By Zephyria 
The wide hall was thick with cigarette smoke. In an indoor space where the smell of nicotine mingled with the pungent scent of marijuana, the gathered crowd laughed and chatted, exhaling dense clouds of smoke as if they didn’t mind it at all. Despite it being nearly midnight, no one looked tired; instead, they drank as if the party was only just beginning. Amidst this, a stir arose from one side as a man, who had been rarely seen lately, made his appearance.
“What happened, Nathaniel? It’s been such a long time. Why haven’t you visited?”
The host of the party was the first to step forward with a welcoming greeting. Nathaniel shared a light handshake and spoke.
“I was busy. You look well.”
“You too. Anyway, I’m glad you came. Thank you.”
Thinking that the presence of a guest who had been hard to find recently would make the party shine even more brilliantly, the host couldn’t hide his wide, beaming smile. Leaving him behind, Nathaniel stepped into the hall, and people began to gather around him from all directions.
“Nathaniel, what brings you here? Why has it been so hard to see your face?”
“He’s in charge of the country’s top law firm, so of course he’s busy. Wow, you’re still the same. As expected of Miller.”
“I’m glad I ran into you. I’m hosting a cruise party next week. I told my secretary to send an invitation; did you receive it? Well, for someone like you, it’s a free pass anytime, haha!”
Amidst the trivial chatter, Nathaniel simply maintained a formulaic smile while sipping his wine. The people surrounding him were so busy speaking their own minds that no one noticed the man hadn’t uttered a single word of substance.
“Come to think of it, Nathaniel, why haven’t you been coming to parties lately? Are you doing alright?”
A man with purple eyes, similar to his own, suddenly tilted his head and sniffed, catching his scent. In that instant, Nathaniel’s expression froze coldly, and a deep sense of disgust manifested clearly. Startled, the man hurriedly pulled away and stammered.
“Looks like you’re still doing fine, then. That’s a relief.”
Without a word, Nathaniel—his face twisted in distaste—visibly brushed off the area of his arm where the man had thrust his nose, using his other hand. This was despite the fact that there had been no actual physical contact. Ignoring the man, who raised an eyebrow in offense, another man quickly spoke up to soothe the situation.
“Everyone’s been wondering about you. They’re just worried, so don’t be too hard on them.”
Several of the men gathered there shared the same trait and, consequently, the same problems.
Pheromones.
Because of this, pheromone parties, which were held occasionally, served as a meeting ground in a sense. If someone disappeared for a long time, it was common for rumors mixed with worry and curiosity to circulate. Nathaniel didn’t even need to confirm that the same things had been said about him. As he silently brought the wine glass to his lips, another person spoke up.
“By the way, about the party Harrison threw last week. I heard Keith was there. Did you hear?”
At those words, another man frowned and asked.
“When? I was there too, but I didn’t see him.”
“I saw him.”
Once again, a new voice intervened.
“But he left quickly. He was there for maybe thirty minutes? I heard he didn’t even release his pheromones. Harrison said he doesn’t know why he showed up in the first place.”
Surprised voices followed.
“He didn’t release his pheromones? Keith?”
“That bastard hasn’t been coming to parties lately. He must have built up quite a bit. Why would he leave right after arriving at a party?”
“I heard he just showed up suddenly without saying he was coming. Harrison gave him a few Omegas, but he just left.”
“That guy doesn’t sleep with men, even if they’re Omegas. Harrison messed up. I heard he gave him male Omegas.”
“No, I checked, and they said Keith specifically asked for male Omegas first. But when he was actually introduced to a few, he didn’t even touch them and left while acting incredibly irritated. Harrison was the one who ended up angry.”
“That guy’s gone weird.”
“Maybe he’s gone crazy because his pheromones built up too much?”
Nathaniel let the joking comments flow in one ear and out the other. Come to think of it, when was the last time he had released his pheromones since that party? Only once, and it was recent. A half-baked session of sex in a cramped studio where they couldn’t even manage proper penetration.
Despite that being all, he felt no impatience. Rather, he was anticipating a pleasure far greater than boring sex.
He should be waiting by now.
Nathaniel glanced at his wristwatch. He had been at the party for nearly an hour. That meant it was close to midnight. Instead of going home after his meeting, he had come here. The reason he intentionally delayed his return was the anticipation of savoring his pleasure as much as possible. The thought of Chrissy Jin growing anxious while waiting for him was also part of that pleasure. However, his own patience was starting to run thin.
Time to go.
He finished the wine in his glass and placed the empty vessel on the tray held by a waiter.
“Then, I shall take my leave.”
At the simple farewell, the men surrounding him widened their eyes in surprise.
“You’re leaving already? You just got here!”
“Nathaniel, wait! No, really? You’re leaving now?”
“We haven’t even had a proper conversation yet. You’ve only had one more glass of wine.”
“Nathaniel, don’t be like that, stay a bit longer. It’s been so long since we saw you, huh?”
People tried to hold him back from all sides, but Nathaniel had already wasted enough time. Since he had achieved his reason for coming here, there was no longer any reason to stay.
“I’ll see you next time. It was good seeing you.”
After a brief goodbye, he walked away, leaving the remaining people staring at his back in bewilderment, as if wondering what on earth was happening. However, without looking back once, Nathaniel vanished from their sight in an instant.
After parking his car in the private lot, he stepped out of the driver’s seat, leaving the smart key in the console box as always. It was nearly 2 AM. By now, the other might have fallen asleep from exhaustion. The sight of a disheveled beauty is always a treat. Thinking this, Nathaniel pressed the elevator button. He was curious about what the “surprise” the man had mentioned was, but he was equally looking forward to what would happen afterward. Soon, the large hunk of iron carrying him slowed down smoothly and stopped, and Nathaniel stepped out without hesitation. Then, as he opened the inner door and walked inside, he came to a dead halt at an unexpected sight.
Two half-naked men were rolling around on the sofa.
2 |
A few hours earlier.
“Aaaagh!”
At the sudden scream, Chrissy jumped, his eyes widening. Immediately after, the door slammed shut right in front of him.
For a moment, he stood there blinking, completely bewildered. What just happened? He had no idea of the context, but the vibration that stung his ears still lingered.
Shouldn’t I be the one screaming?
Belatedly, he found the situation absurd. A naked man had suddenly appeared, screamed, and then shut the door in his face. In any case, he had received permission at the entrance to come up, so it wasn’t a trespass. That meant the other man was in the same boat, and judging by his appearance, it was clear he had arrived here before Chrissy.
If that’s the case, perhaps…
Just as he thought that, the door opened again, and the man from before peeked his head out hesitantly. Seeing Chrissy still standing in the same spot, the man awkwardly curled his lips into a smile and spoke first.
“I’m sorry for screaming. I was just too surprised.”
Then, he scanned Chrissy once before fixing his eyes on his face and asking again.
“How did you get here? Are you an employee of Nathaniel’s company?”
Chrissy suddenly felt awkward. How should he explain it? A sudden doubt about his relationship with Nathaniel surfaced, making the words not come easily. In the end, he answered vaguely.
“Something like that.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, the man replied with a bright expression.
“I see. Then you must know about me too. Nice to meet you.”
With those words, Chrissy realized two things: that he could no longer ask the man any more questions, and that this man was someone closely related to Nathaniel Miller.