Echoes and unspoken truth
The heavy glass doors of L'Ombre swung open into the quiet, dim interior of the club's late afternoon shift. Sunlight filtered through the tinted windows in long, dust-moted beams, casting a deep golden hue across the polished hardwood floors.
Sun moved briskly behind the main bar counter, a stack of clean crystal glasses cradled against his apron. His arms ached, but a small, quiet pride warmed his chest. Just yesterday, the bar management had officially recognized his hard work and dedication, appointing him as the temporary shift lead. It wasn't a permanent title yet, but it gave him the authority to assign roles, manage inventory, and supervise the junior floor staff. For a quiet clerk who lived paycheck to paycheck, it was a massive step forward.
While carrying a wooden crate of fresh fruit garnishes toward the back storage room, Sun’s foot caught on an uneven floor mat near the service corridor.
The heavy crate slipped from his grip.
Sun gasped, his heart slamming against his throat as his balance tipped forward. He squeezed his eyes tight shut, bracing his shoulders for the painful impact with the marble floor.
The crash never came.
A pair of powerful, broad arms caught him mid-air with effortless ease, wrapping securely around his waist and pulling his fragile frame back against a broad, firm chest.
Sun froze, his breath hitching in his lungs. The scent hit him before he even dared to move—a sharp, icy wave of dark cedarwood and bitter rain that made his pulse jump frantically.
Slowly, trembling with sheer panic, Sun opened his eyes.
Looking down at him with an unreadable, razor-sharp gaze was Gemini Vance.
The ruthless Alpha stood there in a crisp, dark bespoke suit, his tall frame holding Sun suspended in mid-air. For three agonizing seconds, neither of them breathed. Sun’s eyes locked into Gemini’s cold dark pupils, the electric pull surging between their skin like a hidden current.
Sun’s face flushed burning hot. Realizing who was holding him, sheer horror washed over him. He frantically scrambled to his feet, adjusting his apron with shaking hands, and bowed his head down almost to his knees in deep gratitude.
"I—I am so sorry! Thank you, sir! Please forgive my clumsiness!" Sun gasped out, his voice trembling violently.
Before Gemini could even open his mouth or utter a single word, Sun spun on his heel and fled down the service hall like a frightened deer, vanishing into the back storage room.
Gemini remained standing alone in the hallway, his large hand still lingering in the air where Sun’s warm waist had rested. His throat felt dry, his pulse hammering heavily against his collarbone.
Over the next three days, the two lived in completely separate worlds.
Sun threw himself entirely into his new duties as shift lead, managing inventory, directing servers, and ensuring the club ran flawlessly. Gemini, meanwhile, was buried under high-stakes corporate acquisitions and syndicate affairs, his days filled with back-to-back board meetings and private negotiations.
Yet, despite his packed schedule, Gemini’s composure was severely tested when he was summoned to the private Vance Family Estate on the outskirts of Bangkok.
The grand dining room of the Vance Manor was vast, silent, and imposing. High ceilings, crystal chandeliers, and ancient dark mahogany furniture echoed the family's centuries of wealth and power.
Gemini sat at the long dining table, his expression carved from stone as his mother, Khunying Kannika, set her porcelain teacup down with a sharp click. Beside her sat Korn, his stern father, who watched Gemini with heavy, expectant eyes.
"You are twenty-eight, Gemini," Khunying Kannika(His mom ) spoke softly, though her tone carried the weight of an absolute command. "You rule the corporate board and the city's trade lines, yet you walk through life alone. A man in your position needs a stable household. He needs a suitable partner and heirs to secure the family legacy."
"I have no interest in marriage, Mother," Gemini replied coldly, his deep voice slicing through the silent room. "My time is occupied with the company and the syndicate. I do not need a partner to manage my life."
"It is not a request, Gemini!" Khunying Kannika’s voice rose, her eyes flashing with stubborn authority. "We have already selected several prospective candidates from prominent, respected families. You need someone who can ground you, someone who can bear the next generation of the Vance lineage! You cannot run from your duty forever!"
"My duty is to keep this empire standing, not to fulfill romantic arrangements that suit your social standing," Gemini snapped, rising from his chair. The dark energy around him flared, making the air in the room dangerously thick.
"How dare you speak to your mother with such insolence!" Korn (His father) slammed his palm against the mahogany table. "You will meet the candidates, Gemini, or—"
"I am leaving," Gemini cut his father off, his dark eyes freezing both elders in their tracks. "Do not arrange meetings on my behalf again."
Furious and deeply overwhelmed by the suffocating argument, Gemini stormed out of the manor and got straight into his dark sedan.
The pressure in his chest was unbearable. His head throbbed with a sudden, dizzying ache, his body feeling oddly feverish and restless. Wanting nothing more than to drown out the noise of his family's demands, he drove straight back to L'Ombre.
He stepped through the doors of the club, his face thunderous and imposing. Ignored by the general crowd, he walked straight past the main bar and retreated into the dark, secluded private VIP room.
Out on the main floor, Sun was busy checking the night's inventory list near the glass racks when one of his junior floor servers rushed up to him, looking nervous.
"Shift Lead Sun!" the server whispered anxiously. "Someone just went into the private VIP room."
Sun raised an eyebrow, pausing his work. "The VIP room? Who is it? Nobody is allowed in there without prior manager clearance."
"I don't know, but he looks extremely dangerous and furious," the server replied quickly. "No one else dares to go near that room right now."
Sun sighed softly, adjusting his shift lead badge. "Alright, don't worry. I'll handle it myself."
Picking up a silver tray with a crystal glass and a fresh bottle of aged red wine, Sun walked down the quiet VIP hallway.
As he approached the dark heavy doors, a strange, overwhelming weight settled over his chest. His heart began to thump violently against his ribs—thump, thump, thump—like a frantic warning. His hands trembled slightly, a wave of sudden dizziness sweeping through his head.
He carefully pushed the glass door open and stepped inside.
The dimly lit room was thick with a suffocating, heavy tension. Gemini sat back on the dark velvet couch, his collar loosened, his forehead covered in a light sheen of sweat. His skin was pale, his dark eyes narrowed in clear physical distress as he leaned his head back against the cushions.
Sun’s breath hitched. It was Gemini Vance.
As Sun stepped closer to the marble table, the lotus-blossom sweetness in his own skin flared defensively, clashing against Gemini’s heavy wave of cedarwood and bitter rain. Both of them felt a sudden, dizzying fever surge through their veins.
Sun carefully placed the crystal glass and wine bottle on the table, trying his best to keep his hands steady. "Your wine, sir..." Sun murmured, keeping his gaze firmly lowered.
Gemini slowly opened his eyes. Seeing the familiar, slender figure standing before him, his throat tightened. The dizzying fog in his mind seemed to clear slightly, replaced by an intense, overwhelming curiosity.
"What is the name you are using?" Gemini asked, his voice low and raspy.
Sun blinked in surprise, taking a small step back. "My... my short name is Sun, sir."
Gemini’s fingers tightened slightly around the edge of the glass. He felt a rare flutter of nervousness in his chest. It had happened three times now—the sudden dizziness, the paleness, the frantic hammering of his heart every time this young man was near.
Looking directly into Sun’s wide eyes, Gemini asked the question that had been eating away at him, "Are you... also feeling the things that I am feeling?"
Sun was completely taken aback. His breath hitched in his throat. He stared at the powerful CEO, not knowing how to process what was being asked. Slowly, hesitation clear in his posture, Sun gave a small, quiet nod.
A profound sigh of relief slipped past Gemini’s lips, though his dark eyes remained intensely focused.
Lowering his voice even further, almost as if he was hesitant to voice the thought, Gemini asked, "Are you hitting someone?"
*Sun’s eyes widened to the size of saucers. His mind short-circuited entirely. What is wrong with this man? How can he ask me something like that?!
A rush of heat flooded Sun’s face, his cheeks turning a bright, flustered red while his skin remained pale from shock. "N-No! I'm not hitting anyone, sir!" Sun stammered defensively, completely bewildered.
Gemini blinked, realizing how direct his question sounded, and offered a faint, remarkably polite nod. "Okay. Thank you for answering."
From that day on, Gemini began coming to L'Ombre much more frequently, drawn by a magnetic pull he couldn't control.
They still weren't on easy, casual terms; an invisible barrier of status and tension remained between them. Yet, every single time Gemini entered the private VIP room, Sun was the only one allowed to serve him.
Over the next five to six days, as Sun brought in his drinks, brief exchanges turned into quiet, lingering chats. But every single time they stood close, that same intoxicating dizziness and electric pulse flared to life, reminding them of the very first day they met.
On a quiet evening midway through the week, as Sun carefully poured a fresh glass of wine, Gemini paused and looked up, his expression uncharacteristically soft.
"Why are you working in a bar like this, Sun?"
Sun froze midway. His mind went completely black for a second. The glass bottle hovered over the crystal rim before he slowly set it down, pulling his hands back to grip the edge of his apron.
Sun was naturally an extremely reserved person who never, ever shared his full story with anyone—not even close acquaintances. Yet, sitting across from Gemini, an undeniable, strange warmth seemed to wash over him. In an effortless, fluid flow, the words began pouring from his lips before he could stop himself, detailing the deeply buried pain of his life.
"My parents..." Sun murmured softly. "They never supported me in anything. They were extremely wealthy, a very well-off family... but I was never given the love a child is supposed to receive."
Gemini sat completely motionless, listening with an intense, unwavering focus. The quiet, respectful way he listened made Sun feel strangely safe, lowering the walls he had kept up for years.
"From the very beginning of my life, I was discriminated against by my own parents. They felt ashamed and embarrassed to take me anywhere—even though I looked the way I did," Sun confessed, a bitter smile touching his lips. "And when I was five or six years old, they adopted a foreign girl named Asliya from an orphanage. From that moment on, my life completely changed. I never got the food I wanted, I never got anything I needed. To them, I wasn't even a part of their family."
A quiet tremor ran through Sun’s fingers.
"By the time I turned fourteen, I couldn't take the neglect anymore. I ran away from home, wandering the streets with nowhere to go, not knowing what would happen next."
Gemini’s jaw tightened, his dark eyes darkening with suppressed fury on Sun’s behalf.
"I was always so depressed," Sun whispered. "Until my best friend—Ploy—extended a helping hand. Her family took me in, adored me, and made me feel like I was a part of their home. When I grew older, I moved out to live completely independently. Since I was fourteen, I’ve worked every kind of job imaginable just to survive. Now, at twenty-eight, I work hard to support myself, even though my sister Asliya and my parents moved on without me."
As Sun spoke, a specific detail slipped out—one he rarely shared with anyone: "I always escaped into books. Whenever I had a spare second, I loved reading stories... it was the only place where I felt free."
The moment the last word left his mouth, Sun suddenly snapped back to reality. His eyes widened in absolute shock as he realized what he had just done.
Sun was completely taken aback and stood there frozen, utterly startled by what had happened to him. He was shocked to the core that he had laid out his entire, painful life story to a complete stranger in such a comfortable, friendly manner. But beneath that shock, a quiet awe settled over him—he was deeply stunned that Gemini hadn't laughed, judged him, or made fun of his past at all.
Instead, seeing the heavy emotional weight crashing down on Sun, and noticing the tears welling up in his eyes, Gemini felt a heavy ache in his chest.
The way Gemini listened—without judgment, offering total, unbroken attention—made Sun feel seen for the very first time in his life. A single tear slipped down Sun’s cheek, his composure finally cracking.
Seeing him on the verge of crying, Gemini reached out and placed his large, warm hand gently on Sun’s shoulder.
At that exact moment, an invisible, agonizing spike of pain shot through Gemini’s chest. His Alpha instinct violently reacted to his Omega's crying, sending a sharp wave of physical agony through his ribs—though he refused to let a single sign of pain show on his face.
Stunned by how much this young man had endured, Gemini stared at him in profound disbelief.
"Have we... ever met before, Sun?" Gemini asked softly, his voice barely above a whisper.
Sun blinked away his tears, looking up into Gemini’s dark, intense eyes. He had no idea about the past.
"No, sir," Sun answered quietly. "We haven't met."
For a moment, neither of them moved. They simply looked deep into each other's eyes, locked in a silent, lingering tension—completely unaware that nine years ago, in this very same bar, their paths had crossed for the very first time.
[End of Chapter 2]
