ã€ŠRebirth To Become A Dominant Omegaã€‹


 Chapter 1 - REBIRTH

    The handsome man took a seat on the plane, rested his head on the seat, narrowed his eyes, corners of his mouth involuntarily lifted.

    Thoughts, as well as he, flew towards City Y, desired moments of rest and early retirement. Julien was an actor, he wasn''t the Film Emperor, but he never lacked the popularity and loyal fans. The films and series he starred in have always been well received by the public and critics. Everyone would call his career and life successful, but where the eyes of others didn''t reach was hard work and loneliness.??

    At the age of 8, Julien ended up in an orphanage and spent there the rest of the years until coming of age. He was too old for anyone to adopt him, and the parents who died in the accident apart from good genes didn''t leave him a fortune or any inheritance, nor did they have kind relatives. Fortunately, the child''s nature didn''t allow him to get lost in mourning.

    Excellent grades, first place in various competitions, later odd jobs and acting school and finally working in this profession, that''s all he was focused on until now. It can also be summarized this way - no vacation and no love life.

    The flight time passed slowly, especially when he was sitting passively it tended to get longer. The man''s gaze fell on the seat next to him, specifically on the book lying there. He was alone in the cabin, even the flight attendants were out of sight. For lack of better options and boredom, he began to read. The novel was called "Mark Me". It was a typical BL in the world of ABO and if not one of the characters had the same name as Julien, the book would probably have been thrown where it originally was.

    The character he follows turned out to be cannon fodder in a battle of love dilemmas between the protagonist and a second male lead, a hidden villain.

    Julien laughed quietly and softly said: "You are a very pitiful child".

    He mentally criticized the plot and the author, he had found matching adjectives like ''shitty'' or ''hopeless'' and then the entire plane began to shake. After a few seconds the alarm went off, the oxygen masks fell out and he could feel that the plane was going down dangerously.

    He shouted with traces of panic in his voice: "What''s going on? Hello? Anyone hear me?!"

    Julien could feel nothing but blind terror, his stomach clenched and his body went cold with dread.

    It is not true that before you die life flashes before your eyes, the only thing he had in mind was: ''No! I''m not willing to die!'' The hidden ruthlessness stirred up in the deepest depths of his heart.

    The plane descended until it hit the ground.

    This evening TV reporter announced: "Julien Baume, 30, Star of ''Seven Personalities'' dies in crash." Soon after news of his death broke, colleagues and fans turned to social media to express their shock and grief.

    Many beautiful photos and comments emerged on Weibo.

    [Mr Emperor: Brother I will miss you very much. I am absolutely speechless. Heaven has gained a new Angel. Rest in Peace.]

    [In The Forest: My heart hurts, it''s broken. No one can convince me that this is real.]

    [Tarzan: We find our strength in his light.]

    [Gary The Snail: Your humble spirit was felt from the start, wherever you blessed your presence you always left a mark. You will forever hold a place in all of our hearts.]

    He opened his eyes once again. Blinked.

    [System: Welcome to the novel "Mark me".]

    Huh? Plane? What the hell¡­ he was alive? That was a dream?

    Something didn''t feel right. He was alone in the cabin, now all seats near him was taken. His clothes looked different and... this was not his hand, his hands were not this pale and tender. Julien rushed out of the seat and found a toilet in a hurry. He looked in the mirror and then stood petrified.

    Impossible.

    The boy in the mirror looked outstanding, his deep and flawless face was like a work of art, no matter from which angle of observation, he was perfect. The star-like bright peach blossom eyes were wide open in shock. He absentmindedly placed his fingertips on his cheek.

    Julien originally looked handsome, but compared to now his facial features fell dull.

    [System: Please, don''t panic. The host is safe and can live in this world.]

    He was startled. Next, he recalled a mechanical voice he heard when he woke up.

    [System: I am here.]

    [System: ... the host is currently in the novel world of "Mark me". You take the body of that pitiful cannon folder Julien Baume.]

    He heard of many rebirth and transmigration novels before, but never thought that kind of thing would happen to him.

    Julien didn''t ask System if he can come back, because he could feel there is no way.

    He was dead in that world.

    He tilted his head and cast a sidelong glance to the boy in the mirror. After accepting this fate, he gently exhaled, and his tense emotions relaxed.

    The corners of Julien''s mouth tugged up and he suddenly lightly chuckled: "Good, I have planned a vacation."

 Chapter 2 - OMEGA

    He picked up his luggage at the airport.

    Julien didn''t know what to do next: "What should I do now?"??

    [System: Host can do whatever he wants. You have two options: go home or find a hotel, unless you want to stay overnight under the bridge.]

    Julien frowned: "Why don''t I have any memories of the original body?"

    [System: You''re not him. His memories vanished at the moment of his death.]

    Julien quickly followed: "What if someone finds out that I''m not him?"

    [System: He has spent 3 years in a foreign land, studying¡­ so even if your character is different, no one will notice. Julien from the book doesn''t have friends or close family apart from his brother.]

    Julien was confused as he scratched his face: "I have a brother?"

    [System: Older brother, to be precise. You don''t remember? President Baume is also a supporting character in the novel.]

    Julien was even more baffled: "President Baume?" Of course, he remembers, the male lead and villain are his best buddies. Come to think of it, they have the same surname, but he doesn''t recall the original body having any interaction with him.

    [System: Your relationship is complicated. After their parents died, they quarreled. Julien went abroad and he didn''t keep in touch with him.]

    Julien''s demeanour was thoughtful and serious: "That''s a lot of information."

    And there are still many unknowns, but he has the support of the system and knowledge from the book. He felt that was quite benevolent. His mood lightened and his relaxed brows were free of frown lines.

    Julien ordered a taxi and went to the nearest hotel.

    The next thing he wanted was¡­

    Julien went to a hotel restaurant and ordered a glass of wine. Before he woke up in this body, he loved drinking wine.

    The wine was his only comfort throughout his 30 years of life under everyone''s eyes. Even if the director lectured him endlessly, a glass of wine after work could make him happy for a while.

    The waiter politely asked with a smile: "Would you like anything to eat?"

    Julien grinned back: "Well, what do you recommend?"

    The waiter instantly blushed and said: "Peking roasted duck with sweet bean sauce."

    Julien nodded: "Alright, thank you."

    Julien ate and drank until he was full and returned to the room in a good mood.

    Taylor Fladgate Limited Editions 1863 - nine of the ten points. The wine was in perfect balance, with sweetness and acidity in perfect harmony and beautifully integrated spirit. On the nose, a succession of subtle spicy aromas opened up against a dense backdrop of treacle and molasses. Notes of sawn oak and vanilla gave way to a spicy surge of nutmeg, black pepper and ginger. Gradually the rich, sumptuous aromas of age emerge, walnut, marzipan, butterscotch and mocha followed by rich figgy plum-pudding notes.

    He was looking forward to all the different kinds of wine he can taste in this world. Julien checked his bank account earlier with System help and it turned out there is a huge amount of money. He seemed to be a rich second generation now. He didn''t need to worry about getting through every day without starving.

    Maybe ending up in this world wasn''t such a bad thing. He should start planning for what he is going to do after he wakes up tomorrow. Thinking about it he was so focused on studying or working that he failed to remember, but it was his dream to be carefree and enjoy his time when he was young.

    Julien lay down on the bed and the ceiling began to spin.

    He was drunk? After one glass?

    [System: You are omega, your body is very sensitive.]

    He forgot about it.

    He is omega.

    That means that he can become pregnant and give birth to children!

    What kind of joke situation is it?!

    [System: Yes. Host, you are right, in this world men can conceive children. Omega can have an Alpha''s child, regardless of gender.]

    [System: Do you want to have a baby?]

    Julien felt a flicker of irritation: "You think I want a baby? Baby, my ass!"

    [System: It is a simple fact of biology that people are hardwired to procreate and pass on their genes to the next generation.]

    Julien felt like he was going to cry, throw up and pass out all at once: "Listen, System, I''m done with you. Well... I''m going to sleep, or I''ll try to anyway so stop your nonsense."

    That night he dreamed about being pregnant with twins. His belly was so big that he couldn''t even see his feet and two kids inside laughed loud at him.

    That dream was absurd and ridiculous.

    After waking up, Julien stretched his waist and twisted his stiff neck, but suddenly realizing there is some kind of device around it, the movement stopped: "System."

    [System: You should take off the isolator before you go to bed next time. ]

    Then he reached out to touch the back of his neck: "Can I take it off now?"

    [System: Yes, but don''t forget to put it on before you go out.]

    He hesitated, and then he removed his isolator. After a while, he didn''t catch any smell: "Where are my pheromones? Don''t every omega have that kind of fragrance?"

    [System: You didn''t experience your first heat yet and you need to do that to awaken them.]

    Julien was not convinced by the System explanation: "So why do I need to wear an isolator? I don''t recall the protagonist of this novel doing that either."

    [System: In this society, a lot of people look down on omegas. This group is rare, but their character is mostly delicate and mellow, their strength is generally low and they can''t bear any hard work. Furthermore, alpha can have children with women. The protagonist didn''t want to be treated worse, so he hid the fact that he is an omega and didn''t wear his isolator. You shouldn''t follow the example of such behavior.]

    Julien got the hint, but still asked: "Why?"

    [System: When you are in heat it''s impossible to control your pheromones even if you are dominant. We also don''t know when it''s gonna happen.]

    He remembers about that kind of situation - when the protagonist''s heat arrived for the first time, the male lead was by his side and this led to knotting and bonding. If alpha isn''t in love with the omega and that thing is an accident, abandoned omega can die. Of course, this isn''t the fate of the protagonist and male lead, but a certain cannon fodder ends up similar.

    Original Julien was in love with the villain, not mutual. One day being in heat, he desperately approached the man and deliberately released his pheromones causing alpha to knot him in uncontrollable lust. After that night he kept waiting for a happy ending, but the villain disappeared.

    Julien pinched the isolator, his expression complicated. Obviously, he will acknowledge the fact he is an omega and wears the isolator properly. He doesn''t care about how people will perceive him. Omegas also have basic human rights.

    And he won''t get involved with that kind of alpha. He wanted the villain to wholeheartedly pursue his own happiness, he would quietly bless him.

    Julien placed the isolator on the table and went to the bathroom to take a shower. After a bath, he finally felt alive again.

 Chapter 3 - NEW LOOK, NEW ME

    No matter what he thought in his heart, in front of everyone, he is still Julien from the book. He remembers that the original wanted to be a singer, just like the protagonist.

    Previously, Julien was a voice actor in a couple of projects and was working with a vocal coach several times, but his voice was not suitable for singing. If the original body voice has a certain amount of talent in itself, he can sing for charity from time to time. He doesn''t long for being popular again, he is fed up with incessant responsibilities following this.??

    After breakfast, Julien, as usual, started playing with his phone: "Does Weibo exist in this world too? I can''t find the app."

    [System: Yes, it does, but you have to download it first.]

    Julien: "Was the original character a ghost? He doesn''t even use a Weibo." He couldn''t believe that this kind of person exists in the modern world.

    [System: I''m sorry, I don''t have information about it, he should be alive during this time.]

    Julien ignored the System which takes everything seriously and was preoccupied with setting up a new account.

    He scrolled a little and read a few hot searches, but when he wanted to follow his colleagues a problem occurred.

    Julien frowned: "Why can''t I find anyone?" Who he gonna fanboy over the weekends, especially on Friday nights with a glass of wine. Reading about people he knew from the entertainment circle was a common thing he liked to do.

    [System: Are you really asking such a stupid question? This is an alternative to your world, where everything is the same but a little bit different. People you knew, movies you watched, or songs you listened to, they don''t exist. And technology is a little more advanced, you have inhibitors, holograms are more often used in industry and there are many small products unfamiliar to you.]

    It''s not so easy to readjust so quickly.

    Julien teased: "Thank you very much, System! You are so clever, so smart, so wise, ah!"

    Then it was System turn to ignore Host.

    His new Weibo account was completely blank. Julien wanted to add a profile picture, but when he looked at the young man in the camera with too long black hair and bangs crossing his eyes, he gave up on this idea. The original body seemed to be only 18 or 19 years old. For him to look so gloomy, it''s not suitable. Julien raised his hand and picked up his bangs, that was much better.

    Julien stood up and announced: "System, we''re going out!"

    A half hour later he sat in the hair salon and decided on his new image: "I want to shorten my bangs a little. You can cut the front hair, but don''t do it on the back of my head. Do you know how a mullet hairstyle looks?"

    The hairdresser enthusiastically replied to him: "Obviously, this short-to-long haircut is known popularly as ''business in the front, party in the back''. Just leave everything to me!"

    Julien said with a great smile: "It had to be bold."

    After finishing work the hairdresser had a proud expression and was sticking up his chin high: "Tada! You''re all set, how is it?"

    Julien looked at himself in the mirror: "Of course I like it! You are a true master!"

    The textured bangs accentuated his brow line, while the back of his hair gave him an untamed vibe.

    He asked System in his mind: "Why haven''t you made a comment? Are you speechless, because I''m too cool now?"

    [System: No, you look like an edgy teenager.]

    He knows that the System doesn''t have fashion sense so he won''t take to heart those words.

    The next stop was a newly completed shopping mall.

    Julien was surprised by the special omega''s section on the third floor, but when he saw that most of the stores were still in their grand opening, he became excited again.

    He bought inhibitors with different color stones and clothing matching his new style.

    Finally, he stood in a lingerie store looking blankly at sexy underwear.

    The sales omega girl behind him couldn''t help but burst into laughter and said to him: "This underwear is very luxurious and extremely comfortable to wear."

    He had no idea how to respond. Under her look, Julien reluctantly acknowledged it.

    He left the store clenching his hand on new shopping bags.

    [System: Are you okay? Your face is red.]

    Julien: "Now you know how to speak? It''s too hot here, the air conditioning isn''t working well. I just need fresh air." He lied without batting an eye.

    Not too far away a young man saw the front of Julien. He turned to the man next to him and said: "Hey, Ioan, do you think that boy looks similar to you when you were younger?"

 Chapter 4 - FRIEND

    Ioan looked in the direction that he was pointing at and all he could see were crowds of people walking in front of them.

    The man next to him pointed again: "Right over there! The boy in the dark blue denim jacket. Let me tell you, that boy looks a bit like you when you were his age!"??

    After looking again carefully, he couldn''t find him again: "He is gone."

    He made a disappointed sound and egged his boss on: "Do you want to go see the security footage? Maybe he is your long-lost brother."

    Ioan cast him a glance. His secretary was so tasteless. There is no chance of his brother being back home. He turned around and walked in a different direction.

    Julien has no idea that he had crossed paths with his new family member.

    He was feeling satisfied.

    What needs to be brought has been bought, what shouldn''t be bought has also been bought.

    On the way back to the hotel, Julien was contemplating about wine that he should try during dinner.

    This evening, his choice fell on Leroy Musigny Grand Cru 1969. The wine overflowed with elegance from start to finish and had a raspberry-like acid spine. He could also sense coconut, red cherries and forest fruits. The crispy lamb meat was at ease with this burgundy. His heart skipped a bear or two.

    [System: Please stop dangerous actions! I remind you that your tolerance for alcohol is low.]

    Julien mumbled: "I''ve never been drunk in my life. I have a monster tolerance."

    [System: Not in that body!]

    He knew, he just didn''t want to admit it.

    Julien closed his eyes and rubbed his temples to relieve fatigue. He didn''t order the next glass.

    Tomorrow is a new day.

    He needs to see the city from inside, check the clubs and make some friends. Talking to System in his mind doesn''t replace human relations. He''s all alone in a strange world and feels lonelier than ever.

    That''s how Julien went to the club for five days straight.

    A lot of alphas come to talk to him, but simply because he is omega. They only wanted to sleep with him. He could see right through them, it wasn''t hard, they kept peeking at the inhibitor on his neck.

    It seems that a club isn''t a good place to make friends.

    The pretty omega boy who was usually playing piano on the stage walked over to him: "Is everything all right? I''ve seen you these days and you are always sitting alone at the table."

    Julien was instantly beaming: "Hello, I''m Julien Baume. I just came from abroad a few days ago and I don''t know anybody in this city. Will you be my friend?"

    Julien looked expectantly at the boy. He must take advantage of this opportunity.

    The omega was stupefied: "Oh?"

    Julien without wasting time began to make stuff up: "You play the piano well and I can sing around here with you. We are destined to be together!"

    The boy wasn''t able to keep up with him: "Oh?"

    Julien was happy with his brilliant idea and asked: "What''s your name?"

    A few seconds later Etienne finally figured out what Julien was saying. Eyes bright, he extended a hand towards him: "Hi, let me introduce myself. I''m Etienne Emond. I''m a sophomore at A University, majoring in performing music, what about you?"

    Placing his hand over Etienne''s shoulder, Julien said to him: "I''m a novice singer. You can hang out with me after school and also take care of me."

    Julien started talking Etienne''s ear off with extreme familiarity, not at all mind that he was flying solo since the person he wanted to chat with didn''t have time to say a word to him.

    Fortunately, Etienne had a big heart and regarded Julien as a passionate fellow. His shameless attitude nearly made Etienne''s jaw drop open in amazement.

    Julien smoothly survived a week of performing. He even wrote a song before practicing and after that, he was constantly hindered by Etienne into writing more. Julien didn''t expect Etienne to depend on him at such key moments.

    Julien visited his new friend quite frequently. He dozed off on the sofa while watching television when Etienne screaming woke him up: "We searched hot!"

    Julien was still half asleep. He yawned and grudgingly opened his eyes: "What?"

    Etienne trembled and nervously walked in circles. He handed the phone over: "Look at it yourself."

    But within half a minute, a scoff sounded: "Forget it. If you have time to be flustered here, it''s better to put more thoughts on composing music."

    Julien caught a glimpse of several comments below.

    [Joe Not Exotic: I''m falling in love with this song. One is singing beautifully and the other is perfectly accompanying him on the piano. There are no words that can express their talent!]

    [Snow Leopard: I never heard an omega singing this well before.]

    [Sweet Mary: I like the lyrics. When I finished listening to the song I felt empty.]

    Then he turned off the screen of the mobile phone and went back to sleep.

    Meanwhile, Ioan was working overtime in the company. Long white fingers continually tapped on the keyboard. At some point, he got a notification. He randomly swept his eyes over the message, and immediately felt his eyelids jump.

    He stared at the boy on the screen for a very long time. His mind went back to the last time he saw him, three years ago.

 Chapter 5 - CONFESSION

    ''White Rose'' was a very well-known high-class club in the city. It did look very high end and it didn''t have that usual dark-colored and gaudy style.

    The club was about an hour''s walk away from the hotel Julien was staying at.??

    Julien put his hands in his pockets and swaggered inside at a carefree pace. He could hear the sound of music as soon as he entered. Hearing it could soothe one''s feelings and make them unable to help but relax. After leaving the corridor, the whole lobby instantly appeared before his eyes.

    The lights were dim, not too bright or too dark. It gave off a shadowy feeling. At the very front of the hall was a stage and Etienne was playing on the piano.

    Julien raised his brows in surprise and came up to the manager: "What''s the matter? Why are there so many people?"

    Just as he was having doubts, the manager explained to him: "After you searched hot a lot of people came to see your performance and also the club invited the very important guest tonight."

    After saying that, he led him to the backstage by the side.

    Julien followed the manager and chose somewhere to sit, then he knocked on the surface of the table with his hand: "Open up a bottle of red wine."

    The manager was already familiar with his attitude: "What kind of red wine would you like?"

    Julien wasn''t in the mood for choosing, directly saying: "The best one."

    The manager didn''t know whose family this young master belonged to. He was unexpectedly so generous with spending money and even performed for free. One should never judge a person by his appearance in these sorts of places.

    His tone was inevitably carrying appreciation: "Just a moment, please. I will send someone."

    Julien sat with his legs crossed on the sofa. When the waiter opened the red wine and placed it in front of him, he asked: "What time is it?"

    The waiter gave a slight bow: "You can take your time, sir. You have half an hour before going on stage."

    At once, Julien pointed to the seat opposite him and said to the waiter: "Sit down and drink with me."

    The waiter hesitated for only a moment before obediently sitting down. This wasn''t the only time a case like this had happened. Seeing him not move after sitting down, Julien raised his eyes: "Dink, the old man won''t say anything. I will tell him that I forced you."

    At the same time, he poured a glass of red wine for him.

    The waiter carefully sipped some red wine. If Julien had not asked him to, he may not have been able to drink this type of red wine his whole life.

    Julien chatted with him as he drank: "Who is that important guest old man mentioned a moment ago? Why did the club invite him?"

    The waiter was stunned, there was actually someone who didn''t know Ioan Baume?

    Those were his thoughts but he was not at all slow when answering: "He is the number one rising new King of Commercial Real Estate, but I have no idea how the club owner was able to invite him to come to such a place. I only know he will formally appear in the club at 10 o''clock."

    Julien didn''t ask about him again. He looked at the time and it was a quarter to ten, there were 15 minutes before he would go on stage.

    He began to prepare himself.

    At 10 o''clock sharp Julien went on stage as expected.

    After Julien''s appearance, the whole hall came to a boil.

    The 18-year-old young man was slim, long-legged and possessed gorgeous facial features. He wore an inhibitor with hematite stone, a thin knitted shirt and a pair of slim jeans. His good figure was obvious at a glance. He was like a beautiful fairy, but also had a subtle bad boy look.

    Listening to everyone''s cheers, Julien revealed an easy smile. He pointed to the microphone and got straight to the point: "I''m Julien Baume. I''ll be singing ''Lost in Wonderland'' for everyone."

    Following, the accompaniment started and he began to sing straight-away. His voice was soft and lingering:

    I seem to fall into a fantasy

    Everything around me is fictional

    Everyone is role-playing

    Even strangers are acting with me

    I''m like a character in the book

    Except I have my own emotions

    Being led by an invisible pen my life seems so unreal

    The world I live in is so illusory so boring so ridiculous

    I want to fly out this chapter

    Start all over again to rewrite a new me

    I''m fed up with this gorgeous but empty dream

    Regardless of how beautiful the cover and binding of this book is

    I don''t want to be trapped in several hundreds of pages

    Even if the storyline is very complicated to know the end

    I''m already exhausted

    Don''t mention the clues on propose again

    It''s better to leave me in suspense for tomorrow

    The eyes of some girls were damp with tears: "He is so gentle and he sings so well."

    The playing piano was not over yet when Julien was dragged out of the stage. Caught off-guard he couldn''t break free. He tried to withdraw his hand but was held on too tightly.

    He shouted to System: "Call the traffic police! How can I have an anti-fan so fast!?"

    [System: Host, please say hello, this is your older brother.]

    Hearing it Julien stopped struggling.

    He looked up at the man opposite him and found tears shimmering in Ioan''s eyes.

    His gaze was fixed on Julien.

 Chapter 6 - REUNION

    To sit together in the car with his brother and also an unknown person he had never met before, this kind of situation was too awkward for him. He didn''t know where to place his eyes and hands.

    Julien didn''t know what to say, not that he didn''t want to talk. He couldn''t help but sigh with emotion in his heart.??

    Ioan was the first to speak: "Do you still hate me?" He looked at him with hints of nervousness in his expression.

    Julien''s eyes widened and he immediately answered: "No!" He didn''t even know him.

    [System: The original Julien somehow blamed him for the death of their parents. They had a car accident and Ioan was driving at that time.]

    That was a very similar situation, in the previous world his parents died in the same way, he was sitting on the back seat and was the one who survived.

    After hearing the system explanation Julien''s eyes were looking far away, and with his mind taking on a very different perspective, he shook his head: "I don''t hate you. I will forgive you for being alive."

    He had also forgiven himself for surviving: "You have to live well and be happy."

    Ioan held him in his arms as he kept repeating: "I''m sorry Little One, I''m so sorry."

    He allowed Ioan to hug him and patted his back over and over.

    If he didn''t speak up, he didn''t know how long Ioan would continue hugging him: "Big Brother."

    Ioan let go of Julien upon hearing him. After all, he just saw his little brother after 3 years and they had a successful reunion. Now that his emotions had more or less been vented, he recovered his calmness and rationality: "Tell me, what happened to you? When did you come back? And why did you appear at ''White Rose'' in such a manner?"

    Ioan carefully listened to the story of the young man sitting next to him occasionally nodding.

    After Julien finished telling him what he did for the past few days Ioan said lightly to him: "Don''t stay at the hotel anymore. I''ll send someone for your things. We''re going home."

    Of course, Julien didn''t refuse him.

    For him, he hadn''t felt this sort of pure love that simply came from the bottom of someone''s heart, for a very long time.

    He swore on the soul of their parents that he will cherish and protect this person.

    Sitting in the passenger seat, Julien finally remembered to call Etienne to tell him he was safe. Almost instantly after the phone connected, emotions of anxiety, concern and so on interwoven together in Etienne inquiry, transmitted from the receiver. Julien listened to the questions coming from the receiver and was unconsciously touched.

    Although Julien lived in the hotel due to Etienne''s request, he would always have dinner at his place. He also had no other friends.

    However, this time someone dragged him out and he didn''t show up after that. Etienne knew his friend and there was no way he would go to the hotel without saying a word, so he judged that something had happened to him. But he couldn''t even file a missing person report before 24 hours had passed. Etienne''s panic could be well imagined.

    Hence, it was no exaggeration to say, this phone call was salvation to him.

    Julien turned his body to the side and answered in a loud volume: "I''m alright. I''m on my way home. Don''t worry about me."

    Ioan noticed from the corner of his eye, Julien''s posture of puffing up his chest and being smug with a phone call. He blared the horn and when Julien reflexively shrank himself from the abrupt sound, he slightly jealous said to him: "You shouldn''t be this close to another man."

    Julien suddenly cracked up for a brief moment when he said that. Actually, saying that really wasn''t good. Hadn''t he just hugged him? No matter what the reason was, the result couldn''t be changed.

    Despite the angry and childish tone the man had used while speaking, the atmosphere between the two before they reached their destination remained peaceful.

    The car finally stopped in front of a medium-sized villa.

    Ioan jumped out of the car, then ran to the back to open the door for Julien so he could get off easily: "We''re here."

    Getting out of the car Julien''s expression appeared natural. One wouldn''t be able to tell he had never seen this place before and was a little startled.

    Ioan hung a smile on his face and entered the house with his brother.

    The villa had two floors. It wasn''t overly large or luxurious and gave a warm and inviting feeling.

    Ioan walked ahead, showing him the way, and led him to a door on the second floor. He pushed the door open, then looked at Julien with a bit of uneasiness: "Come in and have a look, nothing had been changed. Tell me if there''s something you don''t like now."

    Julien entered and raised his eyes to take it in. The main color of the room was sky blue and the interior was clean and tidy. A bed, a wardrobe, a desk, a bookcase and a computer were all there, placed in very reasonable positions. The room appeared extremely spacious and comfortable.

    It was a pleasant surprise for Julien: "I don''t want to change anything."

    He was somewhat shy, yet also somewhat happy. Though it was so faint that people who weren''t paying attention wouldn''t be able to tell, it was truly there.

    Ioan who had been holding his breath the whole time, suddenly let out a huge sigh of relief, his face covered with a smile so wide that it looked a little ridiculous. However, Julien could see his feelings from that look, and his expression couldn''t help but soften a lot more as well.

    After Ioan left his room he hummed a song as he went to take a bath. The comfortable feeling of warm water flowing over him made him heave a long breath.

    [System: You can take off the isolator when you are at home. People with the same blood won''t be affected by their family members'' pheromones. Even though your brother is alpha, you will be safe with him if the first heat arrives here.]

    Once his fatigue was relieved, he wiped his body dry, removed his isolator and threw himself onto his bed ready to go to sleep. The big, soft bed was very much to his preference and in just a short while, he dazedly fell asleep.

    In the following days when Julien woke up, his brother was always at work, but they spent a lot of time chatting, eating and drinking together every evening.

    Julien was very happy that he got along with Ioan.

    One day while he was walking down the stairs, he noticed the man sitting in the living room, flipping over a newspaper. He was rather puzzled as to why his brother didn''t go to the company today.

    Perceiving someone staring at him, Ioan looked up and his gaze clashed with Julien. Julien wasn''t shy at all, even deliberately throwing a curious look at him.

    Ioan''s mouth raised in a convivial smile, his voice was also gentle: "Did you just wake up before coming here?"

    Julien leaned on the couch and replied carelessly: "No. I wasn''t sleeping. I was mining coal."

    Ioan''s lips hooked up in a smile. He put his newspaper aside and said: "Oh. No wonder. You should go get ready because we are going to the company together."

    Julien rolled his eyes: "Why do I have to go with you?"

    Ioan was very patient with this younger brother who had a different personality from what he remembered: "The company is also yours, you have 20% shares. You should show your face once at least. We will have breakfast on the way."

    Julien wasn''t enthusiastic, but despite this, he followed Ioan.

 Chapter 7 - VILLAIN

    On one side, Ioan was filled with joy as he brought Julien to the company. On the other side, when Julien entered the office, he directed his gaze towards the sofa and he knew what he would be doing for the rest of the day.

    The assistants'' office and the chairman''s office was separated by a transparent glass. Moreover, as it still wasn''t their breaks, one of the assistants amongst those who were gossiping together, watched the chairman''s office entrance excitedly: "Boss actually brought an omega to the company, could it be¡­"??

    Strange smiling expressions hung on a few females'' faces. As for the two male assistants in the office, they glanced at each other before spontaneously scooting their chairs backward. This group of insane females was imagining obscene things once again.

    When Ioan''s secretary saw the group of females'' appearance, his face became unsightly: "What ''could it be¡­'' That''s his little brother."

    The females who were interrupted this way felt a little disappointed, but none of them let it show on their faces, merely laughing as they ceased talking. Fortunately, it was working hours and the few females returned back to their seats to work.

    Ioan saw Julien was constantly looking at his office, he assumed that he was curious about it: "Is big brother''s office nice?"

    Julien didn''t answer him. He looked around Ioan''s office before walking towards the sofa, turning his head around, he smiled: "Big brother, don''t overwork yourself and do your best."

    He also didn''t wait for Ioan''s reply. Julien snuggled into the couch before taking out his phone to play games.

    When he got bored he started quietly watching Ioan. He has never seen what his brother looked like when he was working. Ioan was equally attentive as usual, but he had a calm and confident temperament. Julien came over and he gently shook the man''s arm: "Why don''t you take a break? Can you help me introduce?"

    Ioan didn''t understand: "Introduce what?"

    Julien raised an eyebrow: "Introduce me to your colleagues here ah."

    Ioan froze up for a moment, he completely forgot about it. He looked up at his surroundings and was immediately greeted by the excited faces shining against the glass.

    The man walked out of the office and said happily: "This is my brother, Julien."

    The people in the assistant''s office suddenly stood up and greeted him in unison: "Hello, second young master."

    Julien could only introduce himself once again: "Hello everyone. You guys can just call me Julien. Please don''t call me a second young master, it sounds a bit strange to hear."

    A wave of good greetings came again inside the office. Secretary Claro who wasn''t far from the two said: "It''s nice to see you again."

    Julien blanked for a while: "Again?"

    Secretary Claro then said shyly: "I saw you in the shopping center a while ago."

    One of the assistants suddenly shouted interrupting their conversation: "Second young master is going to come often, our eyes will be blessed a lot."

    The female received an unceasing angry look back from the other male colleagues.

    Julien didn''t mind, he even laughed and said: "I must come often later then."

    Following that Ioan very enthusiastically showed his brother around the company familiarizing him to the place as quickly as possible.

    Julien was worn out and stayed in Ioan''s office until working hours were over.

    Ioan brought his brother to a high-class restaurant for dinner. The reastaurand had a clean, bold design that incorporated patches of exposed rough brickwork. The shimmering colors of light boxes were reflected in a long pool of glassy water and glowed through a glass wall. The back of the restaurant was actually quite spacious. It had multiple private rooms for only elite members and someone was sitting there.

    The man was tall and large. He wore a simple white shirt and suit pants. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing strong arms. His eyes were expressionless but somehow also gave a lonely feeling at that moment.

    Ioan instructed the waiting attendant: "Waiter, you can serve the dishes."

    When Julien started eating he only kept his eyes on the food closest to him. If it was a little farther from him, he wouldn''t move his chopsticks, because he was obviously too lazy.

    Seeing him not move, the man sitting beside him had a problem with that. His face momentarily became more solemn and he used the ladle to scoop out a ladle-full of small shrimp meat for Julien that was placed a little farther from him: "Have some more."

    After they ate to their full, Julien remained seated but leaned back, adopting a relaxed manner, however, his tone rose up a bit: "It will be nice to have a glass of wine."

    His big eyes twinkled at Ioan.

    In the corner of the restaurant, Lucius watched the scene of the alpha and omega interaction. His eyes passed over Ioan and omega''s face and a trace of surprise and interest rose in his eyes.

    He didn''t expect his friend to have a little lover and what baffled him more was that he didn''t know about it. Ioan was naive, but also a very clean guy so involving himself with omega was unlike him.

    After thinking about it he stood up to confirm his guesses.

    [System: Warning! Location Information: the distance between you and the villain is two meters and is decreasing.]

    Julien had no change in his expression: "It has nothing to do with me. Don''t inform me about unimportant things like this."

    Then the low magnetic voice fell from above: "What a coincidence. I didn''t expect to see you here."

    Ioan was in a rather good mood about meeting the man: "Does this count as fate? I didn''t have time to meet with you guys lately."

    Lucius''s face a slight smile as he looked at Julien: "It could and this is?"

    Ioan was absolutely delighted to introduce his brother: "This is Julien, my younger brother. He was studying abroad so you didn''t have a chance to know each other."

    The man nodded to him with a smile: "Hello. My surname is Valentinus, Lucius Valentinus. It''s a pleasure to meet you, Junior Julien."

    Julien was silent, only glanced roughly and nodded.

    As the villain, Lucius''s appearance was outstanding - extremely impeccable, handsome face, cut and chiseled. He had his ear-length hair cut in a layered style, pair of gold-rimmed glasses, gentle mannerisms and a friendly smile.

    This man was a truly perfect product, everything about how he looked was in line with Julien tastes especially that deep brows and eyes hidden behind the glasses.

    Julien was gay. A virgin gay, no less. Although he had never concealed his sexual orientation, no one had ever caught his eye and soul. Even though he suddenly saw a person so suited to his taste, he had no reaction at all. It couldn''t be denied that appearance is a significant feature but it didn''t matter when a heart is blood-blackened. He wasn''t that crazy to fall for someone only because of the look.

    It''s a pity that the original Julien didn''t saw hidden contempt in the man''s eyes.

    What was most painful was that there was always a price to be paid by people who didn''t know how to look past a disguise.

    When he was reading the first half of the book he also took him as a white knight and an innocent second male lead. If he didn''t have the experience in life and as an actor or didn''t read the book to the end he wouldn''t know that the villain is wearing an almost faultless mask and is very capable of doing bad things.

    Thinking of this, Julien''s mouth pulled upwards, revealing a slightly mocking smile, then he glanced sideways at Lucius, who was glancing at him.

    Lucius was obviously stunned, his heart jumped sharply. But when he looked back, the boy had already looked away, concentrating on drinking wine.

    Lucius wrinkled his nose. Is he being despised?

    He didn''t know for what reason. He just introduced himself, no more, no less.

    He must carefully think it through. It was better to gather more information: "Would you like to sit in a private room with me?"

    Ioan had no chance to speak, because Julien refused him straight away: "Sorry, we''ve finished our meal Mr. Valentinus."

    Then he looked at his brother with a pleading expression: "I want to go back."

    In the car Julien was speculating on a villain''s far too eager and curious behavior.

    He was trying to warn Ioan about that man: "The human heart is incomprehensible, you should choose your friends carefully."

    Ioan didn''t caught the subtext and looked at him suspiciously: "Little One, you always got a place in my heart."

    [System: There is no hope for him.]

    In this case, he happens to agree with the System: "There''s not much else I can do and also dealing with the villain is none of my business."

    [System: Maybe Lucius is not as bad as you think...]

    Julien pondered for a moment: "None of us are perfect no matter what we say, and as such, all of us at one time will display good and bad traits. Maybe he tries to be a good person... but these efforts only disguise what is buried inside him. There is something he hides and we don''t know what it is, definitely not a good thing. In the book he also chose to support a person who is doing bad things. The same person he will be supporting, who is doing bad to others, when they are done with those people, they will take care of him too."

    The System knew that by ''supporting a bad person'' he was referring to the protagonist of this novel and fell silent for a very long time.

    [System: Not everyone who has done something wrong has a clarity and good sense to fix their mistakes. Some of them will remain corrupted and wrong.]

    Julien didn''t bother with mysterious sounding words of the System. He didn''t care and enjoyed a night ride in the car. His presence wouldn''t make much difference in this world anyway.

 Chapter 8 - ENCOUNTER

    Julien continued to live an easy life and performed at the club on weekends.

    The concerts gained more and more fans.??

    Unfortunately, Julien was not happy about it at all. He started performing just because he wanted to be friends with Etienne and felt he didn''t have to do that anymore.

    After Saturday''s performance, he informed his friend: "This is the one before last time of me singing here with you. I''m giving up on this, I''m sorry."

    Etienne was surprised: "Are you really going?"

    Julien''s tone was more confident than before: "Yes."

    Etienne pouted and his eyes flickered with melancholy for a moment.

    Julien lightly said to him: "If you ever need my help in the future feel free. I hope you won''t hold it against me and it won''t affect our friendship."

    Etienne was disappointed, but he respected his friend''s decisions: "Of course not. I felt it would happen sooner or later."

    He dropped his eyes as he stuttered softly: "Well, actually, I could use your help on something now."

    Julien and Etienne composed their second piece crowning their work together.

    Time flew by and it was next weekend.

    Julien was backstage getting dressed. He took off his coat and put on a fitted black shirt. He also wore leather pants that hugged his slender legs and golden inhibitor that shined like a beaming star.

    Outside, the crowd was slowly pouring in. Etienne invited many friends from the university and Julien also told his brother to come.

    The stage lit up and Julien stepped out of the shadows.

    He sang with his eyes closed:

    The world is too long and time is too short

    What is worth to celebrate

    No time to look back and forget to return

    The hardest part is to tame oneself

    It''s better to stop when I want to howl

    My tears will flow back and solidify to guard me

    His tone rising, his eyes closed and as his high clear voice reached the climax, the slow piano tune was replaced by a faster and more intense melody.

    Julien opened his eyes.

    In the smoky light his dark eyes appeared particularly deep:

    I want the world to have more joy even though my heart aches

    I would give my eyes in exchange for the color of love

    I want my embraces to warm up all the coldness

    I desire happiness even if beyond my means

    I want my similes to tag the pleasure

    I want to use my tears to mark the touching moments

    I want to devote my life to revealing the stars shining in the night sky

    I want to open my arms to give the world a hug

    I want the world to listen

    I want the world to listen to my heartbeats

    Even if it is insignificant

    The piano''s sound stopped and Julien covered his face to hide his tears.

    For the first time in many months, he got emotional.

    Everyone''s eager eyes all focused on him.

    Julien went into the beam of light and slowly said: "This is the last time we met here."

    He breathed out: "Tomorrow is a hope so I can''t promise next time somewhere else."

    The audience was intimidated, they only woke up after he disappeared off the stage, then they looked blankly at each other.

    They were silent, feeling extremely depressed and choked up.

    Julien crossed a corridor and found the washroom. As soon as he entered and before he could clean himself up, he saw a familiar figure.

    Lucius smiled at him, very gentle, very friendly. They washed their hands at the sink.

    He then spoke: "We meet again Junior Julien."

    If it were another person, Julien might have not suspected that the other party had investigated his whereabouts and came here on purpose for a chance encounter.

    Julien raised an eyebrow: "Mr. Valentinus. Why are you here?"

    Lucius: "Ioan told me about your concert tonight."

    Julien smiled. The most uncomfortable thing for him is dealing with people who are too docile and gentle. Whether your attitude is cold or hot, the other party is calm and has a false smile.

    Lucius met all kinds of omegas and alphas: those who came to him with compliments, acting to gain his favor, or with a calculating light in their eyes, but Julien is the first to be filled with precaution from the first encounter. At first, he just felt something was strange. Today, what can he not understand after seeing the omega''s attitude towards him.

    Lucius''s eyes narrowed slightly as he scanned Julien''s face: "I think you misunderstood me."

    Julien said neatly: "Oh, it''s my misunderstanding. I apologize. Is there anything else?"

    Lucius merely clicked his tongue at that moment and used a teasing tone while speaking: "What about me makes you feel terrible? Do you think I''m going to bite you?"

    Julien didn''t want to talk with him anymore: "The dog who doesn''t bark always bites."

    Julien was feeling dizzy and feverish, sweat rolled down his face.

    Thump, thump, thump¡ª

    The sound of his heartbeat seemed to intensify, his heart pounded heavily.

    [System: You are going into heat right now.]

    Julien''s fingers shook.

    Lucius saw he was shocked and anxious: "Are you all right?"

    One could see rationality gradually return through Julien''s eyes. On his face that was flushed was a stubborn and unyielding expression. He shouted with a hoarse voice: "Get out!"

    This one sentence seemed to have exhausted all of his strength. After speaking, he suddenly curled up his body, trembling slightly.

    Lucius''s voice was low and slow: "You don''t look well. Is this your first heat cycle?"

    Julien looked at him, eyes stubborn: "You, go, find my brother."

    When Lucius was about to leave he turned his head back to glimpse back, there was an omega who collapsed down on the floor. His brows wrinkled and he looked very uncomfortable.

    Lucius couldn''t help but walk back, reaching a hand to lightly touch Julien''s forehead. This made him discover that the other was scorching. Lucius looked at the pale skin covered by a layer of blush and faintly discernible neck covered by inhibitor.

    The expression in Lucius''s eyes changed.

    He picked the boy up and left the washroom.

 Chapter 9 - PLOT

    Julien slowly opened his eyes.

    He was a bit unclear about the situation. The medicine he was given wasn''t a small dose. It was already amazing that he managed to wake up.??

    Slowly, his expression became alarmed, and he turned his head to look at Ioan who was sitting by the bed''s side. The confusion and panic in his eyes disappeared.

    The weak and helpless appearance made Ioan''s heart soften. He extended his hand and touched his brother''s head: "You have already taken the medicine and I took off your inhibitor a moment ago. Go back to sleep."

    It wasn''t long that Julien fell asleep again. Ioan patted the youth''s back gently, letting him sleep a bit more comfortably. The boy breathing gradually became deeper.

    Ioan stood up slowly and rushed to leave. However, when he left, he didn''t go back to his room.

    Outside was parked a luxurious black car. The car was warm and comfortable, and right before he relaxed, Ioan suddenly said: "Thank you so much for sending my brother back."

    Lucius''s face stiffened: "Anybody in my spot would have done the same thing."

    Ioan wasn''t aware of wearing Julien''s clean scent. One could compare it to ''a fresh load of laundry or walking outside after it rains''.

    Lucius went out only with alphas or betas. He hated omegas and always found their smell disgusting. But now he was caught off guard by how soothing this scent was.

    It was overflowing in his head.

    Naturally, Lucius didn''t stay long in the area where the Baume''s villa was located. He wanted to get home as soon as possible because the heat in his body started to spread uncontrollably.

    Lucius never left his room for 3 days straight and only kept a minimum number of people around him. He completely lost control over himself.

    Although it was very rare, alphas could go into a rut.

    To Julien''s surprise, when his condition improved, Etienne took the initiative to come to his house. Ioan was pleased to see this. He changed his opinion about Etienne when he found out that he is also an omega. He even led him to the room in person and personally prepared some deserts and fruits so they could enjoy themself as they wished.

    Etienne sat beside Julien, taking an apple and gnawing on it. As he was still chewing on the apple, his speech was unclear as he asked: "Did your heat was troublesome?"

    Julien was dumbfounded. He never expected that Etienne would suddenly ask this sort of question: "No. To tell you the truth, I don''t remember too much about it. And how do you know that?"

    Etienne carried on gnawing on the apple: "So you don''t recall how you left the club?"

    Julien turned to face him, his face serious: "Tell me."

    Etienne threw the apple core into the rubbish bin and wiped his hands: "Oh. Okay. In the princess carry way by a man with a tall structure."

    After thinking about a certain person, Julien couldn''t help but shake his head, laughing in spite of himself. Nowadays, he could actually think of this kind of unrealistic thing.

    Julien smiled awkwardly: "By my brother, right?"

    Etienne shook his head: "No. Ioan was with me at that time."

    Julien''s expression was not good. For him to find out about the villain doing this kind of thing, he could only feel extremely upset. He was not grateful to him at all.

    What was Lucius thinking doing that?

    When Etienne left, Julien was laying in the bed with his eyes open as he started recalling everything he remembered about "Mark Me".

    After calmly thinking about it, he remembered that the protagonist had a pure outer appearance, but he was a vicious black-hearted lotus inside. He not only won male leads love but his schemes never were exposed. In the series of romantic confrontations, he also established a connection with the villain. In the end, he had become the male lead wife and shortly after that he gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Julien was merely negligible cannon fodder.

    The original was the innocent party in this story. He actually never suspected the protagonist. Even until death, he never understood why the villain didn''t marry him.

    Julien, under the protagonist''s encouragement, did so many regrettable things. The protagonist was the mastermind behind it and in his opinion the biggest scumbag of the story.

    [System: Do you want revenge?]

    Julien pointed his nose and slowly said: "I''m not that petty, but I will fight back when I''m wronged."

    He continued: "Tell me, my sweet System, did the protagonist already meet the male lead?

    [System: Yes. According to the plot line he is the artist under his company and they are dating in secret.]

    Julien stroked his jaw, then decided to wait for the protagonist to appear and attract the attention of the villain. Let this be a lesson to him. He wondered how the protagonist can handle an overly fateful admirer without him.

    He was looking forward to the future.

    Julien curled up his dark red lips, he felt very happy and satisfied.

    After thinking about it, Julien lazily stretched his waist, then walked to the huge French window to bask in the cold light of the moon.

    [System: I can help the host to reach the peak of life.]

    The window was open, and he seemed to have heard the sound of the falling rain: "No, I have already figured out everything."

    [System: How to eat and breathe?]

    Julien subconsciously said: "I''m gonna go wash."

    [System: It can''t end like this? Heh?]

    That night, Julien experienced the focus and tenacity of the System.

 Chapter 10 - ASSAULT

    Speak of the devil and he shall appear.

    At the same time, Romdemio just finished recording.??

    His agent looked at him hesitantly: "That omega searched hot again."

    Romdemio was taking the cold and glamorous route, and his curly hair perfectly set off his charm. His habit of teasing his hair was very feminine at this moment: "It is just the last foray before death."

    The agent smiled meaningfully and said: "You have Noel Ozanne behind your back and with him you don''t need to worry about being in several hot searches."

    Romdemio pursed his lips. In his opinion, Julien was just a clown who jumped on the beam. He wasn''t worried, but he who hides his identity, didn''t want another omega to be popular.

    Romdemio''s face was filled with viciousness: "You get paid, goddammit! Think! We have to stop him."

    The agent made a dry cough: "Maybe we could spread gossip?''

    Romdemio narrowed his eyes: "What gossip?"

    The agent had a tangled feeling: "To discourage people. People believe in anything about others as long as it''s bad. For example that this omega has a family in the West and he gets paid for being an escort for rich alphas."

    Romdemio said with a cold tone: "Very good. Continue."

    The agent nearly choked on his words: "And concerts were to only promote his person in the club."

    Romdemio''s lips slightly curved like a demon: "You are starting to be worth working with me."

    Malice was a great motivator.

    While Julius was sleeping snug as a bug, the Internet was boiling. A post had appeared on the country''s largest forum, and after just a few minutes it had hit tens of thousands of clicks.

    ''Truth about Omega concert ¨C warning, content not suitable for viewing by children, please be careful!'' This title was extremely provocative, enough to arouse everyone''s desire to read.

    Because the text has been published, the users sitting in front of the computer rose in anger, then they pounded out messages. None of the content wasn''t abusive:

    [It''s A Political Statement: He shows up on scene one more time and I will beat him to a pulp.]

    [Saint Broseph: Filthy omega.]

    [The Average Forum User: +108 I don''t know how he can be so dirty and obscene. Disgusting!]

    Next morning, when Ioan saw a new article accompanied by a picture of Julien which was followed by numerous likes, his white fingers were slightly twisted due to excessive force.

    Julien quickly pulled out his phone before it was scrapped: "I just showed you what it means being part of the entertainment industry in general and how I felt about being famous. To be surrounded, rumor, interfere, worry."

    Ioan pressed his eyebrows tightly, afterwards, he scoffed: "We will publicly announce that you are second young master of the Baume family and after that we will submit the article as evidence to the court."

    Julien poured a cup of cool boiled water and placed it at the hand of Ioan: "Are you unable to play? The direction of where the internet goes can change rapidly and unpredictably. Let them scold me and fantasize I will fall down, the more the better."

    Ioan was startled: "You don''t care about your reputation?"

    Julien took a sip of tea and said calmly: "My reputation is already at the bottom and can''t get any worse."

    Ioan tried to persuade his brother to take action right away, but to no avail. Seeing that Julien wasn''t concerned about people''s opinion at all, Ioan was frustrated, but he didn''t want to argue too much.

    A week seemed to pass in a flash. Right now, Southern Rock Lobsters were also in season.

    These last few days had been like a vacation for Julien. He didn''t look at the news or surfed the internet. He everyday put on a film for himself to watch and ate cakes, marshmallows in chocolate, cookies, candies and other goodies while washing it down with wine. Ioan aside from scowling and looking wronged at Julien didn''t criticize him anymore.

    But today intimate photos of Lucius and Julien were released. The photos had been taken when Julien was leaning on the man and getting into a luxury car with him.

    The masses were interested in this kind of news and rumours. However, what was rarely seen were news and rumours like this focusing on one person. Furthermore, the rumour that had come out this time was in regards to the same barely recognizable omega.

    Julien had received a call this afternoon. It was Etienne. He had called him out to eat lobsters and talk about this ugly situation.

    The place where they were eating lobsters was located in the outskirts of town. It was inside a stilted building within an artificial lake. When Julien arrived, Etienne who had called him out was already sitting inside.

    Etienne waved at him, so he could see where he was: "Julien!"

    Julien walked over and sat down in front of him. With a smile, he said: "Didn''t think you''d care about a vulgar person like me."

    When Etienne heard this, he opened his eyes wide, clearly even more shocked: "You can still make that kind of joke¡­"

    Julien couldn''t stop himself from laughing: "Because being crazy doesn''t need an excuse."

    His cheerful expression caused the waiter, who was serving them their food, to blush.

    Etienne grabbed a lobster that had already lost its legs and began to pry open its shell: "No good, ah. I still had doubted it a bit, but now, I really believe that you''ve gone crazy, this is the only explanation why you don''t want to clarify the rumors."

    Julien cocked a brow when he heard Etienne say this: "I can resist the pressure of public opinions. No hurry. I will easily take it over rationally and win in the end."

    Ettiene was obviously interested but also worried: "Are you sure?"

    Julien''s expression turned serious: "Don''t worry. I don''t want to work too hard, but I insist that the simplest defence is the most strong one."

    Etienne frowned. He said: "What about that alpha who was photographed with you? What''s his name? I remember that he has the same last name as Valentinus. Lucio? Lucian? I heard he is a powerful person."

    Julien didn''t want to continue with this subject. He made a perfunctory sound of acknowledgement: "What''s the use in talking about him?"

    Etienne looked excited: "He can help!"

    Julien refused him without any hesitation: "What a joke. I don''t want his help."

    Etienne couldn''t help but frown again: "Why?"

    Julien said in order to shut Etienne up: "He is a demon king. Very evil. Even the devil would point a finger at him and say ''that''s too much''. Don''t mention him anymore."

    Etienne, thus, shut his mouth. He looked at Julien as if wanting to say something more but ended up not saying it. The two of them ate in peace.

    Julien was about to continue speaking when he heard a laugh come from the other side of the bamboo curtain. The voice then said: "Lucius Valentinus, are you finally full?"

 Chapter 11 - GLARE

    The stilted building was simple, unadorned, and nature-themed. In order to keep its decor uniform, the booths were only separated by bamboo curtains. Although they separated the two spaces, they only blocked one''s view. They didn''t block voices.

    Julien was startled.??

    Etienne was also startled. He furrowed his brows and pondered over this for a few seconds before widening his eyes and whispered: "Is he next door?"

    As soon as Etienne''s words fell, the voice from earlier confirmed his suspicion: "He is, la!"

    Lucius the main character of their conversation just now had been sitting opposite of them and had heard everything they had said.

    Julien''s expression stiffened. What had he said just now?

    When the villain and his friend appeared in front of them, there was no expression on Julien''s face. Then he smiled slightly, looking at Lucius like he was seeing a stranger for the first time: "Hello, nice to meet you. I have to go to the bathroom!"

    Julien stood up abruptly. He could not stay here!

    Julien obviously did not want to actually use the bathroom. He would just stay there for a while and wait for the villain''s departure before heading back.

    He had just exited when his arm was suddenly grabbed. His back hit the wall. Immediately after, he was enshrouded by a large shadow.

    Julien raised his head in indignation. He saw Lucius standing in front of him. The other looked at him while towering above him. There was as usual a hint of a friendly smile on that handsome face.

    Julien glared at him with angry eyes: "What are you doing?"

    The nearly unperceivable smile on Lucius''s mouth deepened a bit. He suddenly opened his mouth: "Demon King? Am I that scary?"

    His oppressive posture made the omega party feel extremely pressured. Julien felt a chill run down his spine and didn''t dare to look at him.

    A glimmer of amusement flashed in Lucius''s eyes: "Don''t you have anything you want to say to the person who once saved you?"

    Julien widened his eyes in astonishment. He didn''t expect he would so shamelessly ask for being grateful. He spoke through gritted teeth: "If you''re referring to what happened that time¡­ thanks a bunch."

    Lucius lowered his head. Just a bit more and his lips would touch the tip of the other''s nose. In a low voice he said: "So what are you going to do now about photos with me?"

    Julien stared at him blankly: "Who knows. You can do whatever you want."

    Julien discovered that Lucius''s expression had become very gentle. His expression seemed to be filled with infinite patience, as tranquil as the ocean: "Posts and comments containing photos are automatically deleted."

    This kind of expression didn''t comfort him a bit.

    It was just a look... it should be fine, right?

    Julien looked at Lucius vacantly as the other retreated. Then he quickly turned around and began to walk away: "I won''t be seeing you Mr. Valentinus. Bye."

    Lucius looked at Julien''s departing back. His expression was dark.

    He curled his fingers slightly and his line of sight slowly moved to plated in rose gold inhibitor with the heart-shaped centerpiece in light pink. The petite pink crystals scattered along the chain and added subtle shimmer to the youth''s neck. It looked fresh and feminine.

    Lucius''s adam''s apple lightly bobbed as he swallowed but reason prevented him from releasing his pheromones in the end.

    He sighed, how could he lose control like that?

    If it was anyone else, then whatever, but this person was an omega and little brother of Ioan. Although he didn''t think much of friendship with Ioan, he actually did not dislike him, he even respected him in the business field.

    Now, he had felt a desire to sense the youth scent, which made Lucius feel embarrassed and angry: "What part of you makes me distracted, useless, good for nothing omega."

    Outside the other man quickly walked toward the daring Julien and leaned over, looking up and down at him curiously.

    He then reached out and patted Julien on the shoulder: "Omega, you truly are a warrior! Daring to offend Lucius right in front of him! Very good, very strong! If something happens in the future, you can come find me. My name is Noel Ozanne."

    When Julien, who just had been titled a real warrior, heard that person''s name his expression didn''t change but froze. There were many people named Noel, but there was only one Noel who was also the villain friend.

    The book male lead - Noel Ozanne!

    Meeting him so fast...

    Noel saw that Julien hadn''t responded at all: "Hey? Omega, what happened to you?"

    He raised his hand and waved it oddly in front of him: "You''re not stupid, are you?"

    Julien finally recovered and gave him mysterious smile: "Don''t you want to know my name?"

    As a matter of fact, when he did this, he made a certain someone unconsciously stiffen. Lucius schooled his expression, his inner thoughts unable to be read from his face: "He doesn''t want to know."

    With Lucius''s black eyes gazing at him, Julien didn''t evade at all. It was like he was able to pierce through his dark eyes to the bottom of his heart.

    Time stood still. Even Noel, who had been clamoring, quieted down.

    Of the two, it was Julien who first looked away, he turned to Noel, who had been curious and staring at him, and laughed: "Hello. I am Julien Baume, a second master of the Baume family."

    Noel finally remembered why the name ''Julien Baume'' was so familiar: "Ah! You''re the legendary Little One!? You are the younger brother of Ioan!"

    Julien, of course, knew why the other party was surprised, but didn''t care, nodded and responded: "Yes, I am precisely that legendary... whatever it means."

    Noel looked at Julien in the same way that Grandma Wolf would look at Little Red Riding Hood: "That means I''m also your Big Brother! Don''t be shy Little One!"

    Julien didn''t know that the meeting would take an unexpected turn. Noel''s gaze was rather wretched in his eyes. It was time to say goodbye.

    Before he left, Lucius''s black eyes glanced at Julien. Then, he lightly moved his gaze, turned around, and walked away.

    Noel followed Lucius enthusiastically, waving and shouting: "Julien, remember to contact me on wechat when you have time! We need to arrange a family gathering!"

    Julien also said goodbye to Etienne who ate carelessly all this time.

    When he returned home, his mind started wandering again.

 Chapter 12 - INFLUENCE

    System knew the truth about his previous life and was the only one Julien trusted with everything. They were like friends who didn''t seem like friends.

    System wasn''t a human being. It wasn''t a mindless machine either. It was a blend of mind communication technology and artificial intelligence and this personal assistant was simply named OmegaSense 5.0.??

    Julien also found out that System was capable of feeling or more accurately displaying emotions, but barely understood them. It often sounded gruff, but without meaning any harm.

    Of course, Julien knews he didn''t have the right to choose to uninstall the System, but there weren''t any missions he had to do, rewards or punishments. Because of that Julien wasn''t too affected by the confirmation that he was bound to System. The whole transmigration was metaphysical enough. It didn''t really matter why he was chosen. At the end of the day, he would have to go on.

    Julien, to communicate with the System, didn''t need to open his mouth. He said in his mind: "What do you think, how will the protagonist react when he learns of male lead acting like my big brother?"

    [System: I do not know. Fortunately, I''m in your head, not his.]

    Julien was spacing out: "That''s absurd."

    He knew there was something wrong with male lead''s brain hole... especially when it comes to the protagonist. He didn''t want that kind of moron and lame big brother.

    [System: You are not following the original route and your relationship with Ioan caused the butterfly effect.]

    Julien was not actually surprised by it. He asked System bluntly: "Did my transmigration here change anything else?"

    [System: Yes and no at the same time.]

    Julien gave a nod, as though agreeing with him: "Now I know everything."

    [System: Hmph. It''s about pheromones. Body and blood it''s the original so their power remains the same, but pheromones are also the windows of the soul.]

    Julien suddenly felt enlightened: "That means mine scent is different?"

    [System: Exactly, core nature and impresion changed.]

    He was curious about one more thing: "You mentioned something about powers. Tell me what this is about."

    [System: Dominant omega is as rare as dominant alpha. Dominant individuals can control recessive subjects.]

    Julien felt like Power Ranger in not common white color: "Can I also influence the dominant ones?"

    [System: Not really, not dominant alphas. But the exception is heat cycle so don''t think about walking without inhibitor and testing it.]

    Julien was already going through his closet. A number of shopping bags were laying there. He opened them. Panda and tortoise pajamas were inside.

    These were the things he had bought earlier in the shopping center.

    Now then¡­ which one should he wear first? Kung Fu Panda or Ninja Turtle?

    He changed into the panda pajamas and made his way into Ioan''s study.

    The man was having business talk on video conference. His eyes darted instinctually over to the door when he heard it open and the moment he saw his little brother, his eyes widened and his body froze.

    Ioan suddenly felt that all words had failed him: "You, you..."

    The voice of the person speaking on the other line also suddenly quiet down. The person on the other side raised his gaze over omega attire, cautiously taking in his black and white pajama set.

    Julien wasn''t aware of the other person. He stood in front of Ioan and performed a monkey style pose of kung fu style. It may look comical, but it was one of the deadliest disciplines of wushu. It imitates the movements of apes, including facial expressions.

    He lifted his head and stared unblinkingly at him. His stare was so unnerving that Ioan felt goosebumps rising on his skin: "I can play with several Kung Fu weapons pretty well including swords, spears, axes and nunchucks."

    Julien''s expression was cool: "But every Kung Fu practitioner needs to keep in mind that the benevolent is invincible."

    Ioan''s lack of response filled Julien with disappointment: "You may continue doing your own thing, don''t mind me."

    He tossed out before turning around to leave with dropped shoulders: "I have no influence."

    Since this tactic was ineffective, he would have to think of something else.

    [System: You know that has nothing to do with pheromones...]

    Julien thought gloomily: "My dreams no one can take away."

    Ioan finally snapped out of his daze.

    In the past those cute children''s pajamas in the shape of animals mom used to want Julien to wear and he was always willing. He did follow him closely from behind looking triumphantly and showing a ''savage'' expresion. Recalling this scenes, Ioan felt that his heart was going to melt.

    How nice would it be if he had taken a picture of him like that and kept it as a souvenir?

    He hastily said a few words into the computer before hanging up and chasing Julien.

    Meanwhile, Lucius was already talking on the phone, giving instructions to someone: "Let me know everything you can dig up about what''s happened to and around him abroad."

    He didn''t want to do an investigation on Julien, but he was even more unwilling to let go.

    Since birth Julien should have lived a carefree life as a spoiled child of the wealthy family. He should have been powerless to do anything, but the current him was more capable and knew not so basic fighting skills.

    Lucius sat on the sofa and began to think and lastly thought about his indifference and disdain towards him¡­

    He began to subvert his impression of Julien.

    He was not weak and naively trusting youth, but the fact he was omega still disgusted him.

 Chapter 13 - CALM

    That evening, Ioan had a mission. He had to take a photo with Julien.

    Ioan had justified himself: "The assistants in the company demanded it, it has nothing to do with me."

    He was planning to use that as an excuse to take a family photo with his brother. With the Julien''s panda pajama, their family of two was definitely a cute one.

    He found Julien in the dining room and looked at him expectantly: "Little One, later can we take a picture together and post it on the Internet? My workmates are looking forward to it."

    Julien placed his thumb and forefinger at the base of a wine glass and started swirling. Then he raised an eyebrow: "How popular are you on Weibo?"

    Ioan choked on Julien''s words and a bit of turmoil churned in his heart: "I had around one million followers."

    Julien didn''t mind, especially since it was for planting a seed of doubt to take root in people''s hearts: "Okay, tag my account along with it."

    He finally tasted the rich and powerful ''California Cabernet''. Swirling caused alcohol to evaporate which delivered the aroma compounds in wine to his nose. Julien found blackberry, cedar and vanilla - all at the same time. Large part of his wine enjoyment was in the ability to smell it.

    Soon, the family photo was posted. A handsome alpha, a beautiful omega. The photo immediately attracted the attention of countless people.

    [Drooling On You: Who is this omega?]

    [Cuddly Wuddly: Oh my god! What species is that omega? I''ve never seen one like that before! Isn''t he cute?]

    [Wake Awake: He looks like the pet of a rich tyrant!]

    [Not Funny At All: Isn''t that profile of that omega with post-debut scandals?]

    Nothing too outrageous had come out yet, but this was only the beginning. Julien knew the entertainment circle''s methods and changes all too well.

    He logged onto his Weibo.

    He hadn''t been active on Weibo for the past few days, but his ancount had broken through the ten thousands because of rumors.

    He made a post saying that he was going to have a livestream. He picked a streaming site with relatively high user traffic and opened up a room. When he was satisfied with the number, he started his stream.

    Julien sat in front of the computer and greeted the audience: "Hello, everyone. Can you guys see me?"

    Just as he finished, the person from downstairs started to act:

    "Big Brother gave a sports car x1."

    "Big Brother gave a mansion x1."

    "Big Brother gave a yacht x1."

    This wasn''t just once, but ten times each. Suddenly, the reward information bar was entirely filled with news about ''Big Brother''.

    Julien explained to the audience: "It''s just my brother messing around. Big brother, don''t fuss."

    Ioan''s hands shook. He was exposed. He immediately exited the livestream room to change the account.

    The people in the livestream room weren''t very many, but coupled with the traffic brought by the website itself and gifts from Ioan, there were more than three thousand immediate clicks and more than ten hundred people online watching. For a new streamer, this was a pretty good number already.

    Julien picked up an old guitar. Thankfully, he knew how to play a few basic chords. He took a gulp of water to moisten his throat and winked to the camera: "Actually it''s a children''s lullaby song for all the ''babies'' here."

    As he started singing, he had a slight smile on his face and his instrument-like vocal cords vibrated with ease:

    Let me softly tell you a bedtime story

    Once upon a time, there was a long haired princess

    She secretly fell in love with a frog

    The frog sang for her every day

    Both the king and queen disapproved of him

    But the princess said ''he is my lover''

    She can''t say goodbye to him like that

    Who would know that the little frog became a prince

    And ran away from the palace with the princess

    They eloped to a place where no one distrubed them

    In the parts without lyrics, he was just humming lowly as he pleased. The entire livestream room fell into a brief silence. His voice almost perfectly blended with the sound of the guitar as he continued lightly singing:

    From then on, two people happily lived together

    This is a fairy tale about him and her

    Next time I will tell you another bedtime story

    The moon is sleepy tonight

    And it''s whispering ''goodnight'' to you

    Shortly after that without waiting for audience reaction, he ended the livestream.

    Putting down his mouse, Julien started to twirl a pen around his fingers.

    Twirling pen was one of his nervous ticks when he was focused on something. In accordance to Julien''s wishes, the major forums and social media platforms didn''t get overly involved, and there was just a wave of praise for his singing skills.

    He was waiting for the protagonist to make his next move.

    He knew perfectly well who was behind it from the very beginning.

    He was already thinking about how he should deal with him. He was trying to provoke a reaction.

    He had promised to protect Ioan, and he would do it thoroughly. He didn''t want him to be swept up in any unnecessary drama.

    When he was a kid he believed that people become stars when they die. Even after arriving in this world, he still looked up at the stars to search for his loved ones. It was no longer the same world. His parents naturally couldn''t see him anymore. But once they were stars, you can spend years and years together... hundreds... thousands. If anything could take the sting out of saying goodbye, that was it, even if the people who love him weren''t in the same sky, they were still together every night.

    The love that Ioan had for him brought him an unfamiliar warmth. He also wasn''t all alone anymore and he had never been so confident as he is now.

 Chapter 14 - TRAUMA

    Julien as an actor experienced a lot of things. He was relentlessly bullied for a couple of years and actually had a stalker.

    This person wasn''t physically showing at his house, but basically dedicated a few years of their life to know every single thing that he did, to know every single detail of his life and to post it online. Some aspects of it got things very serious for him, but in the beginning he didn''t want to admit that it happened and vehemently denied that anything was wrong.??

    The bullying started pretty early on in his career. He heard a lot of criticism about himself and his acting. He existed in the entertainment circle and it invited all sorts of opinions. Most of it was nice and positive things, but there was also this darker side of the internet. There was a hate forum made for people who followed him online. People were writing the most horrible and disgusting things and were hating him for no reason. They hated him for being happy, hated him for being sad or hated him for existing and it was all public.

    The point when it became really unbearable and ramped up in seriousness was when one person in particular posted a lot about topics that were really severe. This person was spreading confidential news mixed with rumors and vicious lies about his relationships and personal life.

    The disturbing phone calls and treating massages became his daily life. The stalker was always invisible and never left a trace while taking pictures just a few meters from Julien. There were moments when something exceptionally personal happened to him and within a couple of hours this person would know and then the internet would also know.

    People were acting like detectives and were trying extremely hard to find every ''dirty'' secret, but all these things weren''t dirty secrets, they were factual information about him.

    It wasn''t just like bullying anymore and was honestly horrifying.

    Julien felt like if he didn''t admit to himself that he was being bullied and hurt by people''s words then the situation wasn''t real.

    He was running away from this for so long that it eventually did hurt him very much.

    This level of trauma started manifesting itself in his day-to-day life and he couldn''t ignore the problem anymore. He was breaking down and literally couldn''t function as a person anymore.

    He couldn''t trust anybody. Everyone in the world was an enemy, because he didn''t know who was harassing him. Whenever he was having meltdowns or something difficult happened and he needed someone to rely on, he couldn''t reach or talk to anybody.

    Julien isolated himself.

    Dealing with it took hold on him and he couldn''t relate to his audience. When his fans told him that they loved him or loved his work and films he was starring in, he couldn''t believe it. He was so traumatized that it didn''t sound true.

    It wasn''t that he hated acting, he hated the negativity that popularity brought, because it made him doubt himself all the time and he couldn''t keep up with the pressure and expectations.

    He felt worthless and was chased to a corner where he didn''t want people to look at him and just wanted to be alone.

    The reasons why he was that way didn''t sit right with Julien. Even though he was still depressed and hurt so much from the bullying, he forced himself to go on.

    Julien despised feeling worthless and feeling like he failed.

    He formed a new defense mechanism and distanced himself as much as possible from who he was on the internet. To protect himself he came up with an extremely superficial version of himself that he presented in public, but because of that he didn''t show a genuine side of him and was lacking every part of his personality that he loved showing.

    Julien wasn''t able to show being happy or being excited. He stopped talking about his true interests and about himself except for the most cursory scraps.

    He felt empty, but still rejected the idea of being a failure and was obsessed with proving to himself that everything was okay.

    Julien was continuing to create even when he hated himself the most.

    Looking back it was shocking that he was able to continue to function in the public eye while not admitting that he had a problem.

    Julien didn''t know back then that it was a completely normal response to the trauma to become completely dissociated with himself.

    When Julien found out who this stalker was, it was really shocking and he didn''t know what he was feeling. He took a couple of weeks to process it and as he was processing it, he noticed that his anxiety and sense of dread was slowly slipping away. It was like the spell was broken.

    All of sudden when he read comments or direct messages from fans telling him that they loved his work it started to feel real again, because this facelles mass of negativity and hatred finally had a face.

    He wasn''t scared of everyone anymore and this person lost all the power over him. The second they losted thier anonymity, they couldn''t command his life.

    The entire hate forum didn''t matter as much to him. Once he overcame the biggest monster in the closet then the rest of it he could overcome too.

    Julien didn''t stop being scared of opening up again, but was finally able to try.

    He started to be more comfortable with who he was as a person.

    He also went to therapy and it wasn''t only for the bullying, but also for trauma.

    Julien felt that he was in the place where he was ready for growth and to go on a journey of self discovery and self recovery.

    One day he had a huge wave of realization that for the past few years he put on a mask and performed for the people who hated him out of fear and gave them his life. Once he started to understand why he was traumatized he could work on it with a new perspective and solve the problem.

    Julien regained his power and became a person who he was before. He moved on and there was nothing that could stop him from being himself.

    He was truly thankful for those experiences.

 Chapter 15 - SHIFT

    On the next day, the topics about Julien and Ioan seemed to all have appeared on the forums in the same timeframe and the picture of them together took the Internet by a storm.

    More and more people caught on until the fire spread to the major web forums and the mass media.??

    By afternoon, the media channels were broadcasting hot news. Though none of them could claim it as the confirmed truth, they speculated about their relationship. This topic garnered more attention and trended everywhere.

    The names of those who had been involved in a rumor with Ioan before were all dug up and taken into consideration for the great debate on Julien identity.

    All sorts of striking headlines were dished out:

    ''King of Commercial Real Estate''s newest scandal boyfriend!''

    ''Shocking news! Omega is being kept by Ioan Baume!''

    ''King of Commercial Real Estate and his rumored escort omega!''

    Julien chose to be an observer as he watched the response and comments of the people. This time not everyone was trusting the news.

    [Toilet Paper Man: Is it just me or do they look alike? That omega is feminine version of him.]

    [Early Morning Coffee: +1 Maybe they are cousins or something? I have a hard time believing that such an influential man would get involved in that kind of immoral situation.]

    [Casanova: Always remember that rumors are carried by haters, spread by fools and accepted by idiots!]

    [Fluffy Cookie: I''m one of your fanboys Ioan. No matter if you are in a relationship with this omega, I''ll still love you the most! If you really do have a true love, then I''ll definitely love your true love too. True love is invincible!]

    When Julien read the last comment he could hardly keep from laughing. He turned around to face Ioan and said while giggling: "You have some cute fans."

    Ioan sounded a bit wronged: "I can''t ignore this situation anymore. Why don''t we take this opportunity to disclose our relationship to the public?"

    Julien shot him a glance and said calmly: "We will not do only that."

    His livestream performance must have provoked the protagonist and he wanted to take this opportunity to pressure him. He would be able to kill several birds with one stone: test Ioan''s and Julien''s relationship, give them a warning and pressure Ioan to cut ties with him.

    Ioan in a flash gave the instructions.

    Afternoon rolled around and it happened to be an hour and a half before the start of the press conference.

    For people who spend most of their time mingling in the entertainment circle, countering rumors with a press conference wasn''t an uncommon occurrence. However, it was rare for Ioan to do this. Most of the time, he held enough power to control the public opinion and yet he seldom exposed himself to the public. Julien happened to be the opposite. He was a lowkey person, but his last activities were highkey as he appeared in hot searches.

    Julien hadn''t expected his brother to act so quickly.

    He changed his clothes into wearing an all-black suit that pulled off a clean but edgy look. The shirt and suit were of the same color and texture. The whole aesthetic was sleek, but the platinum inhibitor with oval rubies and the leather belt added a twist to the traditional formality.

    [System: Host, you are finally appearing well-dressed!]

    Julien felt like rolling his eyes: "Do you know that most likely you are completely naked in my head? How do you feel about it?"

    System suddenly went offline.

    There was still time before the start of the press conference, but the main conference room was already packed with reporters from various media outlets. They were all immersed in exchanging information and opinions with each other.

    Right after this discussion ended, the press conference finally began. Secretary Claro appeared first and settled in the host''s spot, followed by Ioan and Julien. They got on the platform and sat down facing the reporters.

    Secretary Claro announced: "The press conference will now begin. I would like to invite President Baume to speak. There will be 10 minutes for questioning after he finishes."

    Ioan''s words were sharp but his tone flat: "The media industry works to share information and facts to the masses. It is not a megaphone used to spread lies. I know all of you are very attentive to my relationship with Julien. I have always thought that it was unnecessary to announce this to the public, as I had assumed it was our own private business. Julien is a non-public person, but many false rumors are being spread around the web, we can no longer do without convening a press conference. Therefore, today, I will declare what my relationship with Julien is."

    It was rare for him to say so much at once. Many of the reporters present choked on his words, but none of them could speak up for themselves. They all held a guilty conscience.

    Evidently, Ioan was quite skilled in the art of speaking. After saying that much, he deliberately paused, letting silence wash over the room as the reporters waited with bated breaths.

    He pulled Julien up to stand next to him: "Julien and I are brothers. He is the second master of a Baume family."

    This sent the audience into an uproar.

    There is a second master of the Baume family? How could they not know about it?!

    Ioan''s tone was brimming with piercing coldness as he continued his speech: "There are many people who think that Julien is a delicate omega and looks girly. I wanted to say something to race my voice against those thoughts. Julien is a completely mature man, has perspective, he is that kind of guy."

    The audience was shocked beyond words.

    An impatient reporter started shooting questions: "Why is it announced only now? Why didn''t he show up after your parents funeral? Does he have shares in the company?"

    A flood of questions came from reportes crashing down on Ioan.

    He was composed enough and eventually finished answering their questions one-by-one.

    Then, it was Julien''s turn to speak: "I''m not concerned about your opinion at all so I won''t refute the misunderstandings."

    After saying their piece brothers withdrew from the conference room.

    Once people found out that Julien was rich beyond their imagination, all of a sudden his existence became an object of admiration.

    He wouldn''t even care about what you have to say about him!

    Who would go badmouth someone like that?

    A lot of people on forums were questioning where the rumors of him trying to leech onto the rich alphas in the past came from and they correctly guessed that someone must had been envious like the green-eyed monster.

 Chapter 16 - DRUNK

    The next weekend Ioan decided to hold a private banquet at home to introduce his brother to a few of his friends with fame and prestige and nearly all of them were people Ioan had business dealings with.

    The news about it quickly spread among the upper class circles and Julien''s appearance had become the center of everyone''s attention.??

    The result of the investigation also came out. Lucius was utterly dissatisfied and smashed the documents in his hand onto the ground. Nothing he wanted to know was there.

    The man sitting on the sofa pushed his glasses up to the ridge of his nose. One couldn''t clearly see his expression enshrouded in shadow, only a pair of hands loosely put on the laps beautiful as porcelain was visible. The cigarette was twisted between his fingers as he slowly opened his eyes.

    After saying his goodbyes to the elderly butler inside the house, he drove away and headed to the Baume villa.

    At the same time, in his home, Julien had taken a casual outfit to another level to be appreciated by System. He wearing red suspenders over the white graphic t-shirt, jeans with decorated paint splashes and an inhibitor made of red silk cord.

    Today he was the host in a double sense who didn''t care about proper attire.

    Ioan took him into the guest area on the first floor of their family''s villa. Among these people, Ioan would pick up some important friends to be introduced to his brother who was standing next to him.

    For example, at this moment, he was pointing to the person who came to greet them and said: "This is the chairman of ''Shine'' entertainment company."

    Ioan paused his words and glanced at the other party.

    The chairman of the ''Shine'' immediately said: "Finally we have a family gathering, nice to see you again Julien."

    Noel was smiling in satisfaction.

    Julien only nodded politely: "Likewise."

    At the same time, the System''s voice rang in his head.

    [System: The protagonist also has appeared. He''s behind the male lead.]

    Julien saw the appearance of the person about whom System had been speaking. It was a fairly good looking but still ordinary looking young man. Probably because the other had very pale skin, when he wore a suit, he looked even younger.

    Then Noel said seriously: "Let me introduce my boyfriend Romdemio."

    Romdemio nodded: "I''m Romdemio Gallo. It''s an honour to meet you."

    Julien''s gaze was dark. He hid the inscrutable emotion in his eyes and then curled his lips into a smile: "Hello, I''m Julien."

    Romdemio blinked his eyes and his voice was carrying a bit of a fawning tone: "You are that artist performing in ''White Rose''?"

    Julien lowered his gaze and said in an indifferent manner: "Not any more."

    Romdemio''s voice was mellow with a liveliness to it that only young people had which made it easy for people to develop goodwill towards him: "I heard that you sing well. I will be very happy if we can work together in ''Shine'' company. What do you think about it?"

    Julien didn''t speak and heard Romdemio continue: "You can''t always keep depending on your brother''s support like this. Your brother has his own life, as do you. By doing this, he''s deliberately interfering in your life, pampering you. This will only make you more and more unwilling to start doing anything in your life."

    Julien kept silent, staring at him.

    Romdemio was very confident in himself.

    However, Julien flashed a smile and mercilessly rejected him: "It''s inconvenient."

    Romdemio was startled, having been rejected. But, there was neither resentment nor awkwardness on his face: "Sorry, I guess I asked for something I shouldn''t have."

    Julien nodded slightly as if agreeing that the other''s words just now had been really rude: "My brother treating me well is none of your concerns."

    As soon as Julien had spoken, the atmosphere became strange.

    Ioan was looking at the protagonist obviously unhappy and Noel was standing awkwardly not knowing where to place his eyes.

    At this time, no one spoke.

    When Romdemio saw this, he was first surprised before an expression of self-blame took over. He first looked Julien and then at Ioan: "I didn''t mean it like that just now. I misspoke. Sorry."

    After that, Ioan glanced down at the absent-minded youth next to him: "Bored?"

    Julien nodded then shook his head. He was actually thinking about how to get away from the protagonist.

    Ioan said: "If you are bored, you can go to eat some snacks at the buffet."

    Looking at his brother who was so eager to go, a touch of helplessness flashed inside Ioan''s eyes. He said: "You can go, but remember to not drink too much alcohol."

    Julien smiled sweetly at Ioan: "Okay, Big Brother."

    Romdemio clenched his fists, but his face showed no signs of anger.

    It was a half hour later when Lucius had arrived and as he approached his friends: "It seems that I''m a little bit late."

    Romdemio widened his eyes slightly, making his average face look a bit cute then he asked Noel: "Who is your friend?"

    Noel''s mouth quirked at the corners: "It is Lucius Valentinus. He is my friend, but also my biggest rival in the business field, owner of the ''Famous'' entertainment company."

    When he heard the other speak like this, Romdemio''s impression of Lucius became a lot of better.

    Lucius nodded, smiling in thanks.

    The banquet was bustling with noise and excitement. Some familiar people got together to chat.

    Julien was a new face for the people around here. Which was why no one came forward to chat with him. Therefore, he gladly took the opportunity to be carefree. He hid in a corner and drank red wine in peace. The bitter, spicy, tart, and sour liquid slid down his throat, irritating it. He felt very satisfied. He was so happy that he didn''t realize that his actions were all seen by Lucius, who was quietly observing from the side.

    Lucius, while exchanging pleasantries with the people around him, secretly observed Julien. He saw him stick out his tongue and lick the wine stain on the corner of his mouth. He drank glass after glass, eyes narrowing whenever he took a sip. It was obvious that he was really enjoying the wine.

    Right now, the other''s eyes held a smile. His eyes were bright as if they held starlight. They were dazzling and clear, the bottom of them visible for once. It made him want to reach out and grab hold of the light in Julien''s eyes.

    Lucius''s gaze changed slightly. His lips that had held a nearly imperceptible smile pulled into a straight line. He wanted to look away, but it was like something was controlling his body, making it so that he couldn''t move as he wanted.

    A tree glass of wine had very quickly been emptied. Right now, Julien felt a bit tipsy.

    [System: I''ve discovered that your blood alcohol concentration has already exceeded the amount it takes to get you humans drunk.]

    The corner of Julien lips curled up: "I''m just a bit tipsy, not drunk."

    He said that although he felt a little hot and his movement coordination was a little impaired.

    He walked out of the main room in a sullen way to get some fresh air.

    The hall was empty so he didn''t bother to talk with System in mind: "Let me sing to pass the time."

    His voice was filled with a sense of earthiness and roughness:

    When you walked into this happy party with all your dreams and desires

    There were all kind of faces with makeup and no one could remember your face

    After having three drinks you hid in the corner and insisted on singing bitter songs

    Even though your voice was drowned out by the noise raising up your glass you spoke to yourself

    One drink is for the sun and another for the moon

    One drink is for my tomorrow and another is for my past

    One drink is for the freedom and another for death

    Julien lost control of his body for a moment. He stumbled and almost fell over.

    The man who was following him held his breath. Lucius swallowed down his frustration and started to walk at a faster pace.

 Chapter 17 - EMBRACE

    Although it was comfortable to stay in the hall, in order not to be entangled by the possible encounter with somebody, Julien could only quickly leave. He walked through a corridor until he arrived at a flower garden.

    The garden was very quiet. There were lights from randomly scattered antique lanterns amongst the grass. This scene brought quite a rather emotional and endearing atmosphere. However, at this moment, Julien wasn''t in the mood to enjoy the scenery.??

    He walked through the winding stone path and arrived at the center of the garden with a small water fountain and a bench he could sit and rest on. Julien felt agitated and was in low spirits. As if there was a piece of boulder pressing down from above. His body started to feel hot again. If there was a mirror in front of him right now, Julien would see his face turning pale.

    In the next second, Julien felt that his chest cavity was in a spectacular mess.

    Thump, thump, thump¡ª

    He felt like he was going to faint: "Don''t tell me it is what I think it is."

    [System: Host, hold on! You are very unstable and your emotional control and stability is reducing!]

    Julien wanted to calm down, but it was already too late. His forehead was seeping with cold sweat and his legs were like cotton wool. He hastily raised his hand to cover his lips, but he couldn''t stop the whimper that passed through his fingers.

    This movement immediately alerted the man who was walking in the garden.

    Lucius heard a sob coming from not far away. He immediately raised his head, frowned and asked: "Who is there?"

    As soon as these words were asked, the whimper immediately went silent. As if the person found themselves exposed so immediately muffled their voice.

    He accurately found the fountain where Julien was hiding. When he was looking down, he caught a glimpse of a portion of a white t-shirt from the crevice of the stone. It was obvious that a boy was hiding there.

    Julien was dizzy and his whole body was hooting in heat. His vision was completely blurry. The footsteps outside stopped in front of him.

    Lucius''s eyes were calm and still, completely void of any ripples of emotion. His gaze met with Julien''s as he got straight to the point: "You are in heat."

    Julien stared at him confused and his eyes were kept from recognizing him: "Who are you?"

    He mumbled to himself and his voice carried a faint sound of exhaustion: "I want to be alone."

    Lucius frowned slightly. He was about to say something when he saw the omega stand up abruptly.

    Julien thin lips pursed softly. His eyes were billowing with emotion and he said in a chilly tone: "Whoever you are stay away from me!"

    Lucius saw that the youth''s face was deathly pale and ghastly. His tone was mixed with a mesmerizing feeling: "Don''t be afraid, with me here, you are safe."

    Julien nodded his head crazily. He felt that Lucius''s voice was very hypnotic, but at the same time he wanted to break free from that.

    He rushed out of the gap between them, trying to run back to the hall, but it''s a pity that his actions had been already calculated by Lucius. At the moment when he rushed out, the alpha stretched out his hand and stopped him on the way.

    Lucius picked the young man up around the waist, his eyes were more aggressive without warm light. The omega''s clothes were thin and the material was flimsy. Therefore, Lucius could easily feel the heat of his body through the arm around his waist: "Leaving without saying goodbye, where are you going in such a hurry?"

    Julien''s whole person was hanging in the air, his eyes full of doubt made it clear that he hadn''t understood Lucius''s question. He was caught in a daze and could barely hear Lucius''s words.

    Lucius stretched out a hand to press Julien''s back and pulled him into his arms. His kind of erratic voice sounded: "Not talking, eh?"

    At once, there was again a dumbfounded look on Julien''s face. He didn''t know where he was right now and who was speaking to him. He moved his body around and couldn''t struggle free.

    At this moment, his waist was hugged by the tall man and practically his whole body was drowned into that person''s embrace. At such a close distance, the feeling of comfortable coolness overwhelmed Julien. Because he was in a state of burning heat, the other low temperature somehow comforted him.

    When Lucius felt soft lips meet his neck his expression in the dark looked a bit strange.

    He failed to notice that someone was looking at their direction from the corridor at the other corner of the garden.

    Julien licked and rubbed against the side of Lucius''s neck like he was a puppy that had yet to grow up gnawing at a bone.

    Lucius after being given such an inexperienced kiss, he didn''t know why, but his ruthless and dark mood was suppressed. He felt calm despite it all and even wanted to know what the other would do next.

    He hadn''t thought that he would react to Julien''s rubbing movements. He pinched omega''s chin and forced him to raise his head. His voice was hoarse but chilly: "You''ve never done this before?"

    Lucius carefully observed the reaction of the young man as he finished asking. Julien didn''t give any indication of responding and his eyes revealed a blankness that couldn''t be more obvious. Evidently, he wasn''t clear about the situation.

    Lucius gazed at the youth''s appearance, gaze stuck on the youth''s pair of rosy lips that were opening and closing, and couldn''t help but want to give them a taste.

    A voice suddenly came from nearby: "What''s going on here?"

    Ioan''s face was icy cold. He looked at Lucius, who held Julien in embrace, with a dark gaze.

 Chapter 18 - MEMORY

    His brother, Ioan still understood, although Julien occasionally gave him a headache, he wouldn''t be so unrestrained outside, let alone doing something excessive.

    Lucius lowered his head and apologized to Ioan. His face was slightly tense: "I''m sorry, this incident is indeed my mistake, but please, don''t misunderstand the situation."??

    Ioan''s eyebrows furrowed tightly.

    Julien blinked, looking extremely innocent at his brother. He shook his head, he felt so dizzy now and most of his consciousness seemed to be floating in the sky.

    Both of Julien''s hands clasped tightly on Lucius''s arm, unwilling to let go. Seeing the omega''s stickiness and dependence at this moment, Lucius was surprised. But at the same time, he also felt as if his heart was being struck by a feather. It was itchy, and brought some indescribable satisfaction.

    However to the other man Julien''s action was a bit ridiculous. Ioan took his brother away from Lucius''s arm and was going to help him stand properly. But he finally found that something was wrong. At this moment, Julien''s face was flushed. His eyes were teary, somewhat reddish, and with a dazed gaze.

    Ioan eyes darkened even more. He turned to look at the tall man: "What happened to him?"

    Lucius was not scared of him in the least as he met his eyes: "He is in heat."

    Ioan paused, but this gave Julien an opportunity to break free and he excitedly rushed towards Lucius. The way he wobbled while running made other people nervous. Fortunately, before he could fall or trip over something, Lucius had caught him firmly.

    Lucius laughed and perfunctorily said: "He would rather be with me than with you."

    However, as soon as the words had left his mouth, he suddenly realized that this could make his friend unhappy. He couldn''t help but press his lips together and glance at Ioan.

    Ioan lowered his eyes slightly, his fine, long eyelashes fanning out. His long, slender fingers tightly clenched into a fist. His hands suddenly became a little itchy. He wanted to hit Lucius. His eyes were peaceful as if quietly waiting for something to happen.

    Julien''s hand tightly grabbed Lucius''s sleeve and his mouth was tightly shut. When he eventually decided to speak his tone was filled with righteousness: "I found him first! He is mine!"

    Ioan was feeling helpless because of this little brother of his: "Who?"

    Julien replied in a matter of fact: "The snowman."

    Immediately Ioan saw the other party less unpleasant.

    Lucius secretly glanced at Julien. He put on his mastered fake smile, right down to the wrinkles around his eyes. His tone was exceptionally gentle as he lied through his teeth: "I was trying to help."

    Ioan regarded Lucius as a true friend and someone he can rely on regardless of the circumstances. Their relationship was based on mutual respect and in the end he believed the man who in his opinion was trustworthy.

    After returning to his villa, Lucius went into the study. His eyes were a bit uneasy. He opened the drawer, slipped out a cigarette and lit it, the white smoke blurred his face.

    He seemed to pay too much attention to Julien. He wasn''t really interested at first and even felt repulsion looking at this person, but now it seemed things had already changed.

    So, since when did it start?

    Clearly the young man was afraid of him and his eyes were full of desire to run away. On the contrary he was the one who was trying to get close to that omega.

    At the thought that the other party is an omega his eyes flashed some evil light and a smile flickered across his face like a hologram.

    In his mind he could still picture his childhood. A place of frustration, rage and confusion.

    Lusius''s parents married, because of bonding by accident and unexpected pregnancy after that. The man who gave birth to him resented him from the beginning. His father spent money to travel on business or with another omega so there were more reasons to take his anger out of him.

    The childhood memories recall beating, hitting or slapping him for every single mistake. He was content while being neglected and when that person didn''t look after him. Kneeling in self reflection was the time free from worry.

    He had been thinking why his mother was so fierce? Don''t his hands hurt?

    Till now he never found the answers.

    It''s true that in other families other people''s mothers surely have reason for their violence, however, he had done nothing wrong.

    His father often said ''be good'' or ''listen to your mom more''. How could he listen to him?

    There were so many false illusions.

    The day the man died after his father left was the happiest day in Lucius''s life.

    He suppressed thoughts about these events. His cigarette burning half, Lucius snuffed it out and opened the window to let the smoke disperse.

    In a hushed whisper he went on: "In the end, tonight was a mistake."

 Chapter 19 - SOULMATES

    That night, Ioan didn''t dare to sleep. He made his brother take the medicine and cooled him down nonstop. Julien''s body temperature wasn''t drooping.

    In that fever Julien violently shivered. His teeth chattered even though he was burning.??

    His body heat only subsided when it was early morning.

    The next day, when Julien woke up he did not feel relaxed, even though Ioan took care of him the whole night. He actually felt more tired.

    Regarding yesterday''s event, Julien only remembered that he seemed to drink three glasses of wine and then got in heat in the garden. After that, his mind was blank.

    In a trance, he seemed to have found someone. As for what happened afterwards, Julien couldn''t remember. Naturally, he also didn''t know any of his strange actions after meeting the villain last night.

    Julien''s eyes flickered. Then he said softly: "I will always listen to you, System."

    [System: He he.]

    Julien swallowed: "What happened last night?"

    [System: I don''t know. I was over-heated too.]

    After washing his face, Julien first checked on Ioan. He wanted to ask him whether he did anything strange after he got drunk and in heat. He walked into Ioan''s room. The curtains were closed, and there was a big lump on the bed. No need to guess, the man was still sleeping.

    Julien''s movement awakens Ioan. The man looked sleepy. He barely opened his eyes to look at his brother: "What are you doing?"

    Julien said with an extremely complicated mood: "Checking if you are sleeping."

    Ioan muttered quietly: "I''m."

    After that, he turned over and continued to sleep.

    Seeing this, Julien''s eyes twitched, but he couldn''t bother Ioan right now as he walked out of his room very quietly.

    Some emotion seemed to be welling up inside him: "So I guess this is my retribution."

    [System: Looks like even you know that someone like you deserves retribution!]

    Julien smiled bitterly: "Is it usual for going into heat so often?"

    [System: According to my information, no.]

    Hearing System''s answer reminded Julien that it was approximately time for him to go review something more about being omega in the clinic.

    Julien made an appointment at the hospital for a routine health check up.

    When Julien went he found a little bit plump doctor with kind eyes waiting for him. He was pleased to see the silver hair on the man. He had a face like some guy Julien would ask for directions in the street. He was wearing the white coat and in his hands seemed to be a patient file. Julien sent him a wide smile to make a good impression.

    The doctor only lightly coughed a few times and then began his professional work.

    The man maneuvered the mouse in his hands and his voice was steady as he explained: "Although heat cycles usually occur at random Mr. Baume''s case is rare where heat occurs so often. However these symptoms are very mild and all your parameters are very healthy. Your condition right now is very good. It appears that you have been a bit over-tired recently, there isn''t anything particularly to worry about. Right now all you need to do is rest a bit more. Later I''ll prescribe you some vitamins and other things to help boost your health."

    Julien was frowning the whole time. Then finally he couldn''t help asking: "Can I suppress my heat cycle by taking medicine every day?"

    When the doctor heard this he became more stern: "No. This can only make matters worse as you will become more resistant to the drug."

    He gave him a reassuring smile: "This shouldn''t be repeated even if you come into contact with an alpha unless you have found a soulmate."

    Julien stared at him in utter bewilderment: "Soulmate?"

    He heard about the idea of the soul mate. The soul mate concept postulates that love was somehow cosmically predestined and that ending up with anyone else would be a travesty. But it was not possible that there is just one person out there for someone, forever and always. There were scientific reasons that soul mates didn''t exist.

    The doctor explained in an understanding manner: "Is a name for people with 100% pheromones compatibility."

    Julien''s heart felt unwell: "I don''t have one."

    His expression when he was being choked up by this information was so funny and amusing that the old man couldn''t help but laugh: "You think too much. Don''t look at the compatibility between alphas and omegas in such a way. I have never come across a 100% match in my career as a doctor."

    With his head full of chaotic thoughts, Julien left the clinic and went to the restaurant. Right now the time was around 4PM in the afternoon. No wonder he felt a little hungry.

    The waiter served up a variety of barbequed seafood. Julien didn''t even care about the food being burning hot and bit right into it. Delectable aroma immediately filled his mouth.

    The meat, after being barbecued and smoked by the charcoals and with the added condiments and spices had became very flavorful. It was crispy, fresh, savory, tender and melted away immediately in his mouth. The flavor of the meat bounced around on his tongue before sliding into his stomach.

    He gulped down a glass of cold water. It felt so rewarding after eating an overly hot meal, but at the same time it was also a very familiar feeling for no reasons.

    Yesterday''s memories were like fragments, assembling together haphazardly. Slowly, it came back to him. He then pulled a specific scene out from his memories.

    He had grabbed Lucius and called him a snowman.

    In his mind, the image of Lucius''s expression nearly falling apart upon hearing his words appeared. Julien couldn''t help but chuckle.

    He sifted through his memories feeling proud of himself. But before that happened didn''t he cuddle with him and then he¡­ kissed him?

    He kissed the villain?

 Chapter 20 - FEAR

    At all costs, Julien did not want to admit that he did that kind of thing. He scolded himself for this senseless frustration. His head was not functioning properly during the heat cycle and it will not change in the future. Fortunately, Lucius was not interested in him either and surely will not care about the kissing situation. He saved in memory to tell Ioan to write to Lucius a note with an apology and a promise of compensation.

    Julien put his hands in the pocket of the leather jacket and took a deep breath. He walked among tall buildings and strolled through the busy streets in the heart of the city, trying to control his annoyance. Leaves on the trees were already starting to change colors. It was around five o''clock, and the sun was slowly moving towards the west, leaving pink streaks in the sky.??

    Julien finally entered the pharmacy. There was an enormous line inside. The old grannies would come here for medication like for fresh bakery rolls. He thought that nothing had changed and people were the same wherever he transmigrates.

    He stood at the end of the line looking around at the goods displayed on the shelves. Julien''s eyes caught the most expensive supplements that were promising long life and to cure every disease. He gave an exaggerated sigh and rolled his eyes.

    The line moved at a slow pace. Some retirees forgot their prescriptions and others couldn''t decide what they exactly came for. When it finally came Julien''s turn, he walked over to the cash register and leaned against the counter.

    He pointed with his chin at the display: "Five packs of omega''s suppressants and a set of this pro life vitamins, please."

    The young pharmacist hurriedly packed his order and finalized the card transaction.

    The visit in the pharmacy cost him over three hundred yuans. Julien slung the plastic bag over his hand and put them into his pocket.

    [System: Are you not going to listen to the doctor? Five packs seems too much for me.]

    Julien again rolled his eyes: "That''s for you. As in life it is impossible to be fully prepared for battle so I will keep my medicine close and keep moving."

    When he came out of the pharmacy it was almost completely dark outside, but despite this streets were bursting with excitement. The cars were crammed on the road like rats in the garbage can.

    Because of traffic Julien stood idle waiting for the right moment to wave for the cab. He secretly observed a very cute boy who carried a school bag on his back and was unconsciously being squeezed by the stream of people into the outer periphery of the sidewalk.

    Julien caught sight of a pure black, seemingly low-key luxury car that was formerly driving perfectly straight at the boy who unintentionally went out into the street.

    There was a scream from the crowd who also saw it, but it might be because of that the little boy was scared silly. He stood there frozen in place. Julien could only foolishly watch as the light of the car came closer and closer¡­

    [System: Host, be careful!]

    At this moment, the little boy suddenly felt himself being embraced from behind by a somewhat warm arm. The person who was hugging him threw himself and rolled over several times while holding him, far away from the place he was just at. Then, a pair of warm hands covered the little boy''s eyes, firmly blocking his panicked line of sight.

    The moment they left that place, the luxury car immediately slowed down passing the previous location. It''s not difficult to imagine that if they didn''t escape in time, the consequences would certainly be too dreadful to contemplate.

    After taking the little boy away, Julien breathed a long sigh of relief. Fortunately, they are alive and safe.

    Although the roll was very awkward, Julien always cautiously protected the boy''s head. He bore the full impact. Perhaps the position of the rolling was incorrect, over there they had just escaped from the jaws of death and over here, Julien kept rolling and rolling. His back collided against the roadside fence with a "boom".

    Julien momentarily couldn''t hold back the tumult in his chest. He was so scared and thought he might die again.

    The little boy in Julien''s embrace was muddled. When he came back to his senses, he felt that the person behind him was badly shaking, but the hand on his back was still gently soothing him. Unconsciously, the scared little boy held onto Julien''s clothes tightly and slowly found a little sense of security. He struggled to raise his hand and patted Julien''s back.

    On the contrary Julien couldn''t help it, he buried his head at the boy''s shoulder and started to cry: "Wooho¡­"

    The little boy opened his eyes wide and his childish face was solemn: "It''s okay. It''s okay."

    Julien shook his head and hugged him tighter and cried while saying: "Hiccup, die, again hiccup, don''t want."

    The negative emotions in his heart seemed to find a breakthrough. Julien was crying pitifully.

    One big figure and one small figure snuggled together. Even though that scene just now was extremely dangerous, but now looking up, people around felt a touch of warmth.

 Chapter 21 - CHILD

    Soon Julien calmed down.

    He looked at the adorable little doll in his arms and said with some distress: "What''s your name? Where are your parents?"??

    The boy fixed his eyes on Julien: "My name is Mino Ricci. I don''t have a real dad and mom."

    Julien was stunned to hear grievance from this simple sentence.

    Very few knew that Julien was actually quite fond of children. After all he spent a lot of time in the orphanage and often took care of the youngest ones.

    The one in his arms was very well-behaved and he unconsciously wanted to talk to this cute doll some more.

    Julien''s tone subconsciously softened: "What are you doing here all alone? Where are you living?"

    Mino bit his lips and rubbed against Julien''s neck as he whispered: "Today is my birthday and I wanted to go buy a present for myself. I live with my foster mom and she is busy with other kids."

    Lucius got out of the car. His face was deathly pale and his eyes were wide.

    He almost ran over a child on the street and felt guilty. Thankfully, he did not hit the boy, but a situation like that flooded his body with adrenaline and was contributing to his anxiety.

    Lucius took a deep breath, held it for 3 seconds and slowly let it out. He did that a couple of times. Now that he was feeling a bit calmer, Lucius started to observe very closely his surroundings.

    This was such a pitiful kid. A tinge of compassion arose in Julien, but before he could ask in more detail, somebody approached them.

    Julien heard a deep male voice from behind: "Was it you who saved the child?"

    Julien slowly turned around to face the man. His eyes widened in astonishment. He had never suspected to meet the villain so fast. The gentle smile on Lucius''s face mocked him, creating a sudden chill that echoed through his body. Julien''s skin triggered goosebumps that scurried up his arms and crawled along his neck. A sudden glimpse of Lucius''s black eyes froze his into a trap. He couldn''t escape the never-ending stare as it choked his thoughts and clogged his mind. The images of yesterday night flashed through his mind. In that moment he remembered everything very clearly.

    He attempted and struggled to focus somewhere else, anywhere else, other than that black eyes sucking his into it''s maze.

    Julien finally snapped out of his wandering daze. He nodded: "That''s right."

    Lucius''s gaze still lingered on Julien for a moment before turning on the little boy. His tone was polite: "We need to call the police and ask the child''s family to come pick him up."

    Before Julien could answer, Mino tightened the arms he wrapped around his neck and shook his head: "No! I want to go with big brother!"

    Afterwards, he buried his head in Julien''s arms. His resistance was very obvious.

    When Julien felt how tightly the boy was clinging to him, he felt a sense of responsibility rising in his chest. Since he''d helped the boy out, then he would help to the very end.

    Julien smiled at Lucius: "You see it, right? He wants me to send him back."

    One big, one small. Lucius couldn''t force them and had no other choice but to agree: "Well then."

    Lucius opened the door at the back seat of the car and then invited them to get in.

    Julien hugged and carried the child: "Okay, it''s time to head back. Where''s your home? Older brothers will send you back."

    When the boy gave them the address, Julien got into a car and looked straight ahead, with a straight face. He glanced at Lucius as they were a strengers. Nothing was said in the end.

    They were quiet along the way except for Julien softly humming. Mino soon fell asleep. When he woke up, they had arrived at his house.

    The moment Mino woke up, his foster mother jogged over to him and repeatedly checked him everywhere with her hands. After confirming there was nothing wrong with him, she held him in her arms and said with excitement: "Thank goodness you''re alright. You nearly scared mommy to death. You bad child, where did you run off? You didn''t know to give mommy a call to tell me you''re safe either. Do you want mommy to die from anger?"

    As she spoke, she patted Mino''s back over and over with her hand held high, but they would always land very gently. She knew with just a simple glance that the man in front of her had something to do with her son''s return. She was grateful to him in her heart for helping her son out: "Thank you so much for sending my son back."

    At the same time, Lucius''s eyes glanced over at Julien: "I would like to talk to you. What do you say?"

    The woman didn''t have any reason to refuse, moreover she didn''t want to. She was eager to know what had happened to her son today: "You guys are being polite. You had sent my son home, I just don''t know how to thank you. Please!"

    After letting him into the house, the woman had given them a glass of water. Mere fright couldn''t be used to describe the look on her face after Lucius finished his explanation. Her entire body was shaking. She couldn''t imagine, in less than a day, the child had actually experienced such a dreadful matter. She was grateful to Julien for saving the boy: "Thank you for saving Mino. Without you, Mino probably would have..."

    She lowered her head and rubbed the tears on the corner of her eyes: "I don''t know how to thank you."

    Perhaps because of that life-saving situation, Mino stuck closely to Julien''s side. He was so enthusiastic that even the foster mother felt jealous: "Our family''s Mino is shy and timid around strangers. When I took him out in the past, he always hid behind me. But he likes you very much."

    The woman paused and whispered lowly to his ear: "This child is a little bit socially anxious. The doctor said that although the condition isn''t too serious, it may affect him if there isn''t enough social skills training. This is my first time seeing Mino being so close to someone. If possible¡­ could you accompany him more often?"

    Julien was taken aback. He looked at Mino subconsciously and was immediately met with the little boy''s sweet and soft smile. His heart softened as well and he knelt before Mino on the ground: "Alright, you just said today is your birthday, right? Then big brother will take you to the amusement park next weekend."

    As his words fell, Mino turned towards Lucius with evident anticipation in his eyes.

    Confronted with his expectant gaze, Lucius didn''t know how he should handle this situation.

    Julien studied his troubled expression and not wanting to make things difficult for Lucius, he spoke up: "Big brother is a very busy person. He may have no time to go with us."

    Mino nodded, still gazing at Lucius with sparkling eyes but keeping quiet.

    Lucius caught the yearning in his eyes, experienced his silence, and felt heartache for him: "I will go."

 Chapter 22 - PALPITATIONS

    After they left, Lucius this time opened the door at the front seat of the car and said lightly: "Let''s go. I''ll send you back."

    Julien stood up on his heels. Though his eyes were hanging down: "I can..."

    He was decisively cut off before he could finish: "I''ll send you back."

    Lucius''s tone allowed for absolutely no refusal.

    The car gradually drove away. Waiting for a crossroads, Lucius accidentally glimpsed omega''s mobile phone and noticed he''d had the GPS open, saying: "I know the way."

    Julien raised his head: "It is important to find out where we are."

    Lucius noticed from the corner of his eye, Julien''s seemingly incessant posture of shrinking himself into a shell to avoid him. He saw his seriousness and shook his head with a faint smile.

    Lucius suddenly felt a desire to tease the omega. He wanted to see even more rich expression on the youth''s face and this kind of impulse was really unfamiliar to him. Lucius turned a car into a side street and stopped it to look at the boy. Julien turned his head and gazed at the alpha with vigilance, like a hedgehog who was puffing up its spines, as if he was an extremely dangerous being.

    Lucius raised an eyebrow. He didn''t think that the omega would have this tough side to him. It was much stronger than he had expected. This avoiding him in a fright attitude made Lucius not happy.

    Lucius smiled friendly, the expression in his eyes profound: "I think you and we have got something to talk about."

    Julien recalled last night, face turning indignant, and his features morphed through all sorts of embarrassed expressions. He felt extremely complicated.

    Julien coughed twice: "About what?"

    Lucius''s eyes fell on omega''s slightly red ears. He then quietly said: "Fine. Just take it as nothing had happened last night."

    There was no discontent in his expression or voice. There was even a bit of warmth in his eyes as he gazed downwards.

    Julien felt a little giddy. Under Lucius''s gaze both his legs went soft. His mind was still clear, so he felt the change in his body all the more clearly.

    Thump, thump, thump¡ª

    His heart was pounding and he took out the medicine from his pockets.

    Was he overreacting something that was imaginary?

    Julien glanced up and found himself locked in the dark gaze of who''s sitting next to him, staring at him intently.

    Heart failure.

    Lucius''s gaze was unwavering and intense and fixed on the suppressants in Julien''s hands.

    Julien shaked his head to gather his wits. His heart was pounding a frantic tattoo and for some reason he was blushing furiously.

    Julien leaned back, trying to pull apart the distance between two people, but Lucius pressed his shoulder, letting him couldn''t move. Julien whispered, because that was all he could manage: "Do you have idea what you are doing?"

    There was a ghost of a gentle smile on his lips and his eyes were alight with humor, as if he was enjoying some private joke: "Have I ever released my pheromones in front of you?"

    Julien muttered, his voice was soft and wavering: "Please. I want to go back."

    Lucius''s voice was low and dark eyes were concentrating hard on omega: "Anything else?"

    Quickly, with trembling fingers, Julien took his medicine as the other retreated. He dared not look at him: "There is no need."

    Lucius turned to drive: "Good."

    Julien anxiously watched as the car drove to his villa residence.

    After Lucius stopped at the entrance of Julien''s home, he turned around and caught sight of his indescribable expression, thus he asked: "What''s now with your expression?"

    Julien turned to leave, then paused. He intermittently whispered: "Don''t tell Ioan about this accident. He is a worrywart."

    Lucius raised an eyebrow, amused, yet nodded: "Okay. Until next weekend Julien."

    Lucius tongue caressed his name and Julien''s heart once again was frantic. He could hardly breathe. Hurriedly, he got out of the car.

    He didn''t know that right before the event, there were a couple who were bored and taking a video of themselves and their camera recorded the whole scene where Julien grabbed the person from under the wheel. This video was posted by the couple on Weibo. In an instant, it was forwarded by thousands and not long after it advanced into the hot search.

    [Silly Pumpkin: Isn''t that famous and rich omega? Julien, right? He is so brave!]

    [Royal Amma: +56 It''s him! Do you guys realize that when Julien and the kid in his arms rolled over, he still covered the little boy''s eyes?! Is he afraid that the child will be frightened? How considerate ah, still taking care of the boy in such a dangerous situation!]

    [A Buddhist Guy: What the fuck, I''m freaking out just from watching. This car suddenly traversed over. I haven''t reacted and this person had rushed up there!]

    [Little Fatty: I''m crying! It''s too beautiful when they both hugged and comforted each other!]

    This video spread at an incredible speed and Ioan already knew about this event.

 Chapter 23 - GOOD NIGHT

    He was really, really interested in him.

    There, Lucius had admitted it to himself. He cannot hide from his feelings anymore. He had never felt like this before. He found this omega suprising, kind and very attractive.

    Although Lucius went out sometimes to meet people, so far, no one had ever been able to draw his attention in the long run.

    Except Julien.

    He had never let any omega near him. However, there with Julien he didn''t seem to be any feeling of dislike that emerged and even felt very satisfied.

    He was like a drug, letting him addicted without knowing it.

    On the other side, Julien had no idea that he searched hot.

    When he went home, Ioan was sitting on the sofa in the salon and waiting for him: "Are you out of your mind! What in the world do we not have in this house!? You could have die! You had to do those dangerous things huh!?"

    He was scolded by his brother for two hours and had to promise to never do something like that again.

    When he was finally about to go to bed and make up for his sleep, the phone suddenly made a sound, indicating that a new message came in. Jullien picked it up and found that it was a completely foreign number. He opened it doubtfully. There was only one sentence inside: "Goodnight."

    Originally Julien was quite sleepy, but when he just recalled Lucius''s last behavior his drowsiness was completely gone.

    Julien scratched the screen in a disorderly mood, racking his brain thinking how to reply. However, his hand shook and accidentally pressed the delete button. After the message disappeared, he reacted. With wide-open eyes, he stared at the phone''s screen for several seconds, shut down the phone decisively, and threw it aside.

    Julien retracted into his quilt trying to don''t think about it.

    He slept well that night.

    The next day, Julien wanted to take the opportunity of being in the hot search. He had already a certain fan base and people asked him to broadcast again.

    As soon as the livestream started, many people had come in one after another. In addition, Julien posted a Weibo in the afternoon and invited netizens to join him in the evening.

    [Crazy Cat Lady: Finally! I waited for it for so long!]

    [Little Fairy Girl: I''ve already prepared the flowers. I want to see the little angel who saved the kid!]

    [Dad Of Future Babies: I can lick this face for a year!]

    All kinds of comments were visible.

    Julien picked up the guitar and pointed his finger in front of the camera: "Thank you ''Dad Of Future Babies'' for affirming my face value and also like I promised last time, I will sing a bedtime song for you again."

    The steady guitar sounds vibrated in the air around, pulling people into its hypnotising melody and causing the hundreds to sway along with it.

    Julien voice was as pure and sweet as if was from heaven:

    Twinkle, twinkle, they are sparkling

    The sky is filled with little stars

    They listen to wishes and secrets

    They blink their eyes until the dawn

    Twinkle, twinkle, they are sparkling

    They seems to whisper ''we understand you''

    If you feel lonely and want to cry

    Let us bring you into a dream

    Twinkle, twinkle, they blossom like flowers

    The darker the sky is, the more dazzling they are

    Although they are small, their gleam is not

    Their courage of gleaming is so magnificent

    Twinkle, twinkle, they are playing hide-and-seek

    Laughing sounds out like bell

    Under the pillow, they put a dream

    Of having wings to fly in the sky

    The live broadcast time was only ten minutes. Julien said seriously: "Thank you for your support today and I hope you will continue doing it in the future as well."

    Waving goodbye, he closed the live broadcast.

    [System: Host, You are great!]

    Julien raised his eyebrows slightly: "So?"

    [System: Didn''t you think of working at Lucius company?]

    Julien was stunned for a moment: "What? What on earth makes you think that I would want to work for him ah?"

    [System: No, it just... you seem so close.]

    Julien seemed to be slightly intrigued and to understand his allusion: "Oh?"

    [System: He likes you. No doubt about it.]

    The atmosphere instantly became stiff.

    Julien calmly said: "No."

    [System: Okay, Host, whatever you say.]

    The conversation ended in a good night with no sincerity.

    Julien knew it was not true - Lucius Valentinus didn''t do like. He did crazy or fake, maybe. But a small quiet voice whispered, perhaps System was right. His scalp prickled at the idea that maybe, just maybe, he might like him.

    Julien hugged himself with quiet glee, rocking from side to side, entertaining the possibility that the villain might like him for one brief moment. He quickly shook his head - what a scary thing.

    After enduring his messy thoughts with much difficulty, the time to go to bed soon approached. Julien had just taken a bath and put on his pajamas when his phone suddenly buzzed.

    He swept his eyes over the screen and shock crossed his face, his mouth dropped open slightly.

    The same foreign number from yesterday sent a message: "Goodnight."

 Chapter 24 - AMUSEMENT PARK

    The messages wishing good night repeated during the whole week and were constantly ignored by Julien. He was going to pretend that he never received those text message contents from the villain.

    In the evening before weeknd the stranger called. Julien took a deep, steadying breath and with shaking fingers, he answered the call: "Hello!?"??

    The voice from the phone was deep: "Julien?"

    Julien didn''t recognize his own voice, he was so nervous: "Ah? Yes! That''s me."

    There was a brief pause. Inside he was quaking: "Mr. Valentinus?"

    Lucius''s tone was calm ¨C seductive even: "I have not received your response, not once."

    Julien''s voice raised several octaves: "I didn''t get any text from you over the past week!"

    Julien suddenly cracked up for a brief moment when he said that. Isn''t it too obvious that he was lying and he was admitting it at the same time?

    A hint of a smile was playing on Lucius''s lips. He said as politely as ever: "Then it''s all my fault."

    Julien''s breath hitched and he flushed: "It is ah. It really is!"

    He could visualize the wicked gleam in the villain black eyes. The chuckle sounded through the phone: "If there is a time, let''s take Mino to the amusement park."

    Julien made a perfunctory sound of acknowledgement.

    Then Lucius continued: "Tomorrow, if that''s okay. Would it be convenient for you?"

    Julien said quietly: "I haven''t made any plans."

    Lucius was pleased with his answer: "I have arranged it and will come pick you tomorrow morning."

    After that he hung up.

    Julien was staring blankly at his phone.

    What was that?

    [System: Host, your face is red. Do you need fresh air?]

    Julien couldn''t hide his irritation with System: "Aren''t you clever?"

    He muttered to himself: "This is definetlly a side effect of being omega."

    It was a restless night for Julien, he was tossing and turning. Dreaming of black eyes that was hidden under glasses, coveralls, long legs, long fingers, and dark, dark unexplored places.

    He woke twice in the night. His heart was pounding.

    Julien knew that he will look great tomorrow with so little sleep. He punched his pillow and tried to settle.

    Lucius came at 10 o''clock having the little boy with him.

    After Julien greeted them and pulled Mino up: "Let''s go."

    Visitors at the amusement park on weekends were mostly packed and most of them were traveling with their families. Mino was attracted to everything both physically and mentaly. He pointed to one of the tower-shaped buildings and said to Julien: "Magic tower!"

    Julien asked: "Does Mino want to go there?"

    Mino nodded.

    Julien smiled and ruffled his hair: "We can go right away."

    Despite Julien''s expectations, playing in the amusement park with a child and without were two very different experiences. At that time he sat on a wooden horse in the merry-go-round. As he moved along with the up-and-down movement of his pegasus, he looked over at the nearby rollercoaster ride mournfully.

    Julien would never have thought that there would come a day where the rollercoaster ride could be so close yet so far, just like how he would never have thought that at his age, he would accompany Mino to ride the merry-go-round. But when he observed Lucius lifeless appearance, he felt his mood extraordinarily lighten.

    As soon as Mino saw the place where he was previously looking, he instantly looked at Julien with sparkling eyes.

    Naturally, it was impossible for two adults to let the little boy play in such a dangerous place so in the end they only could go for a train ride for childrens.

    The little train started and Mino''s voice sounded, obviously startled: "Ah!"

    Julien subconsciously wanted to pat him on the back. The hand stretched out, but touched another person''s hand with a cool touch and long fingers.

    Thump, thump, thump¡ª

    Julien removed his hand and turned his head. He saw Lucius also looking at him with a gentle smile.

    After walking out of the ride, Mino pointed at a different building. Julien saw that he was so excited about it that his little face had turned red. He guessed: "Is it that you want to play there?"

    Mino nodded, asking quietly: "Can I?"

    Julien ruffled his hair again with a smile: "Of course you can."

    The three of them went to the bumper car arena. This time, Lucius got in a car with the little boy while Julien was in a car by himself. Mino couldn''t help but giggle out loud when the cars were bumping each other fiercely.

    It was the first time he spoke to Lucius as he told him quietly: "When the two cars collide, Mino will be propelled into the air."

    Lucius had no experience with children and couldn''t tell if the little boy liked it or not: "Are you having fun?"

    Mino instantly became even more shy: "Yes, it''s a lot of fun."

    Lucius sent him a smile that reached his eyes: "That''s good then. As long as you are happy."

    After running and playing around all morning long, Julien was feeling extremely worn out. They had taken a little boy to the home.

    Today Mino had gotten much closer to Lucius as well. He kept on waving his little hand and saying goodbye to them.

 Chapter 25 - NOT A DATE

    It was awkward for Julien to sit alone with Lucius in the car without Mino.

    He secretly admired the villain from not-so-afar. Twice their eyes locked and Julien had to tear himself away from his gaze. He was fidgeting nervously.??

    His heart slammed into his mouth when he heard Lucius say: "I wondered if you would join me for coffee."

    What? Date? Was the villain asking him on a date?

    [System: He''s asking if you want a coffee. Maybe he thinks you haven''t woken up yet.]

    Julien subconsciously whined at System in a sneering mood.

    Well. No. Not a date. Lucius laughed at his ridiculous thought. Just a chat¡ªan interview of sorts. Then he could find out a little more about this enigmatic omega.

    He cleared his throat, trying to control nerves and murmured: "Okay. Let''s do coffee."

    He was going to have coffee with the villain... and he hated coffee the most.

    Lucius was smiling a dazzling, unguarded, natural, all-teeth-showing, glorious smile. He stood up straight, holding his hand on the car door for Julien to go first.

    The doors opened and much to Julien''s surprise, Lucius took his hand, clasping it with his long cool fingers. Julien made his way down the street together with him, his knees shaky and his heart in his mouth was thumping a dramatic uneven beat.

    Julien wanted to withdraw his hand, but it was like something was controlling his body, making it so that he couldn''t move as he wanted. He was struggling to maintain a straight face, so he looked down, feeling his cheeks turning pink.

    When he peeked up at Lucius through his lashes, the other had a hint of a smile on his lips, but it''s very hard to tell.

    Julien didn''t know what he should say to him. His mind was suddenly paralyzed with apprehension.

    Julien seemed to be so innocent and as they walked onto the street Lucius questioned his motives again. He only knew that he liked the feel of omega''s hand in his.

    The sun was shining and the traffic was light. Lucius turned left and strolled to the corner, where they stopped waiting for the lights of the pedestrian crossing to change. He was still holding Julien''s hand.

    No one had ever held Julien''s hand. He felt giddy and he tumbled all over.

    They walked four blocks before they reached the coffee shop. Lucius released Julien to hold the door open so he could step inside.

    Lucius asked very politely: "Why don''t you choose a table while I get the drinks? What would you like?"

    Julien flushed a beet red: "I''ll have, um, grape juice."

    Lucius raised his eyebrows: "No coffee? You look tired."

    Julien stared down at his knotted fingers: "I don''t like coffee."

    Lucius smiled: "Anything to eat?"

    Julien shaked his head: "No, thank you."

    Lucius headed to the counter. Julien surreptitiously looked at him. Today the villain was wearing casual clothes. He wore dark-coloured jeans with a white shirt and a pair of leather shoes. Lucius was tall, large and broad-shouldered. He was really suited to Julien''s taste.

    Julien stared down at his hands again, not liking where his wayward thoughts were heading.

    Lucius was back: "What are you thinking about?"

    Julien went crimson. He shook his head.

    Lucius carried a tray, which he set down on the small, round, birch-veneer table. He handed Julien a glass of juice as for him it was black coffee. He put the tray aside, sat opposite Julien and crossed his long legs. He prompted him: "Your thoughts?"

    Julien''s voice was breathy: "Nothing important."

    Lucius frowned. He knew Julien was hiding something: "You seem nervous around me."

    Julien whispered: "I''m ah."

    Lucius asked as he sipped his coffee: "Why? If I''m not wrong, you are this way from our first meeting."

    Julien glanced at him and the villain gave him an encouraging but wry smile: "I just find you scary."

    Lucius noded: "You should find me scary."

    This was bewildering for Julien: "Ah?"

    Lucius breathed: "It gives me some sort of clue what you might be thinking."

    And then he added: "You''re a mystery, Julien."

    Julien''s pupils narrowed: "Mysterious? Me? There''s nothing mysterious about me."

    Lucius murmured: "There are many things."

    Julien sucked in a shaky breath, feeling his throat constrict. Panic rose like bile in his body.

    Could Lucius know something that he is not original Julien from this world?

    [System: It''s impossible.]

    System words calmed him down a little: "Do you always make such personal observations?"

    Lucius sounded a little surprised: "Have I offended you?"

    Julien answered truthfully: "No, but you''re quite overbearing."

    Lucius raised his eyebrows and, if Julien was not mistaken, he flushed slightly: "I''m just used to getting my own way, Julien."

    Was he trying to warn him off?

    He was smiling kindly at him: "Do you have any other identity that no one knows about?"

    Julien was trying to suppress his rising panic in voice as his brain was running fast: "Chef."

    Lucius arched his eyebrow slightly as Julien lied self-consciously before him: "Have you cooked anything this week?"

    Julien cleared his throat: "No."

    Lucius asked: "Could you name one or two dishes?"

    Julien said simply: "Boiled dumplings."

    Lucius''s voice was warm, possibly amused, but it was difficult to tell from his impassive expression. He looks mildly interested, but above all, polite: "What''s the filling?"

    Julien stuttered: "Fast frozen dumpling from the supermarket."

    He was feeling so antagonistic towards Lucius.

    The villain was too much of a bully, there was no other explanation, and part of Julien was thinking maybe it would have been better to not come here with him.

    All this talk reminded him that he should stay away from him. Julien glanced at his watch: "I would better go."

    Lucius cocked his head to one side, running his index finger across his lower lip: "I will send you back."

    Julien blinked rapidly: "There is no need. Thank you for the juice, Mr. Valentinus."

    Lucius only smiled odd as he waved Julien farewell. He watched omega go, hoping that he''ll give him a second look, but he didn''t. Julien disappeared behind the building, leaving in his wake a trace of regret and the memory of his bright peach blossom eyes.

 Chapter 26 - DOUBTS

    Julien just wanted to escape from uncomfortable questions.

    Where was Lucius going with all of this?

    He refrained himself from rolling his eyes at the villain''s behavior today.

    Julien was heading back to the home and was again lost in his thoughts in companionable silence.

    It may be because the book is from the perspective of Romdemio so Lucius was always described as a very understanding and nice person. Julien mocked internally than in these four words, he probably could only count a ''person'' and there was one more misconception - he should be this way to anyone except Julien and here a moment ago he was holding his hand.

    Once Julien reached his room, he leaned against the wall and put his head in his hands.

    Romantically, though, he had never put himself out there, ever. A lifetime of insecurity ¨C he was too traumatized, too scared, too scruffy, uncoordinated, his long list of faults went on.

    So he had always been the one to rebuff any would-be admirers. There were likely many people who liked him, but no one has ever sparked his interest only with appearance ¨C no one except Lucius damn villain.

    He took a deep and steady breath.

    They were poles apart and from two very different worlds.

    [System: Host, what''s wrong?]

    Julien managed to sound in a matter-of-fact: "Nothing. I won''t be seeing Lucius again."

    [System: Oh? What do you mean?]

    With a shake, Julien cleared his head: "I should steer clear of him. He is not the alpha for me.]

    [System: I have got it written down in the data somewhere.]

    Julien was left speechless by the System.

    His mood shifted and a smile finally appeared on his face, when he was looking at his Weibo and reading positive comments about his live stream performance.

    Julien spontaneously went live and people instantly started to show up despite the fact that he didn''t promote it in advance.

    At first, he had a casual chat with the audience for a few minutes as he read through the comments section to shout people out and answered questions.

    Countless netizens who watched Julien commented on the bottom:

    [King of Dogs: It''s a pity not to enter the entertainment industry with such singing skills!]

    [Little Golden Fish: I only regret I didn''t go to the scene in person when he performed.]

    [Fury Worm: How much money does your brother give you? I will double it!]

    Julien smiled after he read some of these comments, but he not intended to respond to any of them: "I still have something to do here."

    He just wanted to share his emotion with someone. Julien made this decisions on impulses of his heart. Maybe the people who were watching him perform were going through something that was similar and listening to his song will show them that they were not alone.

    His voice was smooth and clear and quiet yet powerful. Soothing, in a way:

    Just pretend that we have never met

    We have already run out of time to explain

    Forget it, it doesn''t matter what I have done

    There is no other way, it is frightening

    That me was to outrageous always going in head first

    If it''s not love, don''t lie, it''s just a bit of a crush

    If it''s not hate, don''t make so much a fuss

    Just think of me as a very troublesome person

    Someone who always letting himself to get hurt

    This is just what it is to have feelings

    I wasn''t careful and I let myself lose my mind

    Let''s come to understand that this can''t last long

    If we owe each other anything then forget about it can we

    Can''t help it, it''s alright, no one has to remain

    Forcing ourselves to be together will just wear us down

    No regrets, just treat it as mistake

    In the future, you don''t need to think of me

    Could you be as free and easy as I am

    One day we will learn from all of this

    I have tried to find the answer and the answer is very simple

    So simple that it is rather sad

    Because to grow we are forced to get used to it

    In less than five minutes, the contents of the comment have been transformed:

    [A Pure Man: This is the sound that can make the audience cry.]

    This hot comment quickly got tens of thousands of likes.

    Many of these people felt the connection between themselves and Julien through the music he created.

    It''s not just netizens who were listening.

    Lucius laughed and shook his head after listening to Julien''s song.

    He magically put a smile and strolled his eyes over to the laptop. He was staring at Julien''s gloriously and good-looking face on the screen. The youth was a mass of contradictions: shy, awkward, obviously bright and also arousing as hell. He had tried to resist those feelings over and over again.

    Julien''s words made sense. He was not the man for him. This was what he meant and it made his rejection easier to accept, but he won''t do it.

    He understood, but couldn''t agree with this and he didn''t do waiting. He hated waiting¡­for anything.

    Now he had to wait... fucking wait¡­ again.

    Sighing, he checked his phone once again in the hope that Julien had just messaged him, but there was nothing.

    Julien in bed was trying to sleep, but his thoughts drifted through this strange morning. He kept coming back to the conversation with Lucius. He turned to his side. He closed his eyes and began to fall asleep.

    He was saving himself.

    He didn''t want to die like Julien in the book.

    That night, he dreamed of running toward something or away from it, it was not clear.

 Chapter 27 - BAR

    Julien took some time off from everything and enjoyed being lazy at home. It was Friday and he thought of meeting with Etienne and drinking some wine in a nice place.

    When he was walking down the stairs, he noticed Ioan standing on the steps up to the front door holding a brown paper parcel.??

    Ioan turned to him and said hesitantly: "There''s a package for you."

    Julien''s eyebrows tangled in an accusatory frown: "Odd. I haven''t ordered anything recently."

    Ioan gave him the package and said as he left in a hurry to meet with own friends: "Well, maybe you forgot about it."

    It was addressed to Julien Baume. There was no sender''s address or name.

    [System: Just open it already.]

    Julien opened the parcel and inside found a red box containing chocolates wrapped in gold paper. There was also a plain white card. Written on one side, in black ink in neat cursive handwriting, was:

    Hold me tight, just like we have never met

    It''s alright, although a lot left unsaid

    Never mind, all that you have done is alright

    Don''t stay far away like you are

    Julien recognized the modified words of his song.

    Julien''s eyes were wide with disbelief: "Can it be Lucius?"

    [System: Can you think of anyone else?]

    Julien frowned: "I have no idea."

    Lucius slept well for the first time in five days. Maybe he was feeling the closure he had hoped for, now that he has sent this gift to Julien. As he shaved, the asshole in the mirror stared back at him with cool, black eyes - liar.

    Julien had not let himself dwell on the villain for the past week.

    Why had he sent him this?

    Julien said with a completely straight face: "I can''t accept these chocolates from him. I''ll send them back."

    Etienne and Julien walked into the bar and that was how night started.

    The bar was a little loud and hectic, full of young students from the university. Julien leaned on the bar and was buying a red wine for them: "What are your plans after you graduate?"

    Etienne shrugged: "I haven''t made any plans and need to get through my final exams."

    Julien smiled like a boss: "My brother''s company for sure runs some excellent internship programs."

    Etienne was lightly touched that Julien was offering him a job: "Oh. I''ll bear that in mind. "

    Then he waved his hand giving up on this: "I''m not sure I would fit in there."

    Julien cocked his head to one side: "Why?"

    Etienne laughed: "As an artist it''s not suitable to have practical professions bringing money."

    Julien put his arm at his shoulder and laughed with him: "It''s obvious, isn''t it?"

    Julien was wearing a blue check long-sleeved underneath his navy t-shirt with minimal design, pair of distressed jeans and inhibitor with velvety sapphire. It looked well put together and a lot of alphas were peeking in their direction.

    Julien whispered in Etienne''s ear: "Another glass?"

    Etiennie giggled: "Are you trying to get me drunk?"

    Julien winked at him and ordered a next glass.

    It was not a good idea.

    Julien''s head was spinning. He tried to get up from their table, but had to grab the back of the chair to stand properly. He decided that he should visit the toilet while he was on his feet.

    [System: Good thinking, Host!]

    Julien ignored the System as he staggered off through the crowd. There was a line, but at least it was quiet and cool in the corridor and he was feeling more comfortable.

    Julien reached for his mobile phone to relieve the boredom of waiting in line. He kept looking at messages from the villain in the complicated mood.

    Was he having fun with Ioan now?

    Julien tried to suppress his drunken state. He hit the automatic redial by mistake.

    Lucius answered on the second ring and was surprised that omega called him on his own initiative: "Julien?"

    He didn''t hide his surprise or his pleasure. The background was noisy and it sounded like omega was at a party or in a bar. Ioan glanced at him, so he got up off the sofa and out of his earshot.

    Julien was angry at himself: "I accidentally dialed your number. Sorry."

    Lucius''s voice is filled with concern: "You sound strange. Are you okay?"

    Julien''s courage fuelled by alcohol and he splattered to him: "I''m not the strange one, you are! "Why did you send me the chocolates? I have enough to eat at home!"

    Lucius''s tone became more cold: "Have you been drinking?"

    Julien rolled his eyes: "Why do you care?"

    Julien sounded surly and belligerent, and Lucius knew he was drunk, but he also needed to know that he was okay: "I''m just curious. Where are you?"

    Julien smirked: "In a bar."

    Lucius was frustrated and irritated: "Which bar?"

    Anxiety bloomed in Lucius''s gut. Julien was a young omega, drunk, somewhere in city ??center. He was not safe.

    Julien enjoyed this game of cat and mouse: "A bar not far from A University."

    Lucius asked: "How are you getting home? You are not with Ioan."

    Julien pointed his nose: "Somehow."

    Lucius''s tone was dictatorial: "Which bar are you in? Tell me now."

    He pinched the bridge of his nose in the vain hope that the action will distract him from his fraying temper.

    Julien imagined the villain as an old-time movie director wearing jodhpurs, holding an old-fashioned megaphone. The image made him laugh out loud: "Oh, I''m so scared! You are truly a dominant alpha! So domineering!"

    In any other situation Lucius would find this charming. But right now - he wanted to show him how dominant he could be. Julien was driving him crazy.

    Lucius sweared at him: "Yes, I am, so help me, where the fuck are you?"

    Julien was not impressed by this: "Goodnight Mr. Valentinus and until then, fuck off."

    Lucius was completely frustrated: "Julien!"

    Julien hung up on him very proud of himself.

    Lucius stared at the phone in disbelief. No one had ever hung up on him.

    What the fuck!

 Chapter 28 - DANGER

    Julien evaluated this phone call as absolutely meaningless. He was a bit disappointed that the villain didn''t tell him the meaning of the gift he received today.

    Julien also felt that he was really quite drunk. His head swimmed uncomfortably as he shuffled with the line. The object of going out was to have some fun so one mission was accomplished. He had succeeded.??

    The line had moved and it was his turn. When Julien entered the cabin his mobile phone started ringing. It made him jump and yelp in surprise.

    He answered it in a fright: "Hello?"

    Lucius said and immediately hung up after that: "I''m coming to get you."

    Lucius sounded calm and threatening at the same time.

    Julien''s heart was thumping: "Oh no."

    [System: You didn''t tell him where you are.]

    Julien calmed down: "You are right! He can''t find me here."

    He thought that the villain just wanted to mess with his head. Julien washed his hands and checked his face in the mirror. He looked flushed and slightly unfocused.

    When he eventually returned to the table Etienne scolded him: "I was starting to worry, you have been gone so long."

    Julien waved his hand: "The line for the toilet was long."

    Etienne measured him with his eyes: "You don''t look well. Maybe we go get some fresh air?"

    Julien brows squished together in a frown: "I''m not okay, but you are. Something is not right."

    Etienne pointed his finger at his chest: "Because my omega genes are not dominant and I''m not so sensitive like you."

    Julien said in a sulky tone: "I thought I was the stronger one."

    He was feeling wronged and held a grudge against System who told him all the things about being powerful.

    [System: I was talking about your pheromones and not about your body! Can you blame me for not listening properly?]

    Etienne was looking at him with a questioning expression on his face: "What did you do at school when they were explaining these things? Well, never mind, let''s go."

    They made their way through the crowd while Julien was beginning to feel hot, his head was spinning uncomfortably. He was a little unsteady on his feet. More unsteady than usual.

    How could he be so drunk after drinking that much?

    [System: There''s a lot of people who can learn from their mistakes, but you aren''t one of them.]

    His vision had been affected, and Julien was seeing double of everything. The System was right, he shouldn''t let himself get this messed up, but wasn''t able to resist the temptation of the next glass.

    The wine was velvety red with no real sign of ageing, still very youthful, heavily Cabernet in style, blackcurrant leaf with a cedar wood and cigar box spice coming through, concentrated fragrance was followed by rich fruit. Overall, it was a classic Medoc from a top chateau in a great vintage.

    He was no saint.

    Outside two alphas had joined them: "Are you okay?"

    Julien smiled weakly at them: "I think I just had a bit too much to drink."

    One of them said: "We too."

    They stepped closer, putting their arm around them: "We can have a good time, the four of us."

    Etienne was frightened. The other alpha was holding him in his arms, pulling him close: "What are you doing?"

    Julien tried to push him and rescue Etienne: "Get your hands off him!"

    He felt panicky, drunk and out of control. The feeling was suffocating.

    Thump, thump, thump¡ª

    Julien thought he was going to be in heat in a moment.

    The cold and sinister voice split the air: "Oh that''s how you wanna play it when I''m not being around?"

    Lucius struggled to contain his anger.

    Two alphas glanced anxiously up at him and released omegas. They quickly slinked off back into the building.

    Julien jumped to hide behind Etienne. He was crying inside: "System, you said that he can''t find me!"

    [System: I said, and I quote, ''you didn''t tell him where you are''. According to my data at that moment he actually didn''t know, but things are changing, aren''t they?]

    Julien glanced at Etinne who looked pretty intimidated by Lucius: "What are you looking at? Save me!"

    Then he risked a peek at the villain. Lucius was staring down at him, his face composed, giving nothing away.

    Etienne spotted the taxi stop which was opposite them: "I think I''m looking in the wrong direction. I will be leaving this way!"

    He knew that they had a complicated relationship and didn''t want to meddle in their affairs.

    Julien was taken aback: "What?"

    Etienne just shrugged and said: "I, it''s nothing, Julien. I just remembered something urgent came up."

    Julien frowned: "Something urgent?"

    Etienne was thinking hard about the excuse: "Oh, the piano I left at home is sick. No, that''s not right. I mean, I was going to meet up with someone and I forgot. Unfortunately, we will have to part ways!"

    Julien''s jaw dropped: "You really got nothing to do here?"

    His pupils narrowed and seemed to flee from the expanding whites of his eyes: "So you are going to walk away? Ok! I see how it is!"

    Etienne would run if he could, but that would make him look too suspicious.

    Julien was on his own with Lucius. He couldn''t bring himself to look at him swamped with shame.

    What should he say to him?

    Julien muttered, staring at his fingers: "I''m sorry."

    Lucius asked dryly: "What are you sorry for, Julien?"

    [System: He he. The villain wants his pound of flesh.]

    Julien''s face was very white: "Apologize for the phone call and for being rude."

    Lucius even in the dark you could see him, like a shining beacon. The white creamy tone of his skin reminded him of whipped milk. He couldn''t help but wonder if he reached out, would he only graze air. As if he were nothing but a ghost.

    Lucius grabbed his wrist and pulled it out and gently led him over to the edge of the parking lot: "If you''re going to be in the heat again, do it the car."

    The alpha tugged his hand that he was still holding hard and omega couldn''t help and fell back against him. Lucius had one arm around him, clasping Julien to him, while the fingers of his other hand softly traced his face, gently probing, examining him. His thumb brushed his lower lip.

    All Julien could hear at this moment was Lucius breath hitch.

 Chapter 29 - KISS

    Lucius was staring into his eyes. Julien held his burning gaze for a moment, but eventually, his attention was drawn to his beautiful mouth. He was paralyzed with a strange, unfamiliar need, completely captivated by the alpha.

    Lucius was looking down at him, his gaze hooded, his eyes darkening. He was breathing harder than usual. His hand as if playing piano, fondled on omega body, making it shudder.??

    And at this moment, the whole Julien was pressed on the car. That kind of exciting feeling let him almost groan, fortunately he held it in time. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and gave alpha a small shake of his head as if in answer to his movements: "Medicine."

    Fingertips with omega''s greedy temperature, Lucius was reluctant to let go. He glanced at frightened Julien and took his hand again and led him to the car.

    Lucius handed omega a small, round, white pill from his pocket and he shouted his order at him: "Take it!"

    He was watching Julien intently as the other reluctantly took it into his mouth: "Swallow."

    Lucius runed his hand through his cautious styled hair. He looked frustrated and angry.

    His eyes cloud with irritation and asked out of the blue: "Do you always wear an inhibitor?"

    Dread etched on Julien''s face: "Yes. Why would you ask that? What the hell has it got to do with you?"

    Lucius whispered darkly in his ear: "I would like to rip that inhibitor."

    His lips brushed over Julien''s ear: "Don''t tell me you don''t feel it as well, you almost always get into a heat when I''m near you."

    Julien swallowed some saliva: "I don''t! I really don''t!"

    He pretended to be calm: "And I''m sorry about it, but you will not do this, right?"

    Lucius sighed and shaked his head at him. He was wearing a slightly amused smile: "I won''t release my pheromones and touch you - not until I have your consent to do so."

    Julien let out the breath that he had been holding. His head buzzes with excess heat and he began to feel faint: "How did you find me?"

    Lucius''s mouth pressed into a hard line: "I tracked your mobile phone."

    Julien''s subconscious whispered ''stalker'' through the cloud of blackout. His mouth popped open as he gasped and swallowed at the same time. He was panting. His thoughts crashed through his brain, fighting the fuzzy feeling. He squirmed in his seat and met Lucius''s dark gaze.

    The last thing he heard before he passed out was: "Breathe, Julien, breathe."

    Lucius narrowed his eyes and scratched his nose.

    Was the medicine too strong?

    Omega mumbled something incoherent and Lucius knew he was still conscious.

    Soon after leaving the parking lot Julien who was aslep in the passenger seat, was still panting heavily. The sense of emptiness inside his body was so torturous that he wished somebody would immediately fill him. The person that could provide help was sitting right beside him. His body unconsciously leaned towards the other party while his hands tugged randomly at him. He was rubbing against the man within his arms.

    Lucius helplessly clicked his tongue and with one hand holding the steering wheel, used the other to firmly restrain him, pressing him into his embrace. He said to him in a deep and low voice: "Fuck! Be good and don''t make trouble!"

    His magnetic voice was simply pouring oil into fire at that moment. Julien was already completely lost.

    Lucius carried Julien to his room and closed the door softly behind him.

    He gently put him on the bed. Using the weak light from a lamp, he looked at the youth''s face. Extending out his right hand by a bit, he felt the youth''s features, directly poking the location of the boy''s long eyelashes. Perhaps the strength behind his action had been too strong as the Julien lying on the bed released a soft sound.

    Lucius suddenly thought of omega who had been moaning next to him just a moment ago. His rationality was once again on the brink of collapsing.

    The alpha carefully removed Julien''s sweaty clothes.

    When the youth only had a pair of underwear left on his body Lucius''s eyes were like a bottomless pool of darkness. Lucius adam''s apple lightly bobbed, and his line of sight slowly moved downwards to the peony v-string panties with embroidered garland of flowers at the front that highlighted this flirty silhouette.

    Lucius hesitated for a moment before slowly lowering his head to the point their lips lightly touched. From his point of view he could only see Julien''s closed eyes.

    The next second, unexpectedly sleeping omega responded to him, Julien''s tongue pushed into Lucius''s mouth, hooking the other''s still one. His kiss was sloppy and unskilled as he simply followed his instincts to push his tongue even deeper into the other''s mouth.

    A few seconds later, Lucius pinched omega''s chin and took over the lead. He placed his other hand on the nape of Julien''s neck. At the same time, he backed away slightly before tilting his head once more so that he could plunder the other''s mouth from a different angle. It was like Lucius wanted to swallow the person in his arms into his own being. The inevitable wet noises that were produced from the entwinement of lips as they exchanged saliva made Julien make a sound akin to a whimper as he sucked in a breath. However, the alpha''s offense was fierce. He didn''t give Julien any opportunity to evade. When the youth was about to wake up, Lucius suddenly released him, as if omega was a scorching hot sweet potato.

    After the man did that, he went somewhat crazy.

    He stood up abruptly and rushed to leave.

    Nearly two hours later, Lucius came to bed. It was just after 1:45 am. Julien was fast asleep and hadn''t moved from where he left him. Lucius striped, pulled on his pijama pants and a t-shirt. He climbed in beside Julien. Omega was comatose. It was unlikely that he was going to thrash around and touch him again. Lucius hesitated for a moment as the darkness swelled within him, but it didn''t surface. He knew it was because he was watching the hypnotic rise and fall of Julien''s chest and he was breathing in sync with him. In. Out. In. Out. In. Out. For seconds, minutes, hours, he didn''t know, he watched him. And while Julien slept he surveyed every beautiful inch of his face.

    Finally, after Lucius felt satisfied, he has fallen into a deep and dreamless slumber.

 Chapter 30 - MORNING

    It was quiet when Lucius opened his eyes and he was momentarily disoriented. The clock at his bedside pointed at seven am.

    Slowly Lucius turned his head, and he was asleep, facing him. His beautiful face was soft in repose.??

    Lucius had never slept with omega and to wake up beside an alluring young one was a new and stimulating experience.

    Reluctantly, Lucius climbed out of bed and changed into his gym clothes. He needed to burn off this excess energy. As he changed into his sweats he couldn''t remember the last time he had slept so well.

    When Lucius returned from his exercise he was distracted knowing that Julien was asleep in the next room. He wondered how omega will feel after he wakes up.

    In the fridge, Lucius found a bottle of grape juice and emptied it into a glass. Julien was still asleep when he entered, his hair was spread across the pillow, and the quilt had slipped below his waist, exposing his belly and his navel. The sight stirred Lucius''s body once more.

    He had to get out of here before he does something he will regret.

    It was very quiet and the light was muted. Julien was comfortable and warm in this bed. He opened his eyes and for a moment he was serene enjoying himself.

    A shade of panic and fear flashed past his eyes when he saw the strange and unfamiliar surroundings. He had no idea where he was. The headboard behind him was in the shape of a massive sun. The room was large and airy and plushly furnished in browns and golds and beige. He had no idea how he got here.

    Soon fractured memories of the previous night came slowly back to haunt him. The drinking, the phone call, the heat, but he didn''t remember coming here.

    [System: You are wearing only underwear. It isn''t much better than me being naked in your head, right?]

    Julien wrapped the quilt tightly around himself: "Holy shit!"

    He glanced at the bedside table. On it was a glass of grape juice. Julien hesitantly took the glass and sipped it carefully while trying to figure out how to escape without being noticed. The juice tasted divine. It was thirst-quenching, refreshing and revived his arid mouth.

    The knock on the door sounded. Julien''s heart leaped into his mouth and he couldn''t find his voice. He lay down quickly on the bed to pretend to be asleep.

    Lucius opened the door anyway and strolled in: "You are awake? How do you feel?"

    He could clearly see the person wrapped inside the quilt tremble because of his voice.

    Lucius seemed to carry a smile on his face yet not at the same time. He didn''t mind the non-response and asked calmly: "Do you have an impression of what happened yesterday?"

    Julien continued to remain silent.

    Lucius glanced at the empty glass and the corner of his lip turned up, a decoy to the cold stone of his face: "How long are you going to pretend?"

    If Julien still didn''t respond at that moment, it would be a bit inexcusable. He slowly sat up on the bed. His eyes didn''t dare make direct eye contact with the man and his hands clutched the quilt tightly. He spoke in an unsteady tone: "How did I get here?"

    Lucius came and sat down on the edge of the bed. He was close enough for Julien to see that he had been working out a moment ago. Lucius placed a large shopping bag on a chair and grasped each end of the towel that he had around his neck. He was staring at Julien, eyes dark and not showing what he was thinking in the slightest.

    Lucius said phlegmatically: "After you passed out in my car, I didn''t want to risk exposing you in that state to your brother. So I brought you here."

    Julien croaked: "Oh no, Ioan, he must be crazy right now."

    Lucius peered up at frustrated omega: "He thinks you are at your friend''s place. I texted him borrowing your mobile phone."

    Julien stared at his hands lost in thoughts. He whispered: "Did you put me to bed?"

    Lucius''s face was impassive: "Yes."

    Julien''s voice was even quieter: "Did you undress me?"

    Lucius quirked an eyebrow at a furiously blushing youth: "Yes."

    Julien took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He felt like a three-year-old kid - if he had closed eyes then he was not really here: "Do you have to take off even my pants?"

    Lucius caught abruptly two times: "You were quite aroused yesterday and the back of your jeans was drenched."

    His mouth lifts slightly in a smile as he wanted to teaste the youth: "Maybe I should remove your underwear as well, hm?"

    Julien''s mouth was drying in mortified horror: "I''m so sorry."

    Somehow Julien had been made to feel like the villain of the story.

    Lucius''s mood visibly shifted. His tone was accusatory: "Well, if you were my boyfriend, you would be grounded for a month and had to promise to never drink again after you did yesterday. You got drunk and you put yourself at risk."

    Lucius closes his eyes, dread etched on his face, and he shudders slightly. When he opened his eyes, he glared at Julien: "I hate to think what could have happened after you went into heat."

    Julien scowled back at him. He didn''t ask the man to come and get him. The thought pierced through the irritation he felt at his kind of committing words: "I''m not your boyfriend and you didn''t have to track me down with whatever spy stuff you produce in your shabby business."

    The alpha stared at him surprised and if Julien was not mistaken, a little wounded.

    Lucius said acidly: "Firstly, the technology to track mobile phones is available online. Secondly, my company does not invest or mass-produce any kind of ''spy stuff''. And thirdly, if I hadn''t come to get you, you would probably be in more trouble and maybe be waking up in that alpha''s bed right now."

    Julien glanced up again at Lucius. He was glaring at him, his black eyes blazing, aggrieved: "It''s about knowing your limits, Julien. Do you make a habit of this kind of drinking behavior?"

    Julien''s head buzzes with irritation. Lucius sounded like a middle-aged man scolding him like an errant child. Part of him wanted to say, if he wanted to get drunk every night like this, then it''s his decision and had nothing to do with him ¨C but he was not brave enough.

    Julien could only hiss at him: "You are so overbearing."

    Lucius''s eyes narrowed and then he grinned wickedly: "Oh, Baby, you have no idea."

    It was disarming. One minute, Julien was confused and angry, the next he was gazing at his gorgeous smile. He was entranced, and it''s because his not-fake smile was so rare. Julien quite forgot what he was talking about.

 Chapter 31 - BREAKFAST

    Lucius grin widened and he reached over and ran his thumb down the omega cheek and across his lower lip.

    Julien''s heart had increased the number of beats.??

    Thump, thump, thump¡ª

    Lucius cocked his head to one side, still grinning: "Breakfast will be in the dining room in fifteen minutes. I''m going to have a shower."

    The man headed into the bathroom and closed the door.

    Julien let out the breath that he had been holding. His pheromones were racing underneath his inhibitor. His skin tingled where his thumb traced over his face and lower lip. He felt like squirming with a needy and achy discomfort, but at the same time he didn''t understand this reaction.

    Julien lay back on the soft feather-filled pillows.

    The villain was too difficult, complicated and confusing. He was not like a villain at all, but like a white knight described in a book. He didn''t know if Lucius cared enough to come and rescue him from danger or if he just wanted to to use him for information or for other things he didn''t know yet.

    It was far better to take the attitude that he has a lot of time and give up expectations of the future. He will just live in the present and then eventually learn who the villain really is.

    But the next he wanted right now was...

    This was the best time to escape. Julien scrambled out of bed frantically searching for his jeans. He had bare legs and was all gawky when Lucius emerged from the bathroom wet and glistening from the shower with just a towel around his waist.

    The alpha was surprised to see him out of bed: "If you''re looking for your jeans, I have sent them to the laundry."

    Julien flushed scarlet: "Oh."

    Why did this man always catch him on the back foot?

    Lucius''s eyes were dark like obsidian: "Another pair and some clothes are in the bag on the chair."

    Julien muttered ashamed: "Thanks. I''ll have a shower too."

    What else could he do? Running away couldn''t be done now.

    In the bathroom, it was hot and steamy from where Lucius had been showering. Julien striped off his underwear and inhibitor. He quickly clambered into the shower, anxious to be under the cleansing stream of water. It cascaded over him as he held up his face into the welcoming torrent.

    [System: You had slept in his bed all night and he didn''t touch you so why are you so mortified?]

    The corners of Julien''s mouth pointed downwards: "I''m offline right now."

    [System: Your fear hides in many places - in anger, denial, drinking and anything else you compulsively engage in to make yourself feel better. But if you could just learn to be vulnerable for one secon and open up to the other, you would find there is no place left for your fear to hide.]

    Julien turned a deaf ear to System''s words.

    He just thought that it couldn''t work for Lucius and him.

    [System: Just wait and see...]

    Julien narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth: "Where is the delete button!?"

    [System: He he, there is no delete button.]

    Julien took a deep breath and he started picturing how the the naked System could look in reality.

    As he couldn''t go offline then it was System turn to shut up.

    Julien didn''t really minded when System was messing with him, he could easly flip it round and play with System insted. Julien''s smile betrayed that it was not a moment of anger but something which he deeply enjoyed.

    The water was warm and soothing. He could stay under this shower forever.

    The knocks on the door and voice startled him: "Breakfast is ready."

    Julien stuttered as he yanked cruelly out of his daydream: "Okay!"

    He climbed out of the shower and grabbed a towel. Hastily, Julien dried himself, ignoring the feeling of the towel rubbing against his over-sensitized skin.

    He inspected the bag of jeans. Not only the villain brought him jeans, but a dark red shirt, socks and underwear.

    Julien flushed when he saw sexy underwear. All red lace and finery. The back was made of a partial see-through fabric that showed and exposed everything.

    He dressed quickly and really didn''t want to think of the villain in some lingerie store buying this for him. The rest of the clothing was a perfect fit too.

    Julien was relieved to find the bedroom empty. He hunted quickly for his phone and wallet, but it was nowhere to be found here. He took a deep breath and finally entered the living area of the villa. It was huge and Lucius was sitting at a dining table on the other side of the room reading a newspaper. He was wearing a white linen shirt with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. It reminded him of their first meeting.

    Lucius lifted his chin and pointed to a place at the table. He said in a casual but irrefusable way: "Sit and eat with me."

    The table was laden with food, but Julien didn''t move.

    Lucius raised his eyebrow, directly pulled the seat beside him and spoke in a heavier tone: "I said, come here and sit."

    Like a pitiful little boy, Julien lifted his feet and with a rigid and heavy gait, walked to the seat and very carefully sat down.

    Lucius gave him an apologetic smile: "I didn''t know what you like to eat, so there is a little bit of everything here."

    Julien was bewildered by the choice. He put an enormous amount of food on a plate. Eggs, ham and piles of fried potatoes.

    Lucius tried to hide a smile as he returned to his egg white omelet.

    The food was delicious.

    Lucius asked: "Something to drink?"

    Julien nodden and then the man passed him an elegant glass of water.

    Julien''s mouth pressed into a hard line and in a very quiet voice said: "Thank you for organizing the clothes. I will give you some money for it."

    Lucius glared at him as if he had offended him on some level.

    Did he just wound the villain''s ego?

    Lucius put down his cutlery and his eyes were burning with some unfathomable emotion: "I can afford it."

    He continued to speak, his tone softened: "It''s a pleasure. That color suits you."

    They sit gazing at each other, neither of them touching their food. Julien was first to blush and stare down: "That''s not the point. Why should you buy these for me?"

    Lucius''s gaze flashed with a wicked gleam: "Because I can."

    Julien''s eyes flickered with recognition at the man''s words: "There is a line in one dinosaur movie ''they were so preoccupied with whatever or not they could, they never stopped to think if they should''. Just because you can doesn''t mean that you should."

    Lucius arched an eyebrow at him, his eyes twinkling, and suddenly Julien felt that they were talking about something else, but he didn''t know what it was.

    Lucius said in a low voice: "There''s something about you that I''m finding it impossible to stay away. But I think you have figured that out already."

    Julien gasped, his eyes wide: "You should stay away!"

    Lucius had his elbows on the table, and his chin was resting on his long, steepled fingers: "I don''t have to, Julien."

    Suddenly, for some inexplicable reason the atmosphere between them changed, charged with an electric, exhilarating anticipation.

 Chapter 32 - POWER

    Julieb breathing altered as his heart raced again.

    Thump, thump, thump¡ª??

    He couldn''t handle the heavy gaze of the man next to him and rushed out of the seat attempting to flee through the salon.

    Lucius lunged at him and pushed him against the sofa in the middle of the room. Before Julien knew it, he had got both of his hands in one of the other''s in a vice-like grip above his head and Lucius pinned him to the sofa bed using his hips. Lucius''s other hand grabbed his longer hair on the back of his head and yanked it down, bringing his face up. The alpha''s lips were on his. Julien unconsciously moaned into Lucius''s mouth, giving his tongue an opening.

    The man took full advantage of it, his tongue expertly explored omega mouth. His tongue tentatively stroked the other''s in a slow dance that was all about touch and sensation. Bump and grind. He bringed his hand up to grasp omega chin and held him in place.

    Julien had never been kissed like this. It was his first real kiss to begin with. He was helpless, his hands pinned, his face held and Lucius''s hips were restraining him.

    Julien felt Lucius''s erection against his belly. In the next second, he found himself struggling out of his grasp, pushing him away. Fighting him: "Let go¡­ no... "

    The tears were streaming down his face. He didn''t want to cry. It angered him that he was crying. Julien straightened and dashed the tears bitterly out of his eyes with the backs of his hands, glaring at Lucius: "You said, you won''t touch me until you have my consent."

    The couch shifted under Lucius''s weight as he climbed in behind him.

    Gently, the alpha pulled him into his arms, burying his nose in his hair. He whispered: "Your scent¡­ I can sense it."

    [System: You forgot to put on the inhibitor after a bath.]

    At this moment, Julien felt that the world was too cruel: "What should I do now?"

    Julien wanted to pull away from Lucius and move to the other side of the sofa, but he was paralyzed. He couldn''t move and lied stiffly, not yielding at all.

    He breathed softly against omega''s skin. His voice was achingly sad: "Don''t go, stay here."

    [System: Although you aren''t in heat right now the person with high pheromones compatibility is capable of smelling it and can be unconsciously attracted.]

    This was new for Julien - some kind of harmony between him and the villain.

    Was it because his scent was different from the previous one?

    Julien''s fragrance had the power to affect Lucius''s mood and reduce stress, his muscles slowly relaxed. The alpha drenched himself in this gentle and clean scent that reminded him of cool rainy mornings with warm air and fresh breeze.

    They lay together like this, neither saying anything for ages. The soft light got brighter as morning moved on. Lucius held him and very gradually Julien''s aloofness and wariness was left behind the soft and tender kiss on his neck.

    Lucius said after a long while: "I''m sorry, don''t hate me."

    Julien turned very slowly in his arms so he could face him. He was resting head on his arm. Lucius''s eyes were flinty black and guarded. He gazed at the villain''s beautiful face. Lucius was giving nothing away, but he kept his eyes on him, hardly blinking. He was so breathtakingly good-looking. Reaching up, Julien caressed his cheek and ran the tips of his fingers through the other stubble.

    Julien breathed and said the first thing that came to his mind: "I used your toothbrush. I mean, we are even now?"

    Lucius nodded and his lips quirked up in a half smile: "Yes."

    Hearing the villain''s word, Julien immediately heaved a long sigh of relief. He almost jumped up from the sofa. He grabbed his inhibitor and his mobile phone while watching Lucius''s expression. Julien slowly retreated back to the large doorway. He put on a smile: "Then I''ll go. So, goodbye?"

    As if hearing the heartfelt hope hidden under the word of ''goodbye'' from omega, Lucius asked: "What are your plans for the next few days?"

    Julien was confused suddenly: "Why do you ask?"

    Lucius took a look at him. His gaze was deep. Then, he sighed: "Now that we''ve talked up to this point, would you like to sign into ''Famous'' Company?"

    Julien raised his eyebrows in surprise: "If I say that it may not be appropriate..."

    Lucius smiled faintly: "If you are willing, we will have friendly cooperation together."

    Julien murmured, completely confused: "Let me think about it."

    To this, Lucius explained: "My company doesn''t lack the money to raise an idle person like you."

    Hearing the man''s words, Julien didn''t feel much. His aspiration wasn''t being in the entertainment circle, but to live freely and safely in society.

    After all this was said, Julien immediately left.

    Lucius was very efficient and he immediately asked someone to fax the contract.

    When Julien got home, he saw that the contract indeed gave a very preferential treatment towards him. He had the right to choose his job independently and the deduction percentage was also very low. It simply wasn''t something that someone in a rank like his could take a hold on.

    After thinking about it through the day and half of the night, he didn''t entangle himself any longer and signed the contract.

    Julien took a large swig of his wine.

    He was doing something much braver than he was actually feeling.

    The wine had fine depth, with a great profundity for this level. The bouquet offered layers of red and dark berry fruit ¨C quite vibrant and juicy with nice, filigreed minerality.

    The principle with drinking wine was that it bringed him extraordinary joy and hedonistic thrills. Julien touched his lips, swollen from today''s kiss.

    Should he pretend that it didn''t happen?

    It definitely happened and he didn''t feel any repulsion about it right now.

    Meanwhile Lucius''s scream bounced off the bedroom walls and woke him from his nightmare. He was smothered in sweat, with the stench of stale beer, muddle and poverty in his nostrils and a lingering dread of drunken violence. Sitting up, he put his head in his hands as he tried to calm his escalated heart rate and erratic breathing.

    Clambering out of bed, he wandered down the corridor and into the kitchen. There, he filled a glass with water and caught sight of himself, dressed only in pajama pants, reflected in the glass wall at the other side of the room.

    He turned away in disgust: "You wanted him and he turned you down."

    Julien''s crying face appeared in his mind without warning, taunting him.

 Chapter 33 - MONEY

    Fortunately, Ioan didn''t know that Julien spent the previous night with Lucius.

    Julien knew it was wrong to just use your friends for his own benefit, but nonetheless, Etienne was pretty useful. For example - helped him cover up the whole thing. It was called a friend shield. Julien already forgave Etienne for leaving and abandoning him in his drunken state. Those were feelings of friendship.??

    Julien decided to give his friend a call.

    As they spoke, Etienne suddenly realized something: "About that time... let me explain."

    He left Julien at that time because he thought that the other called and asked Lucius to come in the first place.

    Julien said in a low voice with a smile on his face: "No need to explain, I understand and hope your piano will recover quickly."

    Etienne was confused: "No. It''s about you and Lucius. There must be some kind of emotion between you two. I don''t know if it is love or not. But as the saying goes, where there''s an omega, there''s a way."

    Julien''s face cracked up for a brief moment when he heard that.

    The saying seemed to be wrong?

    Etienne hurriedly continued: "Don''t worry, no matter what you do, I support you!"

    Julien almost choked and then he looked at his phone with disbelief. He expressed his displeasure in a childish tone and angrily said: "Humph! I''m not doing anything! Why are you being so annoying? I''m going to be annoyed to death."

    Etienne pursed his lips and sighed internally: "I want to ask you about something. Can you answer me truthfully?

    Julien blanked, but after that, he nodded: "Ask away."

    Etienne asked his friend cautiously: "Do you like him?"

    There was only silence in response because Julien didn''t expect Etienne to ask that.

    Thinking about Lucius''s actions from the past events, Julien was inclined to believe the villain isn''t such a bad man. He hesitated before nodding: "Alright, I''ll tell you."

    Julien said with a poker face: "I don''t know. I am hopeful that every one of us can have a happy ending, that''s all."

    The plot of the book was already changing to an unknown destination. If that was not the case he would go to the countryside to buy a small courtyard to farm and there he would be feeding chickens, ducks and fishes while planting some flowers and other plants on the side. Julien was picturing his blissful life with plenty of fishes in the pond.

    He couldn''t help but smile at the thought: "Oh! You are eating so well!"

    Meanwhile, Ioan knocked: "Julien come out. Breakfast is ready!"

    There were no movements in the room. His brother was ignoring him.

    When Ioan opened the door to the room, he saw Julien sitting on the bed with a foolishly happy expression on his face.

    Why was he blubbing like a fish?

    Ioan was looking at him in surprise: "What are you doing?"

    Julien blinked. It took him a moment to understand his brother meaning: "I¡­ used to be in charge of feeding the koi fish back when I was in school. The koi fish is a particular type of fish. Its main distinctive feature is its blubbering month."

    Ioan scratched his head: "So?"

    Julien subconsciously looked up at him. Then he pouted before he humphed and looked down as he stopped looking at his brother.

    Ioan felt helpless: "Time to eat."

    His little brother was really awkward sometimes. He smiled and went downstairs to wait there for Julien.

    Julien lowered his head and stayed silent. After a while, he climbed down from the bed and followed Ioan into the dining room.

    While eating breakfast Julien suddenly said: "I signed the contract with one of your friend''s company."

    Ioan suppressed the suspicion he had in his heart: "Which one?"

    Julien''s eyelashes moved quickly, he wasn''t willing to look up at the other: "Lucius is my boss now."

    Ioan was staring at him with curiosity and surprise: "Are you short of money?"

    Ioan knew that one of his brother''s hobbies was collecting wine and it could be very expensive. He looked at his pitiful little brother and it caused the man''s heart to soften.

    Ioan took out a wallet from his pocket and took up a card from the wallet. He handed Julien the card: "Take it."

    Julien''s eyes fell on the titanium credit card in front of him and blinked his eyes in excitement. He pointed a finger at his nose: "Is this for me?"

    Ioan directly said: "Take it and spend as much as you want."

    Julien rolled his eyes at this cheesy line and put the card into his pocket in a sneaky way: "I''m not short of money, but thanks. And about the contract, I will only work when I want to."

    Ioan nodded, assuring him of his support: "When you''re ready to get serious, then I''ll talk to Lucius about it."

    Julien looked stiff: "I don''t think it''s necessary!"

    After staring at each other for a while, Julien was the first to forfeit, so he looked away. His ears were red as he silently jumped down from his seat and ran heading towards the door: "Big Brother, I''m going out now."

    Since Ioan had given him a titanium card, shouldn''t he use it right away?

    Julien spoke with a soft voice: "Please work hard in the future!"

    Ioan smiled, the youth appeared very happy with just a card: Okay, I will go to the company."

    Two brothers left the house together.

 Chapter 34 - YELLOW ROSES

    Julien quickly realized that there was nothing he wanted to buy, except wine. He didn''t lack food to eat or clothes to wear. Julien wasn''t interested in spending money extravagantly either.

    [System: You should quit drinking and buying wine. Well, the worst part of it is that alcoholics can''t stop.]??

    Julien murmured with a frown: "I should''ve stopped drinking, but¡­"

    [System: What''s your excuse this time, Host?]

    Julien had years to learn how to keep his thoughts to himself and had learned not to share evidence of his oddities as a way to distinguish himself from others.

    Julien had been embarrassed, but wanted to defend himself: "The smell of wine is oddly intoxicating like it never was before. This scent is like a drug and I can''t help myself."

    [System: So maybe it is your first instinct of the omega to lose control over the bonding smell.]

    What that even supposed to mean?

    Julien wasn''t aware that in the book was an alpha who smelled exactly like wine.

    He was already thinking about something else. Julien decided that visiting Mino was the best idea to spent time. Besides that, he promised to hang out with the little guy.

    The foster mom was very concerned and worried lately about the boy. Mino wasn''t stupid in any way, but right now he suffered from a lack of passion, as if, at nine, he had already become resigned to the fact that life would be a disappointment and he would be a disappointment to the people in it. He always obediently answered every question, but he never had any questions of his own these last few days.

    Julien took him shopping, but Mino hadn''t even looked at toys. This was the first time he didn''t respond when he tried to talk to him. Julien tried to analyze the possible reasons for the Mino''s behavior, but he couldn''t guess the thoughts of young children at all.

    Mino was going through the stores looking as if he was disillusioned with human society.

    What could this little bun possibly be depressed about?

    Julien was at a loss. Seeing that little bun was dispirited and downcast, he asked: "What''s wrong?"

    And then, to his astonishment, Mino had begun to cry. Julien had tried to comfort him. He put his arm around the child and said although he didn''t know what''s wrong: "It''s going to be all right. I promise you, it will be."

    But the little boy had only cried harder. He sobbed: "I don''t have any friends."

    Julien said with sympathy: "Oh, dear child."

    He felt then, keenly, the loneliness of Mino''s life. He before was a thirty-year-old actor who spent Friday nights sitting alone in his apartment talking mostly to himself.

    Julien who felt like he was nothing in his previous life hugged Mino who was by any definition a better kid than he had been and who yet had no friends.

    Julien said: "Mino, listen to me, it''ll happen eventually."

    Mino wailed with such yearning that he winced: "But when?"

    Julien told him, petting his back: "Soon, very soon, I promise."

    He continued: "You have already one friend - me."

    Mino''s head was still bent, but Julien saw the tops of his cheeks fattened a little and he knew that the boy was smiling, just a bit.

    He didn''t know what make him say what he did next: "I never had friends, either, not for a very long time, not until I was much older than you, like I''m now."

    Julien could sense, rather than see, Mino became alert, he could feel him listening. He continued slowly because he wanted to make sure his words come out right: "And I wanted to have them too and I always wondered if I will ever find any, and how, and when. And then one day I went out and met a person who, for whatever reason, agreed to be my friend."

    He thought of his own new friend, Etienne.

    Etienne was quiet, but not out of painful shyness. He was an easy listener, a good audience, always giving encouraging feedback. The other omega had that way of moving that honest people do and there was nothing threatening about him, nothing at all.

    Julien smiled: "The only trick of friendship is to meet the right person. A person who is better than you are, kinder, more generous and more forgiving. A person not cooler and not smarter than you by any means."

    Mino looked up at him and asked: "But what to do when I find a person like that?"

    Julien thought it over: "You have to appreciate them and listen to them when they tell you something about yourself, no matter how bad or good it might be. They should trust you and you should trust them too, which is the hardest thing of all. But the best, as well."

    Mino''s eyes twinkled at him: "May I know your friend your name, please?"

    Julien couldn''t help laughing: "What about we surprise him and buy him a gift?"

    They make their way to the flower shop. Julien pointed his finger at the yellow roses on the display and asked: "Does Mino knows the meaning of these flowers?"

    Mino carefully nodded: "They are a symbol of love."

    Julien smiled gently: "You are right, but yellow roses are one of the only roses that have no romantic meaning behind them. They indicate friendship and caring."

    Mino smiled back at him: "So let''s but yellow ones."

    Julien wrote in a card message ''If I told you to ''Get Well Soon,'' it wouldn''t be soon enough. Get Well Now!'' and he drew a little piano on it.

    The titanium credit card from Ioan finally found its use.

 Chapter 35 - BORROW

    When Etienne opened the door he saw a little boy holding flowers.

    Mino bowed and he said in a child''s young and milky voice: "I have a delivery for Etienne Emond."??

    Etienne was surprised: "Ah? For me?"

    What was going on?

    Mino handed him a bouquet of yellow roses with blushing cheeks. Etienne was friendly faced and welcoming in body posture. He had big doe eyes and those eyes were staring at the little boy. Mino thought that the omega voice was unique and soothing. It was really sweet.

    Etienne accepted the flowers and lowered his head to sniff the flowers: "Thank you."

    Julien suddenly approached them from the side and he slipped inside, hand in hand with Mino: "You are welcome!"

    Julien changed his shoes and his eyes swept the room at random: "Few men living alone clean up the house so cleanly."

    Etienne sighed with emotion: "After all, all valuables are sold, only a piano is left."

    If he wanted to be messy then he first needs capital. He had only a few pieces of furniture. The only characteristic in the house that could bring delight was the potted plants on the windowsill.

    Julien thought it over. Before walking to the sofa, he whispered to Etienne just in case: "Don''t sell these flowers."

    Julien knew that Etienne''s finances were tight. When Etienne got into the best music department in college, the savings in his family wasn''t enough for the university tuition. At that time, his family made it clear that they didn''t have the money to let him attend college. Etienne wasn''t willing to give up so he spent time working as a tutor and handing out flyers. After being busy and performing in the club, he was finally able to earn the remaining amount he needed for tuition and living expenses for studying throughout the years.

    Etienne carried this giant bouquet of roses into the living room and placed it down on the coffee table. There was a card hidden in the flowers.

    Then four eyes looked at each other, silent.

    Etienne took out two ice creams from the freezer and placed it at the hand of Mino and his friend: "You deserve a treat, baby."

    Although he said that to Mino, the one who answered him was Julien: "My favorite flavor, thanks!"

    When Mino saw that Etienne kept staring at him, his face reddened. He forced himself to eat. His expression was blank and his voice quiet: "Thank you."

    Julien looked deeply at his friend: "What business are you doing now?"

    Etienne''s tone was sad: "Nothing too prosperous."

    Julien thought for a few seconds and calmly said: "I know rumors about me hit you as well. I signed a contract with ''Famus'' lately and can say a good word about you to the boss."

    Etienne was startled: "It is better to take me along?"

    Julien nodded and turned his head to look out of the window. The orange sunlight shining on the window was lovely. He placed the credit card at the table: "That will do for now."

    Etienne said with a careful look: "I can''t take it."

    Julien''s peach blossom eyes squinted and he warmly persuaded: "Pay your rent in advance this time. You can return the money later."

    Julien had both time and money, he could totally afford this kind of help during his free time.

    Whiteout waiting for the other omega''s response, he turned around to look at Mino: "Do you like the ice cream?"

    Mino honestly stated: "Yes, it tastes like strawberries."

    Then Etienne heard Julien asking him to perform for the little boy.

    Once, Etienne had figured out that there is no other way than to accept the card, he gave them a very enthusiastic smile and said: "Okay, I will perform ''Little Donkey''. Let me go get ready."

    Etienne sat down in front of the piano and his cheerfulness could be felt directly in each note that he played.

    As he was happily performing away, he started singing along:

    I have a little donkey, that I never ride

    One day, I feel like riding it, so I go to the market

    Before he even realized it, a little bun snuggled right up against him.

    Mino was still a bit reserved at the beginning, but when he was about a meter or so away from him and perhaps noticing that Etienne hadn''t noticed him at all, he got braver and braver and slowly nudged closer and closer. Finally, he was leaning up against his thigh and closely watching his ten fingers happily bouncing up and down the keys.

    Etienne looked at him in a pure way and expressed his welcome: "Sing with me."

    His voice was gentle:

    I have a little donkey that I never ride

    One day prompted by a sudden impulse, I rode it to the local market

    I feel pleased with a leather whip in my heads, I am enjoying the ride

    Then I don''t know what happened, I slipped and fell down into the mud

    Mino started singing with him without even noticing.

    After Etienne finished the song, he looked down curiously at Mino and asked: "You want to learn this song?"

    At that time Julien finished recording the video and posting it in his circle of friends. He came to his friend and whispered in his ear: "Leather whip? You are into that kind of stuff?"

    Etienne didn''t acknowledge, but his white ears turned a pinkish color.

    Julien scooped up the little boy and plopped him onto his lap. With uplifted spirit, he said: "Okay, let''s learn it together."

    The rest of the afternoon, they were singing children''s songs.

    This time Etienne had learned his lesson. He only hummed with his mouth closed and only symbolically opened his mouth during the ''la la la'' parts, even so, his voice was so low that only he heard it.

 Chapter 36 - SECRETS

    Julien in his circle of friends on the phone had only three people: Etienne, Ioan and Lucius.

    Soon Ioan saw that his brother posted a message this afternoon. The message was accompanied by a video of the omega singing and playing the piano.??

    It was followed by one like - Etienne Emond.

    Ioan of course already knew of Julien''s friend, but never gave him the second glance.

    This time he swept his deep gaze across his face on the profile picture. The omega had dark, willow-like eyebrows and also a pair of big sparkling watery eyes. His eyelashes were thick and long like a small curling fan. With a small smile on his face, the alpha couldn''t help, but use his finger to trace the other rosy lips, chin and then all the way down to the slim and fair collarbone of omega neck¡­

    When Julien came home, he saw his brother staring at his phone and was a little surprised by it. He and raised his eyebrows and asked suspiciously: "What are you doing?"

    Ioan put the phone away and smiled: "I''m not doing anything important. How was your day?"

    Julien responded with the truth: "Actually, today''s been pretty fun. How about yours?"

    His brother nodded his head and concluded: "Yes, he is pretty..."

    Ioan''s expression was strange for one second after he said that, and then turned silent.

    He tactfully switched the topic: "Sleepy?"

    Julien closed his eyes and like an old man said: "The thing that tires a man the most is life without good rest."

    After a bath, Julien changed clothes and kept staring at himself. The young man''s reflection glared back at him out of the mirror. He probably thought Julien was doubting whether the reflection looked manly enough, and, to be honest, he was. Julien morosely muttered to himself: "Where is my manliness? Come on."

    Julien turned sideways, and the reflection turned with him, thrusting his chest out at the exact same moment he did. It looked flat as a board, but his nipples had a hint of femininity. Julien''s body made a right angle and his butt was especially obvious. He felt embarrassed but took another look.

    Julien couldn''t help and touched his butt, which was extraordinarily soft. Throwing a last, discontented glare at the well upholstered and young man in the pink puppy pajamas.

    [System: No man would look manly in those clothes.]

    Just as Julien was thinking about it, the phone rang suddenly, which scared him. He saw that the contact''s name shown on the mobile phone was "Demon King".

    He coughed and picked it up: "Hello?"

    The low magnetic voice spoke: "It''s me."

    Julien laid on his bed, with one hand on the back of his head. His eyes stared at the ceiling. His tone was not subtle: "I know."

    Lucius lit up a cigarette and then placed it on the ashtray. White smoke began to fill the car slowly and he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Bringing a perverse sense of nostalgia, he touched his chin and contemplating, said: "How is the kid?"

    Lucius carefully listened to Julien, occasionally asking more questions. It was the first time they spoke for so long.

    Julien during the conversation slowly become more comfortable and started to talk about things besides the point. As he remembered his friend, his tone rose up a bit: "I have a favor to ask, but I don''t think it''s suitable to talk about it on the phone."

    The other side of the phone was silent for three seconds and then Lucius suddenly said half serious, half jokingly: "If I said that I am underneath your house right now, would you believe me?"

    Julien''s mouth responded: "Don''t joke around."

    But his body had already risen up from his chair and grabbed a bathrobe before quietly heading down the stairs. He didn''t even need to confirm by looking out the window. He just knew in his heart that the other must be underneath his home.

    The thick layer of mist obscured most of the entrance of the villa at this time of the night. Julien didn''t know exactly where he was going.

    That might, however, have had something to do with the thick fog that let one see clearly for only a few yards. Everything beyond that was just a hazy outline.

    What was he doing? What was it to him if the villain fellow came here?

    Nothing. But then, Julien couldn''t restrain himself to meet him. He chastised himself that he is doing it for his friend.

    Before Julien could think better of it, he plunged forward, into the darkness, towards his goal.

    Not looking right or left, he marched down towards the driveway, trying to keep his heart from jumping out of his chest. Every second, Julien expected Ioan to appear and raise an accusing finger then start shouting ''Where are you going!? Grab and capture the vile crime!'' and then scolding him for a long time.

    Julien felt that his actions were secret, solitary and illegal.

    That explained why he was afraid. That explained what was dangerous about his plans. That explained everything.

    [System: No? It doesn''t? Not to you, anyway.]

    Julien''s eyes seemed to flash with laughter in their depths: "Don''t you feel like we are in the spy movie? The stage is set. You are my audience that awaits."

    Suddenly, the mist before him parted and slowly shapes appeared out of the dark.

    Lucius started the car and was about to leave, but in the next second, he changed his mind, because a few steps away from his car window was a familiar shadow.

 Chapter 37 - EXPOSE

    Julien felt a sense of familiarity as he looked at the black bentley in front of him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

    [System: What''s taking so long? I thought you are not scared of the villain anymore.]??

    This sentence successfully hit Julien straight in the face: "I''m not. Don''t rush me."

    [System: Are you certain?]

    Julien unconsciously fidgeted around with his hands before replying back: "Please. Let me show you how the boss does it."

    Julien opened the door to get in the car and wiggled around to make himself comfortable. His voice was still a bit hazy from the low temperature outside: "How is it that you are here now?"

    Julien with a playful tone continued: "How lonely you must be Mr. Valentinus!"

    Lucius touched his earlobe making omega shiver and said casually: "I won''t feel lonely when you are around, right?"

    Embarrassed, the alpha coughed lightly twice and then quickly switched the topic. He tentatively gentled his voice and hesitatingly asked: "Are you cold? Do you need a hug?"

    Julien could not help but laugh mockingly: "Mr. Valentinus, with all due respect¡­ stop pretending to be so nice to me."

    Hearing this, Lucius''s heart began to race. He furrowed his eyebrows and uneasily switched his sitting posture: "That.... What do you think of me?"

    Julien didn''t even raise his head up to say: "Do you not have an idea in your heart?"

    Lucius was not really sure, that''s why he wanted to hear Julien''s opinion. The omega gave him mixed signals, sometimes he was scared of him, sometimes bold and rude, just like now. Lucius felt like he was silently choking up and swallowing his own blood. For the first time in his life, he felt so depressed and mad at the same time. He angrily said: "I''m asking you right now, not you asking me."

    Julien glanced at him from the side, Lucius''s face was a little unclear. He could sense a bit of a fickle personality that is usually hidden away. He could also see a bit of a vexation, which was a direct contrast to a gentle temperament. In his heart, he sighed a little but also felt a bit mischievous and gleeful: "You are really handsome and you have lots of money."

    Hearing this, the alpha nodded his head in satisfaction and waited for the continuation, but the air was as silent as death. A few seconds later, he couldn''t help, but give omega a look and said: "That''s it? No more?"

    Julien nodded his head as if to console him, saying in a matter of fact tone: "What''s more? A handsome face can make you popular and money is your charisma insurance. This is already what a lot of people desire and chase for."

    When Julien said it like that, it seemed like it made a lot of sense, but for some reason, Lucius felt like his heart was being pricked. The man looked like he was smiling but inside, it was a different story: "You mean to say, in my entire life I can only use my face and money to attract people?"

    Julien switched from his playful attitude to a more serious one: "If not then what? Your bad temper? But I am afraid there might be another mask behind it."

    Julien knew that this kind of man when he is bad, he can make him fall down and fall down hard. But he tried to be headstrong and honest.

    When the villain was offended and provoked was he really a devil?

    The pupils behind Lucius''s glasses dilated, become cold and emotionless, after that his face turned ominous.

    Julien suddenly became nervous and he bit his bottom lip. His small and fine eyelashes were shaking and before he even said something to soothe the atmosphere, he was embraced.

    Lucius seemed to laugh, mockingly and condescendingly: "If you were after my money or face, then I would be pretty happy. Happy that I finally have something in me that can make you stay. I''m scared of you running away all over again from me."

    And then honestly said with no embellishments: "My family background is not good, my upbringing is not good and the kind of personality I have, I know better than anyone."

    Lucius did not hide from Julien''s eyes anymore and stared at omega with open and sincere eyes as if showing growth that Julien wanted to see: "I''m nice to you not because I''m pretending, but because I genuinely want to be."

    Julien was actually stunned by the man''s actions.

    The corners of Lucius''s mouth seemed to tug up, as if he wanted to smile, but he couldn''t smile at all: "Am I so bad that I''m destined to be not liked by you?"

    Julien felt like he swallowed a fly.

    He didn''t know how to answer that question at that moment.

    Julien turned his head to look out the window and something made him suddenly straighten up and forcefully pull on alpha''s sleeve: "Quick, look outside!"

    After hearing that, Lucius looked out the window and discovered that in the quiet night, the stars started to fall. The sky flashed and brightened with white lights.

    There was something magical about the shooting stars as its brief final sparkle ended the epic voyage through the universe. When it happened, humans will suddenly feel how small and insignificant they are. Lucius rarely noticed these things and didn''t know if it was because of the person beside him or for some other reason.

    He looked at Julien who was in awe watching comets and was looking very happy.

    At this moment, his heart did not have any other desires and in a rare occurrence, was as pure as his heart could ever be.

    Julien suddenly turned his head to find Lucius''s gaze on him. His black eyes looked as if they were wading deeper into the pool of undefined emotions.

    The two of them were close together, so close that their breaths mingled together.

    There was also something romantic in the air that night.

 Chapter 38 - WISH

    Lucius reached forward and cupped Julien''s cheek with one large hand. Julien shivered a little again, knowing his reaction had nothing to do with the cool night air. Julien''s face went from a light blush to deep pink as the alpha kept looking at him and did not speak, only using a finger to stroke one side of his face.

    Julien''s heart was feeling a bit fluttery: "When you make a wish upon a shooting star, it always comes true."??

    Lucius leaned in a little closer, dropping his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, that was nevertheless, still very loud: "I wish I could kiss you right now."

    He ran his thumb over Julien''s bottom lip. His next words came out in a proper whisper: "Can I kiss you?"

    Julien looked at the man but was met with fiery, passionate eyes as if they could swallow him up. Honestly, it was quite terrifying, but despite this, he hesitantly nodded in agreement.

    Before Julien could lose courage, Lucius roughly grabbed Julien''s head and crashes their lips together, the shock of cold and hot from their mouths'' temperature made both of them whimper. The alpha spent no time in pulling omega closer by the waist, chests not an inch apart.

    Lucius took his free hand up the youth''s jawline and pressed his thumb beneath the bone, motioning him to open up for him, to which the omega complied.

    Julien resisted the urge to squirm at his actions, but it was proving him harder to remain impassive with every passing moment. The goosebump was running all over his skin.

    Lucius licked inside his mouth as if the taste inside was water after a long period of drought and he was the thirsty one. He kissed Julien with fervor, leading the way and marveling at the way their tongues slide against one another.

    Julien had to repress a groan that grown in his throat, so he sank his fingers in the man''s hair, in need of something to hold onto.

    The alpha was kissing desperately, his hands roaming up and down over omega''s body as if he can''t decide where to touch.

    Julien tilted his head so Lucius could deepen the kiss and he did regret it a tiny bit when the man did so. He was overwhelmed, his senses clouded and his mind was running a mile per second.

    How the villain ended up doing this to him?

    Julien couldn''t remember or understand, but he found himself unable to care when Lucius pulled him back just enough to take his bottom lip between his teeth, sucking on it afterward and making Julien moan for real this time.

    Lucius sighed at the sound, sliding his hands down the omega''s body and grabbing his thighs to pull him up in a clean, swift motion. Julien was pressed against the car window, being kissed dizzy by him, until his tongue hurt.

    It made him feel fuzzy like his head was going to explode, his heart was beating too fast and he felt like he was floating. He felt like he was going to die.

    Julien panted, voice barely there: "Wait, it''s too much."

    Julien was out of breath when they separated, and could only feel a lack of oxygen inside his brain. He sounded a bit unnatural: "Did you kiss only dogs before?"

    Distant, indifferent, handsome, and domineering¡ª the villain gave off the impression of an unapproachable male god who could only be viewed from far away, but right now in front of Julien, he revealed an awkward and naive expression.

    Lucius said in his flustered state: "I''ve never kissed anyone else."

    This made Julien swallow the rest of his words back. He narrowed his eyes, glaring at Lucius: "Next time be more gentle!"

    Julien did not think with the appearance of a gentleman, Lucius had so much sexual passion inside him, he underestimated him and his strength. He didn''t forget to put on his inhibitor this time, but the alpha aggressive style of kissing didn''t change.

    These words made Lucius''s heart race and his mind fall into a dream-like state. His voice contained a trace of uncontrollable giddiness: "So there will be the next time?"

    Julien''s body stiffened: "Don''t think too much."

    Lucius felt somewhat depressed as he sat there and he released a heavy sigh.

    And thus, when Julien saw was his dejected appearance, he raised his eyebrows and a sliver of a smile entered his eyes. The sight of the villain like this was so unusual that it amused him: "Now I will tell you about what''s next."

    Lucius''s face hardened, but he reluctantly strove to remain expressionless.

    Julien explained: "I granted you a wish and now it''s your turn to grand mine."

    He shot him a glance: "As for us¡­ I will give you a chance to pursue me."

    At that, the corners of Lucius''s lips curved into a smile. The alpha''s smile became so bright and wide that it blinded him.

    Julien became the one scrunching his eyebrows instead: "Don''t smile."

    Lucius found himself quite speechless. Retracting the pitiful arches from his lips, he looked at omega with an embarrassed gaze and was somewhat at a loss. He coughed lightly: "What is your wish?"

    Julien had a troubled expression: "Well, yes. I have a friend that I want to work with. He is really talented musician, a diamond in the rough, a hidden treasure just waiting to be discovered! I need him on my side."

    Lucius nodded his head slightly in acknowledgment: "I will take care of it."

    Julien stared at him in a daze, not knowing what to say. He turned his head to look out the window and he said as he pointed his chin towards his house: "I''m going back now."

    Like in korean dramas, as if it was the parting scene of two lovers, into the unknown.

    Julien opened the car to get out, walked a few steps but then remembered something and turned back around. Parted by the window, he told Lucius: "Be careful on the road."

    The man smiled gently: "You go back first."

    Once Lucius''s car had driven far away and could no longer be seen, Julien let go of the curtains and walked back to his bed. He took off his inhibitor and an almost unnoticeable and clean scent immediately started to lurk around him.

 Chapter 39 - WASTE

    That night Julien hardly slept at all. He couldn''t because he was in a state of heat. It happened suddenly and totally caught him off guard. The moment he closed his eyes, the recent kissing scene just exploded in his mind like a bomb.

    In the beginning, he thought that he was too excited and aroused, because of what happened a while ago, but passing time proved him wrong.??

    The sensation of discomfort was aching, stabbing and burning, everything at once. He felt that his body needs something that will soothe it, the emptiness was demanding to be filled as soon as possible.

    Julien took the medicine, but it only comforted him for a short moment.

    The water didn''t quench his thirst and it only deepened his desire to ease the dry month. In desperation, he found the bottle of wine and started to gulp it down.

    But the wine didn''t outperform his expectations. The aromatics were mindboggling though with exotic spice, black cherry compote, violets and fragrant wood. The palate was still fresh as a daisy with sweet black fruits and chunky tannins. It was obviously a great wine, but consumed liquor annoyed him, it wasn''t what he wanted.

    He threw the bottle against the wall and the glass smashed into pieces.

    Julien''s voice sounded frantic: "What is wrong with this wine?"

    [System: Calm down, Host! You are in heat and sometimes this is completely a common occurrence. One of the natural omega''s reactions is to find a scent that is compatible with yours, but the wine won''t help, only an alpha can do it.]

    [System: Did you ever thought about maybe¡­ finding one? But I guess you already have Lucius, right?]

    Julien ran his hand through his hair, the nervous habit. His head was buzzing, because of heat and the amount of alcohol he drunk: "What do you expect me to do? Just go to him and say ''my little chrysanthemum is in need''? Then it isn''t happening!"

    [System: Why not? Maybe he will pick up the soap, who knows?]

    Why this system was so useless?

    Julien''s stomach twisted and curled inside. His legs became like cotton wool and he was crumbling down with weak knees. He felt like a jittering mess.

    Julien whined, made a small nest from his hands on the table and laid his head down. He was slowly losing consciousness.

    [System: The heat will return sooner or later anyway, like karma, it always catches up to you, no matter how far you run from it.]

    Ioan was sleeping very deeply, but he woke up around sunrise, hearing things. He looked around, but his room was empty without any ghosts. Ioan thought that maybe he overheard something or his mind was playing tricks on him, that was possible.

    Ioan was about to turn over to the other side of the bed, but he stopped in the midway, because another resounding sound made its way through the corridor.

    Could someone break a window and go into the house?

    He figured out that the sound was coming from downstairs.

    Ioan went to the study first and carefully take out the home-defense shotgun. His heart jumped when he saw that the door to his little brother''s room was open and nobody was inside.

    What was his surprise when instead of a burglar he saw a big mess and drunken Julien in the salon.

    Ioan snapped out, he quickly came up to his brother. He asked, gently shaking his arm: "What happened? Why are you drunk?"

    Julien was barely conscious and said in a meek voice: "Alone, I drink wine to oblivion. In drunkenness, I would be together with my lover."

    Ioan''s brows squished together in a frown: "What are you talking about? About who?"

    Ioan didn''t get a reply, because his brother closed his eyes, visibly exhausted. When he picked Julien up, he realized that the other body is unnaturally hot.

    Ioan panicked a little, he didn''t have experience with the omega in heat and he didn''t know how can he help.

    Should he call a doctor?

    Ioan decided to do that after he put Julien on the bed, but unfortunately even a specialist wasn''t able to do much.

    The family doctor who arrived at their house and checked on Julien''s condition. The man let out a sigh and said: "Everything is slowly returning to normal. It is better to not keep alcohol at your house in this situation. Get rid of it and never don''t let your brother mix it with the medication again."

    Julien spent a lot of time bidding the wine at the online auction, he already got a pretty good and quite an extensive collection. But before he woke up, all of it ended up in the knacker''s yard.

    His grief over his loss didn''t go away for the next couple of days.

 Chapter 40 - EXPERIENCE

    Julien felt depressed and that wasn''t only about the wine.

    He never lost his temper and turned violent like that throughout all his previous life. Recently, Julien noticed that there was something wrong with the way he was handling emotions, but he couldn''t put the finger on it.??

    Julien didn''t want to overthink so he left it be. But still, in the back of his mind, there was something that was telling him that his behavior was out of bounds. The latest heat was a very unpleasant experience and showed him that it may be more complicated than he thought.

    When Julien first transmigrated he didn''t think too much of being an omega. Of course, he knew it will bring changes, but he didn''t treat it too seriously in the start and later Julien was confused by it.

    Despite what his common sense told him, he was surprisingly inept at predicting how he will feel in various situations. It was the expectations versus reality clash and turned out not to be what he expected.

    Julien sighed: "I''m so done with life right now."

    [System: If your current situation needs changing, why don''t you do something about it? If you don''t act on it, you are just complaining for the sake of complaining.]

    Julien shook his head in amusement and he clarified: "I can''t change facts, right? If you want me to take responsibility for being in that kind of body then I don''t know if I can. Responsibility is often just a form of delusion and is misused as a way to give up what you want to do."

    Julien wasn''t blissfully ignorant of the troubles that lay ahead and already done research. He learned a couple of things besides what he already knew from System.

    Julien wrote down a few phenomenons and saved them in memory:

    1. The spiritual connection between alpha and omega may be developed sooner than actual bonding during intercourse.

    2. The alpha''s pheromones can stabilize omega''s emotions and also at the time of heat keep omega completely conscious.

    3. After bonding the omega party doesn''t have to wear inhibitor anymore, because other alphas will subconsciously resist their scent.

    But those pieces of information were useless for now in Julien''s opinion.

    Although he was open for Lucius''s pursuit, he had been hungry for so many years in his previous life that waiting a little more won''t hurt him, not to mention the young blood flowing in his veins now. So Julien didn''t worry about the future, because he didn''t believe in no-win scenarios.

    But Julien knew that he still needed to build more self-awareness. Becoming more aware of the situation he was in could free him from unnecessary problems and stress, those things Julien despite the most in life.

    With a small frown, Julien hesitated, then said: "I fail to notice my lack of experience, my bad out there."

    Who will have more experience with the heat cycle than him?

    Doubtless, this person must be another omega and it happens, that he knew one.

    Two hours later, Julien was already sitting on Etienne''s sofa.

    Etienne, who was eating a slice of watermelon while listening to Julien''s story, suddenly interrupted him: "Have you met with Lucius before all that happened?"

    Julien asked with narrowed eyes: "Do you think he may be the reason?"

    Etienne calmly put down the watermelon rind, took a napkin and said: "He just may speeds things up."

    Seeing him embarrassed, Etienne distracted him: "Don''t fight with your heat, accept it and wait until it is over."

    Julien still wanted to confirm something with Etienne: "What about this crazy behavior? I feel like not controlling it at all."

    Etienne nodded towards Julien: "I''m always thinking of money and took a couple of loans online, completely unnecessary, while being in heat."

    Julien turned around and saw this time Etienne''s obvious embarrassment, the other omega clearly didn''t know where to put his gaze.

    His friend rushed to explain: "It''s about my future partner that I don''t know yet, but I''m sure he smells like money or is some kind of loan shark."

    Julien was stunned for a moment, then quickly snapped out of it: "So it''s like that? It means that mine will smell like wine?"

    Other omega blinked his watery eyes and smiled: "Yes, definitely yes."

    The room suddenly quietened for a while.

    Julien felt there was no need to hide this kind of matter so after a little thought, he told his friend frankly: "I need to check Lucius''s scent and if he is the one."

    Etienne advised him: "Just be careful at it."

    Julien stood to put on his coat: "You should know that I''m not the impulsive type, I''m going back first."

    Etienne didn''t realize what Julien was implying and was shocked: "Oh?"

    Julien waved his hand: "Thank you for the conversation! Bye, bye!"

    Etienne answered: "Oh!"

    Julien left so quickly that after Etienne finally realized he is already gone it was too late to return the titanium credit card that his friend gave him some time ago.

 Chapter 41 - VISIT

    Julien woke up early in the morning, rummaged through his closet, found a formal, white, slim fit, cotton stretch shirt that would be suitable for the visit in Lucius''s company. He took a taxi and soon arrived at the address.

    The company wasn''t located in the downtown area, and there weren''t many office buildings in this district either. It looked like it has been undergoing development in recent years. The building where Julien was going had also been built a few years ago. Looking at it from the outside, he could see that it had a very exclusive and unique design. Through the glass, he could see that the furnishings were very fashionable too. It was obvious at a glance that Lucius''s company was doing great.

    As soon as Julien walked in, the woman at the front desk immediately stood up.

    With a big smile, the receptionist asked: "How can I help you?"

    Julien said without an ounce of embarrassment: "I''m here to surprise Mr. Valetinus at work. My name is Julien Baume."

    The receptionist warmly greeted him and after making a short phone call, led him into the company: "Come, please follow me."

    Julien thought that this receptionist was really friendly, in his past life he always came across a grumpy type who never treated him like he was a guest.

    The company''s office lounge couldn''t be considered small, but there weren''t many employees. It was understandable, because Lucius owned many sub-companies, having a hand in many different businesses including: entertainment, marketing, clothing, etc.

    Right after Julien sat down to wait for Lucius, the receptionist asked: "Would you like to drink tea or coffee?"

    Julien thought it over: "Please don''t trouble yourself."

    But to his shock, the receptionist brought him bottled mineral water: "I hope the water is fine."

    Julien said gleefully: "It is, thank you!"

    He suddenly questioned if he had been too out of touch with society for too long. Were all receptionists this nice nowadays?

    Shortly after the receptionist left, a very handsome and tall man in business attire came out from his office: "Why are you here?"

    Julien quickly stood up: "Why? Not happy?"

    Lucius had a faint smile: "Very happy, I''m just surprised to see you here."

    Because Lucius wanted to see him again and here he was¡­

    Julien and Lucius walked side by side to his office, but before they could sit and talk, one of the assistants knocked at the door: "Please forgive me for interrupting, but your next meeting is in five minutes, Mr. Valentinus."

    Julien said quietly: "I can see you''re very busy, I can wait here while you do business."

    Lucius answered in a cold tone: "Cancel my next meeting."

    The assistant gaped at him, looking confused. Lucius stared back: "Out! Now! I''m busy with my little boyfriend here."

    Julien was flustered and his teeth sank into bottom lip: "You what! I''ll tell you, if you won''t go to that meeting, I will go back home right now!"

    Why is he acting like an eighth-grader? He might as well something like ''I won''t play with you anymore''. Julien felt so lame inside, but he couldn''t think of anything else.

    Lucius widened his eyes: "No, no, I will listen to you!"

    Shortly after that Lucius left, leaving Julien alone in his office.

    Two of Lucius''s elites employees were standing behind him in the conference room. They stood there expressionlessly, looking straight ahead, but were secretly dissing their boss to themselves. Their boss was laughing to himself for a fifth time, not participating in the meeting at all.

    Lucius was leaning against the back of the seat relaxing with his eyes closed, but his slender, white fingers were drumming on and off on his knee, one of his habits when he was in deep thought. He couldn''t help, but chuckle again, remembering omega''s shy expression and then acting tough despite being anxious.

    Julien was for him like hidden treasure, thanks to whom Lucius felt his heart anew.

    He didn''t hear anymore the voice whispering in his ear, which always pledged that he would stay alone until his end and no one would ever love or want him. Those were his mother''s exact words that the man kept repeating before death.

    Now all Lucius''s thoughts were directed at Julien, all full of hope and cheerful.

    Meanwhile, Julien had nothing to do, he sat there quietly on the sofa and scrolled through his Weibo, playing, waiting to launch a sneak attack on Lucius. But then an idea popped in Julien''s mind, a brilliant and safe one, in his opinion. System was spamming ''facepalm'' emote in his head.

    [System: Ugh.]

    Julien murmured in a weirdly excited voice: "Stand aside, I have work to do."

    He spotted the door to the inside room in Lucius''s office. The room was bigger than what Julien expected. It was very neat and someone would come over every day to clean up. There were complete sets of items and materials. There was a bed, chair, closet, bathroom, and everything that should be there.

    Julien''s gaze was immediately drifting towards the closet.

 Chapter 42 - SNIFF

    Julien tiptoed towards the closet, looking right and left, but forgetting to take a look back.

    He opened the wardrobe''s door, picked up one of Lucius''s shirts, and sniffed it.

    Julien only smelled the typical scent of freshly laundered clothes. He felt quite disappointed over the unfulfilled expectations, clenching his hand on the black shirt and trying to squeeze another fragrance out of it.

    [System: Your fantasies are showing again, Host.]

    Julien muttered under his breath: "It is a test of might, here I found my challenge."

    [System: See, that''s what I''m talking about.]

    Julien narrowed his eyes darkly: "I will never surrender, all that matters is victory!"

    He didn''t want to believe that he might be defeated and won''t find out what Lucius''s pheromones smelled like, he couldn''t give up that easily.

    Out of the corner of my eye, he saw a bed with a high-quality satin bedsheet that was very inviting to touch or even do something else therein.

    [System: Are you really going to do it?]

    In the next second, Julien jumped on the bed, his nose down and his butt up, sniffing and trying to use his powerful sense of smell.

    In the eyes of others, he was resembling a dog.

    Lucius stood at the door with a tilted head and saw all of that.

    What was his omega doing? It was a little hard to guess.

    Lucius''s eyes suddenly lingered on Julien''s butt. His throat moved with swallowing, and his lips felt slightly dry.

    Julien felt shivers run down his spine and he looked up at the air conditioner. It was off, and the room wasn''t cold at all. But then he had an ominous premonition, and when he looked back, he saw that the door opened a bit and there was a man standing outside.

    It freaked him out.

    Julien yelled in a high-pitched voice: "Lucius?!"

    He didn''t know how long Lucius had been standing there. Did he see that behavior just now?!

    Why did this man always catch him on the back foot?

    Lucius wore golden rimless glasses and a tint of light flickered in his eyes. He stared straight at Julien through his glasses with an expressionless face.

    Lucius said: "You didn''t close the door, I didn''t mean to peek at you."

    Julien giggled nervously: "Are you looking for me? Come in and make yourself at home, hehe."

    Lucius walked hesitantly into the room, looking at him strangely: "You¡­ What were you doing here?

    Julien suddenly shifted into a sexy posture on the bed. He used his acting and dubbing skills from the previous life to change his voice into a sexier tone, and after licking his lower lip said: "I''m waiting for you, my love."

    Lucius suddenly felt his lower abdomen tightened, and with a flushed face, he instantly looked away.

    Julien fell back onto the bed laughing.

    Hearing it, Lucius felt he was teased by his little boyfriend. With his remaining dignity, he walked towards the omega who was about to die from laughter and almost rolled off the bed.

    Julien was startled by his sudden closeness and his laughter stopped abruptly: "What?"

    Lucius''s expression was grave: "Someday you will pay me for this."

    Julien blinked, and when Lucius was about to retreat, he suddenly wrapped his hands around alpha''s neck, leaned close to sniff him, but still, there was no trace of pheromones.

    To cheer up a little, Julien breathe into Lucius''s ear and whispered: "Come on then!"

    In the next moment, Julien''s view was blocked out by a handsome face pressing down on him. Lucius slowly tilted his head and covered omega''s tender and warm lips with his own. His tongue slipped inside Julien''s mouth, gentle but demanding, and it was nothing like Julien experienced before.

    Unlocking his lips from Julien''s, Lucius pulled him further up on the bedding to immerse himself in another kiss under omega''s dilated pupils. Julien felt like melting because every square inch of my body dissolved into this pleasure. His fingers gripped the man''s hair, pulling him closer. Lucius pushed him backward so they were lying down, the weight of the alpha''s body on top of his was extraordinary and being under him brought a lot of satisfaction.

    The alpha hands were everywhere. Lucius''s heart skipped a beat, cuffing omega arms with a hand above the head, taking Julien''s tongue into the warmth of his mouth, but despite his instincts, he let the other take control of the rhythm and pace. It was a long kiss. Lucius released Julien from his embrace after he kissed him deeply and firmly from last time, making omega''s head dizzy at the lack of oxygen.

    Julien leaned on the bed as he gasped for air. The alpha stared deeply at his slightly red lips and then tilted his chin upwards with a finger.

    Lucius smacked his lips and said: "So tell me now, what were you doing here before I came?"

    Julien quivered when he heard him ask about that again.

    Looking at Lucius''s serious and earnest gaze, he was somewhat uncomfortable and questioned him instead: "Why aren''t you releasing your pheromones?"

 Chapter 43 - DOG

    Lucius''s expression stiffened.

    What Julien said just now?

    His gaze shifted over to Julien''s face again, sizing the other up.

    Julien had spoken without much thought for the sake of finding out if Lucius is his destined partner, he didn''t take into consideration the consequences of smelling the dominant alpha pheromones. That misconception was probably because this world felt surreal to him, and he had overly relied on the bits and pieces of information his friend told him a day ago.

    Lucius had silently been observing Julien''s innocent expression this whole time as if omega really didn''t know why he didn''t release his scent. The other''s lips had been slightly pursed as if he was blaming him for something.

    Lucius rescinded the dark light in his eyes and said in a dull tone: "You want me to do it?"

    Seeing his calm but dark eyes, Julien''s heart stopped, he weighed the pros and cons for a few seconds before speaking: "Well, just for a moment, I want to check something and promise to not bother you again about it."

    Lucius''s interest was piqued so he asked: "What you want to know about my pheromones?"

    Seeing the darkness finally dissipate from Lucius''s eyes, Julien sighed in relief. There was a bit of excitement in his tone when he replied: "I want to check if you smell like wine! It''s a very important issue because if not, we may not be compatible."

    Julien''s fingers curled slightly. A second later, his voice lowered: "You don''t want to know if you have found the right one?"

    Julien looked like he was looking forward to it. His tone was full of longing.

    The corner of Lucius''s lips rose. It was a silent admission.

    Julien''s lowered gaze looked pure and innocent, tinged with a huge amount of befuddlement. If it hadn''t been for the fact that Lucius''s gaze had been fixed on the other''s face the whole time, he might misunderstand him.

    Lucius couldn''t suppress his laugh: "Who told you that? Well, it''s not that it isn''t true, but you wouldn''t feel anything towards me if there wasn''t a connection between us."

    That was true, there was a certain feeling and Julien couldn''t help and wanted to say close to this alpha.

    Lucius said in a cool voice: "I bet you just can''t wait to have sex with me, but I prefer to make love with you, for the first time, without heat."

    Julien''s eyelid twitched: "In your dreams, pervert!"

    Lucius tapped his finger against Julien''s forehead: "Wouldn''t you go into heat under the influence of my pheromones?"

    Lucius''s words now had suddenly startled Julien awake and made him realize that he was totally brainless. When Julien thought of this, he subconsciously glanced at the man. As expected, the other''s eyes were amused.

    Lucius raised a brow: "So, you were sniffing my bedsheets like a dog with an ulterior motive?"

    Julien instantly wanted to vomit blood, angered to death, he asked with narrowed eyes: "Who is the dog?"

    Lucius laughed inwardly: "I am, I am!"

    Julien noticed that the man was sucking up to him and his mood improved a lot.

    Julien clicked his tongue: "Don''t dare to mention it in the future!"

    After that, Julien stayed in Lucius''s office to accompany him and eat diner together.

    Lucius was very satisfied with his presence, he held Julien in his arms and kissed his forehead. Then he ladled a bowl of health-maintenance soup and put it in front of him, gently saying: "You are light as a feather, too thin, you need to eat a lot and properly make up for it."

    Julien rolled eyes at him and quietly ate until he satisfied.

    But of course, Lucius wasn''t, he scooped another bite of food into Julien''s mouth: "One more, for me."

    The food was soft and delicious, not greasy at all, but Julien was completely full and after that bite, he tightly closed his mouth.

    An accusatory frown creased Lucius''s forehead: "That''s too little, you won''t be able to gain weight eating this much."

    Julien stabbed Lucius with his chopsticks: "I can''t eat more and I don''t want to gain weight!"

    When he was preparing to wipe his mouth Lucius stretched out a napkin to carefully wipe it for him: "Okay, I will set you free, if you''re done."

    Lucius got up, walked back to his computer and started to work again while Julien took a short nap to digest food.

    When Julien walked out of the company, he was still sleepy. He didn''t notice at first that Lucius''s secretary escorted him to the entrance and even pressed the elevator button for him. But when he calmed down, he found it strange, this kind of attitude towards him was too good and too enthusiastic, and the receptionists he met in the past also weren''t this polite. They treated him as if they already know that he was in a relationship with their boss.

    Sure enough, there were giving him a face, because of Lucius.

 Chapter 44 - OPPORTUNITY

    On the next morning, Julien slept soundly until dawn when the phone beside his pillow vibrated non-stop and woke him up.

    He picked up the phone and casually asked: "Hi, this is Julien Baume, who are you?"

    Everyone in the higher office in ''Famous'' company knew that their boss brought there his new omega boyfriend. Lucius also gave them specific instructions as to how to take care of Julien and as his new personal assistant, Lelia had the most duties awaiting her in the future.

    Lelia also knew that Julien obtaining the opportunity of doing this interview was actually due to their president''s work behind the scenes. This meat pie that dropped from the sky fell on top of a newcomer''s head.

    The keen-witted woman ignited the cigarette: "Hello, I''m Lelia Amato. You are now an artist under my name. I''m only contacting you now because you were invited by ''High Note'' radio station to attend tomorrow''s interview."

    ''High Note'' was the top local radio station in the city. Every time, their broadcast was transmitted it always trended in hot searches on Weibo for a while. Those who were able to be on the podcast were either famous stars or well-known singers. One could say, this was one of the important indicators to measure the professionalism of celebrities. Everyone was scrambling to break into the interview list. Lelia had pulled all the stops to bring one of her artists into the interview in the past, but they were ultimately rejected, but the rival company was lucky enough to get a spot.

    Fortunately or unfortunately, this time the artist wasn''t randomly assigned to her by management. If Julien couldn''t become famous then she was simply unworthy to work as a personal assistant anymore.

    Julien''s expression was lazy and leisurely: "Yeah?"

    Lelia''s cigarette fell out of her mouth, almost burning a hole in her skirt.

    What was wrong with him? Shouldn''t he be more excited?

    Lelia took a few deep breaths, only then did her voice sound much calmer: "Tell me, which song are you gonna sing there? Should I arrange something for you?"

    Julien blinked: "No, thanks. I will prepare a new song for it."

    Lelia loosened her stiff body: "The choice is yours, but could you send me a demo first? And where do you live? I''ll pick you up at half-past eight tomorrow."

    Julien agreed and reported an address, then hung up the phone. He rolled up in his quilt and fell asleep again.

    The next day, Julien was eating breakfast while he asked Ioan: "Why didn''t you go to the company today? By the way, I have an interview in two hours so I will be gone for a while, not able to accompany you, sorry."

    Ioan glanced at him and said in a gentle tone: "The meeting with a client has been canceled. It''s okay, however, you are going to work?"

    Julien smirked at him: "Yes, I am. What''s so surprising about it?"

    Ioan raised an eyebrow: "I guess you are bored."

    Julien considered it and agreed: "Well, it''s not fun to stay at home all the time."

    After breakfast, Julien went back to his room to change into a white t-shirt, the oversized overcoat with floral and pastel patterns beneath loose-fitted trousers. To finish his look, he wore white minimal sneakers to keep the outfit clean and neutral.

    He was pushing his phone into his pocket when it rang, it was Lelia: "I''m here."

    Julien acknowledged her and leisurely he went out of the villa.

    When he got into the car, Lelia sized him up from head to toe, her eyes were pleased to him like glue. She knew that she picked up a treasure. Those confident eyes and electric expression were too powerful, she couldn''t endure it. Lelia looked forward to driving, flustered, but her heart was smiling in satisfaction, Lucius''s boyfriend or not, he was worth the best resources.

    They arrived at ''High Note'' country branch, at the opposite side of the building was a huge billboard with the Romdemio face on it.

    Julien raised his eyes and thought: "I completely forgot about this one."

    [System: It''s better to keep an eye on him in the future if you want to enter the entertainment circle.]

    Julien stared at the billboard for a while: "I rule in my own world and really don''t care about his dirty tricks."

    Lelia immediately frowned seeing this: "Tsk! I don''t know why, but I never liked this newcomer, there is nothing special about him, but ''Shine'' spends a lot of money to promote him."

    She glanced at Julien: "Don''t worry, he got a cover in a fashion magazine, but as a singer, it more suitable to participate in an interview. You won''t attract people by appearance alone, face value is important, but what matters most is what kind of person you are."

    Julien softly smiled at her: "Lucius made the right decisions by making you my personal assistant. I am very happy to be able to work with you, Lelia."

    Lelia giggled and cuddled him close: "Just don''t be so happy with me in front of him!"

    Julien nodded with his expression amused, assuring her of not making Lucius jealous.

 Chapter 45 - I AM WHO I AM

    Julien and Leila entered the building, the reception staff checked the list then led them to the recording booth on the 20th floor.

    Julien will start to sing as soon as the previous program ended. He put on his headphones and quietly listened to music to recollect the text of his song one last time.

    Ten minutes later, the program officially started, and the host skillfully read the opening line, "Hello everyone, this is HighNote446. Welcome to Lunch Song, this is your radio host Baby Bluez and the star of this show is Julien Baume."

    Baby Bluez continued after a slight pause: "I''m so willing to meet him and talk about his music, but before let''s hear his new song ''I am who I am''."

    This song was especially important to Julien, he felt that its a beginning of a new chapter in his life. But despite this, he wasn''t nervous about performing in a new environment at all, calmness and peace overwhelmed him.

    Before the music started, Julien made an opening monologue:

    Hello, how are you?

    I am Julien Baume.

    Do you know me?

    Are you doubting me?

    Do you agree with me?

    Actually, it doesn''t matter.

    I just want to smile brightly.

    Perform to bring you warmth.

    Grow and develop freely.

    Love and be kind in my entire life.

    I am who I am.

    After saying this, the music production crew began work and Julien finally started to sing. His voice was quiet and tentative:

    I am who I am

    I will always love the way I am

    It may seem that I love to smile

    Yet I feel disappointed and melancholic at times

    It may seem that I am confident

    Yet I still yield and evade at times

    It may seem that I try hard

    Yet I am still rejective and indolent at times

    It may seem that I am strong

    Yet I am still vulnerable and confused at times

    It may seem that I am persistent

    Yet I may give up and stay detached at times

    It may seem that I am brave

    Yet I am still fearful and timid at times

    This was the breaking point in Julien''s song. His voice became light in terms of vocal weight, and clear, giving off a sense of optimism:

    Those disappointment and sadness are also in my heart

    Those surrenders and avoidances I don''t really mind

    Those refusal and indolent moments do not matter

    Those vulnerable and confusions have their own significance

    Those abandonments and detachment let me be me

    Those fears and timidity do not have the power to make me hide

    Julien''s voice changed again, was filled with confidence, sounded full and comfortable in the upper chest register:

    I am who I am

    I will always love the way I am

    I am not longer silent because you have chosen to listen to me

    Julien was able to sing the song beautifully and ended up shocking everyone who had been listening to the broadcast, they were sucked in by Julien''s hypnotizing voice.

    After Julien finished singing, the computer blew up with many messages popping up from the listeners.

    [Vinegar Gallon Bucket: To accept ourselves as we are means to value our imperfections as much as our perfections. Your delivery is fantastic which really separates you and makes you stand out from your peers.]

    [Golden Fish: Every time you act in harmony with your authentic self and your heart, you earn our respect! You stand out as an individual performer, Julien!]

    [Cross Storm: Vocally you have a great tone and really good control on the high notes, a great overall performance.]

    Lucius who had just finished an important business call, suddenly glanced at his watch. Unfortunately, he has missed the beginning of the podcast in which his boyfriend participated today.

    Lucius was looking at the time frowning, his expression didn''t look good. He put documents in his hand down, picked his car keys on the desk, canceled all of the meetings for the rest of the day, and headed to the underground garage. Sitting in the car, he turned on the radio.

    Meanwhile, Lelia rushed to Julien with a bottle of water and said: "You did great! Now, it''s time for the interview, the radio host is already waiting for you in the next room."

    Julien drank some water and smiled: "Good, I am ready."

 Chapter 46 - INTERVIEW

    Julien greeted Baby Bluez and settled down comfortably beside him. After they started the conversation, Julien was waiting for some interesting questions.

    The radio host asked without changing his expression: "Julien, the outside world tends to have misunderstandings of you, the first thing that happened to you was a scandal mainly focused on your omega identity. At such young age, you had to face these things. What it''s like to be wrongly lynched by so many people?"

    Julien glanced up at him, this host was a daring one, this question was designed to stir the emotions. But Julien had already years of experience so this passive-aggressive speech didn''t cause his blood to rush.

    Julien''s smile was rueful, he looked vaguely disappointed: "That''s true that many people criticized me, but there will always be people who dislike and like me. I don''t mind compliments from others, I also don''t mind their criticisms."

    Then he added in a casual tone: "I feel that to be young is to have dreams, to rampage, to be fearless, and also definitely not to be concerned about the opinion of others."

    Baby Bluez raises his eyebrows, confused by omega''s attitude: "So what is your dream, Julien? To be a musician or maybe to be a celebrity?"

    Julien shrugged his shoulders: "I don''t feel that I must be a celebrity, I don''t like being in a place with a lot of people, there is a sense of pressure. I also don''t see myself as purely a musician. If there comes a day when nobody enjoys listening to my music anymore then I would leave, I will find a nice place to grow old. I wish that people will see me as something¡­ transparent."

    Baby Bluez looked at him in disbelief: "So why are you a singer in the first place?"

    Julien said after some serious thought: "When I first decided to be a singer, I didn''t even particularly like to sing, it was just my first idea of how to make a life for myself, nothing more. But then I finally started to like music, that was probably when I was able to write my first song that could truly express the emotions I had inside."

    Baby Bluez quickly asked: "What emotions accompanied you then?"

    Julien wiggled his fingers, choosing his words very carefully: "Probably because I was very lonely at that time, it made me accumulate a lot of negative energy. I was confused by this world, towards a lot of things that I couldn''t understand¡­ Naturally, I faced it with a negative sentiment. I also found it very hard to find a kind of¡­ release. So when I wrote a song for the first time, this song that was able to completely express my inner state of mind, it felt great, very releasing¡­"

    The radio host nodded and said, slightly changing the subject: "In this era, the internet is highly developed, you also became really popular on the web by casually singing a song. Is it easy to become successful?"

    Julien was confident: "Even if my stuff is not comforting to the mainstream in other''s eyes, but if some people listen to it then there exists a market for it."

    Baby Bluez asked about Julien''s opinion about the present state of the music circle, current trends in music, and what is Julien looking forward to in this profession. Overall it was a very long conversation, especially since they often seemed to disagree.

    At the end of the conversation, Baby Bluez wondered: "What are your plans for the future, of course besides being a singer?"

    Julien exclaimed with a smile: "Well, as I get older, I''m more and more towards the so-called love and marriage, I didn''t have a strong pursuit for it before, but I thinking of trying it slowly."

    The radio host tilted his head in surprise, it was rare for a young person to have this kind of serious plan, especially at the beginning of one''s career. But Baby Bluez keep that to himself and simply congratulated Julien with a smile.

    After the interview finally ended, the door to the room opened and Leila impatiently walked over: "How was it? Are you tired? It took a long time."

    Julien patted her shoulder: "It was really fine, but I have to go to rest now."

    Baby Bluez also came to them, he didn''t want Julien to misunderstand him and it was better to avoid any conflict. He allowed himself to be honest in private and apologized: "If any questions were uncomfortable, sorry."

    Julien guessed: "The main objective of this podcast was to be engaging. I''m sure that the higher-ups asked you to be this thought-provoking every once in a while. I understand how it works, it''s okay."

    Baby Bluez straightforwardly admitted it: "You are right. However, I hope that you weren''t discouraged by that and we will be able to talk again, maybe in the future, sometime."

    Baby Bluez extended his hand to Julien but was immediately blocked by a tall man who didn''t seem pleased by this action.

 Chapter 47 - BEING CARED

    When the talking Baby Bluez looked up, he saw a tall figure standing next to him. The man''s temperament was as usual, calm and gentle. Only, there seemed to be a turbulent black whirlpool in his eyes.

    Unable to look away as if nothing happened, the radio host had to reluctantly hold up a bright smile: "President Valentinus, good afternoon."

    A few people who were still smiling and chatting suddenly fell silent, wondering why the famous business tycoon suddenly appeared in the radio station when it was normally hard to catch sight of him out of his own company.

    Under the employee''s questioning gaze, Lelia not only stepped forward, but she also laughed very naturally: "Boss, I know that Julien is the second master of the Baume family, and you and President Baume are on friendly terms, but you really don''t have to check on me like that, as promised Julien is given an exceptional attention."

    Baby Bluez was slightly startled, remembering his guest''s family background, really wanted to go back to the interview and slap himself at the time, but who knew that this young newcomer also holds on to President Valentinus''s golden thigh, the higher-ups didn''t say a word to him about that.

    Baby Bluez closed his eyes and drank his saliva before speaking again: "Is there still anything we can do for you, President Valentinus?"

    Lucius slightly nodded with a businesslike attitude and said: "I want a recording of this podcast."

    He was silent for a while before he added: "As soon as possible."

    The radio host immediately said in a hurry: "I will tell someone to sent it to you right away."

    Lelia didn''t let the topic continue: "I think Julien should rest now, we won''t take up any more of your time. Thank you for your hard work."

    Baby Bluez sighed with relief and wanted to escape from the current nerve-wracking atmosphere. Strangely speaking, Lucius Valentinus had a polite attitude and didn''t put on airs, but for some reason, when he got close, Baby Bluez felt an instinctive fear.

    Probably some alphas are born with something like an aura.

    Lelia took the initiative to led them out of the radio station. She squinted her eyes when they were pierced by the sun: "Don''t invite unnecessary attention, gossip, and drama by disclosing your relationship in public. Be aware that Julien just debuted as a solo artist, and this kind of news will harm him right now."

    Julien nodded obliging and Lucius''s answer was ambiguous: "Fine."

    After the negotiation, Lelia glanced at the time: "Want to go for a meal to celebrate the first and official day of working together?"

    Both sides knew it was just a polite statement. Lucius walked to his car and turned his face slightly: "No need, I will send him."

    Julien walked over and sat down in the car: "Why did you come so early?"

    Lucius hesitated after starting the engine: "The matters in the company was finished ahead of schedule."

    He smiled softly and vaguely said: "There is a good restaurant nearby. I just happened to invite you to dinner."

    Julien judged his intention to meet with him and then downplayed the topic: "As long as you pay."

    The waiter came to deliver the meal and Julien waited until he left before speaking again: "Ioan has no idea that you are my boyfriend and I have no idea how to tell him that I''m dating his friend, that''s kind of awkward."

    Lucius moved his throat and said: "I can¡­"

    Julien prevented him from continuing to speak, raising his eyes with a particularly solemn expression: "No. He should know that from me."

    Julien gently stirred the juice with a straw: "You will be the wicked man who seduced his younger brother at that time anyway."

    Lucius was amused by his unique words. He estimated the consequences of the showdown and asked: "If it was you who found out that your brother is dating your best friend, what would you do?"

    Julien''s voice was slightly chilled: "Kill."

    Lucius couldn''t help but interject: "Who?"

    Julien categorically said: "The alpha who dares to harass!"

    The rigid atmosphere made people have the urge to run away for a while, but after chuckle Lucius renewed a gentle smile on his face.

    For the rest of the time, the two got along as usual and after eating his fill, Julien regained a little of the enthusiasm and liveliness so on the way back, they decided to visit Mino and check on him.

    They agreed beforehand to take the little boy to the cinema and watch a movie.

    When Mino heard about that he immediately cheered. He jumped up and hugged Julien''s waist: "I want to go watch a movie!"

    Actually, for a child, it wasn''t important what movie he watched or if he could understand the movie''s plot or not. He was already happy enough to go out with Julien and Lucius, but still they have chosen a movie that was suitable for a child under the age of ten.

    The two of them were full from dinner, so they only bought an ice cream and soda for Mino. The theater they were seated in was pretty much filled with parents bringing their children to watch a movie.

    Mino felt as if the past period was like a dream. He was seated between Julien and Lucius. He pursed his lips and suddenly realized he wasn''t envious of the other kids at all.

    He had friends that would watch a movie with him!

    Julien had originally thought that he wouldn''t be interested in the cartoon, but the plot was pretty good and older people wouldn''t find it disagreeable. No wonder this movie had high ratings on Weibo.

    After the movie was over, as they walked out of the movie theater, Mino was still immersed in the movie. Holding Julien''s hand, he discussed the movie''s plot with him: "I will also become a hero in the future and save lives!"

    Julien couldn''t help but laugh: "Well, you don''t have to do big, bold acts to be a superhero. If you are selfless and always looking for ways to help others, you are already a hero."

    After they had taken a little boy to the home and Lucius also drove Julien back, the sky was already dark.

    Julien looked at the entrance of the villa and didn''t see his brother''s car, he raised his eyebrows: "Hm, I guess Ioan is not home, let''s just call it pure luck!"

    He mumbled quietly: "Where he might be..."

    Julien didn''t have time to think more about it, because he was embraced affectionately. He also wrapped his arms around the man and whispered in his ear: "Happy new year."

    Lucius hummed: "In the middle of summer?"

    Julien coughed and said in a low voice: "Sorry, I couldn''t help myself."

    Lucius quietly grabbed his hand and kissed in gently: "Go home to sleep. It''s late."

    Julien nodded, "All right, well, drive safe."

    When speaking, there was a slight pleasure in his eyes. The feeling of being cared for was quite fresh.

    This day was extremely tiring. Julien lay on the bed after washing and fell asleep in a hurry.

    When he fell asleep, some people''s nightlife had just begun.

 Chapter 48 - ETIENNE

    Since Etienne woke up, everything told him that today would not be a good day.

    So at first, Etienne slept through his alarm. Sometimes, in order to write the melody on the piano before he knew it, it was dawn. Once he started creating music, he lost the concept of time and that''s why he also overslept often. Maybe it wouldn''t be so bad if he hadn''t his last one and quite important class today before the final exams. But unfortunately, he had it, so when he opened his eyes and turned his head to stare at the clock, ringing proudly on the nightstand, he was quite surprised and panic-stricken which resulted in him falling off the bed, after that his back was aching uncomfortably.

    And this was only the beginning for Etienne...

    Facing the mirror, Etienne was just staring at the worst nightmare of hair ever, tangles and knots and random strands sticking out where they were not supposed to. The hairbrush didn''t help much in taming them.

    After that, Etienne burned his breakfast toasts and there was nothing in the fridge, in the end, he didn''t eat anything in the morning.

    Next, he couldn''t find clean clothes and when he finally found them, they were creased and wrinkled, but he didn''t have another choice.

    So let''s sum it up¡­ hungry, tired, disheveled, and uncomfortable, Etienne had only one thing to say: "Oh..."

    This ''oh'' didn''t sound optimistic at all. When Etienne finally left his house in a rush, still hoping to make it in time, he estimated that his chances of having the worst days day in his life would be about 81.23%. Etienne got already a few written in the memory and every another was worse than the last.

    He quite confirmed his suspicions when he fell down on the straight road with no bumps, scraped his elbow and hands painfully.

    Etienne mumbled: "Oh."

    Then he tried to slowly rise up from greeting the ground with a hearty hug. Etienne lifted his hands and inspected the small red scratches on his palms. They weren''t bleeding, maybe stung a little bit, but he could still play on the piano without a problem.

    Etienne''s short legs moved quickly, but still, he reached the bus stop one minute too late and missed the bus to the university. There was no point to wait for the next one, which will be here in about twenty minutes.

    Etienne stared blankly at the crowded road, not knowing what to do, it was too late to attend the class and too early to go to work.

    And then the bus driving on the northbound on Julien''s apartment complex stopped on the opposite side of the road.

    The driver doubtfully waved at him: "Are you coming in?"

    Etienne was confused as he looked up at the driver. After a while, he finally snapped out and immediately said: "Yes."

    The driver smiled when he swiped his card to get on the bus.

    Earlier, in the middle of confusion, Etienne realized he was in the possession of Julien''s credit card and this was a chance to return it.

    When Etienne checked the balance of the card, he felt foolish. His hands trembled and with a frightened face, he stuffed the card back into the wallet, too scared to use or even look at it again. The amount of the money was enough to buy real estate in the center of the city.

    Maybe for someone else having a rich friend was a blessing and the opportunity to do their best to suck your personal wealth out, but for Etienne at the beginning of their friendship, it only added more insecurities to feel with himself.

    Etienne was never satisfied with himself. As a child, he was always wanting to be this perfect kid who always pleases his parents, but it was quite difficult. No matter whatever he did, how good or bad, it was never enough. So Etienne was always striving to be perfect and excelled in everything he did. He had amazing grades at school, he always got straight a''s in all the subjects, he did extracurriculars, but all of this was never kind of recognized by his parents.

    After he turned out to be an omega and on top of that recessive one, his parents completely distanced themselves from him, not wanting to support him financially anymore. When Etienne got one of the university music''s best programs to get into, he needed to survive in a new city by herself with only two thousand yuan.

    Etienne expected that when he gets independent, he would be free from this anxiety, but he always had ''you are not special, you are not powerful, you are not clever, you are not important'' in the back of his head chasing after him.

    But then he met Julien, a friend, somebody who told him to stop thinking about himself like that and called him brilliant. It was his strongest impulse to cling to this friendship, money was meaningless in this matter. So even if Etienne was always stressed that he won''t have money at the end of the month, instead of using a given credit card, he took work extra hours in the club.

    Another matter was that his heat was slowly approaching so it was better to return the card as soon as possible, because of specific episodes he was dealing with during the heat cycle.

    About half an hour later, Ioan came out of the bathroom when the door phone rang. It was the security guard, saying that there was a visitor here for his brother.

    Ioan frowned. And answered as he wiped his hair: "Who is it?"

    The security guard replied: "It is Mister Emond."

    Ioan smiled widely: "Let him in, please."

    After five minutes, the doorbell rang. Standing in the doorway was unmistakably Etienne. He was dressed in plain but chaotic-looking clothes and his soft hair was lifted as if it had been struck by lightning. With a pair of shining clear and crystal watery eyes opened in shock, it made him look just like a cuddly stray cat, causing other people to want to stroke him.

    Ioan smiled and nodded at the stunned Etienne: "Mister Emond? Julien didn''t tell me you would be coming today."

    However, Etienne just stood there stunned for quite a while and even ignored greeting, after seeing Ioan''s brawniness bared upper body muscles. The man had an upright posture and was almost naked with only a towel wrapped around his waist.

    Ioan raised an eyebrow and then gently smiled: "Mister Emond?"

    Etienne retrieved his sight and looked up. In a small voice, he said: "Oh?"

 Chapter 49 - PULL OFF

    Etienne hesitated for quite a while before speaking again, his voice was quiet, but also soft and clear, very pleasing to the ear: "Mr. Baume?"

    Ioan just slightly nodded noncommittally: "Yes. Would you like to come in and take a seat?"

    Then he turned around and walked inside: "Come on in."

    Etienne closed the door behind him and followed behind him as he sized the man up. It wasn''t the first time he was seeing Julien''s brother, but today Ioan''s pairs of eyes gave a different feeling when he looked at him just now, it was persnickety and scrutinizing over him like a military parade instructor which gave him an air of indescribable pressure.

    But Etienne wasn''t one who tended to think too much and he also didn''t want to overthink, because he always didn''t feel comfortable in the presence of alpha, and also Ioan didn''t seem to have something against his friendship with Julien.

    There was a sense of harmonic rhythm when Ioan walked and Etienne couldn''t help to peek at him again. Ioan''s facial features were somewhat similar to Julien''s but were more profound like a sculpture. His wet hair draped over his forehead slightly covering up those pairs of glittering eyes. The loose towel was revealing his perfect waist curve.

    But not even a hint of blush flashed by Etienne''s stoic face. It was undeniable that the alpha had a model figure that could make any omega''s heart flip-flopping, but unfortunately, there is always an exception to every rule.

    Etienne''s eyes flashed with impatience as looked at the spacious living room in search of someone else.

    Ioan was still toweling his hair as he sat on the sofa and informed him: "Julien is out right now. You can just wait a while for him here."

    Etienne sat politely with his hands on his knees: "Oh. I have something going on so I can only stay here for a bit before I have to leave."

    Ioan noticed that omega didn''t put eyes on him at all and felt a little bit uneasy: "In a hurry? Would you like some coffee, or just tea?"

    Etienne sat steadfastly with a blank expression, the reaction came after a while: "A little bit and thank you for the offer, but no thank you."

    Of course, Etienne was thirsty and even more hungry, but by his calculations, the chance of choking by getting coffee or tea lodged in his throat was equal to 57.46% with his luck today. Better did not take a chance, he might be able to live out, but he also didn''t want to embarrass himself in front of Julien''s brother.

    Ten minutes passed since Etienne arrived, but Ioan couldn''t say a word. The last thing he said was "so please sit comfortably".

    Ioan pursed his lips as he quietly stared at Etienne''s absent-minded expression. The omega eyes were focused on the small vase on the table. But also thanks to this Ioan could observe him as much as he wanted to.

    Etienne''s clothes were disheveled, and his eyes were squinting and his hair was drooping down. There was even a bruise and scratches on his left hand, making him look very pathetic.

    Seeing him look like this, Ioan felt somewhat uncomfortable: "Get up and go with me to the study to apply medicine."

    Etienne snapped out of his daze: "Oh?"

    Ioan forcibly suppressed his irritation: "I''m going to treat your bruised hand, come on."

    Etienne obediently stood up and followed behind him.

    Ioan brought out the medical kit and sat down beside omega and ordered him: "Give me your hand."

    Then Ioan used the cotton swabs to apply the medicine on his small wounds. Though his hand was not light, at least he tried his best to restrain his strength. Despite this Etienne hissed in pain.

    Ioan clicked his tongue, but asked softly: "How did you get hurt?"

    Etienne whined with a sad little pout: "I''m cursed."

    He knew in his heart that he was a magnet for accidents, there wasn''t a day where he didn''t trip or fall down. It was just his life¡­ He saw it in his mind, the cover of a bestseller novel, standing proudly on the shelf near every bookstores''s window - ''The series of unfortunate events in Etienne Emond''s life - volume twenty three.''

    Etienne released a heavy sigh and moved the hand away: "It does not matter as long as I can play the piano and go to work."

    Ioan quickly recalled: "You work at the club Julien used to perform?"

    Etienne nodded and as he thought of that time, the corners of his mouth unconsciously curled up in a smile.

    Noticing omega''s faint and nostalgic smile, Ioan clenched his back teeth for two seconds before relaxing.

    It seemed like they really were quite close, maybe a little too close.

    Ioan didn''t want to experience another moment of silence so he grabbed this opportunity to interact with him more and finally asked: "Why are you looking for him?"

    Etienne''s glass-like eyes were somewhat perplexed: "When is he coming back?"

    Ioan sighed and ran his hand through the dark brown hair on his head: "When he wants to."

    The quiet murmur left Etienne''s lips and was quickly dissolved into the air: "There is no point in waiting for him."

    Etienne blinked and without hesitation took out his wallet and handed over the titanium card: "I want to return the card Julien borrowed me."

    Ioan seemed somewhat taken aback by looking at a familiar card: "It''s mine."

    Etienne shot a startled glance at him: "Oh?! I''m sorry!"

    Ioan furrowed his brows and wracked his brain. He didn''t need to jump to conclusions yet.

    He could tell straight ahead that the younger man before him was more nervous than he might himself out to be. Ioan admitted that he was a little annoyed by this situation, but he didn''t intend to suffocate the other man under pressure.

    Ioan reached out with his arm and placed his hands on Etienne''s shoulders and under his touch the person stiffened: "It was my brother who gave it to you so it''s nothing to be sorry about."

    Etienne''s voice was like a whisper: "I didn''t use it."

    He also found their faces were quite close, the small desk between them creating a small distance: "I think I have to go. Thank Julien from me."

    Ioan followed behind him: "I''ll walk you out."

    He was about to close the door when omega tripped over the welcome mat.

    Ioan took a step forward to catch him, but it was too late. He felt the other''s hands on his waist. Etienne having nothing else to hold on clutched his fingers on the towel, pulling it off.

    After falling to the ground, Etienne quickly stood up on his own and patted the dust off his jeans, but while doing it his eyes inevitably shifted to alpha''s lower body and clearly saw something big.

    Etienne''s eyes widened in astonishment and he blushed scarlet. Hiding his face in his hands, he quickly turned around and began to walk away. All of a sudden, he started to run.

    Ioan couldn''t help but laughed and shouted after him: "Why are you running?"

 Chapter 50 - BAD DAY

    Ioan didn''t expect that Julien''s friend could be so cute.

    Two hours later, Ioan turned on the computer and found that he had received a new mail. The sender was one of his friends working in the security company, it should be the result of what he was asked to investigate after Etienne left. He clicked to open the mail and earnestly read the information.

    Etienne Emond, 23 years old, from a B city, from an ordinary family, is about to graduate from A University of music, majoring in piano.

    Ioan was quite satisfied when he read that omega was not in a relationship.

    Could it be that he is being overly interested in his brother''s friend?

    During a lunch break, Lucius picked up the phone. It was a business call, but when they finished discussing and negotiating the list of property that Ioan has to sell, out of the blue his friends mentioned that he wants to bring a person to his company and be a secret backer.

    Lucius knew Ioan for some time and that kind of thing was completely not his style.

    What was even more surprising for Lucius was that that person turned out to be his boyfriend''s best friend that they already signed and were waiting for him to graduate to start officially work with. It was Julien''s wish. So Lucius very quickly realized that Ioan was doing that without his brother''s knowledge. A smile stretched across Lucius''s face but just as fast disappeared when he looked at his watch.

    At the same moment, Ioan shivered, he suddenly felt deep malice from the universe. He rubbed down the goosebumps on his arms, took a book and sat by the window to read to brush off this weird feeling.

    Despite the passage of time, Ioan was unable to focus, he time and time again thought back to today''s morning. Only when omega''s embarrassed face appeared in his mind, he was unable to bear it any longer and threw away the book.

    Ioan flung open the door and walked at a rapid pace toward his car, it didn''t take him a lot of time to storm into the club. As he went in, he immediately strode toward the scene.

    Ioan cast his gaze to look over, but then he instantly fixed his eyes on the sight. Etienne sat beside the piano with his hands gently put on the piano''s keys with a smile in his eyes.

    Ioan''s face revealed a slight soothing expression as if the existence of omega made him feel at ease. Hiding in the corner and leaning against the wall, he quietly watched omega play the piano. Etienne''s eyes were half-closed and his tranquil. His body moved gently with the music.

    Watching and listening Ioan finally relaxed, sat on the sofa, ordered some liquor to his table, but through this whole time his gaze was always focused on the person on the stage.

    Etienne had time to change clothes and now he wore long white pants and a black shirt. Though he dressed in such plain and simple clothing, it gave people a kind of elegant and noble temperament. He had a delicate built but not weak body. His legs were long and slender and his demeanor was stable and steady. It made Ioan unable to move his eyes.

    The last melody Etienne played at the end of the work was completely different. The peaceful and blissful became more disoriented and sorrowful. He was singing, but it was so quiet that even a person standing next to him wouldn''t be able to hear it.

    Etienne sang in a hushed tone:

    An excellent person like me should have a brilliant life

    How come after over twenty years I''m still struggling like others

    A smart person like me has parted from the simplicity

    How come I devoted my love in return for scars all over

    A confused person like me, a seeker like me

    An unsuccessful person like me how many of them have you seen

    A messy person like me never like to pretend to be composed

    How come sometimes while I heard some old song

    I would get lost in thoughts suddenly

    A coward like me would like to keep everything low-key

    How come I ever thought of risking myself for someone

    A lonely person like me, a foolish person like me

    A person like me who is unwilling to stay ordinary

    How many of them are there in the world

    A weird person like me will anyone care about

    Ioan also couldn''t hear anything but looking straight at Etienne''s face, he could lip-read some worlds. Nevertheless, he was still annoyed by not being close enough to know exactly about what omega was singing.

    In the next moment, Etienne stood up, bowed and left the stage.

    As headed to the cloakroom to change his clothes, one of the club visitors stumbled and sprayed down his shirt with red wine.

    The man that bumped into him was tall and handsome alpha. He unexpectedly put his arm around Etienne''s shoulder and apologized: "I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to. Could... could you forgive me? I''ll do anything to make it up to you, I swear!"

    Etienne instantly pushed aside his arm and squeezed out a sentence with difficulty: "That''s not necessary."

    With that said, he straightened his back then bypassed the alpha and went into the toilet to try to save his shirt. But as Etienne was walking out in a large stride, the alpha''s eyes flashed with some evil light.

    Once Etienne changed clothes, he got into the washroom and promptly approached the sink to clean the red stain before it didn''t dry up. It was hard to find the correct and comfortable position of tap between the ''hella hot'' and ''freezing to death'', so he opted on ''almost burning your skin'' as his hands started to brush the material with the remains of the club''s soap.

    Etienne didn''t even want to count failures that happened to him today. He knew that some days of his life were particularly unlucky, but he already had a bad day last week and thought that maybe fate would spare him till next month. But it looked that the short boy wasn''t in the favor.

    And he thought that his life was slowly moving onto the right tracks: "This day can''t get any worse¡­"

    It felt like someone heard him and decided to prove him wrong because as soon as those words left his dry lips, the doors to the bathroom swung open and someone walked inside: "I was searching for you to compensate."

    The alpha who said that groaned wickedly and theatrically and headed off in this direction.

    This day couldn''t get any worse and yet here he was!