Dein Striker frowned deeply as he stared at the man across from him. Joshua Bailey, his expression unchanged from earlier, met his gaze without any sign of hesitation. After blinking a couple of times, Dein finally opened his mouth, albeit a beat too late.
"I had something I wanted to say the other day, but... "
"Thanks for worrying. I'm getting regular mental evaluations. I'm not crazy. Ashley Miller requested the job."
Joshua quickly blurted out, cutting Dein off. Because of that, Dein could only close his mouth and look at him. What struck him as strange came next.
"Ashley Miller? That guy?"
"Yeah."
Joshua nodded, confirming the words.
"You know, the Ashley Miller who’s Chase and Grayson’s father."
Dein tried to say something but only moved his lips. Stunned, he blinked a few times before pressing his hand to his forehead. He finally scowled at Joshua after a moment.
"That guy requested my protection? Why?"
"Of course, because he's worried about you."
The more he heard, the more absurd the conversation seemed. As he frowned, Joshua continued.
"He thinks Grayson might hurt you. Either way, he requested protection for you. At first, I refused... but..."
Joshua squinted and gave Dein a suspicious look.
"I had to come here to figure out what's going on."
"Why would he think that? What could that guy and I possibly do together, damn it!"
Dein repeated Joshua’s words in disbelief, but Joshua coldly retorted.
"How do you think I knew you were here?"
For a moment, Dein froze. The unexpected remark caught him off guard. Blinking in surprise, Joshua continued with a cold tone.
"The Miller family has a secretary team that handles their affairs."
"...So?"
Dein asked, still in disbelief, and Joshua quickly answered.
"The staff at Grayson’s mansion reported that you had left. And they told me you were here."
Dein was suddenly at a loss for words. By now, Joshua almost knew everything. Should he be thankful Joshua didn’t grab him by the collar?
At this point, there was only one thing left to do.
"I swear, Grayson Miller and I have nothing going on. We had sex, but that's it. It's all over now. Everything."
Dein strongly asserted his innocence.
"Can’t you tell from the fact that I'm here in this shitty hotel?"
That was irrefutable proof. Joshua, who had known for a long time that Dein’s wish was to trap a rich fool to live off of, had no choice but to believe it.
"...Yeah, I guess you're that kind of guy."
Joshua reluctantly agreed, rubbing his chin. If there had been something between Grayson and Dein, he knew for certain Dein wouldn't have missed the chance. He easily imagined Dein lounging on a giant air mattress in the garden's massive pool, drinking beer, basking in the sun, enjoying life.
To give that up and end up sleeping alone in a grimy hotel with cracks on the walls and bugs crawling around? It just didn’t make sense.
"Fine, let’s say there’s nothing between you and Grayson."
"It’s not ‘let’s say,’ there’s nothing."
"Anyway, Ashley Miller thinks you're in danger."
Joshua ignored Dein’s stubborn denial and continued. Seeing the displeasure on Dein’s face, he carried on.
"Whatever happened between you two, we don’t know if Grayson accepted it willingly. If he didn’t, that could make things dangerous, according to Ashley Miller."
"Grayson Miller might try to kill me?"
Dein smirked, but Joshua’s face remained impassive. Realizing he had made himself uncomfortable, Dein scratched the back of his head and grumbled.
"Even if that’s the case, does it make sense for him to protect me? Grayson’s an extreme alpha, but he's still just a regular guy..."
He paused there, unsure of how to finish his sentence. What he was about to say wasn’t entirely wrong. After all, Dein had been formally trained in the military. He was a veteran who could easily overpower anyone and take their life in an instant.
But Grayson’s strength couldn’t be ignored. If Grayson had truly wanted to subdue Dein, perhaps...
"They're ridiculously strong, those guys."
Joshua spoke, almost as if he had read Dein’s mind. Surprised, Dein looked up to find Joshua meeting his gaze seriously.
"I know because I've faced Chase. That guy’s physical strength is insane... he just never knew how to use it properly. Even now, I’m struggling with him a bit."
"Then why teach me self-defense if I’ll be surrounded by bodyguards?"
At Dein’s pointed remark, Joshua sighed and shook his head.
"That was the plan. Anyway, I came here just in case. I checked the area, but..."
His words trailed off in a way that seemed odd. Frowning, Dein noticed Joshua tilt his head slightly and mutter.
"Something's weird, though. I sent the team leader to Grayson’s house, but it was so quiet. They said no one was there. Do you think they went to some party?"
Pheromone party.
They both thought of the same thing. If they were extreme alphas, they would naturally go there, especially now that Dein and Grayson had separated. There was no reason to avoid it.
"Looks like it’s time to get rid of the pheromones. Or maybe he went off to find a new lover."
Joshua rubbed his chin thoughtfully, as if agreeing with Dein's conclusion.
"Yeah, maybe..."
Dein stared at Joshua with a clear expression of annoyance. Seeing that, Joshua finally nodded, though something uncomfortable was still wriggling in the pit of his stomach.
Haa, haa.
Ezra panted heavily as he rushed into the house. The place was eerily silent, with everyone else fast asleep. The only sound that filled the room was his ragged breathing, echoing ominously.
What have I done?
His heart trembled, almost unbearable. He hurried to the kitchen, turning on the faucet, and drank straight from it, without even bothering with a cup. Only after gulping down the cold water did he begin to calm down a little. Ezra wiped his mouth with his sleeve ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) and turned off the tap.
I had no choice... I really had no choice...
He kept repeating the same words over and over. In his arms, he tightly clutched a thick paper bag. On the way back, Ezra had found the same paper bag they had tossed into the back seat of his car. Inside was the money they had promised him. As soon as he checked the bundle of cash, Ezra wanted to scream.
Those bastards, those bastards...!
The humiliation and rage from the fact that they had laughed at and mocked him were mixed with the relief of getting the money. His heart felt utterly shattered. Tears welled up in his eyes as he quickly wiped them away with his arm and staggered across the living room.
When he went upstairs and saw Sandra's face, still the first one to fall asleep, his heart grew heavier. He stared at her gaunt face for a while before turning and heading to the kids' room. The children, unaware of what their father had just done, were fast asleep, tossing and turning innocently in their beds. Looking at their peaceful faces almost made Ezra want to burst into tears. He clamped a hand over his mouth, inhaled sharply, and then gently kissed each of their foreheads one by one before quietly making his way out.
It was then that something caught his eye.
The bracelet hanging from the stuffed bear his daughter was holding. Even in the dim light of the moon filtering through the window, the bracelet glimmered, and Ezra stared at it for a moment.
No way, that’s impossible...
He shook his head and quietly left the room. It had been such a long night. He just wanted to lie down in bed, forget everything... cleanly.
Everything.
