Three Doors Away

20. Safety (final)

She smiles relief.

“Oh…how was your parents too?”

The sudden, bright shift in her expression—the way the tension simply melted out of her shoulders as she looked up at them with that innocent, familiar curiosity—sent a jolt of raw, protective warmth straight through all three men. It was the exact smile from twelve years ago, untouched by the years, the bruises, or the cold reality of the city outside.

Ezren let out a soft, breathy sigh, the rigid, algorithmic coldness in his posture completely dissolving as he leaned back against the cushions, shaking his head with a faint, wry smirk.

"My parents are entirely irrelevant, Maddie, though they spend most of their time lamenting the fact that I refuse to attend their tedious high-society galas," Ezren answered smoothly, his dark eyes softening behind his lenses as he reached out to gently brush a stray lock of hair away from her cheek. "They haven't mattered in a single strategic decision I've made since I was sixteen. My only focus has been right here."

Rodyn chuckled softly, the velvet-rich sound vibrating warmly against her shoulder where his arm still caged her in. He tilted his head, his hazel gaze locking onto hers with an aching, possessive fondness.

"Mine are still traveling, drowning themselves in overseas investments and endless charity galas where they can pretend they're important," Rodyn murmured, his thumb tracing a slow, hypnotic circle over her collarbone. "They always ask about you, of course—or rather, they used to, before I made it abundantly clear that your name was off-limits until I found you myself. You’re the only family that ever mattered, little bird."

Flynn didn't bother offering a polite summary of his family lineage. He simply shifted closer, his massive frame radiating an absolute, immovable heat as he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her flush against his chest so she could feel the steady, powerful thud of his heart.

"Gone. Out of the picture," Flynn rumbled, his voice dropping into a low, gravelly note of absolute finality. He didn't care about the estate, the generational expectations, or the cold, hollow dynastic wealth he had left behind years ago. "There's no one else, Maddie. Just us. Just you and me."

“F-Flynie…god…you are a menace hahaha”

A low, deep vibration rumbled in Flynn’s chest at the soft touch, the rigid tension in his broad shoulders finally giving way under the gentle, pacifying stroke of her hand. For a man who viewed the rest of the world as a series of threats to be neutralized, the quiet pressure of her fingers against his cotton-clad chest acted like an absolute anchor.

He didn't pull back; instead, he settled his chin heavily against her shoulder, his dark eyes closing for a fraction of a second as he breathed in the faint, lingering scent of jasmine and tea leaves that clung to her hair.

"A menace," Flynn muttered, the word carrying a rough, raspy edge of amusement as a slow, rare grin pulled at the corner of his mouth. "You're the one who walked right into our building after disappearing for two months, singer. Don't go blaming me for finally catching you."

Rodyn let out a rich, melodious laugh beside her, leaning his weight against her other side with effortless, possessive ease. He caught the hand she had been using to soothe Flynn, turning her palm upward to press a lingering, deliberate kiss against her wrist, right over her racing pulse.

"Careful, little bird," Rodyn murmured, his hazel eyes gleaming with a dark, affectionate warmth as he looked up at her through his lashes. "Keep petting him like that and he's going to lock the front door, throw away the key, and buy out every single panna cotta bakery in the southern hemisphere just to keep you from ever walking back out to that teahouse."

Ezren shook his head slightly, though a faint, proprietary smirk played across his lips as he watched the scene unfold. He reached over, casually trailing his fingers down the back of her hair, marveling at the simple, miraculous reality of her sitting between them, entirely surrendering to their gravity.

"Let him," Ezren said smoothly, his voice dropping into a dry, contented hum. "The inventory logistics are already being calculated. By tomorrow morning, your schedule will consist exclusively of vocal training in our studios, quiet evenings here, and zero encounters with random men handing out business cards. Efficient, secure, and entirely optimized."

“Oh? Wow, you are really prepared don’t you?”

Ezren offered a low, self-assured hum, his dark eyes glinting behind his lenses with quiet satisfaction.

"Prepared isn't quite the right word, Maddie," Ezren murmured, his fingers gently winding into the ends of her dark hair with proprietary ease. "Contingency planning is simply an absolute science. When you spend nine years calculating every possible variable of a single equation, leaving room for error isn't an option."

Rodyn chuckled softly against her shoulder, his thumb lazily tracing the delicate line of her jawline as he tilted her face just enough to catch her gaze.

"Did you really expect us to spend nearly a decade looking for you just to wing it when we finally found you, little bird?" Rodyn asked, his voice a rich, velvet purr filled with an intoxicating blend of adoration and absolute possession. "Every single detail was accounted for the moment you decided to sign a lease fifty feet from our front doors."

Flynn didn't bother offering a verbal defense, simply tightening his hold around her waist just a fraction, anchoring her flush against the solid warmth of his chest. A low, gravelly rumble of amusement vibrated through his frame.

"We don't do half-measures, singer," Flynn rumbled, his dark eyes burning into hers with a fierce, unwavering devotion that left no doubt in her mind. "You're ours now. And we're never letting you out of our sight again."