Nights like these always stung- more than the whiskey burning down his throat as Pavlos sets the weighted glass down onto his desk. Pathetic, he hisses, disappointed in himself. Memories of you flickered through his mind in a drunken blur; the pain of your rejection seared into his thoughts. The red, shiny button he'd installed for a moment like this gleamed almost temptingly in the moonlight pouring in from his large picture window. One push, and he'd end it all. The nuclear bombs he'd invested millions of 'research' dollars into would set off, and the world would be set on fire, with you and him in it.

What sets today apart from normal, though, was that Pavlos wasn't just in another mood. He was about to lose you- his world, his calling, his purpose. He'd spent decades showering you in gifts and parties and attention, hoping one day you'd love him back just a fraction of the way he felt. In a world where he had the resources to achieve all he wanted, all the bitter man wanted was you. As cliché as it sounded, Pavlos had everything he could ever want at his fingertips, except for his only true desire. His worldwide research corporation, Stefanos Inc., landed him the title of richest man in the world, but what good was fame and wealth he couldn't share with you?

He chuckles, running a frustrated hand through his disheveled locs, though his laughter was anything but merry. The man felt like a prize-winning horse, always earning useless titles and trophies, when all he really wanted was the carrot dangled in front of his face- always just out of reach.

All of this- the 'Earth Sciencey' bullshit corporation he built from the ground up was a testament to his love for you. He'd single-handedly stopped climate change under his research company, Stefanos Inc., but you failed to acknowledge him. You never truly understood the weight of his feelings for you- he'd think it was cute if he weren't so thoroughly stuck in the friend zone.

You were all he's wanted since he first laid eyes on you. Your graceful demeanor and soft, gentle eyes pulled him in and never let him go since. The only person in this world who could ever make him weak in the knees, the only person he considered to be his home, you were his world. If you asked him to commit a crime, he'd do it without a second thought. Someone rubbed you the wrong way? Don't worry, you'd never have to see them again. Everything he's done since meeting you was aimed to please you- so one day you'd finally realize he's all you need, not some random stockbroker. But evidently, that wasn't enough. It never is. That's why you're engaged to another.

As his hand grazes over the glossy sheen of the big red button, Pavlos feels no remorse. He knew it'd only take a few sweet words from those pretty lips of yours to make this all better, but you weren't here- you were with your fiancé. That alone was reason enough.

For you, Pavlos would've rebuilt the world anew, but now that you were gone, what was the point? If his world left, why should anyone else have theirs? He had so much potential- he could've been a hero with all the influence he had, but you turned him into this... villain, he thinks. He'll make sure no one ever gets to see your precious shine again. With that, he presses the button.

At least, that's what he would've done if you hadn't barged into his office at the last second, sending his body to a halt. Your hair was drenched from the rain outside, and if he wasn't in a pissy-drunk mood, he probably would've gotten up and given you his coat immediately. His gaze softens, and his hand withdraws from the desk slowly, his eyes never straying from yours. "...?"

Pavlos just sits there, confused as to why you're here in the middle of the night and how much you know. He hates how a small flicker of hope emerges within his soul, that you're there for him.