章 24: The Hyena's Pact
It wasn't all that surprising.
"Wake up, Georgio. If anyone finds you here, you'll be killed on the spot."
Rocco shook Georgio's shoulder gently, urging him to wake up.
Georgio who is half-awake or pretending to be, slumped forward and wrapped his arms tightly around Rocco's waist.
He pressing his face into Rocco's stomach with a muffled groan.
It tickled slightly, but Rocco decided to let it slide.
Georgio's behavior was almost childlike, his sulking drawing an instinctive reaction from Rocco.
He reached out his hand and patted Georgio's head lightly. "Come on, that's enough cuddling. It's time to get up."
"Good morning, Master," Georgio murmured with a sly grin at him
He flipping onto his back and sprawling across Rocco's lap.
His eyes gleamed with alertness—he'd clearly been awake the entire time.
Rocco sighed and flicked Georgio's forehead. "You were awake all along, weren't you?"
"Ow, Master, you're so mean!" Georgio whined, clutching his forehead dramatically.
Rocco couldn't help but chuckle, his irritation fading.
"Did I pass out yesterday?"
"You did! I was sooooo worried about you," Georgio replied, puffing out his cheeks in exaggerated indignation.
Despite his striking, almost otherworldly looks, Georgio's personality seemed far more childish than his appearance suggested.
It was hard to reconcile the man snuggled against him now with the infamous figure who had once terrorized the slums.
As Rocco thought back to Georgio's violent past, his expression darkened.
Georgio who is perceptive as ever, noticed immediately.
The atmosphere shifted in an instant.
The playful, clinging demeanor was gone.
What sat before Rocco now was no longer the affectionate Georgio but Georgio the Hyena—the assassin who had instilled fear across the slums.
The air grew heavy, and oppressive, pressing the reality of who Georgio was into Rocco with an almost physical weight.
Pushing down his fear, Rocco met Georgio's sharp gaze head-on, refusing to flinch.
Seconds stretched like hours as they stared each other down.
Finally, Georgio broke the silence with a faint smile, his tone calm and measured.
"…So? Master, is there something you need me to do?"
And there it was—the beginning of the real negotiation.
Rocco's mind sharpened.
This was the critical moment, the culmination of his efforts to bring Georgio under Rocco's roof.
If he couldn't secure Georgio's loyalty now, all his work would be for nothing.
He had come this far; he couldn't fail.
To secure his survival, Rocco resolved to completely dismantle the storyline in which Georgio became his enemy.
"Yes. Of course, I'll fully agree to your terms as well," he said firmly.
The words carried the unspoken implication that this was a negotiation between equals.
Georgio responded with a bright smile, standing up and pulling Rocco onto his lap.
He seemed pleased and nodding as if satisfied.
Rocco could feel Georgio's warmth pressing against his back.
Although Georgio's actions appeared playful and friendly, to Rocco, they radiated a silent menace.
It was as if Georgio, the infamous Hyena, were silently warning him: I could bite you in the back at any moment.
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