Titan 199

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Yolanda’s cheeks flushed with anger as she grabbed a bottle of water from the side, opened it, and took a sip.

“Leo, are you really that immature?” she snapped.

No way it was actual poison. He was just messing around–typical Leo, always pulling pranks like this ever since they were kids.

Leo felt a tightness in his chest as he watched her continue to drink, as if he’d actually given her something dangerous.

A few droplets of water clung to her lips, sparkling like tiny crystals.

Standing just outside the window, Leo could catch the faint scent she wore–soft and sweet, tugging at him as if an invisible hand was drawing him closer.

With the way she looked now, she was every bit as dazzling as a blooming peony.

He wanted to taste her, wanted so badly to kiss her–to reach out and feel her warmth.

He longed to touch her, to pull her close.

But just as he was about to move, her phone rang again.

Yolanda immediately hit answer, didn’t spare Leo a glance, and said, “Yeah, I’m in the lounge. I’ll be right

back.”

Without another word, she turned and walked off.

Leo lingered outside the window, only moving once the trace of her sweet scent finally faded from the air. Then he lowered his gaze to his fingertips.

He remembered how, while pinching that little flower and slipping it into her mouth, his fingers had accidentally brushed against her lips.

He absently rolled his fingertips together, lost in thought, when a voice suddenly cut through. “What are you doing here?”

Leo jumped, whipping around to find Xavier standing there. He scowled. “Damn, are you some kind of ghost? How come you walk without making a sound?”

Whenever someone is feeling guilty, they always end up making a big deal out of everything–acting loud just to cover it up.

Xavier’s scalp tingled with frustration. He snapped, “Leo, I’ve been holding back for ages. You were just glaring at your hand like you were possessed or something. Maybe I should bring in a couple of shamans to exorcise whatever’s gotten into you?”

Leo kept his head down and walked away, his fist still clenched tight, not saying a word–‘Why am I even

9:06 Wed, Oct 22

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getting worked up over this?‘ he thought.

“Leo, seriously, you’ve been acting off lately,” Xavier blurted, sounding half annoyed, half worried.

They’d always been tight–practically grew up joined at the hip–so Xavier could tell in a heartbeat when Leo wasn’t himself.

Back in the day, even if his car got towed, he’d just call to curse a little and get over it. He’d never hole up at home and ghost everyone like this.

If the Lawson family weren’t this stressed out about him, they wouldn’t have basically begged Xavier to get Leo out of the house today.

By the time Leo got back to his private room, he was about to say something when he spotted Ian across the

way.

Ian had a mask and a hat on, but his style was always unique–cold and cool, always keeping everyone at a distance.

Leo thought, ‘He’s here for Yolanda!‘

He instantly bristled, glaring at Ian with barely concealed jealousy and irritation.

Xavier followed Leo’s gaze and saw a young guy with an impressive physique. He definitely didn’t look like one of their crowd.

“Who’s that?” Xavier asked.

Leo wanted to snap back, ‘That’s Yolanda’s little boyfriend—always hanging around, drinking her water like he owns the place.‘

He was still pissed about that stunt Ian pulled on the balcony the other day, putting on a show just to rub it in Leo’s face.

‘Damn it! What a sneaky bastard!‘ Leo fumed to himself.

Leo could feel his scalp prickling with fury; he was about to charge over there, but Xavier grabbed his wrist. “Seriously, Leo? Ready to cause trouble again?”

The whole drama with Tony had only just died down, and for the first time, Xavier realized just how savage Leo could be when pushed.

“So what did he do to piss you off? Give me the details–maybe I can help you sort it out,” Xavier said.

Leo snapped back to reality. ‘Hold on–what did lan ever do to deserve all this?‘ he realized.

Nothing.

He honestly had no idea what was wrong with him, just knew every time he thought about Ian and Yolanda together, nothing felt right.

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Xavier lowered his voice, sounding half warning, half exasperated. “The girls are still waiting for you in the lounge. Quit acting out, man–if you keep this up, Mom and Dad might just set you up with someone for real, just to make sure you stop running wild every day.”

Leo wilted, feeling totally defeated. He shot one last, reluctant glance at Ian’s side of the room before finally turning away and heading back to his private suite.

Ian could feel Leo burning holes into him with that stare, but he didn’t bother to look up. Like, obviously, he already knew who was glaring.

Just another spoiled brat who can’t handle losing. Someone gets triggered the moment their crown slips, Ian thought, barely bothered.

‘Honestly, why get worked up? Sure, I may be the “other guy” now, but Charles–what a joke. The so–called “main dude” is such a blockhead, he’s gonna get dumped soon enough.’

To be real, Ian was the one in charge now–if anyone deserved main character energy, it was him.

‘Yolanda’s only ever going to have me. Leo? Let him keep losing his mind in whatever dark little corner he crawls to, Ian smirked to himself.

He let out a soft, mocking laugh.

But even though Ian tried to act chill, he wasn’t comfortable at all–he really hated when too many people had their eyes on Yolanda.

Lately, she’d been downright irresistible—everything she did just grabbed everyone’s attention.

‘Damn, this is getting on my nerves,’ Ian thought, his eyes growing darker for no obvious reason.

As soon as he stepped into the private suite, the boiling mix of frustration and jealousy in his chest finally started to settle. Ian sank into his seat in silence, letting that storm inside slowly fade away.

Megan already knew what was going on in Ian’s head, especially after witnessing him steal a kiss from Yolanda. For some reason, she couldn’t help but feel a bit awkward now.

The food at this place was amazing, and Megan hadn’t had a chance to visit before. Not wanting things to stay so tense, she tried to lighten up the atmosphere by suggesting they have a drink.

She ordered a couple bottles of pricey wine and gave Yolanda’s shoulder a little nudge.

“Yolanda, you don’t mind, right?” Megan asked, a little anxious.

Yolanda smirked. “I’ve got a black card.”

Megan let out a playful hiss. “Charles might be a total scumbag, but at least he’s not stingy. Time to go all out and treat myself,” she grinned.

She ordered a few bottles of wine that cost over 30 thousand dollars each. Once the drinks arrived, she filled everyone’s glasses to the brim.

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“Drink up! Yolanda, Ian! Here’s to my freedom–let’s celebrate my divorce!” Megan raised her glass high.

Her eyes grew red as she spoke, and she quickly brushed away her tears. “I’m finally out of that draining marriage, and from now on, we’re all going to make it big in this scene! Ian, you’re destined to be a superstar. Yolanda, you’re going to run the show. And me? I’ll always be your sidekick, handling whatever you need! Our unbreakable trio–nothing can tear us apart!”

Yolanda reached out for a toast, giving Ian a look. Only then did he finally follow her lead and join in.

The three of them knocked back their drinks, finishing every last drop.

Megan was clearly feeling it. She knocked back three more drinks, then collapsed over the table, totally letting loose. “I’ve learned the hard way–never trust a guy’s so–called kindness. One day they’re sweet, next day it’s gone. From now on, I’m only chasing money and hotness, nothing else matters! If I ever catch feelings again, just strike me down, seriously–let lightning take me out! I really did myself dirty, getting stuck with Greg when I was barely grown. Didn’t even get the chance for some wild fun…”

With her head buried in her arms, Megan kept mumbling her woes, every word turning into messy sobs. Eventually, she cried herself out and just passed out on the spot.

Yolanda’s head was spinning too–the wine had hit her hard.

She propped her head up with one hand and turned to Ian. “There’s a hotel upstairs. Can you get a room for Megan? She just got her divorce papers today, and she’s pretty emotional.”

Ian nodded, used Megan’s ID to check her in, then he and a staff member escorted Megan up to her room.

But as he stepped back into the hallway, he spotted Charles waiting there.

Charles had his arm snugged around Yolanda’s waist, looking impossibly suave in his suit. He let out a teasing chuckle, “Trying to be like the cool kids and sneak out for drinks now, huh?”

Yolanda wasn’t totally smashed, just a little fuzzy–headed. She blinked up at him, her words soft, almost dazed: “Who spilled and told you I was here?”

Charles gave a sly little grin. “Leo gave me a call,” he said.

‘Leo went out of his way for me? Yeah, right.‘ Yolanda thought, her mind slightly hazy and suspicious.

Yolanda didn’t say a word, just let herself ease into Charles’s arms, head still spinning and staying still.

She carried a subtle scent with her–not perfume, but the clean, comforting fragrance of her shampoo. It was understated, yet completely captivating.

Charles couldn’t hold back anymore. He suddenly pinned her against the wall, lowered his head, and kissed her hard. “If Leo hadn’t called me, just where were you planning to spend the night, huh?”

Earlier tonight, Yolanda had told Charles she was just taking Megan out for dinner–drinks hadn’t even come

So when he found her tipsy now, it caught him completely off guard; he hadn’t expected them to start

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drinking at all.

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As he kissed her, the lingering taste of wine on her lips was unmistakable, blended with her own natural sweetness–almost dizzying.