The Vayne mansion glowed like a polished blade at dusk—sleek marble, black steel, and giant glass panels rising higher than most houses in the district. Arion stood in the long hallway, hands tucked into his pockets, gaze fixed on the enormous painting of the Vayne ancestors. His heartbeat was annoyingly loud.
It had been three days since he told his family about his engagement with the omega stranger — Lian Veris.
Three days, and his mother insisted on a "private family dinner", which in vayne language meant:
interrogation disguised as civility.
He exhaled deeply.
He wasn't nervous.
He never got nervous.
Yet somehow, tonight, he felt the edges of anxiety brushing against his composure.
A voice sliced through the silence.
"Big brother, you look like you're going to a board meeting, not dinner."
Arion didn't flinch as his younger sister, Aria, looped her arm around his.
"Don't start," he muttered.
Aria giggled. "So this omega… is he cute?"
Arion's jaw tightened. "He hasn't asked for your opinion."
"Which means he's cute," she declared dramatically.
Before Arion could respond, the double doors slid open, revealing the long dining table, where the Vayne family had already assembled. His mother sat at the head, posture straight, expression unreadable. His father was scrolling through a holographic document. His uncles and cousins murmured among themselves.
The conversation died the moment Arion entered.
He took his seat.
The silence stretched.
Finally, his mother spoke.
"Arion," she began smoothly, "we'd like to understand more about this… engagement."
His fingers drummed once against the table before stopping. "There's nothing complicated to understand. I agreed. He agreed."
One uncle leaned forward. "Arranged engagements are traditional, yes. But you've always resisted them. Why accept this one?"
Arion's eyes flickered. He remembered the quiet intensity of Lian's gaze during their brief meeting at the contract signing — gentle but firm. He remembered the calm voice that didn't tremble despite facing him.
He ignored the memory.
"I accepted," Arion said simply, "because it benefits both families."
His mother's eyes sharpened. "And nothing else?"
Arion's jaw clenched. "No."
Aria snorted loudly. "Liar."
Arion shot her a warning look. She smirked back.
His father finally looked up. "Our world is harsh on omegas. If he comes here, he will live under intense spotlight. Is he prepared?"
Arion stiffened. "He will be protected."
Another cousin chimed in, "But he's from a middle-class background. The media will—"
Arion's voice dropped, cold and final.
"I said. He will be protected."
The table fell silent.
His mother exchanged a knowing glance with his father.
Then she said softly:
"Are you prepared, Arion? Because taking an omega from a gentler world into ours will require more than protection. It will require… care."
Arion looked away.
He didn't want to think about what it meant to "care."
---------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, across the city in a small but warm apartment, Lian Veris was being smothered — not by enemies, but by love.
His mother rushed around the living room, cleaning cushions that were already clean. His father was polishing the old dining table. His younger sister, Lin, ran into his room every five minutes with new ideas for engagement outfits.
"Lian! What about navy blue? It's elegant! Or should we buy you a scent stabilizer? Or hair gel? Wait, I found a skincare routine—"
"Lin," Lian groaned, head buried in a pillow, "please stop."
She flopped beside him. "I can't! This is huge! You're marrying a CEO! A literal alpha CEO!"
Lian's face warmed. "It's an arrangement."
"Sooo romantic," Lin whispered dramatically.
He threw the pillow at her.
His mother poked her head into the room. "Dinner in ten! And Lian, sit with your father afterward — he wants to talk."
Lian sighed.
Dinner was chaotic, loud, cozy — everything his life had always been. His father cracked jokes. His mother served too much food. Lin kept checking her phone, squealing whenever she saw news about the Vayne family.
But after dinner, Lian's father called him to the small balcony. The cool evening breeze smelled like jasmine.
They sat in quiet for a moment.
"You've been quiet these days," his father said gently.
Lian fiddled with the bracelet on his wrist. "Just thinking."
"About the engagement."
He nodded.
His father sighed. "Lian… are you sure? I know we already said yes to the proposal, but—"
"I'm sure," Lian said quickly.
His father watched him carefully. "You always say yes to things to avoid disappointing others. I don't want that for your marriage. You deserve someone who sees your heart."
Lian looked down. "Dad… I don't know what Arion is like. Or what he sees. But I'll do my best."
His father squeezed his shoulder. "That's what I'm scared of. You'll give everything. And he may not know how to give anything back."
Lian's throat tightened.
Inside the apartment, Lin's laughter echoed. It felt like a different world from the cold marble halls Arion lived in.
He wondered — what kind of person is Arion Vayne when he's not being a CEO?
--------------------------------------------
Over the next week, both families began discussing engagement details.
Arion's mother flipped through designer catalogs worth more than the veris' yearly income.
"Everything must reflect the prestige of Vayne," she declared.
Arion wasn't interested. He merely approved whatever was put in front of him.
Business meetings were easier than this.
In the middle of a briefing, his assistant approached with a folder.
"Sir, the Veris family sent over some documents you requested — including a brief profile of Lian Veris."
Arion took the folder absently.
Then his nostrils flared.
A faint, soft scent clung to the paper — something like warm honey and lavender.
Gentle. Fresh. Comforting.
His alpha instincts stirred unexpectedly.
Slow warmth spread through his chest.
He swallowed.
"…Why does this smell like—"
His assistant blinked. "I'm not scented, sir."
Arion closed the folder quickly. Too quickly.
"That will be all."
He dismissed her and leaned back in his chair, heart beating faster than it had in months.
Why did a simple trace of Lian's scent affect him?
The Veris family was simpler in every way — but full of genuine warmth.
*
***********************
They couldn't afford luxury preparations, but they tried.
Lian's mother brought out a carefully wrapped box after dinner.
"We saved for this," she said shyly. "It isn't much, but… this is the suit you'll wear when you meet Arion properly."
Lian opened it.
A beautiful, simple white suit. Neat stitching. Clean lines.
As he touched it, something subtle drifted from the fabric — a faint masculine alpha scent.
His breath caught.
His fingers trembled as a gentle heat spread along his nape, down to his gland.
He didn't know scent could feel like this.
His mother looked worried. "Do you not like it?"
"N-No, I… I love it."
But inside, Lian wondered:
Why does his scent… feel like warmth?
************************
Back at the Vayne dinner the next night, Arion faced criticism again.
His uncle leaned forward. "An omega from a modest family may not fit into our circle. The media will tear him apart."
Arion's hand tightened around his wine glass.
His mother added softly, "Are you prepared to protect him from everything that comes with your name?"
Arion's heart beat once, hard.
Protect him.
Why did that word feel heavier than it should?
He forced out, "Lian won't be harmed."
His uncle smirked. "You sound almost… attached."
Arion's temper flickered.
Attached?
He didn't even know the omega.
But…
That scent…
His mother watched him with unsettling softness.
She knew something he didn't know yet.
That same night, on the other side of the city, Lian overheard his parents speaking in the kitchen.
His mother whispered, voice thick with worry:
"I hope… we're not giving him away to a life we don't understand."
His father answered, "Lian deserves love. I don't want him to become an ornament in someone's palace."
Lian stood frozen behind the door, chest tight.
He had never heard them sound so unsure.
Tears pricked his eyes.
He wanted to assure them.
He wanted to assure himself.
But he didn't know if he could.
Coincidentally, on the same night, both families asked their sons the same question:
"Do you want this engagement?"
Arion stared at the city skyline outside his window.
Lian stared at his reflection in the small bathroom mirror.
Both whispered:
"…Yes."
But both felt something heavy and warm in their chest as they said it — something neither could name.
Late that night, Arion sat in his silent office, trying (and failing) to focus on work. The scent on that folder still haunted him.
At the same hour, Lian lay awake in his small room, hand pressed to his neck, trying to calm the heat that kept rising every time he imagined the alpha he would marry.
Their worlds felt impossibly far apart.
But then—
A notification pinged on both their devices at the exact same time.
Subject: Engagement Arrangements
First Official Meeting: This Saturday.
Be prepared.
Arion exhaled slowly, something like anticipation curling in his gut.
Lian's heart stopped — then raced.
They would finally meet. And neither had any idea how much their lives were about to change.