The driver left, and Julian stood over the bed, gaze lingering on the prone form of Samuel. Samuel looked half-strangled by his own tie, the charcoal suit restricting his breathing.

Julian reached for the buttons. He'd managed to peel away the suit jacket when a hand shot out, fingers clamping around Julian's wrist with a sudden, jarring strength.

Samuel's eyes were obsidian, half-lidded and heavy with a dark, silent authority. "What are you doing?".

Julian's heart hammered. He managed a shaky explanation of his motives.

Samuel watched him for a long beat, his grip loosening. "Continue then.".

Julian knelt on the edge of the mattress, leaning over the older man to work the silk of the tie. Samuel didn't close his eyes. He stayed perfectly still, his gaze fixed on Julian's face.

Julian shifted to the side. Samuel's eyes followed.

The weight of that stare made the air in the room feel thin. Julian retreated, standing up abruptly. "Since you're awake, you can finish. I'll get you some water.".

He ducked out of the room. The duplex was a mirror image of Julian's own, but still in the throes of a move. Unopened boxes and skeletal furniture frames filled the living room. He checked the kitchen; the fridge was a hollow cavern, devoid of even a single bottle of water.

Julian ran back to his own place and returned with a bottle. He pushed into the bedroom without thinking, only to stop dead.

Samuel was sitting at the head of the bed, shirt half-peeled away. He was down to his boxers. He looked up, eyes glassy and heavy with alcohol. Heat crawled up Julian's neck. In the low light, the flush on Samuel's skin gave him a hazy, predatory allure..

"Sorry!" Julian pivoted, ducking behind the doorframe. "I didn't know you... I..."

"Where's the water?" Samuel's voice was a low vibration, the baritone deeper and rougher than usual..

Julian extended the bottle blindly around the door. He heard a rhythmic, powerful swallowing. The sound made Julian's face burn a violent shade of red.

"I'm leaving now." Julian didn't look back as he fled to the safety of his own unit..

He spent a long time in the shower, trying to scrub the image of Samuel Frost from his mind. Having the MD next door was a persistent weight on his chest.

But their schedules were jagged. They rarely crossed paths in the hallway, and Samuel remained a professional ghost, never using their proximity to assign extra tasks..

Until the weekend.

A knock sounded at Julian's door. Samuel stood in the hall, asking for salt. "I forgot to buy some," he noted.

Julian handed over a bag, only for Samuel to pause. "I made too much. Eat with me?".

Julian was too tired to cook. He followed Samuel next door. The living room was now a curated gallery of high-end taste and private collections. Julian sat at the table in his pajamas, hair sticking up in a messy crown. Samuel's fingers twitched with a suppressed urge to smooth the stray locks down..

Julian was still half-asleep, stifling a yawn as the main course was served.

"Tired?" Samuel asked.

"Just a heavy sleeper," Julian replied, not wanting to sound like he was complaining..

"Good. You might still grow.".

Julian looked at him, flat-eyed. "I'm twenty-two. I think I'm done."

"You could gain some weight then.".

Julian went quiet and focused on the food. Samuel was an expert in the kitchen, and the ingredients were exactly what Julian liked. The social debt felt heavy. If a stranger had fed him this well, he would have offered a return gift.

He debated the risks. He wanted to maintain the line between private and professional, but Samuel was his neighbor now. Repaying the favor once would close the loop.

He spent an hour in a line to buy a trending mini-cake—a limited daily release.

He knocked on Samuel's door that evening. Samuel looked surprised as Julian handed over the box.

"You knew it was my birthday?" Samuel asked..

Julian's pulse spiked. "It's your birthday?".

"No," Samuel said, a ghost of a smirk playing on his lips. "I'm joking.".

Julian's face went rigid. "Right."

Samuel stepped back, clearing the way. "Come in. We'll share it.".

"No. I have work." Julian's voice was clinical and cold. He turned on his heel and vanished into his own apartment..

He felt a sharp, internal friction. Samuel's attitude had shifted. Julian could read people with surgical precision, and Samuel was no longer maintaining the safe distance of an MD. The incident with the undressing, the dinner, the jokes... it didn't fit the blueprint of Apex Capital..

Julian tried to rationalize it. Samuel was drunk that night. He was just being neighborly. If Asher lived here, wouldn't Samuel do the same?.

He convinced himself he was being oversensitive.

He arrived at the office the next morning, reports in hand. As he approached the executive suite, Asher's voice erupted in a frantic shout.

"What? You came out?!".

Julian stopped dead. His breath hitched, his heart skipping a beat.

"My grandpa already knows," Samuel's calm, level voice drifted through the door..

Asher continued to sputter in disbelief, but Julian couldn't hear the words. He retreated to his terminal, his mind a blank, white static.

Samuel had come out? He was gay?

Julian thought of the "family falling out" Samuel had mentioned. This was it. He had sacrificed his seat at the Frost empire. But why? Why now?.

Months ago, Samuel had refused to continue their "One-Day Couple" charade. He had asked Julian if he could handle things on his own. Now, he was burning his life down. Had he found someone worth the sacrifice?.

Julian felt a sudden, suffocating ache in his chest.

"Julian," Asher said, knocking on his desk a moment later. "Samuel wants to see you."