"Tyler isn't so bad, but Lucas…" Prince shook his head, half exasperated, half amused, as if the memories still managed to wear him out."Do you know how many fucking detentions I got because of him?And the times I bailed his ass out of trouble when we were in university?I had to cover for him with this or that girl or guy he was dating while he was chasing after someone else.It was maddening, I tell you."He scoffed softly, the sound threaded with nostalgia rather than true frustration."At times, I wondered if I made a mistake making him Bevin's godfather, because he acts just like him."
There was fondness beneath the complaints, the kind that only came from years of shared history and loyalty that refused to fade.
"But now Lucas is happily married," Finn commented, watching Prince carefully, curious about the shift from chaos to stability.
"Yeah," Prince said, a softer smile settling on his face."Lucas has had two great loves.First Rebecca, now Tucker.I'll admit I wasn’t a good friend to Lucas when he was mourning Rebecca, but I honestly couldn’t help him when I was dealing with my own problems."
Regret showed in his eyes.
"I'm sure he understands," Finn said gently, offering the reassurance without hesitation.
Prince nodded once, then shifted closer, his focus sharpening as he looked at Finn."Alright, enough about them.Let's talk about us."
"Okay," Finn replied with a small smile, his heart picking up at the change in direction.
"I don't want to rush you, Finn, so we will go as fast or as slow as you like," Prince said, his voice steady but sincere."But let me put your heart and mind at ease.I'm not looking for a fling.If that's not something you're looking for, tell me now.You're young, and in a few months, you might not want an old man like me.As heartbreaking as that might be, I will never hold you back."
There was no teasing in his tone now, only honesty and a quiet vulnerability he rarely allowed anyone to see.
"I'm not a fickle person, Prince.I always follow my heart, and I know what I want.I want to give it a try, so I'm not looking for a fling either.Other than Bevin and my grandmother, I've never had stability in my life.And that's what I want with you."
He reached down and pinched Prince on the leg, making him hiss, but Prince didn’t move away.If anything, he shifted even closer.
"And stop calling yourself old," Finn added, his tone firm but warm."You are far from it.Talk like that, and I'll punish you."
"Don't threaten me with a good time, babe," Prince joked, waggling his eyebrows as a slow grin spread across his face.
But when Finn huffed and folded his arms, clearly serious, the teasing light in Prince's eyes softened.The grin faded into something more earnest, and he lifted his hands slightly in surrender, conceding the moment without another word.
Prince reached for him, cupping Finn's cheek with deliberate tenderness."Okay, no more old talk.But seriously, Finn, I can give you stability and more."His thumb brushed lightly along Finn's skin before he leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, lingering just long enough to make the promise feel real, then eased back.
"Since that's out of the way, let's talk about something else," he continued, his tone turning more thoughtful."I know you're already against us being business partners, but have you thought about Bevin's offer?"
Finn blinked, genuinely stunned."How did you know Bevin came to me with a business offer?"
Prince didn’t look surprised."He's my son," he replied calmly."Of course I know what he's been planning all these years, even if he didn't say it out loud."
Finn let out a slow sigh and gently ran his fingers through Gray's fur, grounding himself in the steady warmth of the kitten beneath his hand.The soft rise and fall of Gray's breathing helped settle the storm of thoughts threatening to spiral.His mind drifted back to the conversation he and Bevin had shared a couple of days ago, just before his best friend had disappeared, the memory replaying with sharper clarity now that he understood what had really been placed in front of him.
"Hey, check this out," Bevin said as he walked into Finn's hospital room, handing him a smart pad.It was one of the rare times Prince hadn’t been there.
"What is it?"Finn asked, took the smart pad, and started reading.His eyes caught on the words S&T Investment, LLC.He frowned slightly, and he glanced over at Bevin, who was sitting on the sofa, smiling to himself as he texted someone, far too casual for what he had just handed over.
"Bevin, whose firm is this?Why haven't I heard of it before?"Finn asked, confusion sharpening his tone as he skimmed the opening lines.He paused, a thought clicking into place."Is this for a project you forgot to turn in and want me to look over?"
It would not have been the first time he had read through Bevin's classwork.
"Keep reading," Bevin replied casually, not even looking up from his phone, his thumbs still moving as if this were nothing more than another ordinary day.
Sighing, Finn shook his head and went back to reading, or rather scanning, since it was a condensed version of an executive summary.He skipped over the sections he knew professors would skim and focused on the important parts.But when he spotted the incorporation document, his frown deepened.He flipped back to check the year the company had been founded.
Two, almost three years ago.He had skimmed past Bevin's name because he assumed it was just an assignment.His name had to be on it, nothing more than that.He continued reading the remaining documents with that assumption in mind.
The company was new, but the financial statements showed steady growth with clean profit margins.He read further, mentally praising Bevin for how polished the assignment appeared.The growth charts were impressive, detailed, and professional.Yet the more he read, the more Finn felt that something wasn’t right.Not with the numbers, those were solid, but with the tone.The company write-up didn’t read like an assignment.It read like a proposal.
He had seen enough of them while working with Lucas and had even put a few together himself.Although the company had experienced significant growth, it still had shortcomings and areas that needed improvement.But that was the nature of new start-ups.Not everything worked the first time.When he moved on to the next page, his breath caught in his throat.Eighty to twenty percent stake with majority voting rights.His name was typed on the first line.
What?What the hell?
