Santiago stood on the balcony of his apartment, staring outside. The cool night air did little to calm the storm in his mind.

Leon’s sudden withdrawal had been swift and painful — no replies to messages, calls going straight to voicemail, and that cold "sir" at the restaurant earlier today.

He had either pushed too far or too fast. Or someone had gotten to the boy.

Santiago pulled out his phone, stared at it for a long moment, then dialed Viktor’s number. The line rang twice before Viktor picked up, his voice rough and impatient.

"Santiago. Finally, I was beginning to think you’d gone silent on me."

Santiago leaned against the railing, eyes fixed on the distant skyline. "I’m not silent. I’m calling with an update on Leon."

Viktor’s tone sharpened. "Good. The Emperor is breathing down my neck. He has wanted results since yesterday. Tell me you’ve made real progress with the boy. I need something solid to report, Santiago. Don’t waste my time with vague updates."

Santiago exhaled slowly. "I thought I had. We met again recently. He was open, talkative and excited at every visit. He told me more about his brother, about how worried he is. We bonded over similar hobbies again. He even agreed to another meeting this weekend. We talked for hours about books, about life, about his fears. I really thought I was getting through to him, Viktor."

Viktor let out a satisfied grunt. "That’s what I like to hear, but you already mentioned it. Did you push any other gigs to him? Is he hooked? Did you make him feel like you’re the only one he can trust right now? Tell me everything, I need to know exactly how deep this connection is."

"I didn’t," Santiago replied. "Just the thirty thousand a month offer. You know he accepted it and was genuinely excited about it. He talked about wanting to help his brother, about feeling useless. I told him I could be someone he could rely on. I even offered to help him find ways to support his brother without him knowing the full truth. He seemed to trust me, Viktor. He was smiling the whole time."

There was a pause on Viktor’s end. Then a low chuckle. "Excellent. You’re playing him perfectly. Keep doing that. Make him dependent on you. When the time comes, he’ll be the perfect lever against Sylvain. This is good progress. The Emperor will like hearing that the boy is starting to lean on you. But we need more. We need him completely hooked."

Santiago’s grip on the phone tightened. "But, there’s a problem."

Viktor’s voice instantly cooled. "What kind of problem? Speak clearly. I don’t have time for games right now."

"Leon has gone cold," Santiago said. "He stopped replying to my messages. My calls go unanswered. When I went to the restaurant today, he barely looked at me. He gave me the cold shoulder. Something must have spooked him. He was neutral and distant, like I was just another customer he had to serve. It was like the warmth from our previous meetings had completely vanished."

Viktor cursed under his breath. "Fuck! Did you push too hard? Did you say something wrong? Walk me through exactly what happened in that conversation. Every word. I need to know if you slipped up somewhere."

"I don’t think so," Santiago replied carefully. "We had a good conversation. The last time we met, he was laughing. Then suddenly... nothing. It feels like someone got to him. He looked scared today. Not just distant — scared. Like he was forcing himself to stay away from me. His hands were shaking when he brought my coffee. He avoided eye contact the entire time."

Viktor was silent for a few seconds. When he spoke again, his tone was darker. "Silas! That bastard must have found out. He’s been watching the boy closely. If he warned Leon away from you, this complicates everything. That man is too possessive. He treats those brothers like his personal property. We need to be careful how we move from here."

Santiago nodded even though Viktor couldn’t see him. "That’s my guess too. Leon looked scared today. Like he was forcing himself to stay away. I tried to ask him if something was wrong, but he shut down immediately. It was like talking to a completely different person from the one who was laughing with me days ago."

Viktor let out a frustrated sigh. "The Emperor won’t like this. He wants the younger brother devastated and ready to use as leverage. We need him emotionally attached to you, dependent if I must say. If Silas is interfering, we might need to accelerate the plan. We can’t let that man ruin months of work."

"Accelerate how?" Santiago asked, keeping his voice neutral.

"Push harder," Viktor said. "Find a way to meet him again. Make it look accidental. Show up at the restaurant more. Offer more money. Make him feel like you’re the only safe person in his life. The Emperor is losing patience. He already punished me once. I won’t survive another disappointment. We need results, Santiago. Real results."

Santiago’s jaw tightened. "I’m trying. But forcing it might make him pull away even more. He’s not stupid. And he’s very protective of his brother. If I push too hard now, he might run straight to Sylvain or disappear completely. I don’t want to lose the trust I’ve already built."

Viktor’s laugh was bitter. "Protective? The brother who sold himself like a whore? How touching. Use that to plant seeds of doubt. Make Leon question whether Sylvain is really protecting him or just keeping him in the dark. Tell him stories, even made up ones, and manipulate him to question his brother’s intentions. Do whatever it takes to pull him back to you."

Santiago’s eyes widened. "What are you saying, Sylvain sold himself?"

Viktor chuckles on the other side of the phone. "Why do you think Silas is protective of the two brothers? Silas hates it when somebody touches his property." 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

He continues. "Do everything possible to get him. If you have to destroy him emotionally to pull him closer, destroy him. Break his trust in his brother if necessary. We need him on our side, Santiago. The Emperor won’t accept another failure from either of us."

Santiago rubbed his temple. "I don’t want to destroy the kid, Viktor. He’s innocent. He doesn’t deserve this. He’s just a boy trying to help his family. He talks about his brother like he’s his whole world. Breaking his delusions could destroy him completely."

There was a long pause.

"Careful, Santiago," Viktor warned, voice low. "You’re starting to sound soft. The Emperor already suspects you might be developing a conscience. Don’t make me regret recommending you for this. Remember who you answer to. Remember what happens to those who disappoint him, why do you think I chose you? You won’t like the emperor angry, he could be a beast at times."