The rain poured relentlessly against the glass walls of the Royal Skye Hotel, drawing streaks like tears across its flawless surface. Inside, golden chandeliers glowed against polished marble floors, the hush of late-night luxury cloaking everything in an eerie calm.
Aiden stepped through the entrance—phone in one hand, a sleek black umbrella in the other. His tailored coat hugged his tall, commanding frame. His expression, as always, was unreadable.
> "Prepare the boardroom for tomorrow. I want the revised numbers on my desk by 9 a.m.," he said coldly into the phone before ending the call without waiting for a reply.
He hated hotels.
Too loud. Too fake.
Too full of people pretending to care.
He moved toward the elevator, his shoes clicking softly on the marble—when suddenly, someone slammed into him.
Aiden staggered a half-step back, blinking in surprise. A boy—barely nineteen—stood in front of him. Soaked. Barefoot. Trembling.
> "P-please…" the boy gasped, clinging to Aiden's coat with shaking fingers. "Please help me… They're going to—"
His voice broke. "They sold me…"
Behind them, heavy footsteps echoed from the hallway.
Aiden's eyes dropped to the boy's frame. He was too thin. His oversized shirt clung to his soaked skin. And those eyes—wide, frightened, desperate—stabbed into something long-buried in Aiden's chest.
> "Found him!" a man's voice barked behind them.
The boy flinched violently, instinctively trying to run, but Aiden didn't move. He turned instead, cool and composed.
> "Is there a problem?" he asked, voice sharp as ice.
The hotel manager, flushed and panting, forced a nervous smile.
> "No, sir. That boy—he's just a helper. Got disoriented. We'll take him back."
> "Is that so?" Aiden's tone dropped an octave. "Because he just told me he was sold."
The manager faltered, eyes flicking between the boy and Aiden.
> "I-I'm sure it's… just a misunderstanding."
Aiden ignored him and looked down.
> "What's your name?" he asked softly.
> "…Yuuto," the boy whispered.
> "Come with me."
> "W-what?" the manager blinked. "Sir—"
Aiden reached into his coat and pulled out his phone.
> "I'm buying this hotel. Effective immediately. And he's leaving with me."
> "Wh-what?!"
> "My legal team will handle the paperwork. Until then—" He shrugged off his coat and wrapped it gently around Yuuto's shaking shoulders. "You belong to no one. Not anymore."
Yuuto stared at him, lips trembling, eyes flooding with silent tears. Then, he nodded.
Aiden turned back to the stunned manager.
> "Tell whoever claims to 'own' him to call my lawyers—if they can survive the lawsuit."
Without another glance, he led Yuuto out into the storm. The cold wind hit them instantly—but for the first time in years, Aiden felt something warm bloom quietly inside his frozen chest.
And Yuuto…
He had no idea that the man who just saved him was the loneliest soul in the world.
A man with a clock ticking silently inside him.