Elisha opened his mouth to say something, but Henry immediately reached for the desk phone to call security.
Elisha raised a hand. "Fine. I’ll leave."
Without another word, he turned around and walked toward the door. Just as his hand reached for the handle, it swung open from the outside, revealing Henry’s assistant, Cyrus, who was just about to step into the office.
Cyrus instinctively bowed and greeted him respectfully. "Good day, Mr. Edmund."
Elisha didn’t even glance at him. He simply walked past him without a word, stepping into the corridor and walking away.
Cyrus watched him go for a moment with a puzzled frown before shaking it off and walking over to Henry’s desk.
"Sir," Cyrus said, placing a thick envelope with gold lettering on the desk. "I’m here to deliver an invitation."
Henry didn’t look up from his screen, his jaw still tight from the argument. "Leave it on the desk, Cyrus. I’m busy."
"It’s not just any invitation, sir," Cyrus said, setting the envelope down carefully. "It’s from the Royal Palace. You’ve been formally invited to the upcoming Royal Banquet."
Henry looked up from his screen, a faint frown forming between his brows. "The Royal Banquet?"
Cyrus nodded. "Yes, sir."
"Alright."
Cyrus bowed his head respectfully and turned to leave, but before he could take a step, Henry’s voice stopped him.
"Wait. Do you happen to know if Elisha was invited as well?"
Cyrus paused and turned back. "Yes, sir. I heard that Mr. Edmund was invited as well."
"Alright. You can go."
Cyrus gave another brief nod and left the office, pulling the door shut behind him.
The moment the door closed, Henry let out a long breath and leaned back in his chair, his mind still caught up in everything that had just happened.
His thoughts slowly returned to the night three months ago, the night that had changed everything between them.
THREE MONTHS EARLIER...
The rain poured heavily over Northway City as Henry and Elisha arrived at Henry’s mansion after a long day. They had just closed a billion-dollar contract, and both of them were in a good mood from the victory.
The moment they stepped inside, Henry loosened his tie and kicked off his shoes. "We deserve a proper celebration tonight."
Elisha laughed as he followed him into the living room. "I was waiting for you to say that."
They didn’t need anyone else around. Whenever they had something worth celebrating, it was usually just the two of them. Their friendship had always been that close.
Henry went to the drinks cabinet and pulled out a bottle of whiskey. "Tonight, we’re drinking until we forget how much work that contract gave us."
"You say that like you can actually handle your alcohol."
Henry looked at him with a grin. "Watch me."
They poured themselves drinks and settled onto the couch, talking about the contract and laughing about everything that had gone wrong during the negotiations. One drink became two, then three, and before long, neither of them was paying attention to how much they had actually consumed.
The rain continued to fall outside while their laughter filled the room. By the time they finally decided to go upstairs, both of them were drunk enough that walking in a straight line had become difficult. Elisha grabbed Henry’s shoulder when he stumbled, and Henry laughed as he held onto him.
"You’re drunk," Henry mumbled.
Elisha shook his head. "So are you."
Henry frowned and tried to straighten himself. "I’m not."
Elisha laughed. "You nearly fell."
Henry laughed again and leaned more heavily against him. "Then don’t let me fall."
Elisha smiled, but he didn’t let go.
They eventually made it to the bedroom and collapsed onto the bed. Henry turned onto his side, facing Elisha, while Elisha lay beside him, his eyes already heavy from the alcohol.
They continued talking for a while, their voices becoming quieter as the night went on. Henry watched Elisha through half-lidded eyes, his heart beating a little faster than it should have.
He had loved his best friend for a long time. He had never said it, never dared to, because he was too afraid of losing the friendship they had spent their entire lives building.
That night, however, neither of them was thinking clearly enough to remember all the reasons they had always kept that line between them.
When their eyes met, neither looked away.
Elisha moved closer, and Henry didn’t pull away.
Their lips met, and for a moment, everything around them seemed to disappear. What started as a hesitant kiss quickly became deeper and more intense, and before either of them could think clearly, the boundaries of their twenty-year friendship had disappeared.
By the time they finally fell asleep, neither of them knew how much their lives had changed.
The following morning, Elisha woke first.
His head was pounding, and for a few seconds, he couldn’t remember where he was. Then he turned his head and saw Henry sleeping beside him.
The memories of the night before came back all at once.
The drinking. The kiss. Everything that had happened after.
Elisha’s expression changed immediately.
He sat up and glanced at Henry, who was still asleep, then looked around the room as if he could somehow convince himself that it had all been a dream. But he knew it hadn’t.
He quickly got out of bed and gathered his clothes. He didn’t wake Henry, and he didn’t leave a note. He simply dressed, grabbed his things, and walked out of the house before Henry could wake up.
Several hours later, Henry finally opened his eyes, wincing at the dull headache pounding through his head. He groaned and rubbed his face before slowly sitting up against the headboard. A sharp ache ran through his body, making him pause for a moment. He reached blindly for the glass of water on the nightstand, but before his fingers could reach it, the memories of the night before suddenly came rushing back.
The alcohol haze parted, replaced by an intense, burning heat. He remembered being pushed down into the mattress, the rough friction of the sheets against his skin, and the overwhelming stretch of taking his best friend’s cock deep inside him. It was his first time— raw, overpowering, and utterly consuming. Completely wrecked, yet he had never felt so painfully alive.
Every single thrust, every harsh gasp, every bruising grip of hands on his hips was branded into his mind, crystal clear.
His eyes flew open.
Henry immediately turned toward the other side of the bed. Empty. The sheets were cold and messy, but Elisha was nowhere to be seen.
"Elisha?" he called, his voice rough from sleep.
No answer.
Henry reached for his phone and quickly dialed Elisha’s number. It rang several times before the call ended without an answer. He tried again. Still nothing.
He called several more times, but Elisha didn’t pick up.
Henry stared at the phone in his hand, confusion slowly settling in.
Where was he?
He got out of bed, took a quick shower, and headed to Elisha’s company. But when he arrived, he was told that Elisha hadn’t come in that day.
Henry tried calling him again throughout the afternoon, but every call went unanswered.
By evening, Henry couldn’t take it anymore. He told his driver to take him to Elisha’s estate. When they arrived, Henry stepped out of the car and walked straight to the entrance. He entered the password, and the door unlocked immediately.
Henry stepped inside and looked around the quiet house. "Elisha?"
Before he could turn toward the hallway leading to Elisha’s room, the housemaid hurried over, her footsteps rushing against the marble floor. "Sir," she said quickly, her eyes darting away. "Mr. Edmund has a visitor."
Henry frowned. "What visitor?"
The maid lowered her gaze further. "Mr. Edmund’s girlfriend is here."
"What?"
Before Henry could say another word, the master bedroom door clicked open. Elisha stepped out, wearing only a towel loosely slung around his waist, water droplets still dripping from his dark hair as if he had just stepped out of the shower.
Henry froze, his breath catching in his throat for a second before he forced his expression flat. He pushed past the distraction, his voice cutting through the quiet. "We need to talk."
Sensing the heavy tension, the maid quickly bowed her head and slipped away, leaving the two of them alone.
Elisha didn’t give him a chance to speak. The moment the maid was out of earshot, he shut him down. "I’m busy, Henry. My girlfriend is here, and if you’re here to talk about last night, forget it. There’s nothing to talk about. We were drunk, it was a mistake, and it shouldn’t have happened. You don’t want to ruin our friendship over this, do you?"
He didn’t give Henry a single second to reply, waving a dismissive hand. "Just forget it, and let’s pretend it never happened, Henry."
Henry’s voice rose, disbelief written across his face. "Elisha, did you just say there’s nothing to talk about? You want me to go home and pretend none of it happened?" He stepped closer. "We crossed a line, Elisha. We spent the entire night together—"
"I said forget it," Elisha snapped, his jaw tightening. "It was a mistake. We were drunk, we celebrated too much, and it meant nothing."
"It didn’t mean nothing!" Henry stepped closer, his voice breaking with frustration. "I felt it. You felt it too. Don’t stand there and act like it was just some meaningless mistake."
Elisha’s expression hardened. He looked down at Henry with a cold, distant look.
"What do you want me to do, Henry? Do you want me to take responsibility because I slept with you?" Elisha scoffed, shaking his head. "It’s unnatural. We’re best friends. It’s disgusting that it even happened. Consider it a drunken mistake, and never, ever bring it up again."
The words hit Henry hard. His face went pale, and for a moment, he couldn’t find anything to say.
"Disgusting..." Henry whispered, the word barely leaving his lips.
"Drop it," Elisha said coldly, turning his back on him. "Go home, Henry. And don’t ever talk about that night again."
Henry stood there silently, his hands trembling with anger and hurt. He wanted to say something, but the words wouldn’t come. In the end, he turned around and walked out, closing the door behind him.
Back in the present, Henry let out a quiet sigh as his thoughts returned to that night three months ago. Elisha had made his feelings clear. He had called what happened disgusting, pushed Henry away, and made it clear that he wanted nothing beyond their friendship.
So why was he here now?
Why had Elisha stormed into his office the moment he heard Henry was getting married?
Henry didn’t have an answer.
Knock. Knock.
The sharp sound at the office door pulled Henry out of his thoughts.