Leave Me Alone, Big Brothers! [BL]-Chapter 155: I Will Buy A Land!

They were too focused on hiding behind a large rock that they didn’t notice someone approaching. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Zane was the first to sense someone around them. He turned his head and was so surprised that he screamed without realizing it.

A man stood behind them with his face covered by a black mask.

They froze in place, wanting to leave but unable to move their legs.

"Go home," the man said. His voice was deep. He did not hold any weapon, but his presence was enough to stop their breathing.

"There is nothing for you to see here. Go home."

The teenagers did not wait for a second warning. They scrambled out of the hut, their boots sliding on the slippery stones before hitting the frozen snow.

They ran. They didn’t talk. They didn’t look back to see if the man was following them. The only sounds were their heavy breathing and the rhythmic crunch of snow under their feet.

By the time they reached the edge of the lake, the distance and the freezing air had taken their toll. Zane suddenly stumbled. He clutched his chest, his breath coming in sharp, high-pitched whistles. He bent over, gasping for air that wouldn’t reach his lungs.

"Zane!" Nathan cried out, stopping in his tracks and holding him.

Zane’s face was turning a pale shade of blue in the moonlight. Nathan reached into Zane’s jacket pocket, his fingers fumbling until he found the inhaler. He shook it quickly and pressed it to Zane’s lips.

"Take a breath," Nathan commanded.

Zane took a shaky hit of the medicine, then another. Nathan sat him down on a fallen log near the water’s edge. Nathan looked at Eli, Gabriel, and Nael. They had all stopped, standing in a circle, their eyes wide with terror as they looked back at the dark woods.

"Go," Nathan whispered to them. "Get back to the mansion. I’ll stay here with Zane until he can walk."

"We are not leaving you," Eli said, his voice trembling. He kept glancing toward the tree line, expecting the man from the hut to emerge at any moment.

"I’m serious. If they come back, it’s better if only two of us are caught," Nathan argued.

Zane gripped Nathan’s hand. He was still wheezing, his chest tight. "It’s okay," Zane managed to say between gasps. "Just go. I will... follow later."

Nathan pulled Zane into a tight hug, trying to share his body heat. The wind off the lake was biting. "What are you talking about? I am not leaving you here. We go back together or we don’t go back at all."

The man from the woods did not reappear, but the silence of the lake felt dangerous. Every snap of a twig sounded like a sniper’s rifle.

Gabriel stepped forward. He looked at Zane’s struggling form and then at the long path back to the mansion. He knelt down in the snow, turning his back to Zane.

"Get on my back," Gabriel ordered.

Zane looked at him, surprised. "No... I’m okay. I can walk."

"You weigh nothing, Leinster. Get on my back before I throw you over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes!" Gabriel snapped. He stayed in the snow, waiting.

Zane looked at Nathan. Nathan gave him a small nod, his eyes pleading. Zane felt a flush of embarrassment, but he knew he couldn’t sprint another hundred yards. He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Gabriel’s thick neck. Gabriel stood up with a grunt, adjusting Zane’s weight easily.

They moved again, a frantic group of shadows rushing toward the mansion. Gabriel didn’t slow down, his athletic build allowing him to carry Zane without losing his breath. They reached the side door, burst inside, and didn’t stop until they were back in the safety of Nathan’s bedroom.

Gabriel lowered Zane onto the sofa. He stood up, wiping sweat from his forehead despite the cold.

"Thanks," Zane muttered, leaning back against the cushions and taking one more hit from his inhaler.

Gabriel took a deep breath, his chest heaving. "Well... you are a bit heavier than you look."

Nathan sat next to Zane, his hand resting on Zane’s arm. "Feel better?"

Zane nodded, his color finally returning to normal. "Yeah. I’m okay now."

The room was silent for a long time as the reality of what they had seen—the blood, the pan, the mysterious men—sank in. Nael was the most affected. He was shivering uncontrollably. He looked at the balcony doors and then at his friends. Even Nael looked pale.

"I can’t stay here," Nael whispered. "I’m going to Malvin’s room."

Nathan didn’t stop him.

Nael burst into Malvin’s room without knocking. Malvin was sitting in front of the piano, playing. Soft, beautiful music could be heard.

But when he saw Nael, he stopped, surprised to see his younger brother looking so disheveled.

"Nael?"

"Malvin! There are people in the forest! There are a lot of them! It’s scary!" Nael exclaimed.

"There are no people out there, Nael," Malvin said after Nael finished a frantic, disjointed explanation of their trip to the woods. He stood up and walked to his brother.

"Nobody can go into that forest without permission," Malvin continued.

"I am serious, Malvin!" Nael cried, sitting on the edge of Malvin’s sofa. "We met a lot of men in black clothes. And we saw a hut. There was a big pan full of blood!"

Malvin was surprised because Nael looked so serious. "Blood? Are you sure it wasn’t just red paint or something?"

Nael nodded vigorously. "We heard someone scream there. Then we went to check it out. And then... then we saw a pan full of blood! I’m serious, it was blood. I’m scared, Malvin. Who are those men? They aren’t our guards."

Malvin said nothing, putting an arm around Nael’s shoulders. He didn’t believe the "blood pan" story entirely—Nael had a vivid imagination—but he could see the genuine terror in the boy’s eyes.

"I will ask the guards to check it. You don’t need to worry. Go back to your room and sleep."

Nael shook his head. "No! I want to sleep here."

Malvin smiled. "Well, you are too big to be scared. But okay, you can sleep here."

He stayed with Nael until the younger boy finally fell into a restless sleep.

Then Malvin walked into his private sitting room where Jack was waiting after he called him.

"Where is Louis?" Malvin asked.

"He said he needed to see his sister. He’ll be back in the morning," Jack replied.

Malvin rubbed his face. "Louis is always away when things get strange. Jack, Nael claims there were people in the forest tonight. He saw blood in a hut. Send someone to check it out."

Jack nodded. "And the kids?"

"Ask someone to watch them closely. Don’t let them leave the mansion again tonight," Malvin ordered.

The Next Day

It was a beautiful morning with clear skies, but the atmosphere inside the mansion remained tense.

Nathan and Zane spent the morning finishing the final sections of their assignment. They worked seriously, and by noon they hit the ’Submit’ button on the school portal.

"Done," Zane said, closing his laptop.

Gabriel stood up from the sofa. "Okay, look. This house is like a horror movie right now. Why don’t you all come to my house? We’ll spend the rest of the week there."

Nathan looked at Zane. After what had happened, he felt like getting out of there too.

"I think that’s a good idea," Nathan said.

He knew it wouldn’t be a total escape. Louis would follow them, and Malvin would likely send guards to the Perlich residence. Even Nael insisted on coming; he loved Kim so much.

As they packed their bags, Nathan felt a surge of desire for independence. He was tired of living in a house where people disappeared and brothers kept dangerous secrets.

He wanted his own place. He would execute their plan to use Salazar’s money to get his own place. He wanted a piece of land where he could build something for himself.

He thought about it along the way. He was serious now.

When they arrived at the Perlich house, Kim gave them the whole house near the hill. It was a farmhouse—all theirs to enjoy.

"It’s cool!!" exclaimed Eli, who was so excited that night to come to Gabriel’s residence for the first time.

That night, Nathan told Zane about his plan.

He opened his laptop, searching for land listings in the quiet outskirts of the city. He found a five-acre plot near the hills—private, beautiful, and expensive.

"I’m going to buy it," Nathan muttered to himself.

Zane looked hesitant. "It’s far from everywhere."

Gabriel brought food to the table. "I will ask my dad if you need land. He has a lot of information about that."

But Nathan realized that to buy such property, he needed to be accompanied by a guardian, because he was not yet 18. Even to make a big purchase, he needed Alexander’s verification.

"What?!!"