Grayson was startled by the sudden shout, but that wasn’t the end of it.
“Move!”
Without giving Grayson any further explanation, Dein immediately sprang into action and ran out.
“Dein!”
Flustered, Grayson quickly chased after him. Dein crossed the hallway at a terrifying speed and, when the stairs appeared, he threw himself down them without hesitation.
“Dein, it’s dangerous!”
Grayson shouted in panic, but it was a pointless concern. With one leap, Dein jumped down to the landing, then sprinted a few steps before leaping down to the next one. Grayson’s eyes widened in shock. He had seen this kind of scene before. When he was a child, he had watched a nature documentary where a lion, starving for a week, spotted a lone, stranded gazelle and sprinted after it.
As if there was no time to step down each stair, Dein moved from landing to landing, quickly reaching the hall. When his feet finally hit the floor of the first floor, he momentarily lost his balance but quickly regained his composure. He then immediately ran toward the front door, leaving Grayson, who had barely descended halfway down the stairs, behind.
“Wait! Ashley Miller! Mr. Miller!”
Dein swung the door open and shouted. Just as Ashley was about to get into his car, he turned around. His eyes widened in surprise as he saw Dein Striker, panting and standing by the open door.
“What...?”
Ashley raised a hand to stop the bodyguard trying to block his way and stared at Dein. He waited until Dein had descended the stairs and stood before him, silently, as if asking what he had to say.
“Tell the chief, no, just tell him to stop making me do charity work.”
Dein’s request made Ashley furrow his brow, and he opened his mouth. But before he could speak, Dein continued.
“Forget what Grayson said.”
Ashley’s frown slowly relaxed, and as he gazed at Dein, a faint smile crept onto his lips. With a strange smile, Ashley Miller said,
“Why should I listen to you instead of my son?”
“Because Grayson was wrong.”
Dein immediately replied. How many people could boldly say their own son was wrong in front of a father, especially when that father was Ashley Miller, a man who was considered almost like a president by the public?
Look at this.
Ashley slowly stroked his chin, his eyes fixed on Dein. Soon, Grayson appeared. Dein, following Ashley’s fleeting glance, turned to see Grayson standing on the front steps.
“Grayson, you tell him.”
“Huh?”
Grayson was startled. Dein had called his name! Not "Miller," but "Grayson." He blinked in disbelief, staring blankly. Then, with a grimace on his face, Dein gestured for him to be quiet. Grayson’s mind snapped back to attention at the sharp expression on Dein's face. He looked confused, alternating his gaze between Ashley and Dein, but it was Ashley who spoke first.
“This man says to ignore your request and listen only to his. What should we do?”
There was a faint laugh in Ashley's voice. It was clear that he was enjoying the situation. It almost felt as though he was pulling the leashes of both Dein and Grayson, enjoying it like a game. Of course, it seemed a rather trivial matter, whether or not to do charity work, but it didn’t make it any less amusing to him.
Meanwhile, Grayson’s mind was in turmoil. The fact that Dein had called his name for the first time made him want to jump for joy, but at the same time, he had to stay calm in front of Ashley Miller. He was caught between his impulses and the need to figure out what exactly Dein wanted before he could give in.
Hmm, after some internal struggle, he finally made a choice.
“Do as Dein wants.”
He set aside his impulses and worries and made the decision for Dein. Ashley stared silently at his son.
“Is that okay? Really?”
Grayson nodded in response to the question.
“Yes, what Dein wants is what I want, so it’s fine.”
“I see.”
Ashley was quietly impressed by his son’s other side. Maybe, just maybe...
“Let’s do it.”
Ashley answered without hesitation and then turned to Dein.
“Anything else you want to say?”
“No.”
Dein gave a short reply, and Ashley’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Thank you.”
Ashley sarcastically threw the words at him, but Dein just blinked, looking annoyed as ever.
Ashley shook his head in disbelief, then got into his car. Immediately, the bodyguard shut the car door, and the vehicles scattered in all directions. The car in front drove off, followed by the others in order. And finally, a peaceful calm settled over the area.
“Haaa.”
Dein stretched and yawned as if he had just survived. The speed from earlier seemed to have vanished as he walked leisurely, and Grayson, blinking in confusion, quickly followed him.
“De, Dein, Dein!”
Grayson shouted in an excited voice, his tone higher than before.
“You called my name earlier, right? Huh? You called my name!”
Dein, still looking ahead, lazily responded.
“Did I?”
“Yes, you did!”
Grayson protested, still looking somewhat wronged. With a nonchalant expression, Dein grabbed the stair railing and continued walking slowly, and Grayson followed, bouncing between the front, sides, and back, relentlessly continuing his chatter.
“You called me Grayson, right? You called my name! Not Miller, but Grayson, right? You called my name! From now on, you’ll call me Grayson, right? Don’t call me Miller! There are six other Millers in my family! So, you have to call me Grayson.”
“Seven.”
Dein suddenly interrupted. Grayson, who had been talking non-stop, froze for a moment and blinked in surprise. With an annoyed expression, Dein explained.
“Not just you—five other siblings, Ashley Miller, Koi Miller. Seven.”
“Ah.”
Grayson, as if realizing something, muttered in admiration and then explained.
“Daddy doesn’t use the Miller name.”
“Why?”
Dein paused at the unexpected comment. Come to think of it, he had mentioned a different surname when they first met. Grayson, noticing Dein’s confusion, explained.
“Well, he does sometimes, but he prefers the surname Niles. It’s more familiar, and he said it works better when he’s working.”
That made sense.
Dein easily accepted the explanation. The surname Miller was so common it was hard to associate it with anything special, but using his own surname made more sense. Then, suddenly, Dein remembered something he had forgotten. Joshua also used his own surname. It was probably for the same reason.
Marrying into a famous family isn't easy, after all.
Dein resumed walking with an indifferent look on his face, thinking that it had nothing to do with him. Grayson, following closely behind, continued chattering.
“I want to change my surname to Striker when I get married.”
Dein's eyes widened at the sudden declaration. Turning around with wide eyes, he met Grayson’s gaze, and Grayson, excited, said,
“Grayson Striker, doesn’t it sound good? Just like us! Right? You think so, don’t you?”
Grayson kept urging him for an answer, but Dein said nothing. He just looked at him expressionlessly.
Grayson, still smiling, stood frozen, ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) blinking his eyes. One second, two seconds, three seconds. After a brief silence, Dein suddenly smirked.
“Cute.”
His tone made it clear that he didn’t mean it sincerely. Just as if it was a habitual remark, Dein moved swiftly, now taking three stairs at a time, quickly disappearing into the distance.
“Goodnight.”
With a formal goodbye, he entered his room. Grayson, watching the door close, stood silently for a moment before reluctantly heading to his own room.
The door clicked shut behind him, and a sudden stillness filled the space. The three cold cups of tea on the table remained, but the large room was empty, save for Grayson.
Standing absentmindedly, he suddenly noticed the gift he had left on the table in front of the sofa. It was from Koi. Without thinking much, he opened the wrapping, and as soon as he lifted the box, an unfamiliar scent spread. Inside the box were flowers that he had only seen in photographs.
