By Zephyria 
“Nice to meet you. My employee was a bother yesterday, I hear.”
He didn’t move from where he stood. I had no choice but to move to receive the business card the man held out. I heard the door close behind me naturally. Suddenly, I felt like I was suffocating. It was because of that scent that had been subtly lingering around me the whole time. I hesitated slightly as I took the business card, and the man opened his mouth.
“Nathaniel Miller.”
I know. I know who this man is.
I stared intently at the letters on the business card and swallowed hard.
President of the giant law firm Miller.
The Satan of the legal world.
A ruthless devil who would trade even his soul to win.
And, a Dominant Alpha.
In that instant, I realized that the mysterious scent that had been subtly floating in the air was the Pheromone he was emitting.
I stared intently at the business card without a word. It took me some time to lift my head and meet the man’s gaze. I wanted to take a deep breath, but I desperately wanted to avoid the man’s scent from entering deep into my lungs.
So this is a Dominant Alpha.
I realized for the first time the destructive power of those I had only heard about. Such a strong Pheromone scent that it could shake a Beta like me this much. If I were an Omega, it would be too terrible to even imagine.
I breathed as shallowly as possible and slowly raised my head. In the time that could never be called short, the man waited for me without a word.
Finally, when our eyes met, I stopped breathing altogether. The man also looked down at me.
“What are you doing in a room with no owner?”
God, thank you.
I was sincerely relieved. My voice flowed out as usual. When I regained my composure with my calm and smooth voice, the man’s long eyes tilted faintly. I saw him give a faint smile. His blood-red lips slowly opened, and his voice flowed out a beat later. Or maybe it was late in reaching my ears. That’s how I was lost in thought.
“Excuse me. …I thought you’d be here soon.”
Every time I heard his voice, I felt a ticklish sensation somewhere in my body. I resisted the urge to scratch my back and gripped the business card more tightly than necessary. I was constantly bothered by the man standing in front of my desk. To be exact, it was in front of the drawer containing the half-used condom box.
“What brings you here? To me.”
I deliberately added the last words, and he answered in a languid tone as if sighing.
“I stopped by on the way. …Just curious.”
“About what? Me?”
I asked with an unconsciously frowning face. It was inevitable that I had become hostile without realizing it. I thought I had to be as calm as possible, but this man kept making me uneasy. The man tapped the desk lightly with his fingertips, pointlessly. I felt like the man would open the drawer and find the condoms any minute. Even though there was no way he would.
It was something that could be done easily with just a few steps of those fingers. The silence, which was only a few seconds, was an ordeal for me.
Damn it, why did I leave the condoms in the office?
The me inside me answered immediately.
Because I wanted to be able to have sex anytime.
Thoughts continued to wander around on their own.
When was the last time I did it in the office?
I did that damn thing with Doug right over there.
Before the grand jury.
That’s right, that’s why that man is here. Because I refused the negotiation.
…Oh, damn it!
In the end, I came to an unavoidable conclusion.
I felt like I could sell my soul to the devil if that man would just get away from that drawer right now. Of course, I hoped that the devil wasn’t as close to that man as he was.
The clock on the wall hadn’t even been a minute. As if he didn’t care about the inside of my head, where countless agonies had passed, he stared at me with his usual deep violet eyes.
“I heard you refused the negotiation. Boyd is having a hard time.”
Calling the prosecutor’s name so casually would have been thought of as trying to show intimacy if it were someone else. But his tone and expression were far from that, and I even felt a sense of obviousness, as if he were talking about a boring daily routine like the sun rising every day.
“It’s my job to propose a negotiation. It’s not something the defense should be proposing.”
I repeated the words I had said the day before. His smile deepened as if he had expected it. As if he already knew.
“So, the proposal?”
“You’ve already heard it, haven’t you? From the prosecutor.”
I deliberately added, and he said.
“You’ve already heard it, haven’t you, the answer.”
In terms of making the other person annoyed, this man was definitely a born lawyer. For various reasons, I wanted to get him out of here quickly. And please get away from that drawer.
“So you know there’s no negotiation either. Would you please leave? I’m busy.”
I deliberately took a step back to make room for him. But he didn’t move and just looked at me.
“Don’t you think it’s a waste of budget?”
“Can you exchange a person’s life for money?”
He raised one corner of his mouth and laughed briefly.
To be exact, it was a sneer.
“They’re already dead, aren’t they? It’s better not to make worthless consumption.”
He pointed out so simply. Even if the victim was still alive, it probably wouldn’t be much different to him. My head ached because my nerves were divided exactly in two due to anger at Nathaniel Miller and anxiety about the things in the drawer. The damn Pheromone scent also played a part.
“The value depends on the person. If you’re going to stay, please make an appointment separately, I’m very busy preparing to put Mr. Miller’s client in jail.”
He stared at me without a word. As if he could see right through my inner thoughts. Feeling my heart pounding, I pretended to be calm and glared back at him.
I was inwardly anxious that he might say something unnecessary and waste time, but it was a needless worry. He took a step without saying anything. The moment the man moved away from the damn drawer, I was grateful that I had safely protected my soul. But that was a hasty judgment.
I was careless because all my nerves were focused on one side. When he passed by me, I inadvertently took a breath.
The breath that I had been suppressing as shallowly as possible filled my body all at once. At that moment, my vision became faint, and I felt a dizziness that was almost blinding. At the same time, the man stopped walking. He raised his hand. I could only stare at him in a daze. He tilted his head. He gets closer and closer to me. I thought he was going to kiss me. Then, then I.
“Excuse me.”