By Zephyria 
When I turned my head at the sound of a knock, a man entered a moment later. It took a few seconds of blankness to recognize him in his black suit.
“Ah, are you awake?”
He asked with a still professional demeanor. He was the Gamma bodyguard who had guided me when I first arrived at the mansion. As I merely blinked, unable to react immediately, the man continued speaking fluently, as if it didn’t matter.
“You’ll feel better after some rest. You don’t need to worry about the medical expenses or any other necessary expenditures. This was an unintentional accident, after all…”
As I continued to just stare at him, the man looked away, appearing flustered.
“I apologize. I didn’t think you were a Beta. …I thought you were an invited Omega.”
…Ah.
Only then did I realize why the Gammas on guard had been smirking at me. It wasn’t because my car was shabby. It was because they thought I was an Omega male prostitute. Since Gammas cannot smell pheromones, it was only natural that they couldn’t tell the difference. I found out later that the fact that I had sought out Ally was one of the reasons. Since she was in charge of invitations, the misunderstanding fit together perfectly.
It was so absurd that I couldn’t even think of what to say. The man glanced at my face, scanning it. In truth, he had simply done his job. Of course, there was a mistake, but it was enough to overlook. The one who committed the greatest wrong was Nathaniel Miller. However, after being put through such an ordeal, a thoughtful “It’s alright” did not come out of my mouth. I was by no means Mother Teresa.
Just as I was about to snap something back, I suddenly noticed my bandaged hand. My hand had also been cut by the glass shard I used to stab Nathaniel. Feeling a delayed throbbing pain, I shifted my gaze and noticed a needle inserted into my arm. Following the line upward, I saw an IV drip falling rhythmically. Noticing my gaze, he spoke.
“Ah, it’s to remove the pheromones.”
Pheromones? Not drugs?
As I instinctively frowned and looked at him, the man added,
“He said too many useless pheromones were clinging to you… Pheromones are absorbed through the skin as well. Moreover, if the scent remains, you’ll inhale it every time you breathe, even unconsciously.”
Even so, I didn’t see the need to go as far as getting an injection to remove them. It’s a scent that would naturally disappear over time. Realizing something strange in his words, I asked.
“Who? Did Nathaniel Miller order that?”
“Yes.”
Whose fault was it that I was swept away in a flood of pheromones?!
It was appalling, but since I couldn’t pull out the needle, I just left it. The man, who had been standing there for a moment, turned to leave as if he had nothing more to say. I called out to him belatedly.
“What happened to Miller?”
Surely, if he had died, it couldn’t be this peaceful.
As I asked with that inner thought, the man replied with a largely unchanged expression.
“The bleeding was severe, but fortunately, it missed the artery… He is currently resting after receiving emergency treatment.”
I didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
At any rate, I had avoided a murder charge. I ignored the fact that I had injured a Dominant Alpha for the time being. As I remained silently tight-lipped, he added as if he had just remembered.
“He told us not to worry about the accident anymore.”
“…Accident?”
When I instinctively asked back, he nodded.
“Regarding the compensation for the previous car accident.”
Only then did I understand what he meant. The man left a brief greeting and finally exited the hospital room.
…It’s true that I achieved my goal.
Feeling dazed, I blinked while lying down. At the edge of my vision, the IV fluid, with less than half remaining, was dripping one drop at a time.
* * *
“My god, Prosecutor! What happened? Did you get into a fight at a bar over the weekend?”
The assistant prosecutor, whom I encountered as soon as I arrived at work, turned pale and shouted the moment he saw my face. I instinctively raised one hand, then lowered it again upon seeing the white bandage.
“Well, it just happened.”
I brushed it off vaguely, but he remained pale and flustered. Since there was no need to explain in depth, I pretended not to notice, turned my head, and headed toward my office.
“You’re meeting Judge Regan this afternoon, right? I’ll get things ready.”
At the assistant prosecutor’s hurried addition from behind, I thanked him and attempted to enter my office.
“Ah, excuse me.”
Just as the assistant prosecutor was about to say something more, I opened the door.
Sigh.
As I took a breath with a short sigh, I froze. An unwelcome scent wafted in faintly. Slowly lifting my head, as expected, there was the man I least wanted to encounter right now. He was leaning back, perched casually on the edge of my desk.
For a moment, I stared blankly at Nathaniel Miller. My body froze to the point that I forgot to breathe; only my heart hammered wildly. Was this fear, or something else? Nathaniel spoke.
“Good morning, Prosecutor Chrissy Jin.”
His low, languid voice descended leisurely. The face wearing a faint smile toward me was like a mask. No, perhaps there was no smile at all. It was difficult for me to gauge his expression. One thing was certain: thanks to his voice, my body was released from its paralysis.
“…What brings you here?”
I asked, turning my gaze as if to close the door. Through the narrow gap, I saw the flustered face of the assistant prosecutor. Realizing what he had been trying to say, I gave a smile to signal that it was okay.
Click. The moment I closed the door, a sudden silence and tension filled the air. A belated concern arose as to whether it was right to be alone with him in a confined space. I belatedly realized his sweet scent was spreading throughout my entire body. I thought I had made a mistake, but feeling as though I would be losing if I opened the door again, I couldn’t. Instead, I turned around and faced him.
“I see it’s your hobby to visit unattended offices at will. Or are there no empty offices at your company? If you need one, I could ask the Chief Prosecutor to put another desk in here for you.”
When I sneered in a stiff tone, unexpectedly, he laughed. This time it was certain. His lips had clearly broken into a smile. Ignoring it, I walked straight forward and placed my briefcase on the desk. This time, I could firmly block the drawer containing the condoms with my body. In that moment, I felt invincible.
With the desk between us, I faced him head-on. As he drew closer, the scent that had been faint became distinctly stronger. Simultaneously, my hostility toward him kept softening.
To think a man as cold as a blade would emit such a sweet scent. Could there be a more irrational reality than this?
“Do you people spray pheromones everywhere because you don’t know how to exercise restraint?”
Unable to hold back, I snapped a sarcastic remark. However, Nathaniel Miller replied nonchalantly, without any sign of offense.