The account balance was real.
Elian stared at it from the privacy of the guest bathroom, the phone screen trembling slightly in his hand. The transfer had gone through. Every cent Leonhart promised. More than enough to disappear.
It should've felt like victory.
Instead, it felt like standing on the edge of a cliff.
Not fear.
Not regret.
Just a cold, bracing wind.
---
Leonhart didn't knock when he entered the room that night.
He found Elian sitting on the bed, shirt unbuttoned, collarbones catching the moonlight.
"You didn't text me back."
"I was busy."
Leonhart's jaw tightened. "With what?"
Elian's gaze was cool. "Packing."
A beat of silence.
Leonhart strode across the room in two steps and yanked the closet door open.
There was a suitcase inside. Half-filled. Neat. Folded with clinical care.
He turned to Elian, voice low. "So that's it? I give you everything—and you leave?"
"You gave me money," Elian said. "Not a reason to stay."
Leonhart's eyes burned.
"Don't play innocent," he said. "You've let me inside you. You've moaned my name. You've kissed me like you meant it."
Elian stood, slowly.
His voice was quiet, merciless. "I kissed you like I was paid to."
Leonhart's expression shattered.
And then, in a blur of movement, he grabbed Elian's wrist and shoved him back onto the bed—not hurting him, but gripping him like a drowning man clings to a rope.
"You're not going anywhere."
Elian didn't struggle.
He just stared up at him, voice like ice under silk. "You can't buy someone who was never for sale."
---
That night, Leonhart didn't touch him.
Not really.
He sat beside him in bed, staring at the wall, one hand tangled in Elian's shirt like he was afraid the moment he let go, Elian would vanish.
He was right.
Because Elian had already made his decision.
The resignation letter was written. The train ticket booked.
One more sunrise.
And it would all be over.
---
Chapter 10 Preview:
Elian leaves.
Leonhart reacts—violently, emotionally, and not like a man used to losing.
A final confrontation where Leonhart begs…and Elian walks away.