The stranger shifted uneasily, his lips twitching as though the smirk was fighting to return, but Kiril's tone had already pierced the mask.
The silence that followed was heavier than any shout, and the irritation in the stranger's eyes burned brighter.
In the middle of all this, the door creaked open. Someone entered the room.
Hearing the creak, all of them turned around. Seeing that person, stranger`s eyes widened.
"Boss" he muttered with trembling voice, "why did you trouble yourself to come here?".
"I really don`t get it" Kiril sighed, " why is he so scared of you dad?".
"You have got a lot to learn my son" boss said proudly. And the stranger started smiling.
"Really" Kiril scoffed, his eyebrows clenched and his head tilted to the right."
Then he noticed Aiden lying on the sofa. He was shocked. "What happened to Aiden?" he shouted.
"You too..." Kiril replied in a playful way.
"What do you mean?" Boss shouted, his breath heavy, eyes wide, beads of fear rolling down his forehead.
Kiril moved towards him saying and leaned on him, his elbow folded around his neck.
"You too have got a lot to learn" he said.
Both of them locked eyes, and this time the Boss saw it—the demonic smile lurking beneath Kiril's mask, hidden under his clenched lids.
"Leave us alone, Severin" Boss ordered.
But hearing these words Kiril`s ear- straightened. He stood up and turned towards Severin- carrying a complex expression on his face.
He was shocked as well as amused.
Kiril tilted his head, his smirk widening.
"Severin Kade…" he said slowly, letting the name hang in the air.
"You know, that sounds more like a girlish name than one fit for a man who pretends to play strategist."
The stranger's smile cracked, his jaw tightening as the insult sank in. And he took his exit from that room.
"Did you...did you kill him?", boss muttered in a low and trembling voice, "Is Aiden dead?".
"Have you lost it?", Kiril said playfully, "why would I kill?".
"Then why is he lying there? What happened to him?" Boss asked.
"You too", Kiril said sarcastically.
"What do you mean?", boss shouted.
Kiril walked away from him and took his seat on sofa.
"You too have got a lot learn, old man.", he replied.
Kiril leaned back, the torchlight catching in his eyes beneath the carved mask
"You too still have lessons to learn, old man.," he said. His voice echoed from behind the mask.
Then, with a smile that was more threat than jest, he added: "And tonight, the lesson begins at the party."
Boss rushed towards Aiden, pressing his finger beneath his nose, desperate for a sign of breath.
"Ha-ha…" Kiril's laughter echoed, his hands clutching his stomach. But the laughter died as quickly as it came.
The mask hid his expression, but his tone and narrowed eyes betrayed him. His brows straightened, and the smirk vanished into a cold frown.
"What are you checking?" he asked, voice firm and cutting.
"He's alive," Kiril continued, tone shifting back to playful mockery. "I only gave him a sedative. Needed him unconscious to bring him to the party you failed to organize."
"Stop it!" the Boss roared, his chest heaving. "I am sick of this face-changing behavior of yours. You are my son, not a chameleon!"
Kiril's gaze hardened. "So, you want me to be always like this? Terrifying. Do you want to lock me away again in that dark place?"
The words struck like daggers. Sweat rolled down the Boss's forehead, memories clawing at him, tearing their bond apart. The silence between them was heavier than stone, as if the castle itself remembered.
"Stop it!" he trembled. "Don't repeat those words again."
"Then don't let that invisible mask slip off your face," Kiril hissed. "You were doing well with it before meeting Aiden. What's the problem now? Is he more important to you than your son?"
"No…" the Boss whispered.
"No?" Kiril's voice softened, then rose into a shout. "Then why did you want to meet him? Why did you want me blind to this meeting?"
He sighed, the fury fading into cold disdain. "Leave it. I'll let you off this time. But there won't be a second."
Kiril strode to the door, his hand gripping the knob. He turned back, his eyes gleaming with menace.
"Mark my words, old man. I'm going out. Don't try anything foolish."
The door creaked shut behind him, leaving the Boss alone in suffocating silence. Aiden's shallow breaths were the only sound—fragile proof of life in a room heavy with betrayal and fear.
Later, some servants entered the room, their footsteps echoing faintly against the stone floor. The Boss turned sharply, his voice trembling with irritation.
"What are you doing here?" he demanded, his eyes narrowing.
One of them bowed slightly. "We were sent to prepare Aiden for the party, sir."
The Boss's brows furrowed. "Party? What party?"
Another servant stepped forward, his tone calm but firm. "Sir Kiril instructed us to remind you to keep your act on, sir. He said you must not let emotions cloud your face. He wanted you steady, not shaken."
The Boss froze, his breath heavy. The words struck him like a reminder of his son's piercing gaze.
He gave it a thought, his lips pressed tight, then finally stepped aside. "Do what you must," he muttered, leaving the room to them.
The servants moved swiftly, dressing Aiden in ceremonial attire—dark fabric embroidered with silver threads, regal yet unfamiliar.
When Aiden stirred back into consciousness, confusion clouded his eyes. He blinked, his gaze darting around the unfamiliar chamber, his hands brushing against the strange fabric of his dress.
"Where… where am I?" he whispered, his voice weak. "What is this place? Why am I dressed like this?"
A worker nearby kept silent, his face unreadable. Aiden's questions spilled out, desperate and restless.
"What's happening here? Why this dress? Why me?"
But to every question, the worker had only one answer, spoken with chilling calm:
"Sir, let me escort you where you are supposed to be. There you will get answers to all your questions."
Aiden's heart pounded. His confusion grew heavier, but the worker's tone left no room for argument.
Slowly, reluctantly, he surrendered. His shoulders slumped, his resistance faded, and he followed like an obedient child, clinging to the hope that somewhere ahead, clarity awaited.
The corridors stretched long and silent, torches flickering against the stone walls. Each step echoed like a drumbeat of fate. Aiden's mind swirled with questions, but his lips remained sealed, his hope fragile.
And then—suddenly—Kiril leapt out from the shadows, his eyes gleaming, his voice erupting like thunder.
"Surprise!" he shouted, his smirk wide, his presence overwhelming.
The hall burst into light.
Aiden's eyes widened as he saw the gathering—guests filling the chamber, laughter mingling with whispers. His colleagues stood there, the board members, familiar faces from his world, all dressed in grandeur.
The Boss stepped forward, his voice calm now, carrying authority. "This is Kiril's homecoming, Aiden. A celebration. That is why you were brought here."
For a moment, Aiden's heart eased. Relief washed over him as he recognized the faces, the familiar voices.
The confusion dulled, replaced by a fragile comfort. He exhaled, shoulders loosening, believing—just for now—that the answers he sought might finally come.
For the first time since waking, Aiden thought he might be safe. But the thought was fragile, already trembling under Kiril's gaze.
"Welcome back, Aiden," Kiril said, his tone playful yet sharp.
Kiril's smirk softened as he stepped closer, his hand slowly extending toward Aiden.
"Let's forget the past," he said, his tone unusually calm. "I was harsh, I know. But tonight… tonight I want to change that. A hand of friendship, Aiden. What do you say?"
Aiden stared at him, suspicion clouding his eyes. His voice trembled, but it carried weight.
"If you wanted to be friends, Kiril… why did you bring me here like this? Drugged, dressed, confused. Is this your idea of friendship?"
Kiril chuckled lightly, shaking his head. "You misunderstand. I had to bring you this way because I wanted you to see this place as it truly is—without hesitation, without fear. This hall, these walls… this was where I lived before my mother's death. Every stone here carries her memory. I wanted you to feel it, to walk through it with me."
His words hung heavy in the air, and for a moment, Aiden's suspicion wavered. Kiril's eyes gleamed, half-truths wrapped in sincerity. He gestured toward the corridor.
"Come. There's something I want to show you."
Reluctantly, Aiden followed. The corridors stretched long and narrow, shadows crawling across the walls. The silence was broken only by the sound of their footsteps.
When they reached the room, the torches flickered violently, their flames bending as though stirred by unseen breath. The air grew colder, the atmosphere heavier. Kiril paused.
At the threshold, Kiril's smile sharpened.
"This," he whispered, "is where our friendship begins."
The torches flickered violently, shadows crawling across the walls. The flames bent as though stirred by unseen breath, and the room itself seemed to hold its silence—waiting, watching—for what came next.