Unexpected Guest

The morning sun was just beginning to creep over the horizon, casting a soft glow across the estate, when Edgar quietly entered Maverick's room.

Maverick was still deep in sleep, his breathing slow and even, when Edgar gently touched his shoulder.

"My lord, you have a guest," Edgar whispered, careful not to startle him too much. "He's waiting in the living room. He mentioned that he is your co-worker from work."

Maverick's eyes snapped open, the words "co-worker from work" sending a jolt of alarm through him. Without a second thought, he leaped out of bed, his heart racing with the fear that something had gone wrong during his absence.

He didn't even bother to dress properly, his mind too preoccupied with the possibility of a crisis.

"Where is Julius?" He asks.

"Lord Weston is still resting." Edgar replied.

He charged out of his room, making a beeline for the guest quarters. He needed Julius—whatever this was about, it had to be something significant if his co-worker had tracked him down here.

Edgar, trailing behind Maverick, called out in a worried tone, "My lord, this is highly improper! Please, calm yourself!"

But Maverick wasn't listening. He burst into Julius's room, where the man was still sprawled across the bed in his usual sloppy sleeping position, his limbs tangled in the sheets.

"Julius, wake up!" Maverick shouted, his voice laced with urgency.

Julius groaned, blinking groggily as he tried to make sense of the sudden disturbance. "What the—? Maverick, what's going on?" he mumbled, still half-asleep.

But Maverick was too wound up to explain. He grabbed Julius by the ear and began dragging him out of bed. "Get up! There's a situation," he insisted, not giving Julius a chance to argue.

"Ow, ow, ow!" Julius yelped, his confusion turning to pain as Maverick continued pulling him along. "Maverick, let go! What's gotten into you?"

Edgar, who had followed them into the room, looked on in dismay. "My lord, please! This is highly inappropriate behavior!" he repeated, wringing his hands.

But Maverick was too focused on the potential crisis to care about propriety. He dragged Julius down the hallway, ignoring his protests and Edgar's admonishments, until they finally reached the living room.

When they arrived, Maverick abruptly released Julius's ear, his eyes scanning the room for the guest. The sight that greeted him was not what he expected.

Standing by the fireplace with a cheerful grin was Louis, Maverick's junior and recent partner before his long break.

"Senior!" Louis exclaimed, waving enthusiastically. "It's good to see you!"

Julius, rubbing his sore ear, glared at Maverick. "What the hell was that for?" he demanded, still wincing from the rough treatment.

Maverick, suddenly realizing his mistake, felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him. "I… I thought something serious had happened," he stammered, glancing sheepishly at Julius.

Louis, who had been oblivious to the drama that had just unfolded, simply laughed. "Serious? Not at all! I just wanted to visit and see how you were doing during your break."

Maverick sighed, finally letting the tension leave his body. "Louis, you nearly gave me a heart attack," he said, shaking his head. "You could have at least mentioned it wasn't an emergency."

"I did ask the chief to send a letter for a heads up, did you not receive it yet?" Louis asks.

Maverick furrowed his brow, "I did receive the letter but…" Maverick takes a turn to look at Julius and Louis. The letter had clearly stated that his recent partner would be visiting him soon, but Maverick hadn't expected two visitors.

Julius, still nursing his sore ear, muttered, "Next time, wake me up like a normal person, would you?"

Before Maverick could gather his thoughts, Louis, who had been grinning cheerfully a moment ago, turned his attention to the disheveled man standing beside Maverick. 

"And who might this gentleman be?" Louis asked, his tone curious but with a hint of suspicion.

Julius, still with his hair in disarray from being hastily pulled out of bed, smirked and introduced himself casually, "I'm Julius Weston, Maverick's partner."

Louis blinked in surprise, and then his expression shifted to one of outright disbelief.

"What are you talking about? Maverick and I are the ultimate partners! We're unmatched in the field. No one could possibly compare to our teamwork," Louis declared with confidence, his chest puffed out as he spoke.

Julius's smirk only widened, a mischievous glint in his eye.

He raised an eyebrow and responded smoothly, "Is that so? Well, let me tell you something, kid. Maverick and I have an experience of relentlessly pursuing our target for two nights straight together. We also have been to Paris—shopping, strolling along the Seine, watching plays, drinking until dawn, and even sharing a room." He let the words hang in the air, savoring the look of irritation on Louis's face.

Louis's annoyance was palpable, his face flushing with anger. "You're lying!" he snapped, clearly offended by Julius's claims. The fact that Julius had called him a "kid" only added fuel to the fire.

At eighteen, Louis was still sensitive about his youthful appearance, and the last thing he wanted was to be seen as less experienced or mature.

Julius shrugged, his nonchalant demeanor only aggravating Louis further. "Believe what you want, but it's the truth," he replied, his tone light but deliberately provoking.

Louis clenched his fists, his eyes narrowing as he prepared to retort, but before the situation could escalate further, Maverick finally snapped out of his daze. 

Realizing that the conversation was quickly spiraling out of control, he stepped between the two, raising his hands in a placating gesture.

"Alright, that's enough," Maverick said firmly, looking between the two of them. "There's no need to argue. Louis, Julius is a colleague of mine, and he's not lying about our work together. But that doesn't change the fact that you and I have been a great team as well. Let's not make this into a competition."

Louis huffed, crossing his arms but reluctantly backing down. Julius, meanwhile, looked thoroughly amused but also didn't push the issue further.

With the immediate tension defused, Maverick took a deep breath and addressed both of them. "Now, let's get things sorted. Julius, you and I need to change into proper clothes. We'll meet you back here, Louis."

Louis nodded, though he still shot Julius a wary glance. Julius, ever the provocateur, gave Louis a wink before turning to follow Maverick out of the room.

Once they were out of earshot, Maverick couldn't help but sigh, glancing at Julius as they made their way to their rooms. "You really know how to stir the pot, don't you?"

Julius chuckled, unbothered. "It's more fun that way. Besides, the kid could use a little toughening up."

Maverick rolled his eyes but didn't argue. 

After changing into more appropriate attire, Maverick and Julius head to the study room. Louis was waiting there, still looking a bit miffed but more composed than before. 

Maverick sat at his desk, with Julius lounging casually in a nearby armchair, one leg draped over the other. Louis, still bristling from their earlier exchange, perched on the edge of a chair across from them.

"So, what brought you here, Louis?" Maverick asked.

Louis straightened up, his youthful face set with determination. "I also requested a break from the chief. I didn't want to work with another partner."

Before Maverick could respond, Julius snorted, unable to resist a dig. "Kid will always be a kid, huh? Can't even handle proper work without an adult holding his hand."

Louis's eyes flared with anger, his fists clenching at Julius's taunt. "I'm not a kid!" he snapped, his voice rising with indignation.

Maverick quickly intervened, raising a hand to stop the brewing argument. "Enough, both of you," he said firmly, his voice cutting through the tension.

He turned his gaze to Julius, who was still smirking. "And for the record, Julius, you're only twenty years old yourself—just two years older than Louis. So, you don't have the right to call him a kid."

Julius blinked in surprise, the smirk faltering slightly. Louis, meanwhile, looked genuinely shocked. He had assumed Julius was much older, given his tall stature, broad shoulders, and the confident air he carried.

Julius's physical presence had made him seem mature and more experienced, but to find out he was only two years his senior left Louis momentarily speechless.

As the realization sank in, Louis couldn't help but secretly glance between Maverick and Julius.

While Julius was undoubtedly taller and broader, with an undeniably attractive appearance, Louis couldn't shake the feeling that Maverick still outshone him. 

Maverick's build was ideal—not overly muscular, but fit and strong. His handsomeness was of a different kind, gentler, more refined, with eyes that seemed to hold a world of understanding.

In the end, Louis couldn't help but decide that Maverick was still the best. He was the kind of person Louis aspired to be like—strong, capable, and yet kind.

A small smile crept onto Louis's face as he looked at Maverick, feeling reassured in his decision to follow him here. 

But when his gaze shifted to Julius, the smile turned into a scowl. He gave Julius an awful look, a silent message that he wasn't going to let this so-called "partner" get under his skin so easily.

Julius noticed the change in Louis's expression and raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed but not particularly bothered. 

Maverick, on the other hand, simply sighed, sensing that the rivalry between the two was far from over.