By Zephyria 
Dane returned home and began his usual routine. He cleaned the cat’s litter box, changed its water, and gave it a snack. Leaving Darling to groom himself clumsily as usual, Dane headed to the bathroom.
After showering and spending some leisurely time with his cat, Dane finished a can of beer and got up from the sofa to grab another. He scooped up the cat from his lap with one arm and headed to the refrigerator, just as he was about to pull the tab on a new can of beer. Suddenly, his cell phone rang. He paused, hesitating for a moment whether to answer it or not. Looking at the time, it was already close to midnight. A call at this hour didn’t bode well.
ACT
5G 88%
B. Joshua
XXX-XXX-XXXX
The ringing continued even as he debated and turned to pick it up. He picked up the phone from the table, checked the number, and frowned unconsciously. What’s this guy up to all of a sudden?
“What is it? At this hour.”
Dane said as he answered the phone, naturally putting the cat down, and a familiar voice came from the other end.
“Hi, Dane. How have you been? Are you working?”
The owner of the bright voice was Joshua Bailey. He had once served in the same unit as Dane and had happened to save his life. Besides that, they had enough in common to hang out a few times, but that didn’t mean they were close enough to tolerate everything. Above all, Joshua was married with three children. Dane had never imagined himself getting married and having children, either before or in the future. From the time he had his first child, Joshua had suddenly become diligent and stopped going out at night, which was unbelievable to Dane, who had thought he was the same type of person. Joshua Bailey, who had been so wild, already had three kids.
And surprisingly, he hadn’t strayed even for a moment.
“I’m off work. What’s up all of a sudden?”
As always, he got straight to the point, and Joshua said with a smiling voice, “Are you busy these days? You sound tired.”
“Of course, I am. I have an annoying guy hanging around.”
Dane, suddenly thinking of Grayson, felt a pain in the back of his neck from the stress and replied, “It’s always the same. What is it?”
Joshua paused, “Um,” as Dane rubbed his neck and asked again.
“Is anyone around you?”
“I’m alone. Speak, quickly.”
Dane’s voice gradually became irritated. He was already stressed, and he didn’t have the patience to tolerate him beating around the bush like this. After confirming that Dane was alone, Joshua finally got to the point.
“Would you like to do a side job? I’ll pay you handsomely.”
“No thanks.”
Before he could hang up, annoyed, Joshua quickly added, “I can pay you whatever you want. How about… Darling’s health checkup? I heard his kidney function wasn’t good last time?”
Dane immediately paused when the name of his cat came up. As if noticing his reaction, Joshua continued, spacing his words appropriately, “A full course at the best cat-specialized animal hospital. Oh, and I’ll cover everything if anything needs treatment. Including nutrient injections.”
The cat, who had problems with his eyes and ears, required a lot of care. Moreover, he was now old and frequently visited the hospital. Firefighters earned a decent income, so Dane wasn’t too worried about money. That was the reason Dane had chosen this job in the first place. Money and insurance.
The various expenses for Darling were considerable, but not to the point that Dane found them burdensome. Therefore, what captivated him was the word “comprehensive examination” at the animal hospital that Joshua had mentioned. The hospital he had heard about was expensive, but reservations were fully booked, and waiting could easily take a year. But things were different for celebrities. The reason Joshua confidently made this offer was because he had something to rely on.
That was his partner, Chase Miller.
Dane was quickly swayed by the unbelievable offer, but suspicion soon arose in his mind. Everything came with a price, and the more attractive the bait, the higher the price to pay.
But even so, Dane hesitated. The temptation of the animal hospital was so strong that he considered breaking his rule of never getting involved in other people’s affairs.
Joshua didn’t say anything until he made a decision. After waiting patiently, Dane, who had been silent for a while, finally opened his mouth in a subdued voice.
“So, what is it?”
Joshua smiled slyly and suggested, “There’s someone I want to teach a lesson to.”
“How?”
As Joshua had expected, Dane didn’t ask “why.” The only being Dane cared about was the cat he was raising, so he wouldn’t be curious about the reason. If he hadn’t offered the cat’s welfare as a price, he wouldn’t have even considered listening and would have refused. Joshua thought and opened his mouth.
“I’ll take care of that. You just need to help me kidnap him.”
“Kidnap.”
To Dane, who slowly repeated the word as if savoring it, Joshua continued, “Yes.”
“He’s not an ordinary guy, so I don’t think I can do it alone, and you’re not the type to tell anyone.”
His voice was so calm, as if he were saying, “Let’s go fishing today,” that other people would have been very embarrassed. But Dane’s reaction was just to make a strange sound, “Hmm.” Joshua knew that Dane was that kind of man, which was why he had thought of involving him in this.
“Even if there’s a problem, I’ll make sure you’re not harmed. You don’t have to worry about your cat either. I’ll hire an expensive lawyer to get you released without any charges in less than a day.”
If someone around him had said this, he would have cursed them to shut up. But Joshua wasn’t a man who made empty promises, and above all, he had a partner who could make it possible. A top actor and father of children who was overflowing with money.
“So, who is it?”
Dane asked, sounding annoyed. In a country where you could save a dying person with money, helping with a little kidnapping wouldn’t even be considered a crime. As if he knew that would be the case, Joshua answered with a faint smile, “Chase’s brother.”
“Who?”
Chase was Joshua’s partner and a highly paid actor. If it was his brother… How many siblings did Chase Miller have? As Dane tried to remember, Joshua added, “Grayson Miller.”
Dane paused for a moment. He belatedly realized that Chase and Grayson had the same last name, Miller.
“…Grayson Miller?”
“Yes.”
Even after checking again, the same name came back. Wait a minute, the name Miller was very common. There was no guarantee that Grayson Miller was Chase Miller’s brother.
But if it was Grayson Miller, the brother of the Dominant Alpha Chase, there would only be one in the world.
Joshua continued, seemingly unaware of the groan Dane made as he inevitably reached that conclusion.
“I’ll make sure you’re not harmed. It won’t take long either. I’ll take care of sending him back, so don’t worry…”
Joshua’s voice continued, but Dane only heard half of it. After a while of no response, Joshua finally asked, puzzled, “Dane? Are you listening?”
“…Yes, no.”
Dane, who had given an ambiguous answer, frowned.
“Are you serious?”