𝐑𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐓𝐄𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 || 𝐌𝐄𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐄/𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐖𝐎𝐍

Chapter Thirteen

"Remind Sergei to seal the deal with Gazprom as soon as possible," Mingyu said, without looking up from his computer. "I expect a detailed report by the end of the month. Any news from Anna?"

Yoongi hesitated, wondering if he should tell Mingyu how surprised Anna was by his absence from the negotiations. Normally, Mingyu was something of a control freak.

But then again, nothing was fucking normal around here these days.

"She's doing everything she can," Yoongi replied, deciding against it. Mingyu's moods could be unpredictable. "She says the negotiations are going reasonably well."

Mingyu hummed. "Anything else?"

"We've had a few inquiries from the British Secret Intelligence Service."

Mingyu lifted his gaze. "Again?"

Yoongi nodded, frowning. "They don't seem suspicious—they have nothing on us—but they're requesting a meeting with you. By all accounts, you were the last person Jeon Wonwoo met before his disappearance a month ago."

"I have already told everything I know to the Russian police," Mingyu said, leveling him with a flat look. "The SIS can ask them. Why are you bothering me with this?"

Yoongi pursed his lips. "Don't you think you should agree to meet them? To dispel any suspicion?"

"I'm the CEO of multiple corporations all over the world," Mingyu said slowly, as if speaking to a small child. "My schedule is booked months in advance. It would be far too suspicious if I agreed to an unofficial request, considering that I supposedly barely know the missing person and spent a total of five minutes in his company. I have a bullet-proof alibi."

"Yes, but...Maybe Jeon has told them about the bad blood between you two," Yoongi said. "If he has, they'll know you have a motive."

"Jeon Taesoo will lose far more than me if he talks," Mingyu said before returning his gaze to the computer. "You may go."

When Yoongi didn't move, Mingyu looked up again. "Anything else?"

Yoongi bit the inside of his cheek.

"I don't have all day, Yoongi," Mingyu said.

"It's been over a month since we got the boy," Yoongi said, haltingly. "And you haven't used him yet."

Mingyu bored his pale eyes into him.

Yoongi swallowed, reminding himself that he was the closest thing Mingyu had to a friend after Misha's death.

"Are you asking me to explain myself to you?" Mingyu said at last, his voice low and seemingly casual.

Yoongi knew better.

"Not at all," he said quickly. "It's just...I'm worried. The longer we keep him here, the bigger the security risk. At least let me ship him off to a more distant, secure location—maybe the safe house near Omsk or—"

"No."

Yoongi waited, but when no further explanation was provided, he gritted his teeth. It wasn't as though he thought he was entitled to know all of Mingyu's plans, but this issue was actually his job. He was supposed to be informed of any potential security risks, and the boy currently locked up in Mingyu's rooms was going to be a bigger security risk the longer he stayed in the house just outside Saint Petersburg. While Yoongi was confident in his men's loyalty, he didn't delude himself into thinking that leaks were impossible.

"But," he tried again. "The boy—"

Mingyu stared him down. "The boy is none of your concern. Dismissed."

Nodding tightly, Yoongi left the room.

Once he was back in the control center, he sat in his chair and looked blankly at the security feeds.

After a moment, he keyed a passcode into the datapad and brought up the security feed for Jeon boy's room.

The kid was sprawled on the bed, reading a book. Yoongi frowned; he didn't think there had been books in that room.

He stared at the screen some more, disconcerted by how comfortable the boy looked for someone who was a captive.

Yoongi was about to close the security feed when the boy suddenly looked up from his book, toward the door.

Mingyu entered the room and said something. There was no audio, so Yoongi could only guess what was being said. Wonwoo responded and, pursing his lips, returned his eyes to the book. Discarding his jacket, Mingyu walked to the bed and tipped the boy's head up. Jeon's brat glared at him, lips folding into a pout.

Yoongi's jaw dropped when the boy practically jumped on Mingyu and kissed him, legs wrapping around Mingyu's waist.

So the boy was a homo. Now it made sense why Yoongi felt on edge around him.

Sneering, Yoongi waited for Mingyu to shove the faggot away and punch him in the mouth.

Except Mingyu kissed back, his hands settling on Wonwoo's ass.

What the fuck.

What the actual fuck.

When Mingyu pushed the boy onto the mattress and crawled on top of him, Yoongi closed the live feed and stared blankly at the dark screen.

He'd known something was off when Mingyu had stopped fucking around, but he would've never guessed this after the scolding he'd received from Mingyu for being a little distracted by that faggot.

Goddamn hypocrite, Yoongi thought darkly, a tight feeling coiling in the pit of his stomach.