By Zephyria 
“M-Mr. Dominique Miller, Ash’s father?”
As I barely regained my senses and stammered the question, a cold voice replied from the other end, “Yes.”
—Junior will be very busy with the funeral arrangements for a while. If you can’t reach him, call me. I’ll pass on a message.
“Uh, yes… J-just a moment!”
Koi, still bewildered, answered and urgently stopped Bernice as she was about to hang up. After confirming she was waiting, Koi finally managed to speak.
“Um, is Ash… okay? Is he very heartbroken…?”
Of course he is. His father died.
Koi chided himself. Even if Ashley hadn’t had a good relationship with his father, he wouldn’t feel good about his death.
He might be very depressed.
I should be there for him.
As his expression darkened with worry, Bernice spoke.
—He’s fine. Junior seems no different than usual on the outside. Are you satisfied now?
Slightly relieved by the extremely businesslike tone, Koi gathered his courage and asked again.
“Um… just one more thing. Why did you tell me? Why call me specifically…?”
There was no reason for Bernice to care about him like this. As a chill ran down his spine, recalling the harsh words she had spoken to him in his youth, Bernice replied.
—Because it’s my job.
Taken aback by the unexpected answer, she added,
—Would you understand if I said Mr. Miller’s policy has changed? I’ll hang up now. I’m very busy too.
“Uh, ah, yes. Thank you for letting me know…”
Koi hastily said goodbye and hung up. News of Dominique Miller’s death flooded the media that evening. Only then did Koi truly grasp Bernice’s words.
He really is dead.
He still felt bewildered, but looking at the endless stream of articles, he couldn’t help but believe it. As Koi skimmed through the online articles, he was surprised to find Dominique Miller was younger than he expected. He was seven years younger than Koi’s father.
Extreme Alphas have longer lifespans than other species…
The question was soon answered. The cause of death was a fire at the mansion, and Dominique wasn’t the only one who couldn’t escape.
Ashley Miller also died.
Koi’s heart sank for a moment upon discovering another name listed as deceased alongside him, but his shoulders relaxed slightly upon seeing the age indicated next to it. Thanks to the brief family tree explanation that followed, Koi learned that Ashley’s name was ‘Ashley Dominique Miller,’ taking one name from the Alpha who bore him and one from the Omega. He muttered a small, “Ah…” to himself, understanding.
How heartbroken must he be right now?
Losing both parents at once must be an unspeakable wound.
He wanted to rush over and embrace him immediately, but Bernice’s words weighed on his mind. Perhaps she had called ahead to inform him because she had anticipated Koi’s actions.
Ash is busy with funeral preparations.
Koi suppressed his impulse and took a deep breath. All he could do was skim the articles and check if there was even a little bit of information about Ash. As he scrolled through several articles, one caught his eye. It was a photo of Dominique Miller taken during his lifetime.
There were no photos of him after he quit being a lawyer and went into seclusion. All the photos available were from his time as a lawyer, and the one that captured Koi’s attention was taken as he was leaving the courthouse.
Dressed in a black coat and an expensive suit, he was a tall, handsome man, clearly visible even in a photograph. He had seen photos of him before reuniting with Ashley, but even seeing them again, Koi felt an immense sense of intimidation. The man, with hair as bright as silver-white, even lighter than Ashley’s, and deep violet eyes, was descending the stairs, smoking a cigarette with one hand in his coat pocket. He used to think he and Ashley didn’t resemble each other at all, but for some reason, now they looked so alike. So much so that he thought if Ashley got any older, he would look exactly like this.
What am I thinking?
Shaking his head hastily, Koi checked the time again. It was already past midnight, nearing 2 AM.
Is he sleeping now…?
He managed to resist the urge to call, but he couldn’t resist sending a message. Hesitating, he carefully typed on his phone.
[Ash, sleeping?]
He regretted it the moment he sent the message. Of course he’s sleeping. He must be exhausted all day, what have I done! Just as he felt like tearing his hair out, his phone alarm rang.
[No.]
It was a very short reply, but enough to make Koi’s heart flutter. He removed his hands from his hair and quickly sent a reply.
[Can I call?]
He waited for a reply with a pounding heart, but none came. Instead, his phone suddenly rang, startling Koi. He checked the caller ID. Though half-disbelieving, it was indeed Ash. He quickly pressed the answer button and picked up.
“Ah, yes, hello.”
As he answered quickly, a voice came from the other end.
—What is it?
It was still just a short sentence, but Koi felt like crying with relief. He hastily composed himself and spoke.
“Um, I heard… your parents passed away. I imagine it must be very difficult…”
Bernice had said he was holding up well, but was he really? Koi’s chest felt heavy again, and he carefully added,
“Um, if it’s okay, I’d like to see you… can I come over?”
Ashley was silent for a moment. Was he looking for a way to refuse? As he grew anxious, a deep sigh was heard. Just as his heart sank, Ashley spoke.
—If you come now, I’ll embrace you without wearing anything under my apron. Is that okay?
Suddenly, all the perverted acts they had done together flashed through his mind, and his face flushed. His heart, which had been frozen with fear, now pounded and raced wildly. I like perverted games with Ash too, Koi thought, about to say he would come, but before he could, Ash spoke again.
—Just kidding. You don’t have to come.
“Oh…”
Koi, who had already gotten out of bed to leave, sat back down awkwardly. He let out a small sigh filled with disappointment. Ashley asked,
—Are you disappointed?
“Yes.”
Koi answered honestly.
“Very much so.”
Hahaha, laughter was heard from the other end. It felt like ages since Koi had heard Ash laugh like this, and he was momentarily dazed. It felt like a dream that he had treated him so coldly.
—Me too, Koi.
Ashley said, his voice still tinged with laughter.
—Don’t worry, I’ll definitely do it soon.
“Uh, yes.”
Koi replied, feeling his ears grow hot.
“I’ll look forward to it.”
The atmosphere softened further. Was his attitude different because he was half-asleep?
“Um, are you very busy? Did I wake you up?”
He asked, thinking to himself, and Ash replied nonchalantly.
—It’s fine. I don’t sleep well normally.
Sleep deprivation? This is new.
“Then it’s bad for your health. You don’t sleep well normally… does that mean you have insomnia? How long has it been?”
Come to think of it, he had rarely seen Ashley sleep when they were together. He slept later than Koi and woke up earlier. Considering his commute and work hours, even at best, he didn’t get five hours of sleep. As the fact of Dominique Miller’s death suddenly came to mind, he felt a sudden fear, and Ashley replied.
—It’s fine, don’t worry about it. Is that all you wanted to say?
Koi wanted to know more, but since Ash seemed reluctant to talk about it, Koi reluctantly changed the subject.
“Um, the funeral… there’s a lot to do, right?”
—There’s not much for me to do. The complicated part is the inheritance process.
At Ashley’s indifferent tone, Koi asked, “Inheritance?” Ashley continued speaking perfunctorily.
—Yeah, my father left a hell of a lot.
Koi couldn’t help but chuckle at the bored tone mixed with profanity, then quickly apologized. Ashley casually said it was fine.
—I was thinking it was a hassle too.
“Right… is the inheritance process very complicated?”
Unlike himself, who had little to do because he had nothing to receive, it must be completely different. As Koi asked, Ashley readily replied.
—There’s a lot to inherit, and a lot to do. After the estate is settled, I’ll have to draft a new will…
“A will? What for?”
Koi reacted to the word that particularly caught his ear. After a brief pause, Ashley replied indifferently.
—Because I might die suddenly too.
The atmosphere, which had briefly improved, turned cold again.