The man’s face turns bright red, and a look of embarrassment appears. He looks around, at a loss, and then looks up at Dominic with an expression of disbelief.
“I, I came to… make an offer.”
He tries to continue speaking, but his mouth is already parched, and his breathing is rough, making it impossible to form a proper sentence. He desperately tries to raise his collapsing knees and steals glances at the door. He holds on until he decides he can’t hold on any longer. But his mind is already soaked in Pheromones, making rational judgment impossible.
He turns desperately towards the door, but it’s already too late. In just a few steps, he collapses, and heaving his body on the floor, he gasps for breath. His pleading, wet gaze turns to Dominic. Now, only one thing remains in his mind.
He crawls on all fours, as if sweeping the floor, and returns to Dominic. His trembling hands grab the hem of his pants and forcibly raise his body. The man, hugging Dominic’s legs and barely lifting his head, looks up at him with a desperately pleading face.
Dominic… please…
“Mr. Miller?”
The man called his name again, puzzled. Dominic still only stared at him, keeping his mouth shut. He wasn’t sitting on the floor. He wasn’t hugging Dominic’s legs and clinging to him, nor was he pleading with a tearful face. Ashley Dawson was standing upright, on steady legs, still looking up at Dominic with a professional smile. As if nothing was wrong at all.
Everything was the same as before. Except for Dominic’s deeply settled Pheromone scent.
“You.”
Dominic opened his mouth for the first time. The man, with a face that hadn’t lost its smile, but unable to hide his somewhat tense shoulders, waited for the next words. Dominic fixed his gaze on that face and asked.
“What’s your trait?”
Quietly, the man answered with a laugh in his voice. So nonchalantly.
“I’m a Gamma.”
Dominic was speechless once more.
So that was it. That’s why he didn’t react to the Pheromone.
Now he knew why the law firm had sent this man. The only trait that can withstand a Supreme Alpha’s Pheromone is Gamma. Even a Beta would be flustered and show a reaction if this much Pheromone was poured on them.
But Gamma is different. That trait is difficult to mutate even with a Supreme Alpha’s Pheromone. It is impossible to mutate a Gamma without exposing them to a massive amount of Pheromone for a long period of time. Therefore, it was almost impossible. Who would bother to confine a Gamma and pour Pheromone on him just to mutate him, risking the danger of committing a crime?
Because of this unique trait, they mostly work in security. Especially in the case of Supreme Alphas, they hire bodyguards frequently and pay them well, so this characteristic actually works as an advantage.
However, that doesn’t mean they don’t mutate at all. Even in the case of Gamma, sensitivity varies greatly, so if they are unlucky enough to have high Pheromone sensitivity, there is a rare risk of mutation even while working as a bodyguard. For that reason, it was common to operate the security team in two teams. They work for a certain period of time and then take a short vacation to offset the time they were exposed to Pheromone. If they neglect this measure and are unlucky enough to mutate, the Gammas die.
Even if they are lucky enough to survive, their bodies are not the same as before. Their bodies are so weakened that they cannot walk properly, their lifespan is shortened, and if they become pregnant in a mutated state, their chances of survival become even slimmer. It was close to a miracle to not die in that state.
To put it dramatically, this man is standing here at the risk of his life. Or, conversely, he may be standing here with the confidence that he will never mutate. Dominic was convinced that it was the latter, judging from the man’s attitude.
“Is this your first time seeing a Gamma who isn’t a bodyguard?”
The man asked, still smiling. Dominic remained silent, but he continued as if he already knew everything.
“I guess so. Most people with my trait work as bodyguards for Supreme Alphas. People are often surprised when they hear about my trait.”
Having said all he wanted to say, he looked at Dominic’s face as if trying to gauge his reaction. But he was still silent, and the man decided that it would be difficult to get an answer today.
“I’ll make a formal appointment next time.”
He was a man who knew when to retreat and when to charge. Realizing that now was the time to retreat, he stepped back without hesitation and added.
“Please contact me if you make a decision in the meantime.”
After making one more request, he turned around. Dominic thought he would leave the office as it was, but unexpectedly, the man suddenly stopped. The man, who had been staring at the table instead of the door, suddenly turned his steps towards it. He looked at the chessboard with interest and suddenly turned his head.
“Excuse me.”
The man, who hesitated as if he regretted speaking, asked with an awkward smile.
“Would it be alright if I touched the horse?”
At the unexpected words, Dominic frowned, but soon raised and lowered one hand as if to say he could do as he pleased. He already knew all the positions of the pieces, so it didn’t matter if he put them in the wrong place.
Upon receiving permission, the man grabbed the black piece as if he had been waiting for it and moved its position. What Dominic didn’t expect was what came next. At that moment, Dominic clearly saw it. The man’s face was full of playfulness as he looked down at the chessboard.
Then, he greeted him once more and left the office with a light step. Dominic stood there for a while after the door closed, then turned his head.
He headed to the table as the man had done, stopped where Ashley had stood, and looked down at the chessboard. And he remained still, staring intently.
It was checkmate.
Listening to ‘Passacaglia’ playing from the speakers, Dominic chose a cigar from the humidor. He took one out, smelled it, cut off the end with a cutter, and slowly and carefully lit it.
Hoo…
After taking the first puff of smoke, he sank into the lounge chair, put his long legs on the ottoman, and closed his eyes. Harpsichord performances are always good. Especially when relieving the fatigue of the day, calming an elevated mood, or organizing his thoughts.
All preparations for the vacation were complete. If it were a normal day, he would have taken a vacation tomorrow and left for a remote villa where no one could reach him. But this time, one variable had arisen.
Ashley J. Dawson.
He stared intently at the document he was holding. It contained all the information about the man who had stirred him up in such a short time.
The man was the only son born into an ordinary middle-class family. One of his parents was a Gamma, and he inherited that trait. After graduating from a prestigious law school and becoming a lawyer, he was lucky enough to get a job at a large law firm and was working there.
This case would be the first proper ‘case’ assigned to him. Judging from the fact that he had never heard of him, he had probably been taking on trivial cases or assisting with work that no one else wanted to do. In the midst of all this, if he had been promised a huge reward if he succeeded in this case, it would be a perfect story.
It was an obvious development, but Dominic was not interested. However, there was one variable.
To make such a move.
The chessboard kept swirling in his head. Why hadn’t he thought of putting it there? Once he knew it, it was such a simple move. Even though he was incredibly busy with the trial, it was a move he hadn’t been able to solve for a week, but the man had easily created a checkmate after seeing it only once. How was this possible?
The innocent smile he had given at the end kept leaving his mind. He had said several rude things, but they were nothing compared to this.
He must have been just as arrogant in court.
He wanted to drag him into court and crush him miserably. As he imagined the man’s face turning red and bursting into tears after losing the trial, he suddenly felt a heat down below.
Dominic frowned and lowered his gaze. Seeing his swollen crotch, he let out a sigh of disbelief.
The music continued to change. But Dominic remained seated, lost in deep thought.
Dominic stopped pouring his drink at the short doorbell that echoed in the early evening and glanced over. It was the desk’s alarm, signaling that a guest had arrived. He had been told in advance that the man would be visiting, so he would have easily passed through the gate. Dominic could vividly imagine the man announcing his name and identity at the information desk, being guided by a security guard to the private elevator, and coming up.
As expected, he reached the top floor not long after. The sound of the front door opening was heard, followed by the sound of someone walking in slippers.
“Miller, it’s Dawson.”
His slightly high-pitched voice, which seemed nervous, had a faint vibrato mixed in. Dominic leisurely drank his liquor and waited for the man to find him. The sound of footsteps wandering around the spacious penthouse gradually grew closer, and finally the man found him drinking at the bar.
“You were here.”
The man said with a small sigh of relief. His mumbling soon gained strength and turned into a confident tone.
“Thank you for inviting me. I’m really glad you contacted me so quickly.”
The man, who was standing at a considerable distance, greeted him with a slightly flushed face. Despite the sudden contact, he responded to the call immediately. Like a dog waiting for its owner’s attention all day, he was hasty, passionate, and immediate. His slightly tense shoulders and sparkling eyes clearly revealed his inner thoughts.
Dominic slowly scanned him, who was perfectly dressed in a wrinkle-free suit, just like when they first met. He lowered his gaze from his neat face, with his hair neatly combed back as if not allowing even a single strand to be out of place, and his slender neck, like a deer’s, came into view.
What would it be like to put a dog collar on him and make him lie naked on the floor? Would that man accept that as a matter of course?
As he narrowed his long eyes, the man spoke.
“Can I take it that you inviting me to your home like this means you are thinking positively about the contract we proposed?”
Of course, it was only natural to have such expectations. If he was creating such a situation, it meant that he was somewhat interested. He couldn’t hide his excitement, but the more he did, the more it would become a weakness.
“Well, maybe.”
He retreated playfully, but the man did not back down and answered passionately.
“We are ready to accept anything.”
Dominic simply gave a strange smile. Without saying a word, he turned around and took out an empty glass, poured liquor into it, and handed it to the man. The man was momentarily flustered, conscious of the briefcase he was carrying, and looked around, but he could not put his luggage down without the owner’s permission. Moreover, the other person was someone he had to please unconditionally. He chose to be uncomfortable himself rather than being disliked for a trivial act. The man, holding the bag in one hand, walked over to Dominic and stood across the bar table, holding out his empty hand.
“Thank you.”
Leaving him with a polite smile, Dominic poured liquor into his own glass as well. The man was briefly nervous when he saw him empty the glass in one gulp, but he did not refuse the mission he had been given. Without asking what kind of liquor he wanted, he unhesitatingly brought the liquor that had been poured for him to his mouth. As if Dominic had picked out the perfect liquor that he had wanted so badly.
Dominic quietly watched as the man tilted his head back and raised and lowered his Adam’s apple several times in the center of his long neck, emptying the glass completely. Soon after, Dominic said to him, who let out a short breath, “Hoo,” and put down the empty glass.
“You drink so well without even knowing what’s in it.”
His smooth tone was full of sarcasm. It was full of intention to mock the man’s servility, but he didn’t care.
“Didn’t you drink it too?”
It was a question as if that was a guarantee, but Dominic ridiculed him.
“You’re a Gamma, after all.”
It seemed that many meanings were hidden there, but as a result, they were all the same. The only thing he and the man had in common was that they were both human. When he belatedly remembered that the man’s trait was a special Supreme Alpha and that he had a constitution that was immune to poison or medicine, he unconsciously turned his eyes to the empty glass.
Could it be that in here…
A tension that was completely different from the awkward silence earlier settled between the two.