The Don's Deadliest Obsession

I rush through the rest of my breakfast, barely tasting anything.

My mind is already upstairs, wondering what exactly Lysander has arranged for me.

I wipe my mouth with a napkin, mutter a quick goodbye to Linda, and hurry out of the dining room.

I’m not particularly proud to admit that I take the stairs two at a time. But in my defense, curiosity is a serious disease, and I am clearly suffering from a particularly aggressive case of it.

When I reach my bedroom, I push the door open and stop.

There’s a gift box sitting on the table.

A large one.

It’s wrapped in dark paper, tied with a neat black ribbon, and positioned so perfectly in the middle of the table that I can’t possibly miss it.

I stare at it.

Then I grin.

Oh, this man.

I walk over and run my fingers over the ribbon.

There’s no card attached, no note, and absolutely nothing to indicate what might be inside.

Typical Lysander.

Even when he’s doing something nice, he has to maintain his mysterious, insufferable personality.

I pull the ribbon free and lift the lid.

My eyebrows rise.

It’s a two-in-one box, with two separate compartments stacked together.

The first section contains a phone. I pick it up immediately, turning it over in my hands. It’s sleek, expensive-looking, and still has the protective film covering the screen.

”Oh.”

I press the power button to turn it on.

I stare at it, confused. ℯℯ𝘭.

Why would Lysander give me a phone?

I already have one.

Granted, the one in my hand looks considerably more expensive than mine, but that doesn’t explain why he’s suddenly gifting me electronics.

Unless...

I gasp.

Is this a business phone? For my influencer career?

My excitement returns instantly.

Maybe he’s actually taking this seriously. Perhaps he’s already thinking about the equipment I’ll need to create content and communicate with brands.

I turn the phone over again, examining it.

Okay.

That’s actually thoughtful....Annoyingly thoughtful.

Then I notice the second compartment beneath the first.

I lift the upper section carefully and set it aside, expecting to find another expensive gadget.

Maybe a tablet, perhaps a camera.

God knows the man has enough money to buy me an entire electronics store if he feels like it.

But the moment I look inside, every thought disappears from my head and I freeze.

My brain refuses to process what I’m seeing.

For several seconds, I simply stare into the box, blinking as though my eyes have suddenly stopped working.

Then the realization hits me and I jerk backward so quickly that my hip slams against the table.

”HOLY FUCK!”

My hand flies to my mouth.

Inside the box is a severed penis...a real one.

Someone’s actual penis has been cut off, placed inside a box, and delivered to me like some deranged birthday present.

I stare at it in absolute horror.

”What the actual fuck?”

My stomach twists as I take another step backward, pressing a hand against my chest as my heart begins hammering.

Who does something like this? Who cuts off someone’s body part and decides the appropriate next step is to wrap it up like a gift?

What kind of sick, twisted lunatic....

My gaze snaps toward the phone still lying on the table.

The screen is finally on and there’s a face staring back at me.

I stop breathing.

I know that face, I would recognize it anywhere, even after all these years.

It’s Kelvin.

My fingers go cold.

No. No, no, no.

I snatch up the phone, staring at the screen as though doing so might somehow change what I’m seeing.

It’s him.

The same face, the same eyes.

The boy who assaulted me in high school, the boy whose actions turned my life into a living nightmare.

Well...:he’s a man now.

I feel sick to my stomach.

My eyes move from the phone to the box, then back to the phone.

Slowly, painfully, the pieces begin falling into place.

Last night, Lysander heard those men talking about me in the bathroom. He heard them discussing the pictures, he heard what Kelvin had said about my body.

And this morning, he promised to have someone look into my business plans.

But apparently, he had something else to take care of first.

Something much more personal.

My gaze drops to the severed body part in the box, then I look at Kelvin’s face on the phone again.

My mouth falling open.

”Oh. My. God.”

I stumble away from the table, shaking my head in disbelief.

Did Lysander actually find Kelvin after the club? Did he cut off my assaulter’s dick, put it in a box, and hand it over to me like some twisted fucking gift?

I stare at the box again.

Then, very slowly, I whisper the only words my shocked brain can produce.

”What in the actual fuck, Lysander?”

Lysander’s POV

My attention is needed at the club.

Apparently, a group of people have been asking for me, and my men are beginning to get impatient with their insistence on seeing me personally.

I would have sent someone to deal with them, but the way my head of security describes the situation makes me curious enough to go myself.

By the time I arrive, the group is waiting in one of the private lounges.

Three men. All dressed in dark suits, with the kind of stiff posture that screams authority. The one standing in the middle has a face I vaguely recognize, though I cannot immediately place him.

They introduce themselves as investigators.

Of course.

”Mr. Sanchez,” the one in the middle says, extending his hand.

I glance at it before looking back at his face.

He slowly lowers his hand.

”We’d like to ask you a few questions.”

”About?”

”The death of Mr Nico..”

Ah.

Now we are getting somewhere.

I gesture for them to follow me and lead them to my office. Once inside, I walk around my desk and settle into my chair, making myself comfortable. The three men remain standing until I motion toward the seats opposite me.

”Please,” I say, flashing them a polite smile. ”Sit.”

They do.

I fold my hands on the desk and lean back.

”I’d appreciate it if we went straight to the point. I’m a busy man, you see.”

The man in the middle clears his throat.

”Ah, yes. We’re here concerning the death of Nico.”