was too casual to be genuine.

Rowan nodded over there like Hades could see him. "Yeah. Said she was going to visit her mother. She hasn’t returned yet. And since you didn’t give instructions to monitor her movement, we didn’t think to report it." He said in a serious tone.

Hades glanced at the time. 4:12 PM.

His brow furrowed, but he said nothing more. The call ended.

---

By the time they were on the drive back to the estate, the city was painted with shadows. Golden hour had passed. Dusk crept in slow and unwelcome.

Milo drove in silence, sunglasses still on despite the setting sun. Hades sat in the back, thumb tapping against the couch-like seat beside him. He picked up his phone again and dialed.

Clarisse answered.

"Yes, Boss?" Her voice was calm, too calm, and that told him she already knew why he was calling.

"Just checking in," he murmured. "Is she—?"

"She’s not in, Boss."

He stared out the window, jaw flexing slightly. "Still?"

"Yes. She hasn’t returned."

The call ended shortly after that.

He tapped his fingers on the leather again. Restless.

Milo glanced at him through the rearview.

"She hasn’t really had much chance to go out," Milo said, trying to lighten the mood. "Maybe it’s good for her? Plus she can catch up with her mother. I’m sure they aren’t really scheming much."

There was no response. Just the low hum of the engine and the sound of Hades’s fingers continuing to tap.

Then silence.

Milo kept stealing glances at him. Hades looked...unsettled.

"You... want us to track her?" Milo offered. He could no longer bear this.

The car slowed at a red light.

Hades didn’t answer immediately. His eyes were on the passing buildings, but his mind wasn’t.

Hades looked like he was genuinely considering it, the words hanging in the air like a forbidden fruit.

Milo could see the conflict warring within his boss.

Then slowly, reluctantly, he shook his head.

"No."

However, the word felt hollow. He looked like he hated the idea of not knowing, of not accepting the only logical solution.

Milo studied him through the mirror again, eyes narrowing slightly.

Since when did he start keeping promises?

Especially ones that made him this twitchy.

---

Now, they were home.

Hades stayed back in the living room, still in his coat, one hand braced on the couch’s backrest, his gaze fixed on the front door like he was trying to will it open. The silence around him deepened. The ticking of the wall clock became a steady, irritating sound. He shifted, glanced at his phone. Nothing. Not a call, not a message. Just empty space and more waiting.

Then...

"I’m done," Gavin’s voice cut in like a sharp blade as he walked down the stairs, irritation practically radiating off of him. He flopped down on one of the armchairs like it owed him an apology.

Hades was definitely not glad to see his supposed "partner". But he turned his head slowly, a single brow raised in a silent question.

"I’m done monitoring Suzy. I’m not doing it anymore." Gavin said in a tight voice.

Hades’s look was hard, his body language communicating a clear intolerance for insubordination. He waited, curiosity flashing in his gaze. "No?"

"She accused me of stalking her," Gavin said with a humorless chuckle. "Told me I had a crush on her or some shit. And do not mind accepting me." For a second, it looked like the memory terrorized him. "Lunatic." Gavin muttered, lighting a cigar like he needed something to chew through the madness.

A slow, cold sound escaped Hades’s lips. "What...?" he said, a short, humorless laugh following it. His expression hardened immediately. "How did you get caught by her?"

"Hell if I know. She’s a Wildfire, isn’t she? Smelling oddity like dogs smell fear. It just... happened." He folded his arms. "And I’m not doing it again." he puffed like the smoke was annoying him too.

Hades frowned.

"She’s nice," Hades said flatly, like it was a fact he didn’t particularly enjoy admitting.

"You should be grateful she likes someone as deranged as you."

Gavin leaned forward, smoke curling lazily between his fingers. He looked at Hades with disbelief. "Since when do you care about familial ties? Last I checked, you were too busy nursing a crush on your wife to care about your cousin."