Content Warning

This chapter contains emotional coercion, attempted physical domination, non-consensual kissing, psychological manipulation, and intense confrontation. Abuse is not romanticized; explicit boundaries are shown. Reader discretion is advised.

Sebastian stepped a little closer, still without touching him.

“You did the right thing by resigning,” he said in a low voice. “I couldn’t keep seeing you every day just as my employee.”

Noah didn’t step back. He met his gaze, steady, searching for an exit that wasn’t escape.

“Then tell me,” he asked quietly. “W-what can I do so you’ll be okay?”

The question was simple, but direct for Sebastian.

He froze, his breathing turning uneven. He hadn’t expected that and took another step forward, invading Noah’s personal space.

“I want to touch you.”

His victim clenched his fists; his arms felt tense. He hesitated. But guilt still weighed on him, making him believe —mistakenly— that Sebastian was right.

“D…do it,” he whispered.

He thought he meant something brief. A hand. A gesture.

Not far away, Nicholas was still looking for Sebastian. He had lost sight of him minutes earlier and cursed himself for not following more closely. He considered calling someone, tracking a phone… but stopped. Not yet.

Sebastian raised his hand and stroked Noah’s cheek with unsettling slowness.

“Don’t move,” he ordered.

Then he leaned closer. Too close. It wasn’t a hug, but his body pressed against Noah’s, heavy with tension.

Noah stayed still, confused. He extended his hand, believing that would be all.

Sebastian growled, as if something inside him snapped.

Then he tilted his face and kissed him. It wasn’t gentle, but rough, possessive, desperate.

Years of pain and resentment spilled into that gesture.

“This is what I need,” he murmured. “This… and more.”

Noah opened his eyes, his breathing uneven, and took a step back.

Sebastian looked at him with frustration, with a twisted expectation: that he would respond, that he would reject him violently, that he would do something. Instead, he pulled him into a tight embrace

“I hate you,” he whispered hoarsely. “Do you know that?”

Noah couldn’t deny that the kiss had shaken him. But that didn’t make it right.

“Why are you doing this?” he asked. “What do you expect to gain if you say you still hate me?”

“...Maybe,” he continued, speaking aloud without thinking too much, perhaps feeling hopeful, “with time you’d stop hating me.”

Sebastian laughed —a dark, disturbing laugh— revealing something deeply unsettling.

“Hahahahaha! Do you really expect that to be true?” he said, holding him tighter. “You’re underestimating me. All I want right now is to have you close.”

Noah understood then that it wasn’t affection, but punishment.

Guilt dominated him, yes. But so did a naïve hope that things might get better.

“I’m not underestimating you,” he replied. “But this isn’t what I expected.”

Sebastian’s smile turned cruel. His hands slid along Noah’s waist, moving possessively down to his hip.

“I just want you to let me touch you.”

Noah stiffened. The contact was no longer confusing —it was uncomfortable. He realized Sebastian didn’t see him as a person, but as something he could use.

“Do I deserve this?” he thought again. “Do I have to punish myself like this to be forgiven?”

A memory struck him: himself, back in high school, pushing Sebastian away with cruel words when what he really wanted was to hold him and run away with him.

The roles had reversed, and Noah was on the verge of losing himself.

Sebastian seemed to read his thoughts. His eyes gleamed with a twisted satisfaction. The dominance wasn’t only physical.

“Look how obedient you are,” he mocked. “Just like before. Too obedient.”

Noah’s hope twisted into something dangerous.

With a firm voice, he took Sebastian’s hands and shoved them away.

“No,” he said. “Don’t do this.”

He wouldn’t be docile. Or submissive.

Sebastian stared at him with fury and surprise, then grabbed his waist again, this time painfully.

“So what do you want to do with me now?” he spat. “I’m not your boss anymore. And I don’t plan on being.”

Noah didn’t struggle, but he stood his ground.

“That’s true,” he said. “You’re not my boss anymore. But no matter how remorseful I am… I have limits too. And one of them is not allowing you to hurt me.”

The words landed like a slap, and Sebastian laughed without humor.

“Hurt?” he repeated, as if it were a tasteless joke. “Do you really think this is harm after everything you did to me?”

He clenched his teeth, his gaze threatening.

“Of course you don’t remember anything,... or you pretend not to so I’ll pity you.”

And his voice turned more venomous.

“Damn loser.”