152 A Den of Vipers

"Are you sure you're feeling good enough to go back to work?" Misha asked with a 'I wanna tuck you back in bed right now' look on his face. "Like, you're really, really sure?"

Rubbing his forehead, Jake didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Had Misha always been this much of a mother hen…? It had almost been a month since the incident, and though he was still not used to the blind spot on his left, the pain had long abated. He was fine. Besides, he couldn't stay cooped up in his room forever, nor could he continue to avoid his mother. He had rested long enough, and it was time to get things done. However, his "caretakers" didn't share his opinion.

"I'm also worried," Gabriel admitted. "Your workplace is a viper den, and I'd rather you didn't jump headfirst into it alone. You—"

"Alright, Misha is going to be late to school," Jake interrupted his brother, shooing them away. "I'm old enough to take care of myself, so stop worrying! And Misha, don't forget to go to work tonight. Although Stephan said he didn't mind, you have skipped work for an entire month. Any other boss would have fired you already!"

"Stephan has been skipping work too!"

"He's the employer; you're the employee," Jake reminded him. "Anyway, I won't be there tonight, so you have no reason to skip work."

The teenager clicked his tongue, the clogs in his head turning as he tried to think of a comeback. But nothing came to his mind, and he could only snort a reluctant "got it". It seemed he'd have to get ready for work after school today. Ugh, why did he accept to work for Stephan again?

"Still, I—"

"Be careful on the road," Jake cut short the conversation, gesturing to the front door to let them know it was time to go.

Since earlier, they had been standing in the entrance hall—Jake had escorted Misha and Gabriel to the entrance to see them off. But if he had known the teenager would take the opportunity to try convincing him not to go to work, he'd have stayed in his room. Goodness, they already had this conversation a million times!

"We—"

"See you tomorrow," Jake interrupted once again. "Now off you go!"

However, Misha didn't move an inch as if rooted to the floor. Instead, he pursed his lips, something akin to annoyance and worry flashing across his face. And, of course, Gabriel followed Misha's lead and stayed still like a statue. His brother was smiling, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.

"Come on, guys, look at the time," Jake said with a drawn-out sigh. "You're going to be late, both of you!"

But only silence responded, and the two didn't even pretend to listen to him. It was like talking to air.

They were deadlocked like this for about a minute before Jake finally gave in. "Fine, fine, I got it! I swear I'll call you if something happens and let you know. Happy now?"

Only then did Misha seem to come back to life. A smile bloomed on his face as he lunged forward to hug Jake, startling him into freezing. "I'll keep my phone with me, so don't hesitate to call, ok? You're forbidden from shouldering everything alone! No matter how small the problem, you gotta call us. Even if I'm in class and Gabriel is working."

That being said, Misha veered on his heels and ran to Gabriel's car in the driveway. Jake blinked, then glanced at his brother. He pointed to the teenager's back and asked in a befuddled voice, "I thought he hated physical contact."

"He does."

"Then, why did he hug me…?"

"Well, he does hate being touched, but when he holds someone dear, he tends to crave their warmth and seek it."

If it weren't for his trauma, Misha would be the kind of touchy-feely person who loved to cling to their friends. And because he had been deprived of his family's warmth at a young age, it was something he now valued very much. Of course, he wouldn't admit it aloud, but cuddling with the people he loved put him at ease. In a way, it also gave him the illusion that strangers' touch didn't scare him.

It was something Jake had somewhat understood. However, he'd never have expected that Misha would hug him willingly, not even in his wildest dreams. What this simple gesture from Misha implied was too much for his brain to process, and he needed his brother to confirm that he wasn't daydreaming. Tell him, had he gone crazy?

"Congratulations," Gabriel laughed, patting his brother's shoulder. "It seems like you have wormed your way inside Misha's heart. You're someone dear to him now, very dear I'd even say. So, keep in mind that he won't stand seeing you suffer in silence, and whoever dares to hurt you will have to face his anger. He has overprotective tendencies, after all."

Gabriel paused to let the words sink. "But, well, I guess he isn't the only one with such tendencies. You have my phone number, don't you? So don't hesitate to call. If not Misha, at least me."

After saying his piece, Gabriel nodded at his brother and released his shoulder. He then jumped off the stairs and walked to the car where Misha was waiting for him, a faint smile lingering on his lips.

Jake was thus left alone in the entrance hall, speechless as he watched the door close behind his brother. There was an odd feeling welling up in his chest, but he didn't hate it. It was the feeling of being loved, something he had thought he'd never experience again after losing his family and the love of his past lives.

***

"What happened to your eye?" a middle-aged man asked.

Jake responded by glancing askance at his assistant. The fake concern in his voice was as clear as day, and beneath the worried expression, he could see the mockery glinting in the depths of his eyes. Here came the first viper.

"A car accident," Jake finally said. "Now, get back to work. We have many files to clear up today."

The words had barely left his mouth when Jake opened the door to his office and walked inside. The room hadn't changed in a month, and it was still shrouded in its usual stuffy atmosphere. There was no decoration whatsoever; only essential furniture like chairs and filing cabinets filled the room. Angela was against embellishing his office, refusing to even let a potted plant enter the room. According to her, a "stern atmosphere" was necessary to be productive. She didn't want him to get distracted, or so she said.

Well, it didn't matter much to Jake. As long as he had a place to sit and work, he could accept any working environment.

"Are there urgent reports I should treat first?" he asked his assistant as he sat at his desk, flipping through the piles of paper.

"Don't worry, your father sent someone to deal with the urgent matters in your absence," the assistant answered, emphasizing the word "father" with a smirk. "Everything is in order."

"Is that so," Jake narrowed his eye before dismissing the middle-aged man.

Great. He'd need to look into what his father's subordinate tampered with, and hopefully, he wouldn't stumble across too many unpleasant surprises. As if Jake didn't have enough on his plate already! But before anything, he first had to "organize" the files on his desk. It was a disorderly mess that even he couldn't make any sense of. In his absence, his "assistant" just dumped everything left and right, and if the unsteady towers of folders hadn't yet crumbled, it was only due to some sort of miracle.

As Jake combed through the reports, he fell upon a "transfer request" and read it with a cocked eyebrow. A certain employee had asked to be transferred to his department, and when his eye landed on the familiar name, he couldn't help but shake his head.

"What am I?" Jake let out an exasperated chuckle, tapping the desk with his finger. "A damsel in distress? Well, I'm sure starting to feel like one."

Jake pulled out his cell phone, then scrolled his contact list until Gabriel's name. He quickly wrote the following message: "Your transfer request has been denied. Please, focus on your work."

Though Gabriel's position was low in the company and he mostly did odd jobs, he was still working in the department that Angela overlooked. Jake knew his mother wanted to keep Gabriel close to her to watch over him, which was why she had dragged him to her department. Naturally, she didn't want him to have access to anything important and thus put him in charge of errands two years ago, unaware that she had nevertheless let the wolf sneak inside.

"Ding." The cell phone vibrated on the desk, and Jake peered at it, thinking his brother had answered his text message. However, what he saw in the notification had nothing to do with Gabriel. It was an unsaved number, and what was written below said:

"Which hotel?"

The words were straightforward, very much like Masha. Jake paused, a somber expression falling upon his face. Right. He also needed to settle that matter, preferably before meeting with his mother. Having some "results" to show off to her would make it less difficult for him, and maybe Angela wouldn't snap. He didn't want to handle her terrible tantrum today.

Jake put aside the reports, looked through a few hotels before booking one, and then forwarded the information to Masha.

"Meet me at this address at 8 o'clock. Don't be late."

_____________________

Edited by Clozed!

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