Seven jolted awake with a cry, drenched in sweat. In the dim light, he vaguely made out a figure sitting by the bedside. Heart pounding, he sat up in alarm, only to hear a calm voice say, “Don’t panic, it’s me, Andy.”

“You?”

“I was outside and heard you shouting. I thought something had happened!”

“What was I saying?”

Andy paused before replying, “You were asking why they didn’t kill you, and also…”

“And what else…” Seven’s voice was a bit hoarse.

“…And you said… you love… you love Rong Qing.”

“You must have misheard.” Seven switched on the bedside lamp.

Andy noticed he had already put on his glasses, but his face was streaked with moisture. It was impossible to tell if it was sweat or tears.

“Maybe I did,” Andy said. He raised a hand, intending to pat him on the shoulder, but Seven instinctively flinched. He withdrew his hand with a smile. “Get some sleep.”

At the door, he suddenly turned back. “I’m sorry… for what I said at dinner.”

Andy wasn’t sure if it was the dim lighting or just his imagination, but he could have sworn Seven smiled at him.

When they met again in the morning, the tension from the night before seemed to have faded. They greeted each other like old friends.

After breakfast, Seven asked, “How many years will I get?”

Andy let out a breath. “Three to ten. First, we have to prove you were raped. If we can establish that you were being assaulted, you’ll be acquitted. But your body was already cleaned. The only evidence left is the semen on your underwear…” He trailed off as Seven’s face twisted in disgust. With a helpless shrug, he added, “You’ll have to get used to it. If the prosecutor sees you reacting like this, he’ll throw those words at you over and over just to rattle you.”

Seven smiled, “Don’t worry, I won’t be so easily shaken.”

This was the second time Seven had smiled at him. There was a touch of innocence in that smile, almost hauntingly pure given the circumstances. In that brief moment, it was easy to forget everything else and remember that he was just an underage boy. Quiet, innocent, like someone you might see in a church choir.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Andy said, “As for you being Old Donald’s illegitimate son, I won’t bring it up. If I do, the jury might assume you deliberately attacked Sutherland’s eldest son out of hatred. After all, it was them that abandoned you and your mother.”

“It was my mother who abandoned them,” Seven said coldly.

Andy shrugged. “Anyway, they won’t mention it either. It’d be a huge scandal, and Donald would never let it go public.”

Seven nodded. “I see. So, my best-case scenario is three years in prison…”

Andy chuckled. “Three years… but blowing off Kiefer’s balls was worth it. Seven, you really went for it. One shot, and his dick was gone. Lucky shot, too. If you’d just hit his thigh, three years wouldn’t be worth it.”

Seven said flatly, “I shot at close range. No way I’d miss and hit his thigh.”

Andy was momentarily stunned, then burst into laughter. Jesus, what was I thinking? A choirboy?

With a humorous tone, he asked, “Seven, do you believe in God?”

Seven glanced at him through his glasses and said, “I can’t even trust the people I see, how could I believe in an invisible God.”

Andy raised his hands in a surrender gesture. “Alright then!” He pulled out an application form and continued, “This will be the prison where you serve your sentence. The court will have two options. One is to serve your time in the Virgin Islands where the crime was committed, and the other is to let you return to your birthplace, Florida, to serve your sentence. Since you’re a minor, the court will surely agree to your request. I suggest you’d better go back to Florida to serve your sentence.”

Seven took the application form. “Can I think about it?”

Andy looked at him and sighed, “Of course.”

They went over every detail again and again, thoroughly considering where the prosecutor might find a breakthrough.

By the time the morning ended, the two finally took a break. Seven sat on the terrace, gazing at the sea as the sun dipped toward the horizon.

Andy filtered through all the documents inside, confident that this case, which was clearly a rape case, posed no challenge.

Pouring two glasses of red wine, he stepped onto the terrace, smiling as he handed one to Seven. “If you go to a juvenile correctional facility, you can still continue your studies. Three years will pass quickly, and by then, you’ll be able to return to Austria to resume your education. Let’s celebrate that.”

Seven’s gaze landed on the deep red liquid in the glass. At that moment, a voice seemed to echo in his ears…

“Have a drink to celebrate, Xiao Qi.”

Slender fingers, the same crimson wine… They seemed to waver in front of his eyes like a phantom.

He asked, “Celebrate what?”

Rong Qing smiled faintly. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

That night, his heart had pounded violently as he downed the drink in one go, as if surrendering himself completely.

Seven lifted his head and said to Andy, “No, I don’t want to drink.”

Andy shrugged as his phone rang. He set his wine glass down on the terrace and went to answer it. The voice on the other end was soft yet immediately gripped one’s attention, saying, “Come outside.”

Glancing at Seven, who was still gazing at the sea, Andy walked out and entered the presidential suite next door where he met Rong Qing.

—–

Rong Qing was dressed casually in a black shirt, sitting leisurely in a European-style chair with a cup of tea in his hand. The air was filled with the faint aroma of green tea, which seemed to suit the scholarly vibe of him as he appeared to be waiting leisurely for his old friend.

“Daniel…” Although Rong Qing’s expression was always polite, years of intuition suddenly made Andy feel uneasy.

“Has he signed it?” Rong Qing asked quietly, gazing at the floral cup in his hands.

“What?” Andy was momentarily taken aback, then said, “The incarceration application form? He said… he wants to think about it.”

His tone was somewhat dismissive, but Rong Qing didn’t react, only nodding before asking, “I heard you found new evidence?”

Relieved by Rong Qing’s relaxed tone, Andy walked over and chuckled, “A blatantly obvious piece of evidence.”

“Let’s hear it,” Rong Qing said with a smile, setting down his teacup.

“Do you remember the shoes Seven had on?”

Rong Qing smiled faintly, “The limited edition PUMAs, I bought those.”

“Exactly! The day before the incident, Seven wore them to the beach, right? And he accidentally got the soles wet.”

Rong Qing slightly lowered his eyelids, “There was such an incident.”

“Here’s the issue. When the crime unit investigated, they found no wet shoe prints from those shoes anywhere in the villa. Yet, the shoes were discovered in Kiefer’s bedroom. What does that tell us?” Andy snapped his fingers excitedly. “Which means he was carried or lifted into the room. He was being held hostage.”

Rong Qing looked up and smiled. “Did you manage to get that piece of evidence?”

Andy handed him a folder and chuckled as he picked up a glass of wine. “It’s all here. The Virgin Islands really are a paradise for the wealthy. Even a small police station has top-tier cameras.”

As Rong Qing flipped through the documents, Andy added, “If Seven had walked in on his own, there’d be more than just one place showing that PUMA print, wouldn’t there?”

“Exactly!” Rong Qing responded, reaching out to take a matchbox from beside the crystal ashtray.

Andy’s expression changed as he involuntarily set down his wine and asked, “Daniel, what are you planning to do?”

Rong Qing’s smile turned slightly menacing as he said lightly, “He won’t sign the application form. I know him too well.” He added with a smile, “So, let him serve ten years. Whether he endures torture here or goes back to Florida, you’ll need to explain that to him.”

A green match was taken out and struck lightly. The small flame caught the corner of a photograph, quickly consuming it.

Andy reflexively stood up, but a bodyguard pressed him back into his chair. He watched helplessly as those steady hands nonchalantly destroyed an important piece of evidence, turning it all to ash. The pristine crystal ashtray was now stained black.

Andy lifted his head, looked at Rong Qing, and said, “Daniel, is this still part of your revenge, or has it already gone beyond your original plan? Your angel is dead. Hasn’t Seven paid enough to atone for it?”

This accusation seemed to touch a raw nerve in Rong Qing, who suddenly looked up and declared, “Not enough! His entire lifetime wouldn’t be enough to settle the debt!”

Andy glanced up at the sky, let out a laugh, and said, “How do you want him to make it up to you? By working in one of your prison factories, stamping license plates, ironing sheets, and calling someone ‘Boss’ every time he eats or uses the bathroom? Serving his sentence under your watchful eye?”

Shaking his head, he continued, “I’ve always admired you. Back in the Cheetah Training Squad, we were taught to separate emotions from the physical, and you were the best at it. That’s why you’re the boss. You were born for it, you are now, and you always will be. But Daniel, there’s one emotion you can’t completely separate from the physical. Once it takes root, it becomes part of your blood, your very being.”

His voice softened just a little. “Daniel, have you ever heard of the word ‘love’? If you don’t believe me, just think about Seven. See if it does not ache ever so slightly, deep in your heart or somewhere in your gut.”

Andy shoved the bodyguard’s hand away and stormed out of the room. Once outside, he punched the wall hard and cursed, “Shit!”

He entered his own room, opened the door, and was about to speak when he saw Seven suddenly stand up.

Andy had interacted with Seven many times, but he had never seen such an expression on his face before.

He turned his head sharply and saw Rong Qing standing right behind him.

“Daniel, you…” Andy started softly.

Rong Qing walked past him and sat down in front of Seven. “Seven, can we talk?”

Seven’s face was as pale as paper, but his tone was steady as he replied, “What is there left for us to talk about?”

Rong Qing looked at his own hands and said, “If I told you that as long as you sign the incarceration application form, we could… call it even?”

“Call it even?” Seven sounded as if he had just heard a very funny joke. He seemed to calm down all of a sudden, his face no longer pale.

In a quiet voice, he said, “In your eyes, compared to your angel, I’m nothing but trash. But have you ever thought that trash doesn’t want to stand on the same level as an angel? I don’t care about making things even with you. I just want to have nothing to do with you anymore. I told you, I don’t want to see you again.”

Rong Qing was silent for a long time before letting out a mocking laugh. “What’s this? Only now you’ve gained some self-awareness, realizing you’re nothing but trash? Then what was all that shameless fawning over me before? Your tuition fees, painstakingly conned from the hands of countless men, and yet, with just one phone call, you dropped everything from your prestigious school and ran to the Caribbean. That night, you drank one glass after another, wasn’t it just so you could crawl into my bed?”

Andy shouted, “That’s enough, Daniel! Do you even realize what you’re saying?”

“Look at you. In just one day and night, you’ve managed to tame this cold-hearted man who values money above all else. I must admit, you have a certain talent for this.”

Rong Qing calmly unbuttoned the top button of his shirt and smiled. “Maybe I should fulfill your wish before you head to prison. Get out, Andy!”

Seven’s face suddenly changed. He pushed back his chair and tried to run to the terrace, but a bodyguard caught him by the waist.

Andy tried to rush forward but was blocked by two other bodyguards. Rong Qing let out a laugh and said, “If you don’t want to leave, that’s fine. Stay and watch.”

Standing in front of the struggling Seven, Rong Qing suddenly struck him across the face. The slap landed hard against his temple, sending his glasses flying. A sharp burst of pain flooded his skull before everything went black.

The bodyguard released him, and Seven collapsed limply into Rong Qing’s arms.

“Daniel, you’re insane. You don’t do things like this,” Andy shouted as he struggled against the guards.

Rong Qing sneered. “Don’t you understand? No matter how tame a wolf appears, it’s still a wolf. And no matter how fierce a sheep pretends to be, it’s still a sheep. As a sheep, you must follow the laws of the food chain.”

A bodyguard placed a stack of documents on the table, and a man who appeared to be a government official quickly signed Seven’s name on them.

Seven had regained consciousness by then. He slowly lifted his head, and Andy finally noticed how strikingly beautiful his face was. It was a classic Eastern visage, with delicate yet distinct features. Unlike the sharpness of European contours, his lines were soft and gentle, giving the illusion of someone who could be easily conquered.

He lay in Rong Qing’s arms, panting softly as he stared at the forged signature on the document. Rong Qing smirked and said, “This guy here is a handwriting expert. For the past three months, he hasn’t done a damn thing except mastering your handwriting. Let me tell you, even if this document were sent to any forensic lab, no one would dare say it’s not your signature.”

He grabbed Seven’s fingers and forcefully pressed them onto the document.

Andy wiped the sweat off his brow and cursed under his breath, “Shit.” He couldn’t believe where his thoughts had gone. He had actually thought Rong Qing was about to rape Seven. The realization of how much that idea had shaken him left him drenched in sweat.

Rong Qing half-carried and half-shoved Seven onto the bed and sneered, “This afternoon, I’ll get an eye specialist to check your vision. You’d better be grateful I haven’t said, ‘The game is over,’ yet.”

Just as quickly as he arrived, Rong Qing left the room. Andy let out a long breath, picked up Seven’s glasses, and helped him sit up.

Seven slowly opened his eyes, and Andy froze. His irises weren’t the usual black of an Asian. They were a deep, murky green. At first glance, they appeared pitch black, but under closer inspection, the green shimmered through, pulling you in like quicksand.

When his gaze lowered, Seven looked calm and soft, like any other pretty boy. But when his eyes met yours, he had the air of a saint, untouchable and pure.

Yet something about him would drag you straight to hell, turning you into Lucifer himself.

“Let me tell you something,” Andy said, his voice rough. “Florida’s juvenile detention center may still be a CCA-run shithole, but it’s a far cry from the nightmare of the Virgin Islands. Mammon is fucking hell.”

Seven didn’t say a word. He took his glasses, slipped them back on, and remained eerily composed.