CHAPTER 130: SNITCH EQUALS GAVIN

There was a man in their circle who always liked to act as though he were above everything. Detached. Unbothered. A ghost who walked among mortals, never tainted by their noise. That was the image Gavin projected. Calm. Cold. Better.

But those who really knew him, the ones who sat at this table week after week, understood the truth. Gavin loved chaos. He craved it. He could sit still for hours looking bored, and then, when the silence stretched too long or the meeting veered too stiff, he would drop one sharp word and watch the world burn.

And today was not any different.

"Boss and his little bride spent the night together," Gavin announced to the room and went back to quiet mode.

Just like that. Right in the middle of their meticulously planned meeting about stock prices, shareholder resistance, and the brick wall that was Wildfire Corporation. They’d been knee-deep in strategy, dissecting Dawin’s sudden improvement in reputation and the roadblocks in buying out their stubborn investors. Heavy, important things. The kind of discussion that decided millions of dollars.

But of course, all of that became irrelevant.

Because Gavin had just pulled the pin on a grenade and rolled it across the polished table.

Okay... wait. You wouldn’t blame him for it.

Yes, so much important discussion going on, but then they could not deny the tension in the air.

They had all been there last night when the little bride came in. She had cried. And then, Hades had suddenly driven out to get God knows what and also emptied their poor fridge and kitchen. No one knew what had happened last night. They were dying of curiosity, yet, getting nothing.

And this morning, Alice had gone out again. Hades had reminded them they were forbidden from tracking her. However, it was clear how uncomfortable he was. Obviously from not knowing what the hell she had gone to do again after yesterday.

And they knew his mind had drifted a lot during this meeting.

So yes, Gavin decided. Perfect moment.

The silence that followed after that statement was thick. Deadly. Clarisse almost inhaled her coffee the wrong way and broke into a fit of coughing. Rowan’s eyes went round, bulging like a startled fish. Milo froze mid-note, his smart pen hanging in the air. Even the air seemed to hold its breath.

All eyes turned to Hades.

Hades, who had been absently clicking his pen a moment ago, looked up with the expression of a man who’d just been accused of fathering triplets with a ghost.

His eyes zeroed in on Gavin, narrowing to slits sharp enough to kill.

"The fuck?" His voice was low, dangerous.

Rowan exploded first. "Boss! How could you take advantage of our little boss!?" He looked appalled, scandalized, ready to faint at the very idea.

"What the hell?" Hades snapped, turning his glare on Rowan. "Take advantage? Are you insane? What the hell are you talking about?"

Also, for real, what the hell? Wasn’t she his wife?

His WIFE.

How the hell did kissing her count as taking advantage? Wasn’t it supposed to be normal?

Except it hadn’t felt normal.

Not one bit.

Milo, eyes shining like a child about to unwrap a forbidden candy bar, leaned forward eagerly. "Wait. Wait. Boss... does this mean... are we going to get a little boss soon?" he asked, completely invested in this new, unexpected turn of events.

The room went completely still.

Gavin watched it all unfold from across the table, his legs crossed, a smirk playing on his lips. He was the arsonist who had lit the match and was now enjoying the show, completely unbothered by the unfolding chaos.

"Nobody is having any little boss!" Hades barked. He turned to Rowan, who still looked like he was judging him from the high court of righteousness. "And I did nothing! She was the one who kissed me—" He stopped. His brain caught up a second too late.

Fuck!

These idiots were making him lose it. What the hell was he even saying?

The damage was already done.

"WHAT! YOU KISSED MISS BOSS!?" Rowan bellowed, his face a mask of outrage. "How can you do that to our innocent miss—"

A sharp smack echoed through the room as Milo swatted Rowan’s head with a file. "Shut the hell up, idiot."

A sharp smack cut him off. Milo had swatted him across the head with a file folder.

"Shut the hell up, idiot," Milo muttered.

"I. Said. She. Kissed. Me!" Hades thundered, his patience gone. His glare swept the room. "What the hell is wrong with all of you?"

"Yes, actually," Gavin’s voice cut through the noise, smooth and laced with sarcasm. "A tiny girl like her just leaped on you and stole your lips and forced you to spend the night with her. That’s the story you’re going with?" He barely managed to stop his eyes from rolling back into his head.

"Gavin," Hades warned, voice dropping to a growl.

"Why... why would she willingly kiss you? I mean... you are... you..." Milo stammered, looking at Hades as if trying to figure out what demon would possess a person to do such a thing. Hades was undeniably good-looking, but he was also... Hades. And that was a complication in and of itself.

"That’s exactly what I’m saying!" Rowan added passionately, returning the favor and smacking Milo on the head with his own file.

"Can you all just shut up!" Clarisse finally snapped, slamming her coffee cup down so hard the table rattled. "If I hear the words ’kiss’ or ’little boss’ one more time, I swear I’ll strangle you two!" She glared daggers at Milo and Rowan, her patience completely gone.

The room went quiet. For three seconds.

Then Milo stood, straightening his bright yellow blazer like a general before battle. His expression was grave, his eyes darting between Clarisse and Hades.

"This is a serious issue," he declared.

He was about to go into his "woman-knowledgeable" mode, and everyone knew it.

All eyes were on him, wondering what new nonsense he was about to unleash.

But they listened.