Facing Richa with Nervousness

Richa's silent, intense gaze only made Kyle more nervous. He fumbled for a topic to break the tension, blurting out, "Did you… did you have breakfast?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Kyle mentally berated himself for being so cowardly. This was hardly the time to talk about breakfast! He felt like crying from the sheer stress of the situation. Facing Richa always made him nervous, partly because Richa never smiled, always wearing that cold, unreadable expression. Kyle could never tell if Richa was angry or pleased.

"Did you come here to have breakfast with me?" Richa asked, his gaze never leaving Kyle, sharp and piercing.

"No, no," Kyle quickly waved his hands, denying it, his eyes full of fear.

Richa didn't say anything, but his eyes questioned Kyle, clearly expecting more.

Understanding Richa's unspoken demand, Kyle felt even more at a loss. He nervously glanced at Mark, who was hiding behind a car. But Mark wasn't paying attention to Kyle; he was too busy gawking at Richa.

Wow, this guy is seriously handsome! And tall! Probably even taller than Alex.

Mark couldn't shake the feeling that Richa looked familiar. Have I seen him before? But that's impossible. If I had, I'd definitely remember someone as striking as him.

Mark scratched his head, staring intently at Richa, who stood out in the parking garage.

Kyle, getting no help from Mark, anxiously glanced back at Richa, who noticed the furtive looks. Following Kyle's gaze, Richa's eyes narrowed with a chilling, dangerous glint.

Oh no, he saw me!

Mark quickly ducked behind the car again, heart pounding. Damn, his stare was terrifying. Is he angry at me?

Richa began walking towards Mark, his gaze unwavering. Kyle, in a panic, jumped up and flailed his arms, trying to block Richa's line of sight, despite being too short to do so effectively.

"Who is he?" Richa asked, his tone icy as he looked down at the flustered Kyle.

"I… I don't know what you're talking about," Kyle stammered, too scared to admit anything.

Richa's mood darkened at Kyle's denial. Ignoring Kyle's weak protest, he continued his steady advance toward Mark.

Panicking, Kyle rushed to keep up, wrapping his arms around Richa's waist and yelling at Mark, "Run, hurry!"

"I'm not leaving you with this scumbag!" Mark shouted back, anger flaring as he climbed onto the car. Using the roof as leverage, he launched himself at Richa, swinging the baseball bat down with all his might.

Richa frowned and, with a powerful grip, caught the bat mid-swing. With a flick of his wrist, he sent Mark sprawling onto the ground.

"Shit!" Mark cursed, hitting the ground hard and smacking his nose in the process.

"Mark!" Kyle cried out in horror, letting go of Richa to rush to Mark's side and help him up.

"Are you okay? Please don't scare me, Mark," Kyle's voice quivered as tears welled up in his eyes, blurring his vision.

Mark, touching the blood trickling from his nose, grimaced. "I'm bleeding."

"I-I'll help you clean it up. Just wait a second." Kyle fumbled to pull tissues from his pocket, tilting Mark's head back and stuffing a wad into his nose.

"I'm so sorry, Mark. This is all my fault," Kyle sobbed, tears streaming down his face as he wiped them away, only for more to fall.

"It's not your fault. This guy's a monster. I jumped down with all my strength, and he still managed to catch the bat," Mark grumbled, pinching his nose.

"But… but you got hurt because of me," Kyle whimpered, his tears flowing freely. He didn't want to cry, but seeing Mark bleeding had scared him.

"I chose to come here myself. It's not your fault," Mark said firmly. He picked up the bat, stood, and placed himself protectively in front of Kyle. Pointing the bat at Richa, he snarled, "So you're the bastard who hurt Kyle, huh?"

Richa, eyeing Mark up and down, noticed he was around Kyle's age. And sharing the same last name—Ye—made Richa suspect he might be the cousin Kyle was staying with.

"Are you deaf? Answer me!" Mark snapped, teeth clenched in frustration at being ignored.

"I don't recall ever hurting Kyle," Richa finally responded, his voice and expression as cold as ever.

"You scumbag! You used him and now want to deny it?" Mark's anger surged as he lunged at Richa again, but Kyle held him back, crying, "You can't beat him. Let's just leave, please!"

"We can't just let this slide," Mark argued, still seething.

"Ah, damn it! I should've let the bodyguard come in with us," Mark muttered in frustration. Earlier, he had instructed Black to wait outside the basement, fearing the bodyguard might complicate things.

"Please, let's go. I don't care about justice anymore," Kyle pleaded, his crying intensifying. He was terrified that Mark might get hurt again.

Mark opened his mouth to argue, but before he could say anything, Richa coldly commanded, "Come here."

"In your dreams," Mark snapped, pulling Kyle back behind him.

"You don't want him to get hurt, do you?" Richa's voice was a chilling reminder as he continued to ignore Mark, directing his words at Kyle.

Kyle, now more frightened than ever, looked at Mark for reassurance.

"Don't go to him," Mark warned, gripping Kyle's hand tightly.

Kyle shook his head, tears still falling, and whispered, "I'll handle this myself. You wait for me downstairs."

"What? No way. I'm staying with you," Mark insisted, his voice loud and firm.

"I don't want you to get hurt," Kyle pleaded, his eyes filled with desperation.

Mark started to protest, but seeing the look in Kyle's eyes, he gave in, scratching his head in frustration. "Fine. I'll wait downstairs. Call me if anything happens."

"Okay," Kyle nodded, wiping his tears and hurriedly walking toward Richa.

Richa grabbed Kyle by the arm and led him to the elevator without another word.

Kyle was trembling with fear, but he didn't dare resist as Richa guided him into the elevator.

Once they returned to Richa's office, Kyle bit his lip, fighting back tears as Richa pulled him inside.

As the door shut behind them, Kyle's heart pounded, terrified of what might happen.

But instead of the punishment he feared, Richa unexpectedly picked Kyle up, swiping the items off his desk and placing Kyle on top of it.

### Chapter 68: Suspicions of Another Man

"If you… if you try to hit me, I'll fight back," Kyle stammered, raising his hands to protect his face, though his voice trembled with fear.

"Who said I was going to hit you?" Richa asked, his tone calm but devoid of warmth.

Kyle, stunned by the unexpected reply, slowly lowered his hands, staring up at Richa in confusion.

This isn't what I expected at all.

Kyle's mind spun in bewilderment, unsure of what to make of the situation.

Richa remained silent, his expression unreadable as he stared back at Kyle.

The prolonged silence made Kyle even more uneasy. Richa's quiet intensity was terrifying.

Is he angry because I brought Mark here? Is that why he's acting like this?

Kyle's anxiety grew, his thoughts spiraling as he tried to figure out what Richa might do next.

Suddenly, Richa leaned in and kissed him, catching Kyle completely off guard. He froze, his mind going blank.

Outside the office, Noah and the others had gathered, worried about what might happen inside.

They had seen Richa drag Kyle into the office with a stern expression and feared the worst, so they lingered outside, listening.

"Boss looked really angry earlier. Do you think he might hurt Kyle?" one of them speculated.

"I don't think so. The boss isn't the type to hit his spouse," another replied.

"Yeah, true," someone else agreed.

"But Kyle's pretty brave, huh? The boss hasn't seen him for a month, and he still dared to come here on his own. Isn't that like walking into the lion's den?"

"Too young to understand how scary men can be."

The group expressed their sympathy for Kyle.

"Why are you all standing around? Get back to work!" Noah barked, kicking one of them in the leg and pointing to the side, signaling them to scatter.

But the men were reluctant to leave. "It's not every day we get to hear the boss on a date, especially with a guy," one of them argued.

"Yeah, we're just curious," another added.

"Curious, my ass! Get moving, or have you all finished protecting your clients?" Noah wasn't having any of it and kicked them again, harder this time.

Rubbing their sore legs, the men mumbled their complaints. "Aren't you curious?"

"Yeah, it's not like we get to see something like this every day."

"I have no interest. Now get lost," Noah snapped, making it clear he wasn't intrigued by what might be happening inside the office. After all, Noah was gay himself.

The men pouted but didn't argue further, sulking as they reluctantly returned to work.

Leo, who had stayed behind, raised an eyebrow mischievously and

 asked Noah, "You're awfully calm about this. Don't tell me you've got someone too?"

Noah stiffened, the question hitting closer to home than Leo realized.

Holy crap, did I just hit the nail on the head? I was only joking! Could it be that Noah really is into guys?

Leo was shocked, staring at Noah in disbelief. He'd known Noah since their school days, but he'd never suspected his friend might be gay.

"I'm only saying this because I'm your friend, but you should probably give up on the boss. He likes cute guys, and that's not you," Leo sighed, patting Noah's shoulder as if to console him.

Noah's expression darkened, and he shot Leo a glare. "Who said I like the boss?"

"You're always hanging around him, aren't you?" Leo said, puzzled by Noah's reaction.

Noah felt like his head was about to explode from frustration. He was Richa's right-hand man; of course, he spent a lot of time with him!

"I suggest you get your brain checked," Noah retorted, turning to leave, thinking Leo was an idiot.

Leo chuckled as he followed, still teasing. "Your reaction proves I was right. If it's not the boss, then is it someone in the company?"

"This is none of your business," Noah snapped, his voice icy as he continued walking.

"Could it be… Feder?" Leo ventured.

Noah froze mid-step, his eyes widening in shock.