Chapter 107

7

Silence fell again. This time it was longer. After watching his son's reaction silently for a while, Ashley slowly leaned back in his chair as if he had expected it.

"If you're not certain, that's as good as a lie."

At the cold tone, as always, Greyson pulled up the corners of his mouth again and said.

"I'm sure what I'm feeling is love. It's different from before."

"Is that so?"

Ashley snickered and asked.

"Do you also know what Dane Striker's feelings are?"

For the first time, Greyson's eyes moved. His pupils, which had subtly shifted to one side, paused there for a moment before returning to their original position.

"Maybe?"

Ashley rose from his chair as if he'd had enough. He ordered his son, who was getting up to follow.

"You stay here. Don't come out until I say it's okay."

"Yes."

Greyson obediently sat back down in the chair as instructed. After confirming this, Ashley left the reception room. Outside, an employee was standing guard at the door.

"Don't let Greyson come out."

"Yes, understood."

When Ashley gave the order, the employee immediately answered and blocked the door with his body. Only then did Ashley move his feet and walk down the corridor.

* * *

Knock, knock, at the sudden sound of knocking, Dane and Koi turned their heads simultaneously. After a pause, the door opened, and Ashley appeared.

"Ash! ...Where's Greyson?"

Koi, who had stood up happily, immediately looked behind him and asked. Ashley answered him in a flat tone.

"I told him to stay in the reception room. I have something to say for a moment."

"Something to say?"

As Koi tilted his head, Ashley shifted his gaze toward Dane.

"Dane Striker, can we talk for a moment?"

At the chilly voice, Dane hesitated. Why is this man suddenly approaching me? Koi was equally puzzled. Ashley, who had beckoned to Dane with a flick of his finger to come out, spoke to Koi, who was about to follow.

"You wait here, don't come out."

"Uh..."

Koi looked alternately at Dane and Ashley in confusion but soon sat back down in the chair with a resigned expression. Dane felt strange at the atmosphere that somehow seemed familiar.

When they came outside, an employee was standing in front of the door. As Dane followed behind Ashley, the employee immediately blocked the door they had come out of. As if not allowing anyone to enter or exit. As Dane was wondering whether they were confining Koi or preventing someone's intrusion, he suddenly recalled something he had forgotten.

<There's a villa my father built nearby.>

<He probably wanted to imprison Daddy.>

Dane felt strange again at the realization that the man who had built a villa to imprison his partner was none other than Ashley Miller walking ahead of him. And also at the fact that the very partner was Koi, with whom he had just been talking.

It feels like I've gotten entangled with an absurd family...

Just as he was having this not-so-welcome thought, Ashley opened the door to a room. With a slight nod as if telling him to follow, he stepped inside first. Though reluctant, Dane had no choice but to move his feet as instructed.

With the door closing behind him with a thud, Dane was left alone with Ashley Miller in a desolate hall without a single piece of furniture.

Suddenly, he felt a sweet scent. It was a familiar fragrance, but Dane knew that its source was different from what he had smelled until now.

This was Ashley Miller's pheromone scent. Like other extreme Alphas, this man was also spraying his scent around as if it were natural. Even though there might be Omegas nearby who could go into heat, he probably never even imagined showing such consideration.

Dane's mood worsened as he too was not immune to the influence. It was fortunate that his extreme Omega phenotype gave him higher resistance. To Dane, who was standing with a frowning face, Ashley, standing at some distance, spoke first.

"Dane Striker. The reason I called you like this is because I have something to ask."

"Go ahead."

Dane spoke in his usual casual manner. Ashley frowned as if he didn't like that response, but he didn't bother to point it out. There was no need to worry about this and that for a relationship that wouldn't last long anyway. There was something else more important.

"Greyson said he's dating you, do you agree with that?"

For a moment, Dane hesitated. He had no idea what Ashley was going to say to him, but it felt somewhat unexpected. Scratching the back of his head, Dane confessed the truth.

"I... could say I agreed."

After speaking, he somehow felt uneasy. Dane, receiving Ashley's persistent gaze, added as if making an excuse.

"There were unavoidable circumstances. It wasn't that I wanted to do it..."

As he was speaking, Dane felt something strange. It was because Ashley's expression had subtly changed. Why is he looking at me like that? As he was wondering, Ashley abruptly opened his mouth.

"Did that guy rape you?"

At the sudden question, Dane hesitated again.

"What?"

As he stared with round eyes, surprisingly, Ashley contorted his face and let out a deep sigh. With an expression that seemed to say, so he did it after all.

"So, are you going to sue?"

"What?"

At the question that somehow sounded tired, Dane found himself asking again. Then Ashley quickly continued.

"Tell me what you want, I'll do anything. Of course, I'll also take appropriate measures against him."

Ashley Miller spoke as if he would give away his entire fortune. For a moment, incredibly expensive cat items that Dane couldn't even put in his shopping cart flashed before his eyes, but he painfully resisted the temptation.

"...It wasn't Miller who did it, ahem, I... I did it."

Damn heat cycle, damn estrus!

Feeling his face turning bright red, Dane deliberately turned his gaze elsewhere and confessed.

"I... pounced on Miller."

An awkward silence flowed between them. For the first time in his life, Dane thought about wanting to run away somewhere. Ashley was silent for a while, his thoughts unknown. After just silently looking at Dane, he finally slowly opened his mouth.

"You did it to him?"

Dane couldn't bring himself to answer and just nodded very slightly. Ashley frowned and tilted his head to one side.

"Why?"

It was a reaction that showed he couldn't understand at all. Of course, that would be the case. Dane bit his lower lip, released it, and finally confessed.

"My heat cycle came..."

"Aah..."

Now Ashley seemed to understand. Well, if it weren't for such a reason, Dane himself wouldn't have even imagined sleeping with Greyson in the first place.

Looking at Dane, Ashley recalled. Was he an Omega? Though he hadn't anticipated it, considering Joshua Bailey, Chase's partner, it wasn't something incomprehensible.

Soon setting aside that thought, Ashley turned his attention to the matter at hand.

"So, did that guy say he would sue you?"

Once again, Ashley asked a question Dane hadn't expected at all. Dane was so surprised that he had to look at his face again.

"What? No, he didn't say anything like that..."

"Then what's the problem?"

It was rather Dane who was confused. To him, who had trailed off, Ashley asked again with puzzlement.

"If Greyson has no complaints about it, there's nothing particularly for me to do, is there?"

Dane was at a loss for words and just stared intently at Ashley's face.

What's going on with this family...

Though he hadn't lived a smooth life and thought he had seen all sorts of things, he had never anticipated a situation like this. Have I been rolling around in the gutter too much? Is this what the lives of the rich are like?

An Omega raped his son, and that's his reaction?

Dane just stood there blankly, unable to understand at all. Could it be because of the different environments they had grown up in? Even so, could that be considered a normal reaction?

Suddenly, he recalled a memory he had forgotten. Greyson, who had said he had been imprisoned. And he didn't even know it was punishment.

The image of this very man locking young Greyson in a dark basement and closing the door became vividly clear before his eyes. Then Dane felt his mind freezing over.