The Boss Is Finally In Love

With a click, Draco closed the door to Riley's room. Still fresh in his mind was the flash of white flesh disappearing behind the bathroom door.

The boy is killing him.

In that situation, to be in the room with Riley and then suddenly start having these not-so-wholesome thoughts, for a man like Draco, who never had a lover, was akin to putting a bar of chocolate in front of a child. Tempting. Very tempting. As if testing his restraints.

Walking back to his own room, Draco met Dylan, who was coming up the stairs.

Thanks to Draco's interference, the younger man had to go back home earlier than he intended. And he just came back from having dinner with his parents. He finally got away after giving the excuse of leaving a few tasks unattended. It was a lame excuse. He knew it and his parents did too. But thankfully, they did not ask further.

Dylan was not expecting to see Draco late at night and actually coming from the opposite direction of his room. To be exact, from the part of the house where Riley's room was. Having put two together, Dylan was stunned. He looked at Draco with wide accusing eyes, staggering back.

Draco understood the look even if Dylan did not say the words. Without any change in his expression, he immediately put a stop to Dylan's wayward thoughts.

"Stop whatever you are thinking."

Unconvinced but not wanting to admit to anything, Dylan countered, "I haven't said anything yet."

"You don't have to. Your face says it all."

"Fine." Dylan conceded. He knows he cannot fool his cousin. Since they were young, he never won any argument over Draco. It's better to quit beating around the bush and directly ask the man. With narrowed eyes, he asked, "Then why were you coming back so late from Riley's room? What were you doing?"

Dylan was not really hoping to get any decent response from Draco, but he was still bewildered when he heard his defensive reply.

"This is my house. I don't think I need to explain myself to you." Draco answered, full of arrogance.

True. What Draco said was correct. What can Dylan say after that? Nothing. But boss, if you didn't really want to explain, why did you have to bother clarifying at first?

Stumped for words, Dylan opened his mouth, then closed it. Then open it again, yet no sounds came out. Unwilling to let the matter go, he used his eyes to communicate what his mouth failed to do.

Draco, knowing that this would not be the end to it if he chose not to give Dylan a valid answer, sighed, "I went out with Riley."

"You. Went. Out. With. Riley?!" Dylan asked, incredulous. He kept stressing every single word.

Draco ignored him and continued to say, "We had a drink, and he got drunk."

"Riley had a drink with you and got drunk?!" Dylan asked again, almost throwing back every word Draco said.

"Yes, and if you dare repeat another word I say, don't blame me for what I'll do next." Draco threatened. He was getting impatient with Dylan's exaggerated reactions.

Dylan, out of instinct, immediately raised his hands, prepared to protect himself. He couldn't help it. It was a habit. When no hit landed, Dylan, embarrassed, slowly let his arms fall on his side.

"Sorry, boss," Dylan said sheepishly. "But you have to understand. That is not something you would normally do."

Raising a brow, Draco remained silent. However, his stare was like a caution for Dylan to choose his words wisely. 

Dylan, understanding the hidden meaning, began to tread carefully. "I mean… When have you gone out with anyone for a drink? Never. If you did, it's usually for business or with a large group of ass-kissing businessmen. You know. I was only surprised to hear you went out with Riley on a work night. Like a casual night out with him. Something like that..."

Actually, what Dylan was really hinting at was Draco would never do this with anyone. So, does that mean Little Riley is someone… special?

"Riley met with his friends. I went to accompany him."

Met with friends? Accompany Little Riley? Dylan had the words at the tip of his tongue, but he reigned it all in. He cares for his precious life. Getting the boss riled up is not something Dylan could handle. He settled for a simple, "Ah, with Riley's friends… So, that's how it is." He nodded for added effect.

But Draco was not fooled. He knows how Dylan's mind works. And right now, it was far from satisfied. However, he did not want to explain further. He had a long night and was losing patience in dealing with Dylan's inquisitive nature.

Without saying anything, Draco moved forward, intending to rest for the night. However, before he could do so, he heard Dylan say, "I know I'm overstepping my bounds by asking you this. But I consider Riley as a little brother."

Dylan could not see Draco's expression from behind. When the man stopped and remained silent, he added, "You know that by going out with him tonight, you may have exposed him to everyone, including your enemies. To your relatives, even to your grandfather. What I'm saying is Riley is a good kid. He is smart and innocent. And pure. I don't want to see him get hurt. If you're not serious about-"

"I'm serious," Draco interjected before Dylan could finish.

"What?" Confused, Dylan clarified. He was so into his speech he did not comprehend what Draco was saying.

"I'm serious." Draco declared with all seriousness. "I won't let anyone hurt Riley. I am willing to protect him."

Suddenly, the implication of those words hit Dylan. "Oh…" was all he could say. He watched Draco walk away, his mind still reeling over the man's vow.

Damn, the boss is finally in love!

Dylan should have expected this. When Draco announced that Riley stays at the mansion and continued helping him, he had an idea about his intentions with the boy. But he dared not voice out his suspicions. Besides, Draco never had, in those two years, they were in L. Country, shown any affection or special attention to the boy. Except for the occasional call and regular inquiry about Riley's life, Draco did not exert further effort to meet with the boy.

A snicker escaped Dylan. It was kind of funny. Who would have thought that Draco Sy could fall in love like any ordinary man? All of a sudden, the man appeared more human.

Dylan was so engrossed with his thoughts he did not notice when Draco's steps halted and barely heard him announce, "Dylan, 5:30 tomorrow. Meet me at the gym."

"Huh?" Dylan was dumbfounded. At the gym. Tomorrow. With the boss. He's dead.

Not giving him any chance to refuse, Draco even added, "I expect you to be there."

Dylan winced as if hit by an invisible fist and replied, "Yes, boss." His head automatically drooped, and his shoulders sagged. He was so happy now it came back to bite him.

Well, he should have known he would not get out of questioning Draco like that unscathed.

Sighing, Dylan dragged himself to bed feeling exhausted. Today, he faced his mom's endless nagging and his dad's scolding. Then had to be mentally attacked by Draco.

Dylan had nightmares all night. He woke up several times in the middle of the night, gasping.

The next day, after having slept only a little, Dylan woke up with panda eyes. Yet, he had no choice but to gear up and face Draco's unceasing fists and kicks in a few rounds of sparring.

After the 5th round, Dylan had his tongue out, his limbs hanging on the ring's ropes for dear life. He could not take it anymore and surrender. The guy was shaking his head and had sweat raining left to right. 

"I give up! No more. No more. Please, boss, I'm dying. Hu hu…"

He looked pitiful.

However, the unforgiving and heartless Draco Sy, sweat running down his ripped body, was still bouncing back and forth, full of energy, unaffected by his pleas.

"5 more rounds. Come on. We're just starting."

Dylan's knees buckled, and he sank to the floor. But instead of mercy, Draco informed him, "We'll do 12 rounds if you're not up in 10 seconds."

As if injected with chicken blood, Dylan jumped ready to start.

"So heartless, hu hu hu. I hope Little Riley gives you a hard time…" he muttered under his breath.

Watching the boss and Dylan spar, in everyone's mind was: "RIP, man."