Sweet Love 2x: Miss Ruthless CEO for our Superstar Uncle-Chapter 106: After Hours

The estate felt different at night. It was quieter because there was less activity. Doors closed softly, and footsteps echoed more. The lights in the side corridors were dimmed to a low but usable level. Outside, the courtyard lamps were on, casting a soft glow against the glass panels inside.

Gio stood by the side entrance corridor, leaning lightly against the wall next to the service door. The corridor was narrow, made for walking, not for talking. A light buzzed softly above him. He held his phone close to his ear and spoke quietly.

"I said no."

He paused to listen before repeating, "No. I’m not transferring anything."

His tone stayed calm. He didn’t pace or seem upset. He spoke clearly, making statements instead of arguing.

The outer door at the end of the hallway opened with a soft click. A brief chill swept across the tiled floor before the door closed again.

Franz walked in, brushing the night air from his coat sleeve. He had been outside for a short call. The courtyard had been empty when he went out, and it was still empty now.

He didn’t notice Gio at first. The hallway light created uneven shadows, and he heard the voice before he saw the figure.

"...send it if you want," Gio said into the phone. "I’m not paying you."

Franz slowed without stepping back or clearing his throat to announce himself. He paused a short distance from the turn in the hallway and listened.

Franz didn’t move. The voice was Gio’s, but the words weren’t his usual ones—no scheduling, no logistics. Just refusal, repeated. He’d heard that tone before. In himself.

He didn’t interrupt. It would have changed the tone. No one said a name. The volume stayed low. There was only a repeated refusal.

Gio listened to the voice on the other end.

"I’ve considered it," he said finally. "The answer is the same."

The line went dead. The corridor returned to its usual quiet.

Gio lowered the phone and exhaled once through his nose—not heavily, just enough to mark the end of the exchange. That exhale. Franz knew it. The sound of closing a door you couldn’t afford to leave open. He’d made that sound himself. More times than he counted.

When he turned, he saw Franz standing several feet away.

Neither reacted immediately. No startle. No apology for overhearing. Just acknowledgment.

Franz stepped forward into clearer light. "Who’s asking you for money?"

The question was straightforward. It didn’t accuse. The tone was similar to asking about a late invoice.

Gio glanced down the corridor before answering. After hours. Staff gone to their rooms. Main hall empty. Side corridor had no witnesses.

"Not here," he said softly, pointing to the smaller sitting room next to the back stairs.

Franz nodded once.

They moved down the hallway without speaking, pace steady. When they reached the sitting room, Gio shut the door.

The room was dark except for a desk lamp left on earlier. The light shone on the desk but didn’t reach the corners. Franz stood by the door while Gio sat down and unlocked his phone.

"It’s about the day Aria visited you," Gio said, placing the device on the desk.

Franz stayed back for a moment, waiting.

"A photograph," Gio said.

Franz looked at the screen.

"When?"

"The day Aria came to see you."

Franz’s expression didn’t change.

"And they want money."

"Yes."

Franz stepped closer and looked at the screen.

He recognized the image, even if he hadn’t seen this version before. Cropped tightly, it made everything feel closer together, as if someone had been standing nearer than they should.

"It hasn’t been published yet," Gio said. "They planned to send tips to news outlets. Suggests you left unexpectedly. Hints at planning."

Franz examined the photograph without speaking. The lighting matched that late afternoon. The timestamp visible at the bottom.

"Who has it?" he asked.

"My half-brothers."

The word sat between them. Family. The kind that asked for payments instead of presents. Franz didn’t comment. He knew that kind too.

Franz looked from the image to Gio. He knew Gio was Gabriel Summers’s son, born out of wedlock.

"They’re asking for monthly payments," Gio added. "In exchange for not sending the draft."

Franz’s attention returned to the phone. He read the tip text silently. The phrasing was restrained. Calculated.

"Secondary route," he said after a moment. "Unlisted vehicle."

"They avoid names," Gio replied. "They don’t need them."

Franz nodded once. He did not sit. The distance between them stayed.

"You refused," he said.

"Yes." The answer came without pause.

Franz studied him for a moment. "How long have they been asking?"

"Since yesterday."

"And you didn’t mention it."

"I didn’t think it involved you."

The timing aligned with the meeting Gio hadn’t mentioned. Franz didn’t ask where or how. The structure mattered more.

"They sent a payment schedule?" he asked.

"Yes."

Gio opened the second email and slid the phone slightly closer. Franz read the amount, the deadline, the final line about preventing unnecessary attention.

He lifted the phone briefly to adjust the angle, examining the image once more.

"They cropped it deliberately." he commented.

"Yes." Gio agreed.

"The watermark?"

"Freelance. Not internal."

Franz set the phone back on the desk. "Have you traced whether it’s been sold elsewhere?"

"Not yet. Do you want me to?"

Franz nodded. He considered the draft again, then looked directly at Gio.

"You don’t negotiate alone."

The statement wasn’t raised. It was practical.

Gio heard what wasn’t said: You’re not alone anymore. You haven’t been for a while. He just hadn’t realized it until now.

Gio held his gaze for a moment. "I wasn’t negotiating."

"No," Franz agreed. "You were declining."

Franz moved around the desk and sat down across from Gio. The first time he had taken a seat since entering. The lamp light caught his sleeve. The faint scrape on his knuckles had nearly faded.

"Send everything to me," he said. "I need the original files with the headers."

Gio quietly agreed, looked for the archived emails, and sent them to Franz’s secure address. The files transferred without either speaking.

A moment later, Franz’s phone vibrated. He took it out and checked the files, expression unchanged as he scanned the metadata.

"They’re testing you," he said after a moment.

He didn’t need to say how far they might go.

Gio agreed.

Franz locked his screen and placed the phone on the desk beside Gio’s.

"You were right not to pay."

His tone stayed even. Not comfort. Not praise.

Gio nodded slightly. "It wouldn’t have stopped."

"No."

Franz leaned back in his chair and looked at the ceiling for a moment before returning his gaze to the desk.

"I don’t know much about them," he said. "I only know they exist."

"That’s enough," Gio replied.

Franz thought for a moment and nodded. "We’ll handle it."

He used the plural without formality.

The word settled in the quiet. Not "I." Not "you." "We." Gio looked at the phone on the desk, the draft still archived, the threat still waiting. It felt lighter. Just slightly.

Gio did not thank him.

Franz stood and walked to the door, then stopped.

"If they contact you again, don’t answer."

Gio looked at him. "Are you going to?"

"I want to find out what they think they have."

He opened the door, letting the cooler air from the hallway in before stepping out. Gio followed. The hallway lights were dimmer now.

Franz slowed where the corridor met the wider passage.

"They’re not subtle," he said.

"No," Gio replied.

They moved forward. The light from the central foyer was warmer than the narrow corridor light.

Behind them, the side entrance light turned off automatically as its timer reset, leaving the narrow passage in partial shadow. For a moment, their shadows stretched ahead before fading into the brighter hall.