Alex Pov
The basement wasn’t as bad as I expected.
I remembered how Liam had donated money years ago to turn it into a space for the kids—just a simple hangout. It was meant to be a place for them to have fun, to forget everything else. But right now, sitting on the couch in front of Marlo, Cash, and Antonio, it felt more like a setup for a horror movie.
They kept staring at me and Nikolai, and I felt like I was on display, like I didn’t belong here. My palms started to sweat, and I had no idea what to say or how to act. I glanced at Nikolai, who was sitting on the other end of the couch, creating a large gap between us. I should’ve been used to this by now, the tension between us, but tonight it felt suffocating.
“This won’t do,” Antonio said, breaking the silence. His voice had a ca
