"Are you kidding me right now, Damien?" Alex shot back, brows furrowing in disbelief. Confusion was written all over his face, though his hand remained fixed over his lap, desperately covering his very obvious bulge.
"When have I ever lied to you, Alex?" Damien countered easily, clasping his hands together. "I'm dead serious here. You better find a way to get that omega here so we can test your compatibility rate which, if you ask me, is definitely a hundred percent. No doubt about it. But just for the record," he added with a sly grin, "you'll need to start having sex. You know, to help repair your pheromone glands. And, of course, to help me formulate better drugs for you, my dear enigma."
There was a glimmer of excitement in Damien's eyes as he spoke, his tone bordering on manic curiosity, the kind only a scientist who smelled a breakthrough could possess.
Alex exhaled heavily, running a hand through his hair. "Nah, nah… this is insane," he muttered. "There's no fucking way I'm getting with that shithead. He's crippled, he's married, and he's obviously dumb. Because if he wasn't, he wouldn't have stroked himself in someone's office and released pheromones like that. Who even does that?"
Damien let out an exaggerated sigh, rolling his eyes dramatically. "Yeah, it's crazy all right. But that crippled, married, and dumb omega," he said, pausing for effect, "could very well be your life pill, if that's what you want to hear."
He folded his arms and tilted his head thoughtfully. "And now that you mention it, since he's crippled, it might actually make things easier. I mean, all you'd need to do is have him lay on his side while you, well…" His lips twitched mischievously. "…do your part from behind. Efficient, simple, and less messy."
Alex's jaw dropped in sheer disbelief. "Damien....what the actual fuck?"
Damien ignored the outburst and went on as though explaining medical procedures. "Besides, if that Alpha husband of his actually cared, he wouldn't have let his omega wheel himself straight into the front of your car. That says a lot about how much he values him. Which, lucky for you, gives you an open opportunity."
He grinned wider, the kind of grin that made Alex want to punch him "You, the gallant Enigma saved the poor omega in distress. A classic scene! A prince rescuing a damsel....no, no, a handsome in distress. Now that's a story worth telling. You could even use it for your novel. Think about it! Forbidden attraction, medical experimentation, emotional tension....oh, it's perfect!"
Alex groaned loudly and pressed his palm to his forehead, muttering under his breath, "Damn it, can he just shut up already?"
But Damien was far from done. "Just imagine the chemistry, Alex! You two might even...."
"Enough!" Alex snapped, cutting him off, his patience finally breaking. His face flushed with irritation and something dangerously close to embarrassment. "There's no fucking way I'm going to get with that man. What's his name again?" He paused, feigning forgetfulness before rolling his eyes. "Yeah...Gabe. That's it. I'm sure you'll come up with another drug soon enough to help me. Something that doesn't require me to act shamelessly or… or screw a married omega!"
Damien only smirked in response, his eyes gleaming with mischief. "We'll see about that," he murmured. "And trust me....
Alex shot him a glare promting Damien to keep shut immediately as he knew what Alex could do next.
****
Meanwhile, back at Sebastian and Gabe's house.
Gabe sat quietly on the bed in the visitor's room, now officially his new room. The air was faintly scented with lavender from the fresh sheets, a scent meant to soothe.
Across the room stood a young man with short black hair and a pair of round glasses perched on his nose....Fred. At first glance, the glasses made him look like a nerd, but the tattoos inked across his forearms, neck, and even the side of his calf shattered that impression. Roses, snakes, and cryptic words crawled over his skin. He was folding Gabe's clothes neatly, one by one, while a slow, mellow tune drifted from the speaker beside the bed.
"So, what next?" Fred asked suddenly, breaking the stillness. His voice was low and serious, carrying that familiar cold edge he used whenever he didn't like what he was seeing. "Do you plan on staying in this visitor room for real, or are you are going to move out?"
Gabe raised a brow and let out a dry scoff, plucking another grape from the bowl resting on his lap. "What do you expect me to do, Fred?"
Fred stopped folding for a moment, his hands pausing midair. "Move out," he said flatly, turning toward Gabe with a sharp stare. "Fucking move out of this mansion and come stay at my place. Of course."
"Move out?" Gabe repeated the word slowly, as if rolling it around on his tongue to test how it tasted. "And why exactly should I?"
Fred frowned, confusion and concern mixing on his face. "Why shouldn't you?" he shot back. "Wait....why does it seem like your attitude's changed somehow?" He squinted, genuinely baffled. "I mean, you should've started crying by now....like you always do whenever that secretary of your husband comes over. But now? You're not throwing those tantrums, you're not begging me to drag you out of here, you're not even tearing up."
He dropped the shirt he'd been holding, walking closer until he stood right in front of Gabe. "Those times you'd call me at midnight, sobbing like your world was ending....do you remember? You'd beg me to let you stay at my place. And I'd give in, every damn time, just for that fool of a husband to show up the next day, begging and manipulating you into coming back to him."
Fred's voice softened, but his expression didn't. "You see, I don't even care if he comes crawling back again. But you....you should leave first. This house has done nothing but bleed you dry, Gabe." His tone deepened, sincerity laced in every word. "I can see the pain in your eyes. You smile, you joke, but I know you. I'm your best friend. I can see the pain, even when you think you're hiding it."
There was a soft click sound.
Gabe reached out and flicked Fred on the forehead with his finger, prompting a sharp yelp and a glare from him. Their intense eye contact broke instantly, replaced by the echo of Gabe's laughter.
"What the hell was that for?" Fred asked, rubbing the spot on his forehead, his brows knitted together.
"Because your words were starting to get annoying," Gabe replied with a smirk, still laughing. "But you're right, though. I was so damn foolish, crying over a cheating husband and his pathetic whore. All that time I wasted sobbing over people who didn't even deserve my tears." He set the bowl of grapes aside and leaned back against the headboard, his gaze turning distant but sharper somehow. "But I'm not crying anymore, Fred. I'm done crying. Now, I can only laugh at their stupidity. Let them keep having their fun while they can because soon, they'll be crying too. And when that happens… no one will hear them."
Fred blinked, startled. His mouth opened slightly. "Huh? What do you mean by that?" He took a step closer, eyes narrowing. "How could you possibly change this much overnight? When you called me earlier, I honestly thought it was another one of your breakdowns. I was ready to carry you out of here again. But who would've thought you'd be the one making me arrange the visitor room instead?"
Gabe smiled faintly, his tone calm and strangely serene. "You know, sometimes when the heart bleeds for too long, it stops bleeding not because there's no blood left, but because the heart's grown used to the pain. It grows stronger because of it. Tougher." His voice softened into something almost poetic. "And when that happens, the pain doesn't control you anymore."
Fred was silent for a long moment, his expression unreadable.
Then Gabe's lips curled into a playful grin. "Besides," he continued, "instead of wasting my energy worrying about Sebastian or his secretary, I've got something far more interesting to focus on."
Fred tilted his head, skeptical. "Oh really? And what could possibly be more exciting than plotting your escape from your cheating Alpha husband?"
Gabe's eyes gleamed, a spark of mischief lighting his expression. "You'll find out soon enough," he said mysteriously. "But for now, hurry up and finish tidying my room. I told that handsome guy I'd be coming to see him soon. I doubt he's not expecting me to show up today of all days."
Fred froze. "T...oday?" His brows furrowed as his tone rose with disbelief. "What handsome guy are we talking about exactly?"
"If you want to know," Gabe replied with a warm smile on his face "then stop asking questions and move faster. We're going to meet him right now. My session with him starts today."