Leave Me Alone, Big Brothers! [BL]-Chapter 104: "My Son"

"Could you have brought me back without the violence?" Huan asked. "Was it really necessary to beat their men?"

Huan sat next to Alexander in the car and seemed to have a lot to say, venting his frustration.

Meanwhile, Alexander was still sending messages that had to be finished, as his phone had been dead all day.

Huan sighed. Silence enveloped them.

Steven and Jack sat in the front without saying anything.

After finishing his business, Alexander put his phone away and stared intently at Huan.

"Do you think I came only for you?" Alexander asked coldly.

Huan looked at the man, quite surprised by the intonation he used.

"Don’t flatter yourself. I went there because you are my shadow. You know everything about my family. Letting you stay with them wasn’t a good idea. I will never let you work with anyone else."

Huan turned his face away, staring out the window. What was he thinking? Of course, Alexander only cared about his business.

"Just that?" he asked softly, as if he didn’t really want to ask, afraid of an answer that might hurt him even more.

Alexander knew his words were cutting and had certainly hurt Huan’s feelings, but he didn’t take them back.

"What are you really thinking? Do you really think you’re going to work with them? Just for a contract?"

Huan stared at Alexander sharply this time. "Just a contract? Have you ever thought about appreciating my efforts even once?"

His voice rose.

Jack and Steven, who were listening from the front, were quite surprised to hear Huan’s anger.

"Effort? By sacrificing yourself? What if they raped you? Sold you to some jerk out there? What if they drugged you and auctioned you off at the slave market? What would you do then?" Alexander’s voice was just as loud.

Huan was about to reply, but Alexander’s words were beyond his expectations. He stared intently at the man.

"You care about me, right? Just say it," Huan said.

Alexander was at a loss for words. He was so upset that he had unconsciously blurted out everything on his mind. Even though he didn’t admit it directly, even to himself, he was indeed worried. So worried that he hadn’t been able to sleep until he brought his man home.

"I am worried. I know you can’t survive without me. You’d better not do anything stupid like that again. You are truly a disgrace to represent Salazar," Alexander replied calmly, but in a way that was deeply irritating to Huan.

"It’s good that I will never do this kind of shit ever again!"

"Don’t be childish. It’s better for you to be a farmer than a slave to my competitor or business partner. I will never let you go with that intention. I pay you well, I satisfy you well, and you run off with someone we might meet again?" Alexander said.

His words made Huan’s jaw drop. His face flushed red as he glanced at Jack and Steven.

Alexander seemed to have just realized they were not alone. He immediately cleared his throat.

Silence enveloped them again. Throughout the trip, only the sound of the car engine could be heard.

***

Leinster House – 2:00 AM

Zane walked slowly down the stairs. His stomach was a knotted pit of acid and hunger, a physical reminder that he hadn’t eaten since yesterday.

He reached the kitchen, expecting an empty room. Instead, he found the lights dimmed to a low amber glow. Marie was there, perched on a barstool with a glass of red wine in her hand and an empty bottle beside her. She stared blankly at the wall.

Zane froze. The sight of her made his skin crawl. He didn’t want a lecture, and he certainly didn’t want her "pity." He turned on his heel to retreat back to his room, preferring hunger over her presence.

"You still awake?"

He stopped, but the voice didn’t come from the kitchen. It came from the stairs.

Zane looked up and felt his heart skip a beat. His father stood halfway down the staircase, dressed casually. He looked like a man who had aged ten years in a single night.

Zane was stunned. He didn’t expect to see his father at this hour. The man was either not home or already asleep by now.

"Finally, you feel hungry?" Adam asked. His voice was sandpaper-dry, cold, but with an unmistakable tremor of relief underneath. "Get your food before you go back to your room. You look so pale."

Zane didn’t reply. He tried to brush past his father, his eyes fixed on the floor, but Adam reached out, his hand firm but surprisingly gentle as he caught Zane’s shoulder.

"I’m talking to you, Zane," Adam murmured.

Before Zane could pull away, the clicking of heels approached. Marie stepped out of the kitchen, her wine glass abandoned. She draped a weary smile across her face.

"Oh, Zane! You finally came out?" Marie sighed, her voice laced with performative exhaustion. "Let’s eat. I haven’t been able to touch a bite all night because I was so worried about you. I truly hope you’ve learned your lesson this time. Stop making so much trouble and making your father worry like this. It’s exhausting for all of us."

Zane felt the familiar spark of rage ignite in his chest. He looked up, ready to snap back, to tell her to stop acting like she cared, but he didn’t get the chance.

"That’s enough, Marie."

The words didn’t come from Zane. They came from Adam.

Zane’s eyes widened. He looked at his father, expecting the usual silent agreement with Marie’s nagging. Instead, Adam stared at his wife with pure disgust.

"Adam, I’m just trying to—"

"I said, that’s enough," Adam interrupted, his voice calm but cutting straight through her.

Marie stepped back, her face flushing with indignation. "You don’t respect me, Adam. You know he needs discipline! What will become of him if he’s already this wild at his age?!"

"He learned his lesson," Adam said, finally releasing Zane’s shoulder as he stepped toward her. "Don’t talk about it anymore."

"Adam! You can’t play favorites. You always get upset when David causes trouble, and now you let him off the hook?" Marie hissed, gesturing toward Zane.

"Enough!" Adam snapped, his voice dropping into a terrifying, quiet finality.

Marie and Zane both startled.

"Get out of here in the morning," Adam said.

The house fell dead silent. Zane forgot his hunger, his heart racing as he watched.

"What... what are you saying?" Marie whispered, her poise finally shattering.

"Pack your things," Adam said, his gaze hard. "Go stay with your sister. I won’t have you in this house anymore."

Marie gaped in disbelief. Since yesterday, Adam had ignored her completely, disregarding everything she said, and now he was kicking her out? Just like that?

"You’re kicking me out? Just because of this?" Marie’s voice trembled. She had never expected this.

"Because of this matter, I see how you treat my son. I noticed something I never cared to see before," Adam said.

Marie stared at Adam, then shot a look of pure venom at Zane. But for the first time in his life, Zane didn’t feel the sting of her hatred. He felt the warmth of his father standing in front of him like a shield.

Without another word, Marie turned and marched upstairs, the sound of her heels echoing through the house.

Adam stood there for a long moment, his chest heaving. Slowly, he turned back to Zane. The silence between them was still awkward, still fragile, but the wall of ice had finally begun to crack.

"Go," Adam said softly, nodding toward the kitchen. "I told Ben to leave some food in the fridge. If you’re still angry with me, take it to your room. I’ll be in the study if you need anything."

Zane watched his father walk away. He didn’t say thank you. His father didn’t say sorry either.

Zane stood there with mixed feelings. Was his father really going to kick Marie and David out?

He went to the kitchen and finished the food Ben had left for him, then climbed the stairs back to his room with a lightness he hadn’t felt in years.

Entering his room, he kicked the door shut and leaned against it, letting out a long, shaky breath. His father’s words echoed in his mind: my son. It was a small thing, but to Zane, it felt incredibly warm.

He sat on the edge of his bed as the silence of the night wrapped around him. Usually, this was when his thoughts spiraled into dark places, but the warmth of the food and his father’s defense kept the shadows at bay.

Then he reached for his phone, expecting the usual flood of notifications from the racing circuit after what had happened last time. He hadn’t opened it since yesterday.

He swiped the screen open, the bright light making him wince. His eyes scanned the messages until they landed on a name that made his breath hitch.

Nathan.

Zane’s heart didn’t just beat, it thundered against his ribs. His fingers, still slightly calloused from the steering wheel, began to tremble. Heat climbed up his neck and flushed his cheeks.

He tapped the notification with a shaky thumb.

Nathan: Are you okay?

It was short. Simple. Sent late that afternoon.

Zane stared at the three words until they blurred. He quickly began typing a reply, his heart racing with excitement.

I’m fine. Better now. How are you?

He stopped, his thumb hovering over the send button. He glanced at the clock on his nightstand.

2:48 AM.

If he sent it now, Nathan might wake up, or worse, Nathan would know Zane was awake at this ungodly hour, staring at his phone. He didn’t want to seem desperate, even though he felt like he was vibrating out of his skin.

Zane let out a frustrated groan and flopped back onto his pillows, clutching the phone to his chest. He felt ridiculous, but for the first time in his life, he didn’t mind that feeling.