No Time for You, We’re in Love

Damn it, am I sick or something? Why would I even think of something like that? Mark wondered, suddenly realizing he kind of wanted to see Alex. He nearly bashed his head against the wall in frustration. 

No, no, Mark, you have to get a grip. Kyle might be in danger! You can't let yourself get distracted by Alex's sweet talk.

Mark pinched his thigh hard, trying to bring himself back to reality. Just as he regained a bit of clarity, Alex's deep, urgent voice came through the phone, "Wife, I want to see you. I want to see you right now."

How could someone like Mark resist the charm of an experienced fox like Alex? He was immediately drawn back in.

Damn this bastard! Why does he have to use that voice on me? It's impossible to ignore him!

Mark felt both angry and embarrassed. 

"Wife, hurry and come to me. Or else, I'll come to get you. And if I have to do that, it won't be as simple as just bringing you back, understand?" Alex's voice was full of mischief, the kind that made Mark's heart race.

Like hell, I don't understand! If he comes to find me, he'll probably start something right in front of everyone.

Mark knew Alex too well. He cursed him inwardly but didn't hate him for it. 

"I really do have something to do. I'll come to you after I'm done," Mark said, softening his tone.

Alex frowned. "How long?"

"I-I don't know. An hour, maybe longer," Mark answered hesitantly.

"No, thirty minutes," Alex demanded, his tone firm.

Mark was speechless. "It takes half an hour just to get from here to your office!"

"Then come back now. You can shop any time, but if you like, I'll take you out another day and buy the entire mall for you. You can shop as much as you want," Alex declared, his tone dripping with authority.

Mark rolled his eyes and snapped, "Are you out of your mind? Why would you buy an entire mall? Do you have too much money and nothing better to do?"

To Mark, Alex's extravagance was just plain crazy.

"One hour, no more. If you're not back by then, I'll come get you, and you won't be leaving the bedroom tomorrow. Got it?" Alex said, all business.

Mark was furious. He yelled into the phone, "The more you threaten me, the less I want to go back. Goodbye!" 

With that, Mark hung up, seething with anger.

"Damn that bastard! How dare he threaten me?" Mark was beside himself, practically wanting to smash his phone into pieces.

Meanwhile, Alex, who had just been hung up on, frowned deeply as he stared at his phone's screen.

He thought about texting Black to have him bring Mark to the office but worried it would make Mark even angrier, so he decided against it.

As he looked up at Howard, who had come in to deliver some documents, he asked, "What would Rick have to do to make you happy?"

Alex figured he might get some insight from Howard, as they were both in similar situations.

But he had asked the wrong person. Howard responded flatly, "He could drop dead, and I'd be thrilled."

With that, Howard adjusted his glasses and walked out, not wanting to talk to Alex any longer since he had hit a sore spot.

Alex suddenly felt a bit sorry for Rick. Howard was a hundred times harder to please than his own wife.

"I shouldn't have rushed things earlier. I should've softened him up first," Alex muttered, frustrated.

No matter how difficult the work was, Alex could handle it. But when it came to Mark, nothing seemed to work.

"What if he gets so mad that he won't stay with me?" The more Alex thought about it, the more irritated he became. He regretted being harsh with Mark earlier.

But over with Mark, his anger dissipated quickly, leaving him blushing without even realizing it. Was it because Alex had said he wanted to see him? The thought made Mark oddly happy.

No, no, Mark, snap out of it. Kyle's situation is more important. You can't get distracted by that bastard Alex.

Mark slapped his cheeks, trying to calm himself down.

At that moment, Kyle emerged from the building, hurrying out of the entrance.

Mark immediately ran over, worriedly looking Kyle over. "Are you okay? That bastard uncle didn't bully you, did he?"

Hearing the word "bully," Kyle's face flushed, and he looked flustered.

What's that reaction supposed to mean? Did he get bullied, or not? It doesn't look like it, though.

Kyle's response left Mark confused until he noticed several red marks on Kyle's neck.

"Did a mosquito bite you?" Mark asked, pointing to the spots on Kyle's neck.

Kyle quickly covered his neck, his face turning beet red.

What the—?

Mark was puzzled for a moment, then suddenly realized what had happened, his face also flushing.

Damn it! So they just finished doing it before coming down to see me?

Wait, what happened to the whole "jerk" thing? Weren't we supposed to beat him up? How did it turn into this?

Mark's expression shifted rapidly, from shock to disbelief, to confusion.

Feeling embarrassed under Mark's gaze, Kyle tried to explain, "I think I misunderstood him. He didn't mean to break up with me. He just didn't contact me because he was on a business trip."

"So, you guys just… ignited a flame, huh?" Mark said, exasperated. He had worried for so long, only for these two to be too busy being lovey-dovey to care about him.

"I-I didn't mean for that to happen. He's just so clingy, and I couldn't help it," Kyle stammered, his face red as he looked down in embarrassment.

Mark sighed in resignation. So, what was I so upset about this whole time?

"Well, as long as you're okay, that's all that matters," Mark said, accepting the situation. After all, he was happy that Kyle hadn't ended up with a jerk.

"I'm really sorry. I should've understood the situation better, and I dragged you into this mess," Kyle apologized, lowering his head.

"It's fine. None of this matters anymore. The important thing is you're still together," Mark said, feeling relieved that he hadn't ended up injuring the uncle.

Thinking back to the parking garage, Mark was impressed. "Your uncle seems pretty tough. What kind of business is he in?" Mark asked, curious. The man had an impressive physique, clearly someone who worked out regularly.

"I'm not really sure what kind of business he's in. He never talks about it. But I did notice that all the employees I saw today were really big and looked well-trained," Kyle said.

"Big and well-trained? Could it be some kind of security firm?" Mark guessed.

Kyle shook his head, admitting he was clueless about it.

Mark sighed. "As long as he's a good person, that's all that matters."

At this point, Mark wasn't interested in knowing more about the man's profession. It wasn't really his concern.

"He is a good person. Definitely not a bad guy," Kyle said softly, blushing.

Seeing the sweet smile on Kyle's face, Mark couldn't help but smile too.

It looks like they're happy together. I don't need to worry anymore.

"Oh, by the way, I'm not going back to Alex's place. I'll stay at my uncle's house," Kyle said.

"No problem, I'll let Alex know," Mark replied with a grin.

Kyle hesitated, almost wanting to say something. He wanted to remind Mark that this meant he would have to spend more time alone with Alex.

But Alex wouldn't force Mark into anything, right? He probably wouldn't do anything too extreme.

Kyle decided not to mention his concern. He didn't want to risk Alex's wrath. He still wanted to live, after all.

"Then I'll have your luggage sent to your uncle's house. Just give me the address," Mark said, pulling out his phone.

Kyle was momentarily confused before he asked, "What luggage?"

"The luggage you brought with you when you went to Alex's house," Mark replied.

Kyle froze, only now realizing that the luggage was his.

"Don't need it?" Mark asked, looking straight at Kyle.

"N-no, I'll go get it myself when I have time. I have clothes at my uncle's place," Kyle hurriedly explained, not wanting to admit the truth.

Mark didn't suspect anything and said, "Alright. Whenever you want it, just give me a call."

Kyle nodded quickly, relieved that Mark didn't press the issue.

"But it's weird. I feel like I've seen your uncle somewhere before, but I can't place him," Mark mused, rubbing his chin as he tried to remember. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't recall meeting Richa.

"Right, right! When I saw Alex, I felt the same way—like I'd seen him before but couldn't remember where," Kyle said, suddenly excited.

"Exactly! It's like they're familiar, but you can't figure out why."

"Yeah, yeah! Same here."

The two of them, with their synchronized expressions and reactions, were so cute that the driver couldn't help but feel confused.

What's going on? Do they not know why those two look familiar?

Could it be that they don't know each other's identities?

The driver's face

 darkened as he realized that the two masters might be causing more trouble than they realized.