The charity party, as always, was held at the same bar. Whenever something happened, it was the usual place where everyone gathered, and once again, they flocked there in large numbers.
"Grayson, over here!"
Valentina, who spotted him at the entrance, waved her hand. Grayson smiled politely and raised his hand, but his eyes were searching for someone else.
As expected, the party was held for the whole day, and decorations like garlands hanging around, with words like ‘recovery,’ ‘health,’ and ‘get well soon,’ caught his eye. Grayson quickly shifted his gaze elsewhere. There were people who seemed to be completely drunk, and others who were chatting while sipping soda, completely out of place for the party atmosphere. He scanned the crowd, but he still couldn’t find the face he was looking for.
Could it be that he didn’t come?
He had seemed close to Ezra, so Grayson had assumed he’d definitely show up. Perhaps his expectations were wrong. After all, would Dein Striker have anyone he truly opens up to? If someone were to bet on this topic, Grayson would bet there was no one. Ezra was probably the same. Dein might care to some extent, but it wouldn’t be much different from how he treated other colleagues.
...And the same would be true for me.
Grayson bitterly added this thought and then frowned. No, isn’t that the case for me?
A sudden bad feeling crept in, but he ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) ignored it. Grayson was of a different caliber compared to those guys. Anyway, he knew Dein was an extreme omega...
Though it didn’t seem like he was trying to hide it.
He quickly corrected his thoughts, recalling the moment when Dein had revealed his nature to another woman right in front of him.
Anyway, I’m the only one who knows about the extreme omega part.
Feeling slightly more at ease, Grayson continued his thoughts. Among all the people here, I’m the only one who’s slept with him...
"You mean to say none of the women you’ve slept with have slept with Dein?"
"Dammit."
The moment Ezra’s words came to mind, Grayson muttered a low curse. No, but still, I’m the only guy, right? ...Probably.
I’m the only one.
Grayson felt his mind ease again with this thought, and finally, he was able to calmly assess the situation. To find out where Dein was, he first had to join the conversation with the others. Reluctantly, he moved in the direction of Ezra, the main figure of the party.
"Millar, you’re late."
Ezra was the first to spot Grayson and greeted him with a friendly wave. Grayson stood facing him at the standing table, and only then did Ezra smile and speak.
"I thought you weren’t coming. Thanks for showing up."
"No problem."
Normally, at a party like this, people would say things like "Thanks for the invitation" or "You look great," but this time was different. Grayson hesitated for a moment, since those weren’t his usual responses, and then smiled and said,
"I hope a lot of money gets raised."
Everyone looked at him. Wasn’t that the point? Grayson thought to himself, but there was nothing he could do now. It didn’t matter if they were offended; what did it have to do with him? There was only one person Grayson cared about.
"Am I the last one to arrive?"
Grayson asked as he scanned the room. Diandre, who was standing nearby, answered in a curt tone.
"Why don’t you find out yourself? With this mess, how would anyone know who came and who didn’t?"
"Everyone should be here."
Ezra quickly interrupted Diandre’s words.
"Everyone was kind enough to help me and set this up... so they should have come, of course."
His smile was slightly flushed from the alcohol. A colleague nearby patted his back, as if cheering him on. But Diandre wasn’t done yet.
"Why would anyone show up to a party like this? Do they even know why it’s being held?"
"Why are you like this, Diandre?"
A colleague, startled, tried to stop him, but Diandre continued.
"You all know that extreme alphas have no emotions, right? So why did they come here? We all came to comfort and cheer up Ezra, but do you think this guy knows that? No. He’s probably here looking for someone to get rid of his pheromones, right? Tell me, am I right? I’m right, aren’t I?"
"Looks like he’s drunk."
Someone tried to cover up his words in embarrassment, but Diandre didn’t stop.
"We’re all suffering, and this guy just came here to mess around."
"Diandre, stop."
Ezra, unable to stand it anymore, stopped him. With a disapproving glare, Diandre took a swig of beer, wiped his lips with his arm, and said,
"Ah, that’s right. Wasn’t it yesterday or the day before that those bastards made a scene again?"
"Those bastards? Who?"
To the puzzled other person, Diandre deliberately looked at Grayson and said,
"You know, those guys who always try to pick fights with extreme alphas."
Suddenly, the atmosphere became icy.
Loud music blared from every corner. Laughter, chatter, and screams mixed together, turning the bar into total chaos. However, the spot where Ezra, the party’s main figure, was, remained frozen, as cold as ice.
"Diandre, what...?"
Ezra tried to stop him, but Diandre didn’t stop and continued speaking.
"Didn’t you hear about the extreme alpha who lost a leg in that mansion incident? Now he can’t do that anymore, can he? No, maybe the omega will get on top of him? I need to release the pheromones, please release the pheromones. Heheh!"
"Diandre!"
Another colleague stepped in, calling his name. But Diandre grinned and gave Grayson an unwarranted warning.
"Extreme alphas are demons, right? They said they’d kill them all, but you should be careful too. Miller is probably ranked at the top."
"Diandre!"
He made a gesture as if slashing his throat and let out a creepy laugh. The people standing around the table quickly grabbed him and dragged him away. Ezra, watching their retreating figures, apologized in embarrassment.
"Diandre must be drunk, don’t take it too badly."
"I don’t care."
Grayson spoke indifferently and took a drink. It was the truth. He didn’t care about anyone else’s words. He was only focused on finding where Dein Striker was.
...Right over there.
Finally, when he found the man, he felt a chilling sensation, as if someone had grabbed his heart with a cold hand.
"Millar?"
Ezra called his name, but Grayson was already walking past him, forcefully pushing through the drunken people blocking his path.
Dein Striker was standing against a wall in a secluded corner. To be precise, he had one arm resting on the wall while the other was wrapped around a woman’s waist.
"I was disappointed you just left last time."
The woman fluttered her long eyelashes as she complained. She was the one who had given a flirtatious look to Dein at Grayson’s welcome party. Dein smiled faintly and kissed her ear.
"Sorry, I had my reasons that day."
"And today?"
She giggled as she asked.
"I... I’ll be done in an hour. Will you wait for me?"
"For a beauty like you, I’ll wait as long as I need."
With a smooth womanizer’s line, she rolled her eyes but smiled. Slowly, she stroked the long, thick bulge rising in Dein’s thigh with her palm, breathing heavily as she whispered.
Dein smiled and tilted his head, just as their lips were about to meet.
"...?"
"Ah!"
Suddenly, someone grabbed Dein’s shoulder and pulled him roughly away. The woman clinging to him was also dragged along with a scream.
"What the hell?"
Dein spat out irritably, looking at the man who had interrupted his actions. When he saw Grayson Miller, his face contorted. But Grayson’s gaze wasn’t on him. It was on the woman in Dein’s arms, who was holding him with both arms, and her embrace in his arms seemed perfectly natural to Grayson, making him freeze coldly.