Page 240 of Reckless Obsession

“Nobody thinks you’re a bird, Ty,” Lucas says in that soft, disarming voice of his. He sets the scoop down. “Do you want to talk about it? The argument?”

The kitchen goes quiet. The microwave timer blinks, counting down in absolute silence. For a few seconds, Tyler stays completely still. The loud, vibrant, untouchable persona he wears like armor flickers, and something raw, bruised, and deeply vulnerable bleeds across his features.

He slowly shakes his head.

“I just…” Tyler’s voice cracks, dropping an octave and stripped of its playful theatricality. “I can’t do it again, you guys. I look at Viktor, and he’s so good to me. He’s so good to Luiz. And it terrifies the living shit out of me.”

He stares down at the dusting of flour on his hands, blinking rapidly against the sudden shine of unshed tears.

“Every time I’ve ever let my guard down, every time I let myself believe somebody actually wanted to stay—I ended up humiliated. Cheated on, lied to, treated like an embarrassing secret, or told that having a disabled brother was too much baggage to deal with.”

“Tyler,” I say.

He shakes his head immediately.

“I’m fine. I just…” He lets out a strained breath and looks toward the ceiling. “I don’t want to fall in love. I don’t want to be in a committed relationship where someone has the power to destroy me again. I just… I can’t survive that kind of heartbreak a second time.”

The weight of his confession hangs heavy in the warm air.

Lucas looks as if his heart is physically aching for him. “Tyler—”

“Nope!” Tyler snaps his head up, violently blinking away the moisture in his lashes. He forces a bright, dazzling, razor-thin smile, clapping his floury hands together with a puff of white powder. “No heavy emotional baggage in the kitchen. We are making carbs, not doing group therapy.”

The oven timer dings.

Tyler seizes on the sound like a lifeline, spinning away from the emotional cliff he almost threw himself off of.

“Tell me about last night,” he demands, pivoting towards me with exaggerated, high-octane urgency. “How did the big family dinner with your soon-to-be Italian sister-in-law and her scary-ass family go? Was she terrifying or nice? Is Anton miserable or secretly in love? Did anyone stab anyone with a bread knife? I need details right now.”

I can’t help but laugh, shaking my head at the whiplash. The transition from near-tears to rabid gossip is pure Tyler—deflect with glitter, survive with noise.

“No bread knives, surprisingly,” I say, leaning against the counter and picking up a sliced black olive. “It was definitely tense. Everyone had their guard up, one hand practically hovering over their holsters while passing the salt. But it was a success. The alliance is moving forward. Though… I was honestly shocked to see her half-brother sitting at the table.”

Lucas blinks, tilting his head. “Why were you surprised?”

“Because he’s the black sheep,” I reply. “He’s illegitimate, and the family completely disowned him years ago.”

Tyler perks up, crossing his arms over his Betty Boop apron. “Why? Just because he’s an illegitimate kid? That’s so retro, mob-coded.”

“No,” I say with a faint smirk. “Because he’s an adult content creator.” I catch myself, pausing to adjust. “Well, he used to be. He stopped about two years ago.”

Lucas’s mouth parts in genuine innocence. “You mean… like an OnlyFans creator?”

“Yep.” I nod. “The account is still up, but it’s completely inactive. Hasn’t posted a single thing in almost a year, so everyone online assumes he officially quit the industry.”

Tyler’s manicured hand flies to his hip. “Okay, spill. What’s his name?”

“Elio,” I answer.

Tyler rolls his eyes so hard I’m surprised they don’t get stuck in his skull.

“I meant his OF name, genius. His stage tag.”

I raise a slow, unimpressed brow. “And how on earth would I know that?”

Tyler snorts loudly, giving me a knowing smirk. “Oh, please. I know you know, Maksim. How did you know his account is still up?”

I crack a laugh, caught red-handed. “Fine. It’s Elfoxxy.”