Chapter 46

So that's why you went into the basement.

As if answering the hidden question, Greyson nodded.

"Well, it's less boring than being alone."

Dane became speechless again. Behind him, who seemed lost in some complicated thoughts, his colleagues were waiting after having finished preparing to return. Though he had noticed this fact for some time, Dane didn't look back. He still had remaining questions.

"Why couldn't you leave?"

When asked why he hadn't taken the child out and instead had gone in himself, Greyson answered without hesitation this time too.

"He would just be punished again, and the time would only get longer."

Soon after, he frowned and then shrugged.

"We just had to endure a little longer, but because you took Santiago away, I stayed there instead. I had to explain that Santiago didn't leave there of his own will. I was a witness, so to speak."

Again, Dane became speechless. Looking at Greyson with a complex gaze whose meaning couldn't be understood, he opened his mouth after a few seconds of silence.

"So, you're saying what you did was righteous?"

"I was just trying to help."

Greyson responded without hesitation this time as well.

"I always do my best, but people get angry every time. Why? I don't understand."

As he frowned as if wronged, adding insult to injury, Dane could only look at him silently. His face revealed his complicated thoughts, but Greyson didn't notice.

At that moment, Ezra, who had been waiting behind him, shouted.

"Dane! What are you doing? Come quickly, let's go back!"

A quick glance showed that everyone had already gotten into the car, and only Ezra remained, waving his arms in front of the open car door. Dane didn't say anything more and turned around. After taking a couple of steps, suddenly Greyson asked from behind.

"Do you think I did something wrong too?"

Dane looked back. The damn smile had disappeared from Greyson's face. With an expressionless face showing no emotion, Dane coldly opened his mouth.

"Don't help."

With a face as cold as his tone, he admonished.

"Don't do anything, you."

With those final words, Dane strode to the car and got in. Following him into the car, Ezra whispered softly.

"Why bother with that bastard, he's not in his right mind."

The other guys had similar expressions. They had probably heard the conversation with Greyson too, of course. Dane sat in the empty seat without saying anything. Greyson also got into the car a step late but didn't open his mouth once until they returned. Only occasionally did he direct his gaze toward where Dane was, but Dane stubbornly fixed his gaze in the opposite direction, not moving even slightly.

<I love you, Dane.>

In his memory, a woman with red-blonde hair whispered as she hugged him tightly.

<My precious treasure, I only have you.>

As the forgotten memory revived, his expression naturally became desolate. Dane, who had closed his eyes with furrowed brows trying to shake off the unwelcome memory, thought. I was planning to go to a club today, but that's ruined. When his mood was foul, he didn't seek sex partners, so even though tomorrow was his day off, he decided to go straight home after work. With the thought that tonight, he would sleep holding Darling.

***

That bastard.

In the car returning to the fire station, Greyson's insides began to boil little by little. What the hell was that look? What was he thinking when he looked at me? Why?

It was the first time he had seen such an expression. He couldn't understand what it meant at all. He let out an irritated groan, "Ungh."

From a time long ago that he couldn't even remember, Greyson Miller had difficulty distinguishing people's expressions. Perhaps there had been a defect in his brain since birth. To his son, who struggled because he couldn't read emotions, unable to tell whether someone was smiling or angry, his father, Ashley Miller, suggested one method.

<Learn to read emotions.>

After that, famous teachers specializing in acting and psychology regularly visited the mansion to teach him cold reading. At first, it started simply with "corners of the mouth up means smiling, down means sad," and later he memorized everything one by one, even down to how the movement of a single finger revealed inner feelings.

The fortunate thing was that Greyson had an outstanding talent for cold reading. He absorbed everything he was taught like a sponge, and at a rapid pace, he went beyond understanding the other person's mind to even discerning what they wanted with just a glance.

Conversely, he was also excellent at using his knowledge to imitate the emotions that others might feel in the same situation and "pretend." Thanks to this, he perfectly created the image of himself that others wanted, using what he had read. To someone who didn't know about his innate defect and acquired effort, it was convincing enough to be completely fooled. The teacher who taught acting recognized his talent and seriously recommended it.

<Have you thought about pursuing this path? I'll talk to Mr. Miller, you definitely have talent! How wonderful would it be to stand on the red carpet with Chase? Hmm?>

The teacher was very sincere, but Greyson declined. Because he clearly knew his limitations.

He was only "imitating" after all. Because of this, he couldn't perform the deep, internal acting like his brother Chase Miller, who was counted among the top actors and recognized for his superior acting skills. In fact, even when watching movies featuring Chase, Greyson only watched with a feeling close to learning, thinking "so in such situations, one expresses oneself like that," and had never been impressed by the acting. Because the emotions didn't resonate with him. Though he could know through learning whether someone was crying, wailing, or laughing, he couldn't understand "why."

Above all, these cases of "acting" and adapting to others were exclusively limited to those he judged as his "destiny." He exerted his full effort, displaying more than 120 percent of what he had learned, and because of that, they, regardless of gender, fell deeply for Greyson. The problem was that he was also merciless when abandoning them.

Anyway, for that reason, Greyson Miller had never failed until now. Even if they initially avoided him or had negative feelings toward him, after giving expensive gifts and saying a few plausible words, they would pretend to give in and fall for him. Conversely, those who disliked him hated him terribly. A being who received both unconditional love and intense hatred, that was Greyson Miller.

Of course, all those reactions were merely amusing to him. In the end, whether they hated or loved, the fact that they couldn't endure his existence was the same. Because love and hate are one.

So until now, he had lived looking down on all people in the world.

What the hell does that expression mean?

He was dying of curiosity. Greyson had learned all the emotional expressions in the world and had perfectly acquired them. But this was the first time he couldn't understand such an expression.

He needed to know what it was.

Greyson even felt anxious. There should be no emotion he didn't know. He needed to know what it meant, even if he had to strangle Dane Striker. Right now.