Flash Marriage: In His Eyes-Chapter 282: Contractual Feelings?

—Damon—

I inspected the recovered goods under the cold warehouse lights. The air smelled of oil, metal, and dust—honest work, the kind that stains your hands even if you never lift a crate. Trackers were already removed. Clean. Precise. Everything accounted for.

I lifted the gemstones—raw brilliance smuggled out of our own mining company and rerouted here. Stolen, yes, but with the quiet blessing of a corrupt government that prefers envelopes to paperwork. Shipping it directly would’ve been sloppy. Too many hands. Too many mouths asking for more. This way, control stays with me.

I sealed the box and took it.

"We’re done here, Caine."

He grabbed what he needed—mostly pieces he’d turn into gifts for his wife. The rest would be fed back into production, into materials and experiments. In the corner sat our newest toys: a newly engineered gun and its matching ammunition. Rare. Efficient. Lethal in a way that respects craftsmanship.

I considered it briefly. Livana would appreciate the balance. Sophia would enjoy the power. Jane—she liked her things... stuffed. I’d set something aside for her too.

Instead of heading home, we diverted to Alyssa’s apartment nearby. The gates opened on command. It was nearly four in the morning. The building hummed with artificial silence.

Caine went straight to the kitchen. I took the stairs.

I knocked on Alyssa’s door. Opened it. She wasn’t there. Someone else slept in her bed.

My jaw tightened.

Lore’s room was next. I didn’t bother knocking.

Alyssa lay sprawled across his bed, something covering her eyes, breathing slow and heavy. On the sofa, someone else snored beneath a blanket.

I closed the door without a sound and went downstairs. One of the bodyguards straightened.

"What time did Lore arrive?"

"Two fifty-nine, boss."

I nodded once.

Caine was already eating leftovers. "What happened?" he asked between bites. "This chicken’s good."

"Let’s sleep here," I said. "Guest room."

"I’ll take Lore’s room." Caine said while chewing loudly.

"Alyssa’s in there," I added casually.

Caine froze. The chicken slipped from his fingers and hit the floor.

"That little bastard—" He bolted upstairs.

I tossed the chicken into the trash, checked the guest room, and turned on the air-conditioning. The hum settled my thoughts.

"Bro," Caine called later, shaken. "Aren’t we going to reprimand them?"

"Alyssa’s probably drunk," I said calmly. "Nothing happened. If something ever does—shotgun wedding."

He snorted. "Yeah. Shotgun wedding with a literal shotgun pointed at Lore."

I set the box on the table, opened it, and let the gems catch the light.

"I’m thinking of making a mini tiara," I said. "For my baby girl."

Caine stared at me for a long moment. "Livana doesn’t look pregnant."

"For my future baby girl."

He shrugged. "Fair."

Dawn crept in while we barely slept. I waited. Patience is a weapon.

I was downstairs with freshly brewed coffee when Lore stumbled in, eyes dead, posture wrecked. He jolted when he saw me.

I sipped. The coffee was bitter—not like the one my wife makes.

"Why is my sister in your room?"

He exhaled hard. "She was drunk. Loud. I put her there so the maid could clean up and won’t wake up Gina."

"Then why didn’t you put her back in her room?" I raised a brow.

"I was tired," he snapped. "Three rounds last night with a girl from my class."

"Nothing happened between you two?" I asked evenly. "With my sister?"

"Nothing!" he barked. He poured warm water into a mug, then prepared two more—probably for the hungover ladies. "She needs to stop getting drunk. Don’t tolerate her."

"I’m leaving," I said, checking my phone. "Since you’re no longer Alyssa’s bodyguard or personal trainer, you can sleep all day. I arranged a driver for her."

"What?" He stared, panicked. "No—" He scrolled furiously on his phone. "Fuck this."

"Relax," I said, patting his shoulder. "Do whatever you want. You can still discipline her." I grinned. "You’re a free man. Just don’t forget protection."

I winked.

He looked utterly wrecked.

Good.

–Alyssa–

I threw up into my bathroom toilet.

Warm water was already waiting for me. I dunked my face into a bowl of ice water. I didn’t breathe for a few seconds—until I was fully awake.

"I’m late," I muttered.

But I still had an hour to prepare, and somehow it didn’t feel like enough. Gina was already doing her makeup.

"Hurry up!" Lore barked.

I pouted. He even stepped into the bathroom and turned on the shower, adjusting the temperature like this was routine.

"Drink your water. Now."

I did. Finished it just as I was about to pull my top off—then I froze when I felt his gaze.

"Hurry up."

He casually left the bathroom and closed the door.

Anyway, I wasn’t really in a hurry. I felt groggy. Heavy. I didn’t want to go to school, but I had to.

Lore helped dry my hair while I did my skincare, and Gina chose my outfit for today.

"No makeup," Lore hissed.

I pouted again and went out with just sunscreen and lip moisturizer. Sunglasses on, we headed to the Jeep Wrangler.

We arrived ten minutes late. The professor looked like he was about to announce a quiz.

Ugh. History early in the morning?

I flipped through my notes and understood absolutely nothing.

I dropped my face onto the book, eyes closing, drifting—until Lore pulled me upright. Gina yawned like she didn’t have a care in the world.

"Review this," he murmured, handing each of us a fast note.

I stared at it, then at him.

"Huh?"

Did he somehow hack the professor’s quiz questions?

I read everything. Suddenly, it all made sense. The mock questions aligned perfectly in my head. Then the professor walked around, telling us to hide our notes and keep only a pen on the table.

I glanced at Lore. He looked serious. Focused.

I had vague memories of last night. I was dramatic. I woke up in Lore’s room. I think he slept on the couch.

Such a gentleman.

Just a few more days. I’d be eighteen. I could date. I could drink more.

I focused on the quiz—it was just a pre-test for midterms anyway. Gina looked confident when we passed our papers. I dropped my face onto the table again and turned toward Lore.

He still looked serious. Too serious.

"What?" he murmured. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"I’m hungry."

He sighed and rubbed his temple.

He must be stressed because of me. Did Livana already tell him he didn’t have to worry anymore?

"Me too," Gina added, her stomach grumbling.

"I’ll get something," Lore said, standing. "Bladder break."

The professor nodded and continued lecturing.

"Lore is our savior," Gina whispered. "Last night was fun. But that drink? Such a pain."

I agreed. She was knocked out after two bottles. I drank... a lot.

After about ten minutes, Lore returned and handed us each a huge bottle of electrolyte drink—plus burgers.

"Finish that."

We nodded obediently.

"Thank you. I love you," Gina said.

Lore winked at her.

I nearly chugged the entire 1000ml bottle. For the rest of the class, we survived purely because of Lore. Then finally—lunch.

"I think I want ramen," I told Gina.

"Whatever’s on the menu."

At the cafeteria, the girl from yesterday—the one clinging to Lore—approached us with a bright smile. She hugged him, completely ignoring Gina and me.

I didn’t want to look. I pulled Gina away and left Lore to deal with his girlfriend.

He’ll start dating now, I thought.

"I miss Chef Wally’s specials," Gina said. "Can we go there?"

"Yup. Tonight?" I grinned, then paused. "Oh—wait. He’s busy. But he has frozen goods. I’ll ask the maid to cook them."

"That’s nice," she nodded.

I glanced back. Lore was still talking to the girl. They looked serious.

Then she looked at me.

"They have sashimi!"

I turned back to the menu and clapped my hands.

"Yay!"

We ate. Lore never showed up.

Later, on our way to art class, that girl approached us again.

"Can I talk to you?" she asked me directly.

I frowned. "Why?"

She glanced at Gina.

"Whatever you say is fine in front of her. Did Lore do something bad to you?"

"It’s about you," she said, her voice rising. "Lore said you two aren’t dating—so we fucked. Then this morning, he suddenly said we can’t do it again."

I frowned.

"How is that connected to me?" I asked calmly. "Lore can do whatever he wants."

"Exactly." She grabbed my wrist. "So please—whatever you two had, end it. You’re stopping him from doing what he wants."

The words hit me harder than I expected.

Lore had a contract with Livana. I was his job.

And now it hurt—because the man who should have freedom seemed tied down because of me.

"Miss, stop," Gina said, gently pushing her away.

I bit my lower lip hard. The physical pain barely registered.

My chest felt tight.

This is my fault.

"I’m not done talking," she snapped, shoving Gina.

I stepped forward.

"Do you really think Lore would like you after this?" I said quietly. "I’m not controlling his life. He’s his own person. Whatever you and him had has nothing to do with me."

We walked away.

Eyes followed us. Whispers. My hands were cold, shaking. Gina held them tightly.

It was the first time someone confronted me because of a boy.

And I hated how much it hurt.