Callum woke up the next day feeling refreshed, somehow. He should have been miserable, squirming in the wake of his heat, but something about what Adrian did knocked all of that out of him. Callum had never experienced something like that—he spent all of his heats alone, downing suppressants like candy. But it was also just another reason Adrian was dangerous. 

Adrian made Callum think that another future was possible. He made that hole in Callum’s chest feel less daunting. He made Callum hope for something better—something other than the life Callum had. And Callum knew, at the end of the day, that none of it was possible. 

Even with Adrian. 

Callum peeled himself out of bed, his legs still pleasantly heavy. He made his way over to his shower and washed the remnants of the night before onto cool tile. He needed to get his head on his shoulders. He needed to prep for the big meeting, which was only a month away. He needed to remember who he was. 

Callum Bruin. 

His heat was more or less satisfied, but he still downed more suppressants and clicked his watch around his wrist. He checked his phone for any signs of Adrian, but there was nothing—no notifications at all. It was almost comforting, but it was strange not to hear anything at all. Had Adran gotten scared off, even after he promised? 

He slipped his phone into the pocket of his sweatpants and made his way to the kitchen. Coffee, a light breakfast, a button-up shirt, some slacks, and his morning ticked on. He hated weekends. Outside of work, there was nothing he really did. 

Morning bled into the afternoon, and that pit opened up in Callum’s heart again. The insatiable loneliness that threatened to consume him whole. Adrian had briefly managed to quell it—but not for long enough. 

A knock on his door pulled him out of his thoughts, and he opened it to reveal Beck and Courtney, all wrapped up in their casual attire. Courtney always looked like she was fresh off some photoshoot—her hair curled to perfection, her outfit straight out of a magazine. She was wearing bright red lipstick, but she always managed to pull it off. She wore it with that effortless Hollywood beauty. 

Beck, on the other hand, was still coated in a fine layer of sweat from the gym. He didn’t smell—thank god—but his athletic wear was rumpled and wrinkled, probably plucked off the floor of his bedroom. He had headphones hanging around his neck, and the gel in his hair was stiffer than a board. 

Callum raised an eyebrow. “I take it you two aren’t here to work on a Saturday?” 

Courtney pushed her way inside, huffing out a laugh. “God no. It’s Saturday.” 

Callum didn’t remember inviting her in, but he opened the door the rest of the way so Beck could follow. His entryway opened up to the kitchen, so Courtney breezed over to the coffee pot and poured herself a mug. 

Beck hopped in next, a wild smile on his face. “We were in the neighborhood,” he explained. “And it’s so rare we get to do something on the weekend with all three of us.” 

Callum raised an eyebrow. “You two just… happened to hang out near my apartment?” He closed the door behind them, finding their story hard to believe. Beck and Courtney were friends, but they weren’t close. They didn’t really go out of their way to hang out outside of work. 

Beck and Courtney exchanged a glance, and surprisingly, it was Courtney who broke first. “Okay, fine, we wanted to check on you.” 

This instantly brought a frown to Callum’s face. “Check on me?”

“Yeah…” Beck shifted on his feet. “You know, after the news…” 

“News? What news?” The blood started to drain from Callum’s face. He had, admittedly, not checked any headlines for the day. 

Courntey pulled out her phone, the article all ready to go, and slipped it into Callum’s hand. 

HEADLINE: THEODORICK HAWTHORNE AND CALLUM BRUIN BUTT HEADS AT HAWTHORNE EXHIBIT GRAND OPENING

The blood instantly returned to Callum’s face. He skimmed the article, and it was mostly just a fluff piece about Theodorick’s little outburst, with some “anonymous” sources claiming that the Bruin vs. Hawthorne feud went back many years, maybe even generations, with no known cause. It was hardly “news.” Callum rolled his eyes and returned Courtney’s phone. 

“You don’t look worried,” Beck observed. 

“Worried about what? That a drunken public outburst is going to ruin my family? Recall that I was not the one in that equation who was making such a scandalous scene.” Callum leaned back against the wall, shrugging his shoulders. “Although if I were Theodorick, I may be concerned.” 

Courtney went red for a moment, then quickly got her expression under control. She had been absent that night—even though she had been present initially. Then, after Theodorick was removed from the event, she had quietly slipped back in, looking disheveled and alarmed. Callum had pretended not to notice. 

“What about the stuff about the feud? Surely there’s a story there—and one everyone is going to want to get.” Courtney pointed at her phone, one perfectly threaded eyebrow raised. 

Callum waved a hand. “Let them. They won’t find anything.” 

“How can you be so sure?” Beck asked, leaning against the kitchen table. 

“Because there is no feud, obviously.” Callum looked between the two of them. “Did you think there was?” 

They exchanged another glance, then looked away with matching expressions of guilt. Courtney huffed, sticking her nose in the air and brushing her hair over her shoulder. “I was just worried, because as your future wife, I think I should know about any family conflicts.” 

Callum had to stop himself from barking out a laugh. Oh, the things she should have known about the family she so desperately wanted to marry into. “If there is a feud, I know nothing about it.” Callum shrugged, shifting on his feet. “I’m pretty sure whatever feud exists is all in Theodroick’s head. I prefer not to engage.” 

“Dirkie doesn’t mean to—” Courtney started, then stopped. She took a breath, steadying herself. “He’s usually not that bad. Seriously, I know you both think I only say that because I’ve known him since we were just kids—but I’m serious. He’s usually not like that.” 

Beck let out a single, sharp laugh. “Guess it’s just Callum that brings it out of him, then.” 

Callum sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I wish he wouldn’t.” He dropped his hand to his side. “I have no ill will towards him; he should just let whatever nonsense he holds against my family go.” 

Beck turned to Courtney. “Do you know what it is? You’re close with him.” 

Courntey bit her lip, smudging her perfect lipstick. It caught Callum’s attention, the way it smeared up onto her perfectly white teeth. Courtney was not the type to forget she was wearing easily smearable lipstick, after all. “He won’t talk about it. Ever since word got around that Callum and I—” She shook her head. “He doesn’t really talk to me anymore. It’s not like we’re kids, running around the estate. We grew apart.” She swallowed, her voice breaking only slightly.

“In any case,” Callum moved on, sensing that Courtney was feeling worked up, “it’s not troubling to hear about a feud that doesn’t exist. My father has always been friendly with the Hawthornes. The papers can make up a story where there is none if they please, but it does not change the truth.” Callum pushed himself off the wall. “We have better things to worry about, anyway—such as our big quarterly meeting.” 

Beck immediately sighed—loud and long and dramatic. “Seriously? Can’t we stop thinking about work for even one moment?” 

Courntey laughed, and it bounced off the walls of Callum’s vast apartment. “This is Callum we’re talking about, Beck. It’s all work, no play.” 

Callum’s eyebrow twitched. “It’s not all work,” he protested. 

“Oh, really? When was the last time the three of us went out together when it wasn’t about work? College, maybe?” Courtney continued to giggle. 

Beck shook his head. “No, longer ago than that. Callum never went to those college parties, remember?” His voice was light and teasing, but it rubbed against Callum’s heart like sandpaper. “Even in high school—”

“I know how to have fun,” Callum insisted, his voice a little stronger than he meant it to be. “I just—I choose to focus on work. We’re about to be named the successors; isn’t that important enough to prioritize?” 

Beck and Courtney’s laughter died down. Courtney tilted her head to the side, perhaps sensing the way Callum bristled, but not knowing why or what to do about it. “Of course it is.” 

Beck stood up, his arms crossed over his chest. “But we should have a life outside of work too.” 

Callum clicked his tongue. “Fine. It’s Saturday. Let’s do something, then. Not work.”

Beck’s eyes widened. “Seriously?” 

Callum was going to regret this. He grabbed his coat off the hook. “Yes, seriously. Let’s go.”