Chapter 77

"What is that bastard's type?"

Greyson asked, still with the corners of his mouth raised. His narrowed eyes were full of displeasure, but Ezra didn't notice, perhaps because he was drunk.

"Well, at least not someone huge like you... Dane is already so big that I've never seen anyone bigger than him. So in a way, there hasn't been anyone in the world who wasn't Dane's type until now. But you're, well, quite enormous."

Ezra, who had looked Greyson up and down meaningfully, added with a bitter smile.

"I know Dane's position, and it would be difficult for you."

Greyson silently drank his beer, which had no effect on him. For some reason, he felt irritated. Dane had said the same thing once. It hadn't been a particularly pleasant feeling then either, but why was he so angry now? Without realizing it, Greyson blurted out his true feelings.

"You don't even know anything properly about Dane..."

"Huh? What did you say?"

Ezra asked, blinking his eyes. Fortunately, the noise of the bar had swallowed Greyson's words. Greyson didn't miss the opportunity and quickly changed the subject with a bright smile.

"How did he end up raising that cat? I can't imagine Dane taking care of someone."

"Well, that's true. He doesn't take care of people, that bastard."

Ezra readily agreed and added.

"But animals are different."

"Does he like animals?"

"...Does he like them?"

Ezra tilted his head again this time and continued.

"He doesn't necessarily welcome all animals. He usually just looks at them indifferently. Well, it's true that he can't leave them alone if they've been abandoned or injured."

In short, he only steps in when help is needed. Then is that cat such a case?

"Like Darling?"

"Ah, yes."

When Greyson asked casually, Ezra readily nodded.

"It was the only cat left in a building we responded to. It must have been hiding in a corner, and it was badly injured. In the end, it became blind and deaf. It was about to be euthanized because the treatment costs were high, but Dane paid all the costs himself and adopted it."

Following the long explanation, Ezra laughed heartily.

"That guy, he worked overtime without a day off for two months to pay for those hospital bills. He barely slept and became so sensitive that we couldn't even talk to him, he would curse if we just pretended to know."

"My goodness," Ezra shook his head. Greyson knew intellectually that he should laugh along at times like this, but for some reason, the corners of his mouth wouldn't rise.

"Didn't you say Dane likes money?"

In most cases, such people are misers. But he not only paid the cat's hospital bills by himself but also worked overtime to earn money? Doesn't that not add up at all? To Greyson's doubt, Ezra readily provided an answer.

"Yes, Dane doesn't spare money for Darling. The same goes for money spent on sex partners."

Soon after, Ezra showed a strange smile.

"I heard he even buys quite expensive alcohol for partners he likes and makes them breakfast."

At Ezra's words, Greyson frowned and cast a suspicious glance.

"Have you slept with Dane too?"

How would you know such things? When Greyson asked this question, which was full of doubt, Ezra immediately became serious and shook his head.

"No way, I have a wife and three children! It's not something I experienced, just something I heard."

"How?"

Greyson still didn't shake off his suspicion and asked. Ezra contorted his face as if dumbfounded and asked back.

"Among the women you've slept with, wouldn't there be women who've slept with Dane?"

"Are you saying there are colleagues within the fire station who have slept together?"

"Yes, not all of them like you, though."

Ezra pointed out bluntly and then softened his tone to add.

"Of course, there were quite a few women who wanted to date Dane. But while Dane is willing to sleep with them, he doesn't want a serious relationship. He's a bad man."

He said the last words with a bitter smile. Greyson silently fiddled with the beer bottle. The more he learned, the less he understood.

Just what kind of man was Dane Striker?

He had tried to find clues, but it felt like things had become even more tangled. Greyson just drank his beer with a gloomy feeling.

* * *

Naomi, who was catching her breath and cooling down after finishing yoga, twitched her eyebrows at the sound of her mobile phone ringing, interrupting the most peaceful time of her day. Only after letting out an inevitable "whew" sigh did she finally open her eyes and reach for the mobile phone she had placed on the side table. But the moment she saw the caller, her irritation at having her rest disturbed disappeared without a trace. After checking the name on the screen that read Greyson Miller once more, she answered the phone with a happy face.

"Yes, Greyson? What's up?"

Yeah, really, what's going on? Did you finally find them? And got rejected? Are you miserable and sad now? Are you regretting how you've lived all this time, beating your chest? Tell me where you are, I'll rush over right now! Come on, show me your miserable state!

As she perked up her ears, thinking of handing Greyson a napkin willingly, the man's voice flowed from the other end of the mobile phone.

- You raise a dog, right?

At the sudden question, Naomi blinked a couple of times. After taking the mobile phone away from her ear and looking down at it once, she brought it back to her ear and asked.

"Yes, would you like to see a picture?"

- No, it's fine.

A small mutter came back to the offer of goodwill she had extended.

- Completely useless.

It was clearly a mutter to himself, but it was enough to turn Naomi's insides upside down. What made it even more infuriating was the fact that Greyson had hung up after saying just that.

"What, this, what."

Naomi clenched her fists and breathed heavily, her anger rising. Still unable to digest her anger, she finally burst out with the fury rising from deep in her chest.

"What kind of son of a bitch is this?"

* * *

Greyson sat at the tea table with a serious face, lost in thought. After finishing several unhelpful calls, a sense of emptiness and perplexity washed over him, and he couldn't think of what to do next.

What had he done until now?

Pleasing the other person's mood was an easy task. As they spent time together, what they wanted would be revealed in their expressions or eyes. He had plenty of money and an abundance of time. Whether it was a heartfelt gift or an event lavished with money, he did whatever they wanted. The responses he received always met his expectations, so he had never been in trouble. This time too, he would surely be able to succeed using the same method.

The problem was that it was impossible to spend time alone with Dane.

How could he create such a situation with a man who didn't even know what dating was? He still had one chance, but he didn't want to waste it so futilely. It was clear that once Dane finished the date he had somehow become indebted to, he would end everything without looking back.

Was there no other way to find out about him?

...The cat and money.

Greyson frowned and put on a serious expression. These were the only two methods available to him now. Moreover, one of them was something Greyson had in abundance.

Having barely found a way, Greyson immediately picked up his mobile phone and made a call. The call was answered immediately, without even a few rings. Greyson requested from the team leader of the secretarial office who handled various chores for the family.

"Find out about cat items right away."

- What? A cat? Did you keep a cat...?

The team leader asked in surprise at the sudden request. To the bewildered man, Greyson didn't give a long explanation but answered briefly.

"I'm going to give it as a gift, so find something suitable, something that any cat owner would like."

- Ah, I understand.

The team leader, who had readily answered, added softly, as if revealing a secret.

- By the way, people who keep cats are called servants, not owners.

"What?"

Greyson frowned, but the team leader just left a brief greeting and hung up. He was so dumbfounded that he just stared at the disconnected mobile phone for a while.