ra could tell something was off with him; he seemed unusually fixated. And who was this "brother" he kept mentioning?


    "I''m not messing with you," she said, reaching for his hand and pulling him to sit beside her on the bed. "I don''t hate you. Don''t overthink it."


    "What about the shell?" he asked again, hung up on every little promise she''d made.


    ra suddenly wondered if she''d gone too far. "I forgot. I''ll make it up to you next time."


    He stayed silent, his lips trembling slightly. "ra, you''re just ying with me."


    ra felt a bit of frustration bubbling up. She wasn''t one to sugarcoat things. The room felt charged with tension, and she decided to face it head-on. "If you think I''m ying with you, then maybe we should break up."


    As soon as those words left her mouth, she could feel the air change-like a storm was brewing, but it wasn''t directed at her.


    He stood up slowly, then suddenly cupped her face and kissed her hard. The metallic taste of blood spread in their mouths. She winced, trying to push him away, but he bit down on her lip.


    She flinched. "Z," she called out, and he let her go.


    "You''ll regret this, ra. You''ll regret it," he said, his voice rough.


    ra pressed her lips together, feeling the sting. He hadn''t held back at all. She reached out, trying to hold onto him, but he shrugged her off.


    He walked to the door and paused, like he was waiting for her to stop him. ra touched her sore lip, thinking for a moment before speaking. "Forget it. I''m tired too, Z. Maybe you''re right-you just happened to be there when I needed


    someone."


    As soon as she spoke, he moved even faster. ra heard the front door m shut with a loud bang. She took a deep breath andy back down, but after two days of avoiding everything, she knew sleep wouldn''te.


    Feeling restless, she got up, washed up, and looked out at the darkening sky, when her phone rang. It was Ryan.


    "ra, are you back in New York?"


    Hearing his voice warmed her heart and calmed her nerves. "Yeah, did you go through all the documents I prepared for you?"


    "I did, but Greysen and his crew are still causing trouble."


    A flicker of determination crossed ra''s eyes as she drove over to Ryan''s ce. Ryan, with dark circles under his eyes, looked older than his neen years, even sporting a bit of stubble.


    ra ruffled his hair, noting the piles of documents on the coffee table, pleased that he''d been diligent. Ryan hugged her tightly, full of affection. "I''ve been good while you were away. I''ve read everything. Cole''s been teaching me how to manage thepany, but you''re still the best, ra. You make it all so easy to understand."


    ra felt a surge of pride. Ryan wasn''t clueless, just a carefree soul sheltered too well from the world''s harsh realities. When he put his mind to it, he grasped things with ease.