The Ones Who See Everything
Liam had always believed that friends were a luxury for people who had time to fall apart.
Yet here they were—his constant.
Eli, leaning against the cracked wall of their apartment, eyes sharp enough to slice lies in half.
Noah, curled into the corner of the couch, quiet but watching everything.
Jax, sprawled on the floor like the world couldn't touch him, laughter always a second away from recklessness.
They knew Liam before the suits. Before the penthouse views. Before Dominic De Luca.
"You're different," Eli said, breaking the silence. Not accusing—observing.
Liam didn't answer.
"You smile like someone who's borrowed happiness," Noah added softly. "Like it might be taken back."
Jax snorted. "And you flinch when your phone buzzes. That's never a good sign."
Liam exhaled slowly. "He's not what you think."
"That's exactly what scares us," Eli replied.
They weren't judging. They were afraid—for him.
Across the city, in a world built on glass and blood, Dominic sat with his own shadows.
Victor, standing rigid near the window, eyes calculating risk like a chessboard.
Marco, swirling whiskey, grin lazy but watching Dominic closely.
Sebastian, silent as a blade, loyalty stitched into his bones.
"He's your weakness," Victor said plainly.
Dominic didn't deny it.
"He's your humanity," Marco countered, softer than expected.
Sebastian finally spoke. "And humanity gets people killed."
Dominic's fingers tightened around his glass.
Liam didn't know this—but the moment he entered Dominic's life, the balance shifted.
Not just for Dominic.
For all of them.
Because something dangerous was happening.
Eli's gaze lingered a second too long on Victor's reflection in a passing car window.
Marco's smile softened when Noah met his eyes at a distance.
Sebastian noticed the way Jax never looked away from danger—only leaned toward it.
Six lives.
Six futures bending slowly toward collision.
That night, when Liam returned to Dominic's penthouse, the air felt heavier.
Dominic stood near the window, city lights painting sharp lines across his face. Powerful. Controlled. Distant.
"You didn't tell them about me," Dominic said.
"I didn't ask permission," Liam replied.
A beat of tension snapped between them.
"You live in my world now," Dominic said quietly.
Liam stepped closer, eyes steady. "Then let me see it. Don't lock me out."
For a moment, Dominic almost reached for him.
Almost.
But fear—real, untrained fear—held him back.
And that was the beginning of the cracks.