Page 5 of Angels of the Night

However, that kid, Rowan, took it very seriously as he barely touched the food, in spite of eyeing it with a hungry stare. His table manners were impeccable to Fabian's pleasant surprise. At a certain point, the chauffeur also noticed that the boy was not eating, and he apologized for the misplaced joke. As expected, the man's words brought a wide smile to the boy's sensual lips, and he started to dig in to the food.

Suddenly, Fabian had a revelation: the teenager sitting next to him, so vulnerable and cheeky at the same time, was a sign sent by whatever forces were governing the Universe. He was going to help the boy take the right path in life and make the right choices, to become the best version of himself through hard work rather than by lying, cheating and stealing, like his father, Conroy, and detested brother, Phillip.

“It was delicious, thank you very much for the kind lunch invitation.” Rowan rubbed his belly, giving Fabian a shy smile. “I hope my presence here didn't upset you very much. I didn't know where to go.” The boy turned to Lance, his attitude completely changed.

“He was just joking. Now, let's get your suitcase to one of the guest rooms, so you can get rid of these totally improper clothes and come into library to have a serious talk.” Fabian's voice was mild, with a tinge of sternness Rowan immediately reacted to.

“Very well, sir.” The boy dipped his head again, the posture of his body changing. “It won't take long.”

“Boss, this kid screams trouble. I don't think we should get involved in his problems. He's a bit...I don't know how to put it...” Lance was interrupted by Rowan's apparition, naked as the day he was born.

“You told me to get rid of my clothes, so I did...Sir.” He turned to Fabian, a very serious expression on his face.

“For the love of all things holy, kid. I told you to put something decent on you, that outfit was horrible! And stop calling me sir, it makes me feel...”

“Okay, Daddy, as you wish. Think I'm more attractive with clothes on? What's wrong with my body?” Rowan did a complete pirouette, then pouted. “Now I'll go and hide my hideousness under the most boring clothes I can find.” He lowered his head, stepping out of the library.

“Wait. What exactly do you want from me? And you are not hideous, but it's improper to go around without clothes, plus you could catch a cold.” The tinge of sternness from Fabian's voice was gone, much to the boy's delight.

“To be worse than Phillip, the worst ever. The kind of son my father would have been proud of. I want to have power, a lot of power and influence, so I can crush that fucker like the disgusting cockroach he is,” Rowan spat the words, his ocean-blue eyes darkening with hatred.

“I'm going to give you all the help you need, but you will have to follow my rules. Break them more than once, and you'll lose my support. I hope I’ve made myself clearly understood.”

“This is going to be a hell of a bumpy ride, Boss,” Lance muttered under his breath, as Rowan left the room.

“You may be right, but it will pay off,” Fabian answered, an enigmatic smile on his lips.