Chapter 54

Greyson visibly hesitated at the casually thrown remark. His gaze, which slowly turned toward her, was mixed with surprise and embarrassment, unlike before. Naomi was surprised once more at his reaction.

"Oh my, really? You actually found him?"

"No."

Before Naomi could get excited, Greyson stopped her first.

"That guy hates me."

At this incongruous statement, Naomi looked at him in confusion. Does he think that response is appropriate at this timing? I asked if that man was your destiny! Not whether he likes or dislikes you!

"Hates you? You?"

Suppressing her excitement as if she had caught a big fish, Naomi asked nonchalantly. Now was the time to demonstrate the acting skills that had won her the Academy Award for Best Actress. So your concern right now is whether that man has feelings for you or not? That's more important than the fact that he's your destiny? Really? As if answering the questions pouring out in her mind, Greyson replied with a "Yes."

"I've never even harmed him, it's strange."

Seeing him shrug one shoulder, Naomi spoke with a great deal of sympathy mixed in.

"That is strange. You always only try to help others."

"Yes, that's me."

Greyson smiled arrogantly as if it were obvious. Of course, Naomi also knew well that his 'help' was far from the ordinary. But Greyson, true to his selfish nature, didn't consider others' positions or thoughts at all, and only cared that he had acted that way for the other person's sake. The problem always arose from there, but Greyson didn't think so at all. This time would probably be no different.

"Poor Greyson, no one understands your sincerity."

Naomi stroked Greyson's arm and put on a sympathetic expression. Of course, this was a build-up for what was to come.

"Why don't you talk to me about it? I might be able to help. All your friends are extreme Alphas, so they don't understand the emotions of ordinary people..."

Just like you.

She swallowed the last part and cast the bait affectionately, but Greyson didn't take it.

"Thanks, but I'll pass. Besides, that guy is not my destined partner. I was just curious about what was going on."

It would have been better not to say the latter part. Naomi narrowed her eyes and smiled subtly.

"I see..."

You wouldn't care about someone else's business even if you died, yet you're curious? Don't you realize that's an even more serious situation?

"Sorry, I misunderstood."

Naomi, who had simply backed down, changed tactics and asked.

"You mean you're 'just' curious about what those men are talking about? Alright, I'll help you."

She emphasized one word meaningfully, but it was unclear whether Greyson noticed. She stood up from her seat, looked down at him, and declared arrogantly.

"Wait a moment, I'll show you my skills."

Naomi flashed a smile and then left the cafeteria with her characteristic flowing gait.

* * *

By the time she went outside the cafeteria, the red-haired handsome man had already gone far away. Naomi approached the man who was left alone without hesitation and gave him a fresh smile as he turned at the sound of her heels.

"Hello."

The man's eyes widened as if they would tear when he saw Naomi's face. It was a familiar reaction, so she continued speaking without losing her professional smile.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Naomi Parker."

"Ah, aah, I kn-know, Ms. Pa, Papa, Parker."

Seeing the man who was so flustered that he couldn't form a single proper sentence, Naomi teased him mischievously.

"It's not Ms. Pa, Papa, Parker, it's Parker. You can call me Naomi if you like."

"Na, Naomi..."

At Naomi's joke, he repeated the name with a bright red face and then immediately bowed his head deeply. Seeing the man who was at a loss and shy, she found him quite cute. It was a feeling of her self-esteem, damaged by Greyson Miller, being slightly restored.

"I'm curious about something, may I ask? Your name is...?"

"Yes, yesyes, any, anything is fine... I, I, I'm George, George Wright."

The man answered loudly, extremely nervous. Naomi called his name once, "George," then glanced in the direction where Dane had disappeared and asked.

"The person you were talking with just now. Could I know what kind of relationship you have?"

***

It was about 10 minutes later when Naomi returned to the cafeteria. Just as when she had left, she returned with her chin held high proudly and pulled out a chair herself to sit across from Greyson. To him, who was pretending to drink coffee indifferently, Naomi deliberately stalled by pretending to look at her nails before speaking.

"That man's name is George."

"Is it? Oh my, I thought he was a Chupa Chups."

At Greyson's words, Naomi unconsciously burst out with a "pfft" laugh, then hurriedly pretended to drink coffee to compose her expression. As he said, George's skinny build and small shoulders indeed resembled a lollipop. It was a very apt expression, but it was also true that it was mockery. Feeling guilty for laughing at Greyson's mean-spirited comment, Naomi put down her glass.

"Have you ever responded to a fire before? Was it that fire I saw on YouTube? I heard you saved that man's dog, Charlie."

After clearing her throat with an "ahem," she changed the atmosphere, and Greyson frowned.

"Charlie?"

Though it was a common name, there was a reason it particularly grated on his ears. He recalled, not very pleasantly.

"Yes, he was crying and making a fuss about saving the dog. So it was that man."

"Oh my."

Naomi blinked her surprised eyes and then continued.

"I heard that red-haired handsome man saved the dog? He came to express his gratitude. The chief gave special permission, and they're going to have lunch together. He seemed very excited."

As she deliberately added the last part, Greyson's brow immediately furrowed deeply. My, how interesting. Naomi barely suppressed a "pfft" laugh and pretended to be nonchalant as she added.

"It's just lunch, what's the big deal? Nothing will happen anyway. After all, that handsome man isn't your destiny, so what does it matter."

As she deliberately scratched at his insides, Greyson also noticed her intention. He smoothed his brow and returned to his usual relaxed demeanor, raising the corners of his mouth.

"Right, it's not like the world is ending. It's just that I've been abandoned. Ugh."

Greyson placed one hand on his chest and imitated a painful groan, then followed with an "Ahaha," laughing out loud. As if even he found the joke he had just made hilarious. Naomi noticed that he was deliberately acting exaggeratedly to dismiss the situation as ridiculous. Naturally, he was being cautious, not wanting to easily reveal his feelings to Naomi.

Well, if he didn't notice after being probed this much, his intelligence would be questionable.

For the sake of the distant future, she decided not to provoke him any further at this moment. Of course, that didn't mean she would simply disappear.

"Well, I'll be going now. It was good to see you after so long."

Rising from her chair, she greeted him with a smile. And Naomi leaned over and whispered to Greyson, who was just returning the farewell with a smiling face.

"Let me know first when your hearts connect, I really want to congratulate you."

After giving him another meaningful smile, she turned around. Though her steps were no different from usual, the smile had already disappeared from her face, replaced by a cold chill.

<You have to distinguish between someone you have sex with and someone you marry.>

Anger welled up anew. Those words kept resurfacing in her mind, making her furious, and this time was no exception. Naomi held back the urge to curse and opened the car door. Sitting in the driver's seat, she took a deep breath to calm herself before starting the car.

He might fail this time too.

How many times had he gotten excited about meeting his destiny, only to coldly turn away saying it wasn't the one after all?

But this time somehow felt different. And she strongly believed in her intuition. If Greyson had indeed set his sights on that red-blonde, it wouldn't be easy this time.

Huhu, with a low sound, she started the car-thinking I can't wait to see how that turns out.