CHAPTER 15: BILL RECEIVED?

Elias stared at his phone, his heart pounding as Jace’s message stared back at him:

’Great! Send the address. I’ll be there in an hour. We have to finish the project as soon as possible.’

The address? What address? He hoped it wasn’t the estate?

Panic surged through him as he thought of what he had done.

The Drago estate wasn’t just any house; it was a massive mansion, guarded like a fortress, owned by the city’s most notorious mafia family. How could he explain that to Jace, a classmate who’d bullied him for years and only recently turned nice?

Elias paced his room, his hands resting on his waist as he tried to think of a way out.

Should I cancel it? Make up an excuse? Or... suggest a cafe?

But Jace was already waiting for the address, and Elias didn’t want to piss him off. Jace could go back to his old ways, and Elias couldn’t handle that... not with everything else piling up.

He took a deep breath, rubbing his temples. The pill Luka gave him sat on his table. He popped one, swallowing it dry, hoping it would kick in fast. His scent was all over the room, sweet and faint, but he prayed no one would notice.

With a sigh, he grabbed his phone and sent the estate’s address, adding:

Elias:It’s the biggest place on the hill. Just tell the gate guard you’re here for me.

Jace’s reply came quickly...

Jace: Why are you there? That’s the Drago estate, right? Are you into mafia stuff?

Elias’s stomach dropped, his fingers hovering over the keyboard. Before he could type, another message popped up..

Jace: Never mind. It’s none of my business. Sorry for sticking my nose in. I’ll be there soon.

Elias exhaled, his shoulders sagging. At least Jace backed off. He glanced around his room... it was already clean, but he tidied anyway, straightening his bed, stacking his notebooks, wiping down the table.

Anything to keep busy. He hid the suppressants in a drawer, not wanting to look at the expensive-looking bottle. If Jace smelled anything odd, or if Viktor walked in... he pushed the thought away.

A knock came at his door sooner than expected. Elias opened it, finding Gerald with Jace behind him, the classmate looking around the hall with wide eyes. "Your friend’s here," Gerald said, his voice calm. "Let me know if you need anything."

"Thanks, Gerald. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you in advance. It was urgent," Elias said, his voice soft.

"It’s alright. You need to focus on your academics, you’re still young, after all,"

He smiled and whispered a ’Thank you’ before stepping aside to stare at Jace. "Come in, Jace."

Jace walked in, his backpack slung over his shoulder, his eyes scanning the room.

"Nice place," he said, his tone casual but curious. "I didn’t expect... this."

Elias closed the door, his face heating. "It’s a normal thing."

"Normal thing? You’re in a Mafia household. Do you know how dangerous Viktor Drago is?" Jace asked, his voice laced with worry and Elias turned his gaze away shyly. He couldn’t answer truthfully.

’Of course, he’s dangerous since he pointed a gun at my head on our first meeting and didn’t apologise,’

He wished he could say that but he just smiled.

"Master is a... good person,"

"Is he?" Jace smirked and before Elias could say another word, Gerald knocked again.

Elias silently thanked him for his interruption.

He entered, holding a tray of sliced fruit, cookies, and milk.

"I thought I’d bring this for you boys," he said, setting it on the table. "You didn’t eat breakfast, Elias. And make sure you don’t forget the kids... they’ll be home soon."

Elias smiled, his chest warm. Gerald was always looking out for him, like a father he never had. "Thanks, Gerald. I won’t."

Gerald nodded and left, closing the door. Jace raised a brow, sitting at the table.

"Kids? You got kids?"

Elias shook his head, sitting across from him.

"No, they’re not mine. I’m the nanny for the Drago twins."

Jace’s eyes widened. "The Drago twins? I see... That’s why you’re working here,"

Elias nodded, his voice quiet.

"Yeah. Of course, why else would I be here?" Elias furrowed his brows and Jace just rubbed his chin. He knew Viktor owned a lot of the city... schools, buildings, everything. It’s like his kingdom and his estate is his castle. He was relieved to hear Elias was just a nanny for the twins and had nothing to do with Viktor.

Jace whistled, leaning back. "That’s a cool job, though." He paused, pulling out his notebook. "Let’s get to the project. It’s on renewable energy sources... solar, wind, that stuff. We gotta research and present pros and cons."

Elias opened his notebook, trying to focus.

"Okay. I’ll take notes on solar."

They started, Jace talking about wind turbines, but Elias’s mind wandered.

They’ve been talking about Viktor before the project that Elias couldn’t help but also keep thinking about a man who had zero interest in him. He thought of his scent last night, Luka’s threats... it all swirled in his head. He scribbled randomly, barely hearing Jace.

"You okay?" Jace asked, stopping mid-sentence. "You’re spacing out."

Elias blinked, his face hot. "Sorry. I’m not feeling great."

Jace frowned, his eyes softening. "You never look great. Let me check your temperature." He reached out, his hand hovering.

Elias flinched, pulling back instinctively, his heart racing. Jace froze, his hand dropping.

"Sorry," he said, his voice low. "I didn’t mean to scare you."

Elias’s cheeks burned. "It’s fine. I was just... surprised." He grabbed Jace’s hand, placing it on his forehead. "See? No fever."

Jace’s face turned red, his hand warm against Elias’s skin. He pulled back slowly.

"Uh, yeah. You’re a little warm, maybe. Or is it just hot in here?"

Elias sighed, rubbing his eyes.

"I’ll be okay. Let’s keep going."

They continued, but this time around, Jace was the one who got distracted, as he kept glancing at Elias more than his notes.

Elias focused, taking notes on solar panels, but Jace’s eyes lingered, his mind on that touch, Elias’s soft skin. Why was he so fixated? The faint scent he’d caught once, the way Elias flinched... He didn’t want Elias to get scared of him.

Maybe because Elias was different from the other Omegas. He’s not popular in school at all because everyone thinks he’s a Beta. But if it gets out that he’s a Beta, he would have so many people clinging onto him like flies.

If he wanted to hide his secondary gender, Jace didn’t mind helping him as long as he remained the closest to Elias. He knew there was no way something would happen between him and Viktor since rumours about him being uninterested in men were out there.

They wrapped up after two hours, Jace packing his bag.

"Good start," he said, his voice came out awkward. "Same time tomorrow?"

Elias nodded. "Yeah. Thanks for coming."

Jace shrugged. "No problem." He headed out, but paused. "You probably should take care of that fever, okay?"

Elias smiled faintly. "I will."

As Jace packed other heavy textbooks, Elias excused himself to return the tray to the kitchen. Gerald was there, wiping counters.

"The master’s back," Gerald said, his voice low. "He’s obviously in a bad mood. Stay clear if you can."

Elias lowered his head when he heard that.

"Got it. Thanks."

He returned to his room, finding Jace with his phone, a worried look on his face. "Your phone buzzed," Jace said, handing it over. "I didn’t mean to look, but it’s from ’Hospital.’"

Elias grabbed it, his eyes widening at the message:

Hello, Mr Kane. Lila Kane’s condition is very critical. Pay up the pending bills or no further treatment would be administered to her.

He froze, his knees buckling. Jace caught him, his arms steady. "Hey, hey..." Jace said, his voice concerned. "Is it something bad?"

Elias grabbed a jacket, his voice shaky.

"My sister. I have to go."

Jace’s eyes softened. "I’ll come with you."

Elias checked the time... almost time to pick up the twins. His heart tore... Lila or the job? If he skipped the twins, Viktor would fire him, and without pay, Lila’s bills would stay unpaid.

"I can’t," he said, his voice breaking. "I have to pick up the kids. They’re my job and... And..."

Jace grabbed his shoulder, trying to calm him down. His face was filled with determination.

"Let me go to the hospital for you. I’ll check on your sister and see what’s up. You should go get the kids."

Elias stared, tears stinging.

"You’d do that? For me?"

"Yeah," Jace said, shrugging. "It’s just a hospital run. And... you’re the nanny, right? As long as you don’t get into trouble with that... Drago guy,"

Elias nodded, wiping his eyes.

"He has a name, Jace but... Thank you so much,"

Jace smiled faintly. "No problem. Send me the hospital address."

Elias texted it, thanking him over and over. They parted ways, Jace heading to the hospital, Elias rushing to Marco’s car.

"To the school," he said urgently.

.

After a few minutes of driving, they picked up the kids. They entered and started chattering about their day but Elias wasn’t listening. He was just staring at the phone.

They leaned close to the front seat. "You look weird, nanny," Dante said, frowning. "What’s wrong?"

Elias forced a smile. "My sister’s in the hospital. I need to see her after dropping you two off."

Dario’s eyes widened. "We wanna come! Please?"

"Yeah!" Dante said. "We wanna see your sister."

Elias’s chest warmed. "Are you sure? It’s not fun."

They nodded, insistent. Elias sighed, smiling.

"Okay. Marco, please, let’s head to the hospital."

Marco nodded, turning the car. The twins asked questions the whole way... about Lila, why she was sick, and if she was nice. Elias answered, his hands shaky, grateful for their distraction.

They arrived and the three of them went in immediately. Elias froze at Lila’s room door as he looked inside. Jace stood inside, talking to the doctor, he looked a bit too serious.

Jace then turned, his eyes locking on Elias and the doctor noticed.

Jace walked towards Elias, touching his jacket.

"You finally came... he asked, his voice low.

Elias’s throat tightened. "Yes, I did as soon as I could. My sister..." he said, his voice breaking. But before he could explain, the doctor stepped in, his face grim.

"Mr. Kane, we need to talk. Lila’s worsening. And there’s... complications. But thanks to the bill received, we need your signature to commence the new treatment,"

"Bill received? What... What are you talking about?" He asked as his face twisted in confusion. The doctor’s gaze flickered towards the direction Jace stood and Elias did the same thing before figuring out what was happening.