Leave Me Alone, Big Brothers! [BL]-Chapter 158: Ashes of Trust

After many days full of new experiences for them, they finally reached the last day.

It was Saturday, a relaxing day. Even Louis, usually on high alert, found himself with very little to do. His reports to Alexander had been short and repetitive: the boys were eating, the boys were enjoying the places, the boys were sleeping.

Earlier that afternoon, Louis had made the short trip to the city to pick up Eli from his shift at the cafe. It was the only time he had been required to act as a driver.

For the rest of the time, he simply watched from afar as the teenagers enjoyed themselves, laughing, exploring, and behaving like normal kids.

He watched the children who were currently playing on the edge of the cliff, a bit worried. But Kim was there to shout at them like they were little kids whenever they got too close.

He just smiled. Then he felt his phone vibrate. There was only one possibility as to who had sent him a message.

Alexander.

And his guess was correct.

Alexander: How are the kids?

Louis: [Attached: 5 Photos]

Louis: Seem good.

Alexander scrolled through the images slowly. One showed Nathan covered in sweat, laughing as he pointed at a boy; he was sure it was Zane. Another showed Nael and Eli sitting on a fence, sharing an apple, their faces bright and unburdened by worry. There was a third photo of Zane and Nathan standing by the lake, the sunlight catching the genuine, wide smile on Nathan’s face.

Just such peaceful images. His brothers were enjoying their time, free and relaxed.

Alexander felt a strange, hollow ache in his chest. He stared at the screen for a long time. He had never seen them look so alive. They looked so bright and full of smiles, almost like different people.

"Why can’t they be like that at home?" he murmured to himself. He knew the answer, even if he didn’t want to admit it.

Huan sat down in front of him in the cafe, near the sea.

"Are they causing trouble?" asked Huan.

Alexander put down his phone and sipped the wine in his glass. "No. They seem happy to have found a new family."

That night at the farm, the air was festive. To celebrate their last night, Drakken had ordered a whole pig to be roasted over an open fire. The workers, the guards, and the boys gathered around the roaring flames.

The snow was turning to slush under their boots, and the heat from the fire made the night feel like summer despite the cold air around them.

Nathan was standing near the spit, watching the grease drip into the embers. He was still happy, though he felt sad that their holiday would end soon.

He looked at the fire when his body suddenly went rigid.

He looked at the men gathered there, laughing and joking harshly. His heart didn’t just skip a beat; it seemed to stop entirely.

The men. Those men... he recognized them with terrifying clarity. They were the men who had kidnapped him and Nael months ago. The men who had bound them, threatened them, and left them terrified for their lives.

Nathan’s breath became short. He felt a cold sweat break out over his skin.

Impossible... How? Alexander had told him those men were dead.

But he was sure they were the same men. The kidnappers.

Nathan found it hard to breathe. His hands trembled.

Zane noticed the change instantly. He stepped closer, placing a hand on Nathan’s shoulder. "Nath? You okay? Do you feel sick?"

Nathan didn’t answer. He looked for Nael and grabbed his twin’s arm, pulling his brother far away from the people.

"Nael," he whispered, his voice trembling. "Look over there. Those men. Do you recognize them?"

Nael followed Nathan’s gaze. He searched for what Nathan meant until his eyes landed on the men in question.

His eyes widened, and he let out a small, choked gasp. The color drained from his face. Both boys were now shivering, the trauma of that night flooding back with the force of a tidal wave. They weren’t dreaming. Those were the same faces.

"Hey! What’s wrong with you two?" Zane asked, his voice rising in concern.

Without a word, Nathan and Nael turned and bolted toward the farmhouse, their boots splashing through the slush. Their sudden flight caused the entire gathering to go quiet.

Drakken, who had been laughing with one of his foremen, watched them go. He looked at the men standing by the shed, then back at the farmhouse. A look of realization crossed his face.

"Damn," Drakken muttered. "I forgot."

Kim looked at him, confused. "What happened?"

Drakken didn’t answer. He just kissed her quickly on the cheek and walked fast toward the farmhouse. He needed to handle this before Nathan called the police or did something drastic.

Inside the farmhouse, Nathan was frantically trying to unlock his phone to call Louis. His hands were shaking so hard he dropped the device twice. Nael was huddled in a chair, his head in his hands.

"We need to go home," Nathan hissed. "We need to get out of here. They’re here, Nael. They found us."

"Nathan! Nael!"

Drakken walked into the room, his hands raised in a calming gesture. The boys jumped, looking at him with terror.

"Put the phone down," Drakken said softly. "Can we talk for a minute?"

"No!" Nathan shouted. "Your men... those men outside! They kidnapped us! They tried to kill us!"

Drakken sighed and sat on the edge of the wooden table. He looked at the two boys, seeing the genuine panic in their eyes. He realized Alexander’s "plan" had left deeper scars than anyone had intended.

"I don’t know if Gabriel is going to keep being friends with you two after I tell you this," Drakken began, his voice serious. "But since you’re his guests, and because you’ll probably be back here, I have to tell you the truth."

Nathan stared at him, confused and tense.

"The men you saw outside... they work for me," Drakken said. "Alexander hired them. Yes, they kidnapped you too. But it was a setup."

The room went deathly silent. Nathan felt like the floor was tilting beneath his feet.

"What? No. Alex said... he said they were all killed."

"No," Drakken shook his head. "He was afraid you would keep running away. He was afraid you’d wander into real danger where he couldn’t protect you. He wanted to scare you enough to make you think before you run away. It wasn’t a real kidnapping, Nathan. Every move was calculated to terrify you, but never to truly hurt you."

Nathan and Nael looked at each other. They remembered the ties. They remembered the darkness and the genuine belief that they were going to die.

"What? It wasn’t funny," Nathan whispered, his voice cracking. "I cried. I thought Nael was going to be killed. I thought I was never going to see anyone again."

Nael nodded, still shaking. "I believed I was going to die that night. I had nightmares for weeks."

They looked at Drakken with a new kind of horror. This man had provided the "actors" for their trauma. He was just as much a part of the lie as Alexander.

"I want to go home," Nathan said, his voice cold.

"Nathan, listen," Drakken tried to intercede. "Don’t hate your brother for this. He’s a man with a lot of enemies. He would do anything! Anything... to make sure you are safe."

Louis burst into the room then; he had noticed Nathan had tried to call him. "What happened? Nathan? Nael?"

Nathan was still angry. Then he looked at Louis. "Did you know about this too?"

Louis froze. He looked at Drakken, who looked away.

"Sorry, what is it about?"

"Do you know that it was only a setup when we were kidnapped?" asked Nathan. He looked extremely upset, his eyes red and burning.

Louis swallowed hard.

"It’s..." Louis started, but he couldn’t finish the sentence.

Nathan shoved past him. "You’re all the same. You treat us like toys. I’m going home! I’m going with Zane."

"Nathan, please," Louis stepped forward.

"Shut up!" Nathan grabbed Zane’s arm, pulling him toward the stairs. "Zane, pack your things. We’re leaving. Now."

Zane was waiting outside the room, completely lost, but he saw the raw pain in Nathan’s eyes. He didn’t ask questions. He followed Nathan, grabbed his bag, and was ready to leave immediately.

Nathan turned to Louis one last time. "Take Eli home. Make sure he’s safe. Nael, get in the car with Louis. I’m going with Zane."

Nael didn’t argue. He was too angry to speak. He grabbed his bag and walked out to the car, ignoring Louis entirely.

Nathan and Zane climbed into Zane’s car, the tires kicking up slush as they sped away from the farmhouse, leaving the bonfire and the people who looked so confused and uneasy.

Especially Gabriel, who was standing there frozen.