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Elian Volkov, a world-renowned model and actor with striking emerald-green eyes, has everything-fame, fortune, and admirers across the globe. But beneath the glitz and glamour, he longs for the one person who once made his world feel real: Taro Fujimura, his childhood best friend from Japan. Years have passed without contact, but Elian never forgot their bond. Determined to reunite, he travels to Japan unannounced, showing up at Taro's doorstep with nothing but memories and a hopeful heart.

Taro, now a hardworking manager at a small branch of an international company, has built a modest but stable life with his mother and sister. The sudden reappearance of Elian-a man who now belongs to an entirely different world-shakes him to his core. As he struggles to process their reunion, lingering emotions and unspoken words from the past resurface, challenging everything he thought he had moved on from.

However, Elian's return does not go unnoticed. A powerful billionaire with haunting ruby-red eyes, obsessed with claiming Elian as his own, watches from the shadows. With wealth, influence, and a dangerous level of obsession, he is willing to do whatever it takes to keep Elian by his side-even if it means tearing him away from Taro once again.

As love, desire, and obsession intertwine, Elian finds himself caught between two forces: the warmth of a long-lost friendship that could bloom into something more and the intoxicating pull of a man who refuses to let him go. In a world where love can be both a treasure and a curse, will Elian follow his heart, or will the past and present collide, leading to a fate neither of them expected?

Toxic Gems is a story of rekindled bonds, dangerous attraction, and the fine line between love and possession.

TOXIC GEMS (BL)

Taro sat at his new desk, staring at the stack of reports in front of him. The office space was modern, bigger than what he was used to, and the view overlooked the city skyline.

It was everything he had ever wanted.

So why did it feel so suffocating?

He exhaled sharply, shaking the thought away. This wasn't the time for doubt. Rylan had given him this opportunity. He had trusted him.

For years, he had been stuck in the background—watching people like Elian breeze through life, always having things handed to them.

Elian didn't have to worry about proving himself. People just liked him. People respected him. And even though Elian never looked down on him, Taro couldn't help but feel the distance between them.

He rolled his shoulders back, forcing a smirk. "Alright. Let's do this."

Meanwhile – Elian Notices the Change

Elian frowned at his phone. Taro hadn't responded to his last message.

They usually talked every day, even if it was about stupid things. But ever since the job transfer, Taro had been different.

Elian wasn't the type to pry, but something felt off. He knew Taro well enough to know that deep down, his friend wasn't the most confident guy. If someone gave him too much attention, he'd eat it up—even if it wasn't genuine.

Elian hadn't met him directly, but everything about the situation screamed wrong.

He sighed and put his phone away. He'd give it another day or two. If Taro didn't reach out, he'd make him talk.

Because the last thing Elian wanted was to see his best friend get played.

Chapter 20 – The Weight of Success