Chapter 14: You're Hot
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Across from him, Riven was sitting lazily on the sofa, ears twitching, tail swishing slightly—like a smug cat who knew exactly how much it was annoying its owner. He tilted his head, blinking innocently, but Troy was not fooled.
"Okay, then. Let's talk about your hotness."
Troy blinked. What?
For a moment, he was so thrown off that he couldn't even formulate words. Did he hear that correctly? His brain had to have short-circuited because surely there was no way this was happening.
"Aiyah, you should know how hot you are," Riven continued with the audacity of someone who had nothing to lose. "The serious, hardworking type, kinda tsundere. Those glasses, that brown hair, the way you conduct yourself like an innocent schoolboy."
Troy sucked in a sharp breath.
What. The. Hell.
His face began to burn against his will, and the worst part was, he couldn't even deny Riven's sincerity. If this had been an insult, Troy would have scoffed and ignored it. But Riven's tail was swishing, his ears were perked up, and he was smiling in a way that was far too genuine.
Troy could feel it—this was real. Riven was actually calling him hot.
His brain entered full emergency shutdown mode.
"Wh- Whatt—"
Troy's mouth flapped open and closed like a fish, his words failing him. He was the right-hand man of Alpha Ronan. He had stared down enemy alphas, fought countless battles, and negotiated tense political situations. And yet here he was, completely and utterly speechless because a half-breed with an uncontrollable tail had just called him attractive.
"I- I-"
Riven hummed, watching his reaction with amusement. "Hmm, I think glasses suit you. If I were to rate you, you'd be an eight, but since you have an innocent schoolboy vibe, I'll bump you up to a nine."
Troy choked on air. Schoolboy?
He could feel his dignity shattering piece by piece.
This half-breed was absolutely disgusting. Perverted. Shameless. And yet... Troy had never been flirted with like this before. He had been admired, sure. Respected, feared, even hated. But never had someone looked at him with actual desire in their eyes and declared, without a single ounce of hesitation, "Yes. This is a hot man, and I must let him know."
"Ayy, I'm only perverted for hot men, and you, dear sir, are one of them."
Troy almost fell out of his chair.
"I— I— YOU—!"
Riven smirked. Oh, he was having fun now.
With deliberate slowness, he brought his tail into his hands, cradling it like a plush toy, his fingers running through the soft fur. His emerald eyes flickered mischievously, and then—he winked.
He winked.
Troy was going to die.
He shot up from his chair so fast he reached the speed of light!
"I- I am leaving!"
Riven didn't even look surprised. He simply smiled, tilting his head like he was considering something.
"Oh? Running away?"
Troy's body locked up.
Was that... A challenge?
No. No, he would not fall into this. He refused to engage with this nonsense.
"Yes," he ground out through clenched teeth. "I am leaving."
His feet were already moving toward the door, but he could feel Riven's grin boring into the back of his head.
"Don't miss me too much~"
Troy slammed the door behind him.
He stormed down the hallway, ignoring the confused gazes of the house servants. He didn't stop moving until he was outside, where he could breathe fresh, unpolluted air—air that wasn't filled with Riven's shamelessness.
Once he was safely alone, he let out a long, exhausted sigh.
What the hell just happened?
His brain replayed the conversation like a broken record, and the more he thought about it, the worse it got.
"Tsundere," Riven had said. Tsundere.
Troy buried his face in his hands.
What made it worse was that Ronan had specifically ordered him to keep an eye on Riven. That meant he would have to deal with him again.
Oh, God.
Meanwhile, inside the house, Riven was grinning like an idiot.
"Oh-ho~ That was fun," he muttered to himself.
His tail was swishing wildly, his ears flicking as he basked in his small but significant victory. Troy had fled. Fled.
Was there anything more satisfying than watching a handsome, serious man get flustered beyond belief?
Riven thought not.
He stretched lazily on the couch, feeling extremely satisfied with himself. He didn't actually want Troy—no, his true life's mission was to flirt with every hot man in existence and wreak havoc.
And today?
Today had been a resounding success.
"Aiyah, innocent Troy," Riven mused, running a hand through his hair. "So flustered. So pure. I should tease him more often."
He grinned to himself.
Julius stood at the top of the stairs, his sharp eyes narrowing as he watched the exchange unfold below. The playful lilt in Riven's voice, the way his tail swished, the shameless flirtation spilling from his lips—it was infuriating. Infuriating.
His hands clenched into fists, his nails pressing against his palms hard enough to sting. He wasn't sure what made him angrier—the way Riven dismissed him so easily, the way he openly teased any man who caught his interest, or the fact that he didn't even seem to care how that made Julius feel.
A low growl rumbled in his throat as he turned abruptly, stalking back to his room. The moment he entered, he slammed the door shut behind him, the sound echoing through the halls. His chest rose and fell in uneven breaths.
This was not the Riven he knew.
Bold. Reckless. Unrestrained. Had he always been like this? Was he simply hiding this side of himself before?
Julius' head ached with frustration. If Riven wanted a man so badly, if he was so desperate to flirt, to play his little games, then why was he wasting his time with nobodies? Why wasn't he looking at Julius?
His grip on the door tightened. His body felt tense, hot, unstable.