hidingwriter

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's eyes burned as he stared at the glowing screen. His hands ached from typing. The numbers on the report blurred together, but he forced himself to keep going.

This project was a test. Rylan had made that clear. And if he messed this up…

A sharp knock snapped him out of his thoughts. The door opened before he could respond—Rylan.

Taro quickly straightened in his chair. "I was just about to finalize the report—"

Rylan raised a hand, stopping him. "Relax." He walked in, scanning the screen over Taro's shoulder. His lips curved slightly. "You work hard. I like that."

Taro exhaled, tension easing—until Rylan's fingers tapped the desk.

Rylan picked up a printed sheet from the desk, turning it toward him. "Here." His tone was calm, almost too calm.

Taro's eyes skimmed the document—then his chest clenched. A calculation error. Small, but noticeable.

"I—I'll fix it." He reached for the keyboard, but Rylan didn't move.

"You will." Rylan's voice was smooth. "But mistakes like this? They tell me you're distracted."

Taro swallowed. "I'm not. I just—"

Rylan let out a thoughtful hum. "It happens. Especially to people who overthink. People who compare themselves too much."

Rylan's tone remained light, but there was a sharpness beneath it. "You ever notice how some people have everything handed to them? No struggle, no proving themselves—they just exist, and that's enough?"

Taro's grip on the desk tightened.

Of course, he noticed. He noticed all the time.

Rylan chuckled softly. "People like us? We don't get that luxury. We have to earn our place. And if we make mistakes…" He paused, letting the words hang. "Well. You know how it is."

Rylan sighed, pushing the paper back toward him. "Fix it. And don't let this happen again."

Rylan gave him one last look before leaving.

As soon as the door shut, Taro let out a slow breath, pressing his hands against his temples.

He didn't need distractions. He didn't need doubt. He just needed to prove himself.

Chapter 22 – Cracks in the Foundation