Beneath the Surface: Secrets of an Obsessed Heart
Chapter 159 - 158

Chapter 159: Chapter 158

Hiro immediately tensed and he gazed up into Raiden’s smokey-grey eyes, pursing his lips. How could Raiden do that to him? It was bad enough that he was only allowed to cum once a day. Now Raiden wanted to take that away.

“R-Raiden...” He whined, wanting to beg but the hard look in Raiden’s eyes made the rest of the words hang in his throat. He sighed and lowered his head submissively, shyly whispering the words; “No sir.”

And fuck. How pleased Raiden felt. Though, there was a word he wanted to hear Hiro call him more than anything, he knew it wasn’t time yet. ‘Sir’ would do for now and he loved how in control it made him feel. He loved how naturally obedient and submissive Hiro was to him.

He began to feed Hiro little by little, enjoying watching him eat as they talked quietly, laughing and whispering sweet words to each other. The warm intimacy between them wrapped around Hiro like a safety net. He felt lighter, surrounded by a crowd but insulated by Raiden’s presence. He no longer felt shy as he forgot that people were watching them. He wondered how Raiden could make him feel like he was the only person in the world. He wondered if Raiden felt like that too around him, for in his eyes, there was only Raiden. No one else. There would never be anyone else.

Their sweet moment continued until a voice suddenly broke it.

“Yamato Raiden,” someone greeted smoothly.

They both turned to see a young man standing before them—elegant, well-dressed, his smile pleasant but strained.

Raiden offered a nod of recognition, his hand still around Hiro’s waist.

The man chuckled politely, then turned his attention to Hiro. “H-Hiro...” he said, voice tentative, somewhat guilty.

Hiro’s face fell for he also recognised the man. He inched closer to Raiden, avoiding eye contact, pretending not to have heard. It was at that moment that Hiro suddenly realised that there were actually people he knew at the party. He just never paid attention before.

Scattered all around the room were his former classmates and seniors from affluent families, and the mood that had been bright and glowing around Hiro just moments ago seemed to dim in an instant.

The man in front of them sighed softly. “I believe I deserve that,” he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. He turned back to Hiro, eyes full of guilt. “For what it’s worth, Hiro... I’m sorry for not helping you when I could. And... I’m glad your sister’s okay.”

“No thanks to you,” Hiro replied sharply, his voice quiet but cutting. He turned to Raiden, clutching the sleeve of his suit. “Raiden...I-I don’t want to talk to him.”

Raiden tilted his head slightly and faced the man with a polite but dangerous smile. “You heard him,” he said flatly. “What are you still doing here?”

The man hesitated, lips parting like he had more to say but when his eyes met Raiden’s, he froze. Whatever words he’d planned to utter crumbled under the weight of that icy gaze. No one in this room wanted to be on Yamato Raiden’s bad side.

“I’m truly sorry, Hiro,” he said again before walking away, shoulders a little lower than before.

As he disappeared into the crowd, Hiro let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. He didn’t want to see them or talk to them ever again. They had betrayed him and abandoned him when things went bad for his family. He was good to them but they all turned their backs to him when he needed them the most. They were horrid friends and now, he didn’t need them anymore. He had Raiden.

Raiden brushed a few strands of hair from Hiro’s face and tucked them behind his ear. “Why are you angry?” he asked softly. “Wasn’t he your classmate?”

“He was,” Hiro murmured, eyes still scanning the room, glaring at his former classmates. “But... he was one of the people who refused to help me when big sister’s surgery came up.”

“Oh really?” Raiden’s brow arched as he smiled, amused.

“N-Not that I don’t like how things turned out,” Hiro added quickly, laughing nervously and fidgeting with the edge of Raiden’s sleeve. After all, his friends refusing to help him all led to his beautiful relationship with Raiden. “But he turned me away when I was desperate. I begged him. And not just him.”

He looked around again, eyes narrowing as he took in the familiar faces clustered at the far end of the hall. “So did the rest of them.”

Without a word, Raiden slipped his arms around Hiro and pulled him close into a firm, reassuring embrace. His palm settled between Hiro’s shoulder blades, stroking slow, gentle circles as he spoke softly into his ear.

“It’s okay,” he whispered, his breath warm against Hiro’s temple. He pressed a kiss to the side of his head. “Forget about them. You don’t need them anymore. Whatever you want, whatever you need, just ask me. I’ll do it all—and more—for you, Hiro.”

His voice was low and steady, making Hiro feel better, safe. He pulled back slightly, his hands remaining on Hiro’s waist as their eyes met.

“I’m not only your lover, Hiro,” he murmured. “I’m your best friend too.”

Hiro’s lips quivered, and his eyes welled with tears. He clutched Raiden tightly, burying his face into his chest.

“I love you, Raiden. Thank you... for everything.”

“I love you more, baby,” Raiden replied, his voice warm with affection.

But even as he held Hiro close, his eyes flicked up—past his shoulder, past the chandelier light—to where a group of onlookers stood at the edge of the hall, watching them. They were a cluster of Hiro’s old classmates.

Raiden’s arms tightened around Hiro possessively. His usually smoldering grey eyes turned sharper, colder, glinting like steel beneath smoke. It was a warning for them to stay away from Hiro. Or be destroyed.

Across the room, one of the them flinched beneath that gaze. Ichinose Daiki. He was Hiro’s closest friend back then.

Daiki downed his glass of whiskey in one rough gulp, the burn of it doing nothing to smother the bitter taste in his mouth. His hand clenched around the crystal tumbler as he glared across the room at the man who now held Hiro like he owned him.

He hated Yamato Raiden.

The man was a liar and a beast. He was there, pretending to be everything to Hiro when he was the one who caused Hiro’s situation.