Eugene, you idiot!
Eugene almost flinched and froze because of his mishaps. He had to pull out the spirit of bullshittery from his younger days to force his mouth to open.
"Uhh...you looked like you do?" Eugene decided to tell a half-truth. He tapped the space between his brows as he continued. "You scrunched your face when you were talking to someone who wore a strong perfume."
Perhaps pheromone too, but Eugene couldn't smell it, so he couldn't be sure.
Naturally, he couldn't say that Arthur had once mentioned his date's strong perfume or how his daughter had the same traits.
Arthur put his fork down again, responding rather dazedly. "Is that why...you used the escalator?"
"Well..."
Eugene shrugged. He had been avoiding the elevator every time he was with Hannah, being as careful as possible. Perhaps that was why, walking with someone who gave half of Hannah's genes, Eugene unconsciously did what he always did when he was with his daughter.
Not necessarily because he was being considerate...probably.
Arthur looked at the man who was sporting an aloof, indifferent expression while stirring a smoothie and sipping it quietly. He picked up his fork and continued eating the cakes in silence. In daze. Like a loner who got surprised when someone talked nicely to him in high school. The alpha suddenly looked so pitiful that Eugene couldn't help feeling awkward.
He cleared his throat, feeling uncomfortable at the silence. "So, that's why you don't want me to discuss it with the sound director?"
"Ugh--that guy," Arthur groaned in disdain. Talking about his 'enemy' seemed to pull him out of his daze. "He's on Ervia's side. Don't you know they want this project to fail? That bastard had been objecting to anything I proposed without even analyzing it."
Hmm...no wonder this guy was so pressed at that time. In that case, Eugene could understand why Arthur made that cynical remark about him being similar to the protagonist. His heart almost stopped at that time, thinking he was being found out self-inserting into his story.
Eugene tapped the side of his empty glass as he mused. "Won't he object to this one, too?"
"He still can't oppose Ashley," Arthur shrugged. "That's why he doesn't waste time and immediately attacks me, taking advantage of Ashley's absence. If I don't oppose him and let things go as they planned, it might be too late for Ashley to change things without incurring a big loss. We're already in a tight budget as it is..."
Eugene bit the straw to hide his grimace. Ugh...he really only needed the money when he agreed to this movie project. He didn't want to get dragged into rich strangers' power struggle, but if he said he didn't want to hear any of this, he'd sound like an asshole, wouldn't he?
So he just sighed inwardly and listened in silence.
"Anyway, if you don't want this project to get ruined, you have to be vigilant," Arthur warned.
Vigilant...toward the people who was on the other camp? Eugene muttered quietly, feeling exasperated. "Uhh...I wouldn't really know which one."
"Oh, right..." Arthur stroked his chin in contemplation. "Umm, just stick to the writers. They are all hand-picked by Ashley."
"Nice to know," Eugene heaved a sigh of relief. They were the closest to him, so he had gotten a bit attached.
"Oh, but..."
Arthur suddenly frowned, eyes narrowed as he adopted a serious posture--which was a bit comical with a dollop of cream on the corner of his mouth. Eugene blinked in surprise. "What?"
"Are they the ones who erased the alpha's condition?"
Eugene tilted his head. "What do you mean?"
"Jude is supposed to be barren, right?" Arthur said in a stern, studious tone as if they were discussing an academic report. Interestingly enough, he sounded as disappointed as parents who found their kid got an F. "Why is it removed from the script?"
"Ah," Eugene shrugged nonchalantly. "It was the marketing team's demand."
In the first place, he never thought his story would be adapted faithfully. There was almost no adaptation that didn't change a few stuff. Eugene was actually more surprised by the fact that he was this involved in the movie-making itself.
"Why?"
Surprisingly, Arthur was the one who got agitated.
"Why did you agree?!"
Eugene widened his eyes, startled by the sudden harsh tone. It was enough to make the other customers and the waiters look at their table, so Eugene replied calmly so as not to worry the workers. "It's not a big deal--and lower your voice."
"What do you mean, it's not a big deal?" Arthur still sounded offended, for some reason, but he did it quietly this time, at least. "Don't you think it's boring to make the love interest too perfect? It's ruining his character!"
"But it also doesn't have a big influence on the plot," Eugene shrugged. "Nothing much will change about the revenge, and their relationship has been tested since the start, so erasing one obstacle won't be detrimental."
"What--I can't believe this," Arthur threw his hands as he looked at Eugene with wild eyes. "How can the author be like this? You should defend your story and preserve its origin!"
"I told you already that it won't bring much change," Eugene frowned. He didn't know why this alpha was so offended by the change. "Besides..." he gripped his smoothie glass tightly. "It's problematic enough already. There's no need to offend too many sides."
Of course, the marketing only wanted the movie to lessen the controversies and, in turn, increase the marketability. But Eugene was just glad at the possibility of not getting too hated on.
"Hah..." Arthur snorted disdainfully. "It's better if you're just an alpha-hater."
"...what?" Eugene narrowed his eyes.
"Listen to yourself--not offend too many sides? So you choose to avoid offending the alpha supremacist?" Arthur scoffed. "They'll already be going to criticize it for how soft Jude is, so why not just go all the way?"
Eugene pressed his lips, staring at the blabbering alpha silently. He let go of the glass to avoid doing something unthinkable with it.
"You don't usually have any problem acting all haughty, so why are you being a coward right now?" Arthur clicked his tongue.
"Excuse me?"
"What's the point of making this kind of movie 'safe' anywa--"
"Mr. Crowley."
Arthur froze as a cold voice interrupted him. It was only then that he realized Eugene had been looking at him with the same disdain the omega had when they first met in that meeting room.
"Please shut your privilege ass up."
"W-what?" Arthur widened his eyes at the scolding tone before frowning defensively. "Privilege?!"
Arthur couldn't help but feel offended because he never really enjoyed being taken care of by his parents. His relatives might be wealthy, but it had nothing to do with him. It wasn't like he received an allowance after he became an adult.
"Aren't you?" Eugene looked at the alpha with an unimpressed gaze, pointing at the many plates Arthur ordered--some already empty. "Someone like me saw each of those cakes and puddings as breakfast, lunch, and dinner I could buy instead."
"That's...!"
Arthur opened his mouth, but a realization suddenly came to him as he looked at Eugene's empty glass of smoothie; it was the only thing the man ordered. He remembered that Eugene came to the office using public transportation, indicating that he didn't have a car.
Of course, the omega didn't look like he was impoverished, but hearing him talk like that, Arthur couldn't help but compare their situation.
A car gifted by his cousin, a house given by his father as compensation for neglect, meals and groceries sent by his grandparents every time he visited the house...
All he had to use his money on was bills and daily needs.
Uhh...yeah, he was actually privileged, huh?
But...what's that got to do with anything?!
As if listening to his mind raving, Eugene answered it. "You're a staff, a post-production staff. Your name would be listed in a single line during the credits that people won't bother watching."
A cynical, self-mocking smile grazed Eugene's face as he continued.
"But me? Once people who hate this movie find out I'm the author, I'll be at risk," the corner of his eye twitched in annoyance. "My safety, my livelihood--don't you know the kind of harassment those extremists could throw?"
The hand that no longer held the glass slammed on the table. The green eyes pierced Arthur like a pair of rose thorns.
"It must be easy to talk about facing risk when you have Daddy's fund to fall back on, huh? Fucking privileged prick."
Arthur visibly flinched, pheromone leaking a little bit. He was so overwhelmed by this turn of events that he couldn't make a response. Not that he would have the chance, since someone who seemed like the cafe's manager came to their table with a stern expression.
"Gentlemen, I'm sorry, but...if you can't control yourself, I have no choice but to ask you to leave," the manager said, looking at both Eugene, who slammed the table, and Arthur, who was leaking alpha pheromone.
"It's okay, I'm leaving anyway," Eugene stood up and bowed slightly to the manager. "Pardon me for the unpleasant affair."
Thankfully, they already paid after ordering, so Eugene didn't have to waste more time and could immediately walk out of the cafe, leaving the alpha who was frantically calling out to him.