Chapter 28: Treat Me Like a Human Being

Chapter 28: Chapter 28: Treat Me Like a Human Being

~Reynold’s POV~

"Reynold," I warned, my voice dropping dangerously. "Did you just push me away?"

He scrambled backward, quickly pulling his clothes into place with trembling hands. Tears of frustration and humiliation filled his eyes.

"I said stop!" His voice cracked, the raw anger in it finally cutting through my haze of lust. He pointed a shaking finger right at my chest, his whole body trembling. "Every single time! Every time you want something, you throw money at me! ’Name your price, I’ll give you money, I’ll buy you whatever you want!’ Did I ever ask you for any of this?!"

I froze, taken aback by the venom in his voice.

"You don’t care at all, do you?!" Reynold choked out, a tear finally spilling down his cheek. "I’m still sore from this morning. My body hurts. I can barely stand, and you still want to fuck me in a public bathroom? You want to use me again like I’m nothing? You think throwing money at me fixes everything, don’t you? You don’t care if you hurt me. You don’t care if someone walks in and sees. You just want to use me!"

He dragged a hand across his face, voice rising, thick with betrayal.

"Is that all I am to you? A tool? A paid toy you can pick up, fuck whenever you’re in the mood, and throw cash at afterward to shut me up? You treat me like dirt, Frederick. You treat me like an object!"

The words hung heavy in the tiled room. I stood frozen, mouth slightly open, struck silent by the raw truth in them. For a moment the cold, calculating walls I kept around myself cracked.

Before I could speak, Reynold let out a choked, ragged sob. He spun away from me and bolted past.

"Reynold—" I called, voice catching.

He didn’t stop. He shoved the restroom door open and ran straight out into the crowded party.

"Reynold!" I shouted, panic cutting through the shock. I surged forward and ran out after him.

I surged forward, bursting out of the restroom and back into the dazzling, noisy chaos of the party. My friends caught sight of me rushing past and opened their mouth to ask what was going on, but I didn’t even slow down to answer him. I locked eyes with my trembling guard and barked an order over the thundering bass.

"Find him! Don’t just stand there, go after him!" I ordered one of the guards before turning to the other. "Tell the driver to get the car ready and bring it around."

Both guards immediately nodded and hurried to carry out my orders.

Reynold didn’t wait for a second. By the time I pushed past the cluster of high-society guests and rushed through the security gates, he was already running down the wet pavement outside the estate, his footsteps hurried and uneven as a sudden, cold drizzle began to slick the dark streets.

I broke into a hard sprint, chasing him down the dimly lit, rain-slicked avenue until I finally closed the distance. Lunging forward, I wrapped both arms tightly around his waist from behind, pulling him back against my chest and stopping him in his tracks.

"Let me go!" Reynold shouted, thrashing wildly in my grip, his voice cracking with raw desperation. "Leave me alone!"

"Calm down. Just calm down first," I pleaded, tightening my hold as he struggled to break free.

"I said let me go!"

"Okay, just listen to me. Can we please go home and settle this first?"

Reynold whipped around, wrenching himself free from my arms. He stumbled back a step, his chest heaving as tears streamed down his face and mixed with the cold mist of the night.

"No!" he screamed, pointing a shaking finger at me, his voice echoing through the quiet street. "I want to go hustle for my own money! So I can stand on my own two feet and finally stop letting people treat me like a disposable tool! My family... and you, too. All of you are just so fucking wicked!"

The words hit me like a physical blow to the chest. I stepped toward him, keeping my hands raised in a placating gesture.

"I know... I know I messed up. But please, just come home with me first. I’ll look for a suitable, high-paying job for you, I swear—"

"No!" Reynold sobbed, cutting me off fiercely. "I don’t want your help anymore! I don’t want your money!"

"Fine, fine," I conceded, panic making my voice frantic. "You don’t have to take my help. But you still need a place to sleep tonight before you can find a job, right?"

"I’ll sleep on the street!" he fired back, his voice breaking. "Or I’ll go stay with my friend Julian!"

"Alright, alright. If not a job, then let me at least help you get back to school, okay? Let me pay your tuition so you can finish your degree—"

"No... just let me go!" he cried, turning away and wiping his wet face with the back of his trembling hand.

The sight of him standing there in the cold, broken yet fiercely proud despite everything, completely shattered whatever was left of my cold detachment.

"Alright... I’m sorry," I whispered, the words tasting foreign and heavy on my tongue. "Okay? I’m sorry."

Reynold froze. Slowly, he turned back to look at me, his chest rising and falling in ragged breaths. The anger in his eyes had melted into profound, exhausted hurt.

"Don’t treat me like that again, okay?" he whispered, his voice trembling. "Just... be nice. Even if it’s a contract, even if we’re just... whatever we are, treat me like I still matter. Like I’m a human being."

The raw vulnerability in his plea tore right through my armor. I nodded slowly, my throat tight.

"Okay. I promise."

I looked down the street and spotted the sleek silhouette of my car pulling up to the curb, its hazard lights blinking softly.

"My driver is right here," I murmured, pointing toward the waiting vehicle. "Should we head back?"

Reynold gave a small nod. But the moment he tried to take a step toward the car, his knees buckled. A sharp hiss of pain slipped past his lips, and he winced, grabbing onto a brick wall for support.

"I... I can’t walk," he choked out, fresh tears welling up. "My legs hurt too much."

Without a second thought, I dropped down onto the wet, rain-slicked pavement in front of him. Ignoring the water soaking through the knees of my expensive trousers, I reached down and gently helped him slip off his uncomfortable shoes before tossing them aside.

Then, I turned my back to him and hooked my arms beneath his thighs.

"Get on," I instructed softly.

Reynold hesitated for a fraction of a second before wrapping his arms weakly around my neck. I used one hand to scoop up his shoes, then stood with his weight securely pressed against my back and carried him the rest of the way through the drizzle.

As we reached the curb...