Perfect Omega Chapter 6.2 - Hurdles Aren’t Meant to Be Jumped Over, But Pushed Aside

One of the PMCs’ biggest clients is government agencies. Government agencies from all over the world.

PMCs take on high-intensity operations that government agencies cannot carry out due to budget problems and ethical issues. And at scenes like that, very raw evidence is often secured. Evidence is evidence only when it is collected. Sometimes it disappears from the scene before it even gets labeled as evidence.

For a finished product of this scale, the preferred method is to return it directly to its original owner or sell it to another drug dealer instead of handing it over to the government. Because PMCs are, literally, private organizations that pursue profit.

If they follow the method commonly used in the industry, they should take a hefty commission and then return it to the original owner. And then they wait. For a request to come in from a government agency to catch the cartel in question.

Since they have already secured the location of the manufacturing lab and the drug dealer’s contact information, it’s like receiving two job requests at once. It’s even easier the second time around since they already know everything. Besides, with drug cartels, a one-time sweep may be possible, but eradication is impossible, so once you catch one, it becomes a truly self-perpetuating revenue model.

Nick also received such offers from time to time. From a modest commission like the one the man kneeling on the second floor offered to give him, to a proposal to join hands as a business partner. But Nick’s principle is not to do anything that gives him a headache.

As long as he continues this work, a network in the federal government is more useful than a network of drug dealers. This is because, no matter how quietly Nick tries to move, his work sometimes requires the cooperation or tacit approval of public authorities. There are also times when it straddles the gray area between illegal and legal.

“I’ll contact you when I need you.”

—Let’s do that.

Josh accepted the deal cheerfully.

In the industry, they called this a coupon. Nick hasn’t used many, but he has received a lot of coupons. The more coupons you have, the less you have to pay, so this is a much more profitable calculation.

Nick hung up the phone and opened the comms.

“Simon, pull out. Let’s go home.”

—Yes, Boss.

An immediate reply came back.

“Boss, but if we take all the ledgers and the phones, they won’t have much fun with the prosecution, will they?”

Cooper, who had followed behind Nick, asked in a low voice.

The narcotics squad, who came running in excitement, would be a bit disappointed to find out they couldn’t recover a single phone as evidence, but they probably weren’t expecting much anyway.

“It’s fine. With that much weight, the photos will come out well, and we captured the manufacturer alive. There will be no problem getting a special promotion.”

Strictly speaking, what Nick did just now was hiding evidence. However, the police have no way of knowing what evidence he hid. They can be suspicious, but the guys tied up are not likely to cooperate. Getting caught with the ledgers will only increase their sentences. Besides, they are guys who despise the police, so they won’t say a word, no matter what.

“But Boss, if that happens, whatever comes out of the cell phones will have no effect. It means coming all this way to find an undeniable justification and evidence to raid that island was a waste of effort.”

Pfft, a laugh burst out at the naive concern.

“That’s only in a court of law.”

“…You’re not going to use it in court?”

“I’m going to use it to persuade them not to go to court.”

What Nick wants is simple. He is going to demand that they lose interest in Owen and never see him again. Oh, and before that, an apology for harassing him all this time. If they refuse, he can just say he will release the data he has collected like this. A silver-spoon kid who has only ever lived as an elite will never be able to endure such an ordeal.

“Will that be persuasive?”

“Good grief!! What is this?!”

Before he could give the answer that it would take less than 10 seconds to persuade them, Simon’s scream was heard. The two of them quickly ran out of the building. The rest of the team members who were gathered near the entrance also started running after them.

“…!”

“…”

Nick realized what had happened even before he rounded the building. The smell of pheromones was overwhelming.

“Ugh! What is this smell?”

As soon as he turned the corner, one of the team members started to step back, covering his nose.

“Alphas, put on your masks.”

Several of the team members, excluding Nick, began to take out gas masks.

“Are you alright? There is one more here.”

The new team member, who had finished putting on his own gas mask, hurriedly held one out to Nick.

“I’m good.”

“Yes…?”

“Our boss is fine.”

In place of the unfriendly Nick, a senior team member grabbed the rookie’s shoulder and pulled him toward the back.

“Weren’t you… an alpha?”

Although he lowered his voice, the new team member persistently tried to confirm Nick’s secondary gender.

He was doing that right, as per the manual. One must be aware of the secondary gender information of colleagues deployed to the field to be able to respond when a situation like this occurs.

“He is. Still, the boss is fine.”

The senior wasn’t particularly kinder, so that was the extent of his explanation. The rookie would either have to understand that if he said he’s fine, he’s fine, or figure it out on his own that he must have imprinted. The team members who had worked with Nick for a long time had come to terms with it that way anyway, so that was plenty kind enough.

Nick can also smell this scent. In fact, he smells it better. His sensitive senses don’t tire easily, so the lingering scent that hovers at the tip of his nose also lasts a long time.

However, Nick detects it but is not affected by it. So, while he knows in theory why Simon is freaking out like that right now, he cannot empathize. Nick just stood there and watched.

“Cooper! What are you doing? Hurry up and get this person off me!!”

“Simon, why are you over there?”

“I came to help! Get him off me, quickly.”

Despite Simon’s urging, Cooper and another beta employee hesitated as if they were reluctant to approach. If it had looked life-threatening, they would have jumped in immediately, but for now, the person was talking, and more than anything, the state of the people he was telling them to pull off looked suspicious, so they didn’t want to get involved.

“Why… why are they doing that? Are they turning into zombies, or what?”

Indeed, the two hostages were moving like zombies from a drama. They were acting as if no one else in the world existed but Hugh and Simon, with their two arms stretched out in front of them.

“They seem to have lost their reason?”

“Do they bite, by any chance? Can you talk to them?”

“I can’t!! Just help me!”

In the end, unable to overcome Simon’s pestering, Cooper reluctantly walked between the two people.

“What’s with these people? Are they on drugs or something?”

It wasn’t enough to pull them off; he had to press them to the ground to subdue them. Despite their complexion and appearance looking poor in many ways, the hostages were overflowing with strength. Even while lying face down on the ground, they struggled so much that it seemed they would hurt themselves at this rate.

“What did you do to make them like this?”

“I didn’t do anything! They were sprawled out, so I just asked if they were okay, and they suddenly rushed at me.”

“It’s true. They couldn’t get up from the basement floor, so I approached first to help them up. But I was in the middle of saying that the pheromone smell was too strong and it would be difficult for me.”

The junior team member who had gone down with Hugh began to explain the situation amidst the chaos.

“Then they suddenly jumped up, and they’ve been like this ever since. Man, for a second, I really thought they were going to pounce and eat me alive!”

“What is this…?”

Cooper muttered while still pressing down on the back of the hostage, who seemed to be in an agitated state.

“Looks like they only do that to alphas. Tie them up for now. They’re going to get hurt like that.”

Hugh said only that much and then stepped back.

Once there was enough distance, the two people’s struggling also subsided.

“Are you okay?”

Even when a colleague wearing a gas mask spoke to him, Hugh didn’t seem to have the presence of mind to answer.

“Didn’t they say those people were sent by that guy named Locke?”

Only after coming all the way to Nick did Hugh look toward the people he had brought out from the basement.

“Yeah.”

“He’s a complete madman… What did he do to these people?”

“…”

Now Nick is also becoming curious about that.

Even when he had speculated that Locke might be the manufacturer of the Acid Pheromone, he had only considered it as an incident caused by a time-rich and immature man of science out of curiosity. New drugs are constantly being developed even now, and buying and enjoying them with money would have been an individual’s choice.

Nick had tracked them this far because of the possibility that Locke or Victor, or the father and son jointly, were behind hiring the contractor. The drugs were not the important issue.

But what he had just seen before his eyes was a completely different situation. It crossed the line of mischief that a reasonably smart and morally deficient rich kid could pull off.

“Is that Acid Pheromone? Do you become like that if you’re addicted to that drug?”

Simon, who had come up next to Nick, asked, but he seemed more preoccupied with checking the smell on his own body than with hearing the answer to his question.

The smell was so foul that there was no need to raise both arms and sniff like that. It wasn’t the natural scent that comes from being in heat. Whether it was the effect of the drug, the pheromones of the two people, which seemed to have been emitted with all their might, were mixed together, making it nauseating rather than arousing.

“This feels gross.”

Simon was now craning his neck to look down at his pants. Judging from his words, actions, and expression, it seemed he had a reaction to the omega pheromones.

“Ah, wait! Doesn’t that mean it got on me too?!”

Hugh also shouted, as if he had only just realized a very obvious fact.

Since he had practically crawled up to the surface while holding them, their pheromones would have naturally been transferred onto Hugh’s body. Hugh raised both arms and sniffed to check the scent that he could only smell faintly.

“Frank is going to misunderstand. If Frank misunderstands, I’m dead.”

Even if the scent of the other secondary gender’s pheromones only faintly reached his own nose, Frank would surely smell it properly.

“You can just use a deodorizer. Get over it for now. Change your clothes, take a shower, and go home.”

Cooper said as if it were nothing.

“…I’m going to catch the bastard who made this and kill him.”

Hugh vowed revenge instead of tears.

“I’ll let you meet him soon.”

Now, Nick too had become curious about the ‘why’.

❊

Silence.

That was the first word that came to Owen’s mind when he opened his eyes.

Owen’s mornings were always like this. It was nothing new.

Aunt Catherine seems to think that Owen got rid of the live-in staff for privacy, but that’s not true. Owen wanted to rest.

Owen’s mind is always full of worries. Sometimes it’s a single clause in a contract he hasn’t made a decision on, and other times it’s a radical protest slogan he glimpsed from his car. Sales are on his mind, and the board of directors is a burden. Doubting the direction he’s heading in is hard, but not testing the waters is even more dangerous.

He tried to find a way to forget all these worries, even for a moment.

If he could remove the world from his sight, wouldn’t the worries also disappear for a while? If he got rid of all stimuli and lived like an inanimate object, wouldn’t his mind get some rest too?

Being alone helped, but it wasn’t perfect.

Ironically, the person who made that succeed was a stranger he had let into this house.

When Nick was there, Owen forgot the world. Looking back, it wasn’t like he was busy finding something particularly… fun to do. But while he was with Nick, the world was forgotten.

The tasks to be solved are still piled up. They will remain there until Owen steps up and makes a decision. But they didn’t come to mind until the next morning when he opened the front door of Rose Mansion again, with Nick seeing him off. Owen was able to rest comfortably.

He got up from his seat and placed both feet outside the bed. He thought he should get up, but he just sat there on the edge of the bed.

“…”

His condition is bad. He didn’t sleep well. Perhaps because the house has become quiet again, his worries seem to have followed him into his dreams.

He would have just sat there blankly if it weren’t for the phone call that came in.

The name on the screen was Ted.

—I apologize for the early hour, Chairman.

“It’s alright.”

The time he checked while reaching for the phone couldn’t even be called early. Until yesterday, he had forced himself to do his morning workout, but this morning, he had finally given up.

Last night, lying in the empty bed, he felt like things were settling down a bit, but it doesn’t seem to have gotten any better after sleeping and waking up.

—I called regarding the afternoon schedule. It seems there will be a picket protest in front of the research institute.

Protests with pickets are now almost a daily occurrence. But the reason Ted called must be because it has gone beyond the usual level.

—Some radical protestors have formed regarding the GenBio new drug class-action lawsuit.

“That has nothing to do with us, does it?”

The issue that there were stability problems with the new drug released by GenBio two years ago has been continuously raised. He is aware of the news that it recently escalated into a class-action lawsuit. But it has nothing to do with Rose Bio-Pharmaceutical.

—Yes, but in an attempt to keep drawing the public’s attention, they issued a statement condemning all major bio-pharmaceutical companies together. Until last week, they were only protesting in front of GenBio, but it seems they plan to hold dispersed protests starting this week.

It’s something that could be expected.

“It seems our turn has come.”

—Well, they go after the companies with the largest market share first. So, if it’s alright with you, today’s morning schedule…

“Let’s go to the research institute first in the morning.”

—Yes, I understand.

Now he really has to get up.

Owen stood up, putting strength into the soles of his feet.

The sound of the shower stream hitting the tile floor sounded loud. But as soon as he left the bathroom, the house was silent again.

He changed his clothes at a rapid pace and left the bedroom. There is no scent in the hallway. The house is still quiet. Owen stood there, listening to the silence, then took his hand off the doorknob.

He only made coffee. Marge would have prepared breakfast, but since he skipped his workout, he doesn’t have an appetite either.

The sound of the coffee beans grinding was now, he realized, loud enough to hurt his ears. Owen stood two steps away. At the sound of the machine stopping, he approached again and took a sip of the freshly brewed coffee.

“…”

It seems the taste has changed.

Owen put down the tasteless coffee on the table and glared at the cup, trying to find what was wrong. It was definitely the same machine, the same beans, and the same water, but it was not the aroma or the taste he had smelled in the coffee Nick used to make.

“…Ah!”

Staring only at the cup of tasteless coffee, he realized what was different. He rummaged through the cabinet, looking for the cup Nick had used. He placed a clean, new cup on the coffee machine and pressed the coffee extraction button again.

“…”

He knew even before the machine stopped operating.

He can’t believe he did something so foolish.

After watching until the very last drop fell, Owen didn’t even bring the cup to his lips and just moved it to the table.

Ignoring the two cups of innocent, steaming coffee as much as possible, he picked up his bag. Despite having skipped and violated all of his essential routines, it was already 30 minutes past the time he usually leaves the house.

Whether his head is heavy or his legs are heavy, the hallway seems long today, too. He was walking, staring only at the front door, when the door burst open. Ted doesn’t enter the house this way. Owen’s steps stopped right there.

“…!”

“I saw the car out front and thought you might still be home.”

“Nick…”

Nick was wearing clothes that looked like a military uniform, which Owen had never seen before. The things on his feet as he strode closer to Owen didn’t look like everyday shoes either.

“I tried to hurry. I thought it was getting late and I would only be able to see you at night. I was about to get depressed, but you were still here.”

Instead of wrapping his arms around Owen in a fierce hug, Nick stopped right in front of him. He then lowered his height and tilted his head slightly. It looked like he was being careful not to mess up Owen’s well-dressed clothes or hair, and it also just… looked like he was checking his scent.

“Nick?”

When Owen called him, Nick quickly raised his head. He was smiling brightly with a genuinely happy face. What seemed a little different might be because of the beard around his jaw.

“You’ve become rather wild.”

“Ah… I was in a hurry to get back and didn’t have a chance to tidy up.”

Although it was a playful greeting, Nick touched his own chin as if he were embarrassed.

“Is this what happens when you neglect it for a few days?”

Owen placed his palm over Nick’s chin. Then, Nick started rubbing against Owen’s palm, twisting his angle as if trying to shave with it.

“Hmm… it’s softer than I thought.”

He didn’t know because he had only touched it when the beard was just starting to grow. The feeling that touched his palm back then seemed a bit coarse, but now that it had grown in length, it had actually become softer.

“That’s just how I am.”

“Chairman, the door was open, so I came in… gasp.”

Nick only turned his head slightly to check on Ted behind him. That awkward posture of turning his head while keeping his cheek pressed against Owen’s palm, unwilling to part from it, was a little funny, so Owen smiled.

“Ted, this is Mr. Nick Stockton. You two know each other, right?”

Owen confirmed it for him, as if he hadn’t recognized that this person was Nick due to his somewhat wild appearance.

The two men only exchanged light nods without any particular words. Seemingly quite surprised, Ted stood there for a while with his jaw dropped even as Owen passed by him.

Walking a little further to the entrance, his legs don’t feel heavy. It seems his condition wasn’t bad after all.

❊

“May I ask why you came to think that way, Chairman?”

Dr. O’Reilly placed his clasped hands on the table. Curiosity flickered in his eyes behind his glasses.

“It was just a realization that there are still parts about my body that I don’t know well.”

“Even doctors do not know everything about their own bodies.”

As if to tease him, Dr. O’Reilly avoided a direct answer, beating around the bush.

“Dr. O’Reilly.”

Owen called the other person’s name sternly.

“My apologies if you were offended.”

O’Reilly immediately apologized and returned to his physician’s posture.

“To answer your question, yes, it is possible. Pregnancy is certainly possible without imprinting. However, I would not recommend it, if you are asking for my opinion.”

“Why is that?”

“An omega’s body becomes very sensitive after pregnancy. The pheromones of the partner alpha are essential for peace of mind and body.”

“If I live with the partner alpha, there should be no problem, then.”

“Living with Mr. Stockton would be much better than living separately.”

“…”

Although he asked without specifying anyone, Dr. O’Reilly was already speaking on the assumption that the other person was Nick.

“However, even with the same person’s pheromones, there is a difference before and after imprinting. In fact, the gap is quite large. While under the pheromone umbrella provided by an imprinted partner, one experiences almost none of the uncomfortable symptoms that accompany pregnancy. On the other hand, the pheromones of a non-imprinted partner merely act as a mild sedative. In short, it’s a crossroads between walking a smooth path or a rough one. It’s a full ten months, Chairman Rose. If Mr. Stockton is hesitating about imprinting, though you haven’t asked for my opinion, I would like to advise you not to rush the pregnancy either.”

“It’s not Nick who is hesitating about the imprinting.”

“Ah! So it’s true that you are planning something with Mr. Stockton.”

“Let’s just say we are planning… to plan.”

Owen stuck to a cautious answer.

“Why are you hesitating? He is not a partner I would particularly recommend, but still, Mr. Stockton seemed fine.”

“…”

What does that mean? Is he saying he is a good person, or not?

As Owen questioned him with just his gaze, Dr. O’Reilly made a gesture of adjusting his glasses unnecessarily. It seemed Nick had left a slightly unfavorable impression during his last visit.

“You know, Doctor.”

“No. I don’t. All I know is that there was only one time when your pheromone levels spiked high during the period when it was normal for your pheromone control to be immature.”

Sigh… Owen leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh.

It wasn’t just once. He didn’t come to the hospital, but there was an incident that almost happened one more time.

He doesn’t even want to bring it up, for fear that giving it voice might breathe life into that dreaded event. And that happened even though he doesn’t even dislike Nick. Should he risk something like imprinting in such an unstable state?

Since he can’t muster the courage to imprint, couldn’t he perhaps do something else first?

To be honest with himself, there is also the fact that he has become anxious because of the scene he saw in the car the other day. He admits it.

But that’s not all. This morning, waking up in the silent house, he realized that Nick’s place in his life had grown larger than he thought. Nick had said from the beginning that he wanted a serious relationship with him, so in Owen’s view, it seemed like he just had to make up his mind. And before that, he wanted to seek an expert’s advice.

“Doctor, must imprinting be accompanied by a pheromone shower? I mean, was there no report of imprinting occurring with a weaker mix, say, by mixing only a small amount?”

“There may be cases that could be described as a small amount when compared to an absolute standard. But even if that were the case, what the couple in question felt at the moment of imprinting would have been close to a pheromone explosion.”

In other words, if you were to measure the pheromones at the moment a recessive couple mutually imprinted, the level might be recorded as low, but for those two people, it would have been an amount of exposure that felt like an explosion.

“They would have drawn out all the pheromones they could from within their bodies. That’s not something that can be controlled by will. The chemical bond of imprinting induces it to happen that way.”

He knew, but he checked one more time.

If that’s the case, then he dares not attempt to imprint. Not yet.

“Perhaps, as one gets older, does a dominant change to a recessive, or the amount of pheromones decreases, or the pheromone glands degenerate?”

“Chairman Rose.”

Dr. O’Reilly cut Owen off.

“Yes.”

It was a relief, in a way. He was just thinking that he sounded like he was talking nonsense himself.

“You didn’t ask, but I will give you my personal opinion.”

“…”

“Just give it a try. Mr. Stockton seems a little stronger than a typical alpha. I believe the imprinting with Mr. Stockton will go very smoothly and quietly, without the things you are concerned about. If not, you can kick me out of the institute. I say this on my name.”

“…I’ll think about it.”

He could give that answer since it seemed he would continue to worry for a while anyway.

“I’m being serious. Please think about it seriously. Preferably in the direction of doing it. This is also my opinion as your physician.”

“What do you mean?”

Dr. O’Reilly turned the monitor angle so that Owen could also see it.

“Looking at today’s test results, your pheromone levels are a little high.”

“Even higher than last time? Is something wrong?”

“No. Chairman Rose, there is no need to react so sensitively to your pheromone levels. As I mentioned last time, this is a normal, everyday change that all omegas experience, regardless of the strength of their secondary gender. Including myself.”

“But I’m still taking my suppressants regularly?”

When he mentioned the suppressants, O’Reilly seemed to avoid his gaze for a moment, pretending to adjust his glasses.

“You’ve been with Mr. Stockton ever since your last visit, correct?”

“Yes.”

“How is your sex life?”

“What… exactly are you asking about?”

“If you were to answer in terms of frequency per week? Less than 5 times? More?”

Staring intently at Owen’s face, which must have turned red, Dr. O’Reilly thankfully asked a question that could be answered with just a nod and recorded it in the chart.

“Have you ever had intercourse without suppressants?”

“No. I have not.”

“Were your pheromones completely under control?”

“No, they weren’t… entirely. There were times they leaked out depending on my condition, and times I let them out voluntarily.”

“Hmm… How was it? At that time? You can tell me how you felt, your physical reactions, your condition the next day… anything.”

Dr. O’Reilly was waiting for Owen’s answer with a sparkle in his eyes.

Owen took a deep breath, calming himself by telling himself this was just a medical interview. An accurate diagnosis comes from an accurate answer.

“It felt good.”

“You’re talking about how you felt during intercourse?”

Owen nodded his head.

“My condition was also good. I even felt a bit lighter than usual.”

“Good. Very good.”

Dr. O’Reilly, who had been diligently taking notes, suddenly snapped his head up.

“By any chance, did you feel like it wasn’t enough?”

“Nick?”

Before he could watch his mouth, a concern he usually harbored popped out.

“No, Chairman Rose, you yourself.”

“I was…”

He was about to answer that he was very satisfied. Because he certainly was. But now that he was asked the question and tried to check his own feelings, he felt a certain emptiness somewhere. O’Reilly keenly picked up on Owen’s hesitation.

“Have you recently felt your body being heavy and sluggish, or a heavy feeling in your stomach?”

“…Yes. But it was resolved quickly.”

“By any chance, did those physical symptoms worsen when the interval between your relations with Mr. Stockton became longer?”

His cheeks reddened again, but he couldn’t deny it.

“Are you trying to say that this is because I am not satisfied?”

“If it gets severe, it can cause congestion, but that usually happens when a state of excitement is repeatedly left untreated even after taking stimulants. In Chairman Rose’s case, let’s just say that your body is feeling a bit thirsty from meeting an alpha with whom you are highly compatible. The tests didn’t show any other abnormal values, so you don’t need to worry.”

“…You’re saying this is common?”

“It is very common. Unfortunately, while there are many alphas and omegas in the world, it’s not easy to meet a partner with perfect compatibility.”

“But I am satisfied?”

“Emotionally, yes. But physiologically?”

Trailing off, Dr. O’Reilly pointed to the graph on the monitor with the tip of his pen.

“Chairman Rose, you have suppressed your pheromones and hormones for a long time using suppressants. Now that it has found an outlet, it is asserting itself, to put it simply.”

“…If it gets worse, could the suppressants stop working?”

“For it to get to that point, as I mentioned, a more artificial and coercive environment would need to be created, so I will answer no for now. However, if the state of sexual frustration continues, your physical condition will decline. So, since you are considering it anyway, I am telling you to just go ahead with the imprinting. Then everything will be resolved. You will be able to feel a freedom from your pheromones that is incomparable to before.”

Sexual frustration… truly, a phrase he had never even thought of.

“By any chance, can an alpha experience the same symptoms?”

“To answer that, Mr. Stockton would have to come here and get tested, wouldn’t he?”

It was a very doctor-like answer.

“Or, there’s a simpler and faster way: you could try talking to him directly.”

He’s right, but he couldn’t readily agree.

“This may seem like a repeated question, but is there absolutely no way for an imprint or an imprint-like bond to be formed just by mixing a small amount of pheromones?”

Owen had not only gone through the regular educational curriculum but had also taken the elite track. In other words, he did not doze off in biology class. Before asking the doctor, Owen had also looked up papers and done some research himself.

Lately, unlike his usual self, he finds himself wondering where Nick is for no reason at all during the workday. It doesn’t stop at wondering, and there are times when it seems to develop into unnecessary suspicion. It was a leap of suspicion that his former self would never have made, and even though he feels he is cultivating it himself, it was hard to control.

Obsession and fixation are words that don’t fit Owen Rose. Among the materials he looked up, the side effects of a one-sided imprint were the most similar.

“No, you are not imprinted.”

Dr. O’Reilly tapped a point on the monitor’s graph again and answered clearly.

“May I ask why you asked that question?”

Owen hesitated for a moment before confessing as calmly as possible about the emotions he had been feeling recently.

“Hmm… as you said, it is similar to the side effects of a one-sided imprint, but if that were the case, it would have shown up on the graph. It’s not that.”

Dr. O’Reilly turned his body completely toward the monitor, examined the screen in detail, and then shook his head again, emphasizing his conclusion that it was not the case.

“Couldn’t it mean that your emotional reliance on your partner has grown? On top of that, you might be perceiving it more sensitively because of the slightly elevated pheromone levels.”

Is that so…

“That’s what romantic feelings are like. You get to see another side of yourself that you didn’t even know existed. Unfortunately, it’s not about seeing a beautiful me, but… shall we say, discovering a dark me? I was like that, and everyone is. Perhaps Chairman Rose’s dating style has a slightly obsessive side. To give my personal opinion, it’s not surprising, actually. You have a strong desire to control even yourself, don’t you?”

There is some truth to the doctor’s words. Owen was the type to manage himself obsessively. But there is a reason for that.

“Talk to Mr. Stockton. And please consider imprinting seriously. Above all, your body wants it this much.”

Dr. O’Reilly playfully tapped the monitor again.

“Doesn’t your heart?”

“…”

My heart wants it so much that it’s a problem.

Owen straightened his suit and rose from the chair.

“I have to go now as I have my next appointment.”

“Next time, try coming with Mr. Stockton.”

Dr. O’Reilly saw him off to the lab entrance. His secretary, Ted, who was waiting outside the door, followed behind Owen as the door opened.

“Are we heading to the headquarters?”

Owen gave a short nod and then slid into the back seat.

He had a lot to think about. No, perhaps, as Dr. O’Reilly said, the time has come to take a step forward this time, instead of thinking.

That night, Nick did make the first mistake. It’s also true that he overreacted.

They are closer to each other now than they were back then. At least for Owen, Nick is. If he attempts to imprint now, he might succeed. Or he might fail.

Owen’s problem is that it happens automatically even before he has the intention to attack. Even against Locke, Owen never had the desire to hurt him. He felt pressured in an instant, and all he thought was that he had to get away. In short, it means it’s uncontrollable, and if the same thing happens this time, the one who will receive that attack is Nick.

If I tell him he has to sign a waiver of physical rights before attempting to imprint with me, Nick will laugh, won’t he?

Somehow, it feels like he would smile and agree.

❊

I succeeded!

His sweat-soaked chest heaved with excitement. He had finally succeeded in breaking through and conquering an imprinted dominant omega!

The omega, collapsed on the floor, writhed as if in pain. But soon, he felt the conviction that the firmly established defensive barrier had been broken and this omega had come under his influence.

Forced imprinting was called mental rape. Whoever coined the term, it was accurate. The feeling of his pheromones forcibly pushing into the omega’s body and messing it up was the best.

The feeling of tearing away the existing imprint that this test subject had accepted in body and mind is still vivid. A pleasure unobtainable through boring sex surged through his mind.

The test subject, wearing a leather choker around his neck, was letting out weak moans, but intoxicated with the joy of success, Locke lightly stepped over the subject that was in his way. He probably wouldn’t even know it hurt even if he was stepped on anyway.

He was checking the values displayed on the monitor for the record, but the feeling was more accurate than the numbers. This time, he had no choice but to place more weight on his senses than on the data.

He had already mastered the method of adjusting the drug dosage to a level that wouldn’t kill the test subject in the previous stage. He had succeeded in overpowering a recessive omega long ago.

What he had continuously failed at was breaking the resistance of an imprinted dominant omega, and he had just succeeded in doing that. He could still feel its resistance, but this test subject had already fallen into Locke’s grasp. Depending on how he used his pheromones, he could either give it pain or make it crawl on the floor, begging for pleasure.

It was quite ironic that the person who provided the idea to break that solid defensive barrier was Owen Rose.

He had only tried to put down a cousin who was just being a pain in the ass, but he was instantly overpowered in return. When the fear of being devoured by that monster-like omega reached its peak, something inside him was momentarily exhausted and stopped. The pheromones of the omega pouncing to devour him, his own terrified self, everything stopped at once, and when he opened his eyes, three days had passed. He still remembers the feeling of defeat he felt then vividly.

Ironically, the fear he felt at that time became the inspiration for the Acid Pheromone. Who else but him would have known that pheromones could be temporarily depleted?

‘He is still young. It will gradually get better with time. Being impatient is not good, so try to live as if you’ve forgotten about it for a while.’

Three years. He wasted a whole three years. Psychogenic erectile dysfunction, of all things.

He didn’t attend the alpha center for three whole years just to hear such pathetic words. He was a victim of an attack by a monster-like omega. His request to treat him, whether by removing the monster’s pheromones that might be dissolved in his body or by melting them away, was treated as a delusion.

‘Your son’s levels are normal.’

That was all they said. His levels were normal. Being the Rose family’s physician, he made him a scapegoat instead of admitting his own incompetence. He pushed it as psychogenic and used the word ‘impotent’ for Locke.

He had to shut that doctor’s mouth. He also had to punish him for the crime of insulting such a superior alpha by using the word ‘impotent’.

No one knew, but Locke knew. That day was going to be Dr. Kim’s last house call. He had intended to kill the doctor, but he didn’t know his uncle would be riding with him. He didn’t know, but come to think of it, they had the original sin of giving birth to such a monster, so they had plenty of reason to be punished too.

Beep— Beep—

The warning sound that Locke detested went off, interrupting his reminiscence.

If left like that, it would be around 10 minutes. Normally, he would have been desperate to save the test subject, but it doesn’t matter anymore. Today’s test was a success, and Locke also felt a climax.

“Clean this up.”

It was 2 in the morning, but the time didn’t matter. Locke called the head of security and then hung up without even listening for a reply.

He had tried to tell the world. If he had let them know that such a monster existed, his own unfair situation would have been naturally cleared up.

But looking back now, it was God’s will that his attempt to inject Owen Rose with the Acid Pheromone at the heliport that day had failed. If he had just held on for a few more months, today would have come. He almost ended it too easily without being able to endure this. The workings of providence are simply unpredictable.

Locke looked out at the sea through the dark window. The rough waves told him that tomorrow’s weather would be unusual. Perhaps this is fate. To end it with his own hands.

Yes, it was a long and boring project. Now is the time to end one chapter of his life and move on to another research topic. Before that, God gave him the opportunity to clean up Owen Rose, who had been the source of the problem.

Now, let’s invite Owen. It’s time to show him who is superior.

It wouldn’t be a bad idea to properly educate him on this occasion. First, he would have to teach him how to crawl on the floor. After toying with him to his heart’s content until his anger subsides, when he gets tired of it, he can just put a bullet in his brain.

He would last long. It will be fun enough.

Just the thought of it gives strength to his limp penis. The test subject is now gasping for breath as if having a seizure, scratching its chest with its hands in a futile gesture, but Locke turned away from it. He stepped over the test subject and walked to the bulkhead. He placed his palm on a panel that only he could recognize. The bulkhead door leading to the bedroom slid open sideways.

He was flustered back then because he was young. Now he knows how to handle him. Let’s bring him here and give him the drug. For the monster, the concentration of the Acid Pheromone would have to be raised a bit more, but he will endure it well.

On the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the sea, an uncleared photo of Owen Rose was displayed. Locke urgently unzipped his pants.

He’ll crawl on the floor with a leash around his neck, just like the test subject in the next room. He could give him pain, or make him beg to be fucked just once.

“Gasp… Gasp… Gasp!!”

He would get tired of it quickly, but putting a bullet in him is also too easy. He changed his mind. If he holds out as tenaciously as a monster, for the finale, he’ll put him on the operating table and finish it by tearing out all of his damn pheromone glands.

As always, his ejaculation was quick. Even without stroking it much, it ended in a flash as a cloudy liquid splattered onto the glass window.

❊

“Can someone tell me why on earth we’re holding a secret meeting at a bakery every morning?”

“If you’re going to grumble, how about you stop shoving that bread into your mouth while you do it.”

“Am I the only one who finds this strange? Am I the only one who thinks this situation is weird?”

Cooper made a bewildered face, holding a butter knife in one hand and a piece of a cream-smeared bagel in the other. Since he couldn’t bring himself to confront Nick, he sought the sympathy of his colleagues.

“We get paid by the number of days we’re deployed anyway, and it’s the boss’s pocket that’s getting empty, so what’s the big deal? And it’s not like we’ve been on standby for that long.”

Hugh said as if it were no big deal, taking a large bite of a Danish pastry. As he savored the full flavor of Grange’s second signature menu item in his mouth and then washed it down with fragrant coffee, he actually felt as if there were no major problems in the world.

“But I am curious. What is the problem? What are you waiting for, can’t we just raid them? John, you tell me. What is not ready yet that we are waiting here?”

Frank called for John, dandling his son on his knee. This was a faster way than hearing it from their taciturn captain.

—I’m having a hard time, too.

“So why are we waiting?”

—If only the Rose family weren’t so powerful.

“What do you mean? Wasn’t this about getting rid of Chairman Owen Rose’s enemy?”

—Victor Rose is also a Rose. He might sue us until the day he dies. You know how the people from the upper town do things, don’t you?

“I know all too well.”

Cooper muttered under his breath as if he was sick and tired of it.

—Evidence. We need evidence.

“Ah… right, evidence.”

Frank made a sound of immediate understanding.

“So, when will we have the evidence that will shut that perverted eunuch bastard up so we can punish him?”

Hugh has not been in a good emotional state since being doused in pheromones during the manufacturing lab raid.

—I’m looking for it like crazy. I’m telling you, I’m working without any sleep to see a desirable ending where the captain is happy, I am happy, and only the crazy cousin’s family becomes unhappy. Everyone thinks digging up information is a really easy job because I always find things in a snap.

“Don’t make me laugh. Isn’t most of that so-called information something you buy for money on the dark web?”

—The things sold for money are IDs or access codes. Who runs hacking programs with their own effort these days, when you can just buy the key? But a key is literally just a key. Do you think someone else opens the door and rummages through the data for me?

“Alright, alright. I won’t talk to you, so just keep digging up data like crazy.”

Cooper quickly cut off the communication, saying that no one ever wins an argument with John and he had just stepped on a landmine for no reason.

“But, why isn’t John scared of us? He even whines and says everything he wants to say to the captain.”

Chewing on a Danish pastry he was offered, the realization suddenly came to Cooper. Why is that guy not afraid of the people who are the elite unit of Security Solutions, and above all, the captain? He only pretends to be scared, but he always says everything he wants to say.

“It’s because he’s never seen the captain in the field.”

“That’s right. He almost always talks to the captain over the phone. Just yapping his mouth. He’s not scared of anyone among us. The only thing he’s afraid of are the secret agents that nobody knows if they even exist in this world.”

“Ha, that’s right. Secret agents.”

“We’re scarier than any secret agents.”

Cooper shook his head from side to side.

“He doesn’t know anything. Let him be. Ignorance is bliss.”

“Still, he’s competent. We’ll probably get a call soon saying he’s secured evidence and we can go in.”

“I acknowledge the need for a safety net as John said, but this really is not like the captain.”

Simon, who had been quietly emptying his coffee cup, opened his mouth.

“If there’s an obstacle, he thoroughly assesses it, and then instead of avoiding it, he just pushes through everything. That’s the captain, isn’t it?”

“Exactly. Is there any other reason we call him a Neanderthal who evolved on his own? Simple, ignorant, and aggressive is the captain’s trademark, so why has he suddenly become so cautious? Why has he changed?”

Even when Nick provoked him by bringing up a nickname he did not particularly welcome, Nick just listened quietly, maintaining the same posture he had when he first pulled out the chair and sat down.

Nick also felt impatient. He was just holding it in and waiting because he knew that calling and rushing things would not make a difference. It was a worry that had no particular solution anyway, even if he were to speak of it.

The fact that Locke W. Rose’s damned last name was Rose was holding Nick back. If anything went wrong and the Rose family or Rose Pharmaceuticals got caught up in the scandal, the fallout would splash onto Owen.

Something he had learned this time through John’s investigation was that among the people who protested while going around to bio and pharmaceutical companies, there were not only people who were paid to protest. There were genuine protesters among them.

Acid pheromones, illegal clinical trials. Even if it was something his cousin did, how much would he be tormented. He could not bear to see that. He needed evidence that would allow him to handle it quietly and secretly. Definitive evidence, enough that the madman Locke or his parents Victor and Sarah would not be able to dig into it and would want to cover it up themselves.

As if in answer to Nick’s worries, his cell phone screen lit up at just the right moment. The name Josh from the narcotics unit appeared.

“Yes.”

—Mister Stockton, good morning.

“Do you have some good news?”

—Of course. We found the bag.

“That’s… quite unexpected.”

Perhaps he had a considerable misunderstanding of the New York police. He was immediately able to dismiss the thought that they had really kept divers deployed just to find one bag that had been dropped into the river.

—We were surprised, too. It would be nice if I could say it was the result of the best efforts of our New York Police search team as a reward for Mister Stockton’s righteous help, but unfortunately, that’s not the truth. A body turned up.

“A body?”

At the word body, the gazes of the team members who had been chatting turned to the phone.

—A report came in that it looked like a corpse, so a diver was deployed, and what do you know, we also recovered Mister Stockton’s bag that was luckily wedged between structures. The divers, of course, thought the bag, which seemed to have been submerged for only a short time, was suspicious and collected it as evidence. Anyway, you could say we were lucky. We’ve washed the bag once, but if you feel uncomfortable, you can come to the station, just sign for it, and leave. We can dispose of it for you.

“No, that’s alright. Just the decontamination work will be fine.”

—Yes, well. That’s not difficult. Uh, the thing is….

The detective dragged out his words, as if the bag was not his main reason for calling. Nick also did not think that Josh would have called first thing in the morning just to brag about recovering a single bag, so he waited for his next words.

—The truth is, I’m contacting you because the condition of this corpse is unusual.

“I’m listening.”

—Do you remember the two omegas who were being held in the manufacturing lab before?

“I remember.”

—One of them barely made it into a rehabilitation facility, and the other’s condition worsened and he passed away. But it seems the autopsy results of this deceased person are similar to the corpse that washed up. Of course, the autopsy is still in progress for the corpse recovered from the wharf, so we have to wait for the official documents, but we have the initial findings.

“Specifically, what parts were said to be similar?”

—According to the autopsy report of the omega who was held in the manufacturing lab, his pheromone gland was completely destroyed. The person who is in the rehabilitation facility now has also completely lost his pheromone control function. Brain scans have revealed that the related parts of his brain function have also been partially damaged.

“What does that mean?”

Nick’s eyes narrowed.

—The doctor said it seems that first, there was an accident-like release of pheromones which damaged the related organs, and then he was successively exposed to an environment equivalent to a pheromone shower, undergoing a process of complete destruction.

“Unwanted.”

If he had been in a normal state, there is no way he would have let himself go like that.

—Pardon? Ah, that’s right. It must have been something like a forced imprinting. He must have reacted against having unwanted pheromones injected into him, but he was already soaked in drugs, so… you’d have to say he was assaulted without being able to resist properly.

Just hearing about it, the nature of the crime is considerably vile.

“Is the person who entered the rehabilitation facility able to communicate? Has a statement been given about where and by whom he was assaulted?”

—No. Everyday communication has become completely impossible. Because his brain was injured. It’s likely that he will have a hard time returning to normal. Regarding the discovered corpse, I will let you know when the official autopsy results come out. If you also have any… information, Mister Stockton, please share it.

“I will.”

“What is it, Captain?”

“What body?”

As if they had been waiting for him to hang up, the team members started talking to him, but Nick immediately called John.

—Is it okay to call me again right after telling me to work?

“Look for missing people.”

—Sigh… yes. That is a whole other world. Please just narrow down the scope.

“The people who came out of the manufacturing lab.”

—Those people, why?

“It seems they were experimented on.”

“What?”

“Ah… so that’s why those people were like zombies back then.”

Listening to Nick and John’s conversation, the people who had been at the scene at that time added a word each.

If what Detective Josh said was true, it was not at the level of an experiment, but torture. The fact that he exposed a person in such a broken state by asking a distributor to dispose of him meant that he was not worried about the aftermath. That meant he was confident that the trail would not lead to him.

—Where could he have found the people?

The sound of John muttering to himself seemed to indicate his curiosity had been triggered.

“Find that out.”

Now he was serious. He was truly serious that Locke and whoever his accomplice was must disappear from Owen’s life forever. That crazy bastard Locke. One more reason had been added to handle this cautiously and quietly.

❊

“Mister Stockton spoke directly with the police before I signed the release documents. He said it was fine to have it brought to the Rose Mansion.”

The person who had retrieved the bag from the police station was Owen’s secretary, Ted.

When leaving the police station after being questioned, he had told them to direct all contact to the Rose Mansion. It was a calculated move to prevent any troublesome things that could happen to Nick, who had helped him, because of something that he had caused—for example, being called to the police station again for no reason.

“Thank you, Ted.”

When Owen extended his hand to take it, Ted stepped back a little.

“It is heavy, Chairman. If you tell me where to put it, I will move it for you.”

“…Then let’s put it there.”

Owen pointed to a large console table set up where the landing began. Ted carefully set the luggage down where Owen had indicated.

“It’s the weekend, so you can go home now. Tell Jimmy to rest, too. I don’t think I’ll be moving any more today.”

Since Ted also served as his personal secretary, technically speaking, the concept of a weekend did not exist for him. Owen had originally had a schedule today as well, but it was canceled.

He was having a weekend that felt like a weekend for once, but Nick was out. After hearing Ted say that he had spoken with Mister Stockton on the phone from the police station, he had almost asked, ‘Where did he say he was?’

In fact, come to think of it, he knew nothing about whether Nick had a distinction between weekdays and weekends, or how he spent his time during the week.

Nick spent the mornings with Owen, and when Owen returned in the evening, he was at home. He did not know if he had been there the whole time or if he had gone out and come back. When he lingered at the front door, Nick would walk briskly out of the kitchen. He would kiss Owen’s cheek and greet him, saying he had missed him. He said the same words every evening, but they sounded sincere every time.

They say a person with such a way with words is a playboy, but Nick isn’t like that, Owen thought, turning his attention to the monstrous plastic bag placed next to the console table leg.

Nick’s bag had been delivered in a large, unidentifiable plastic bag. They probably put it in there because it was wet from being pulled out of the river, but it looked very much like a piece of evidence from a crime scene. Owen bent down and carefully opened the mouth of the plastic bag.

Although the smell of river water wafted up, it was not in as terrible a state as he had feared. It seemed to have been rinsed with clean water, as there was no mud on it. Although they had put it in a plastic bag because it was wet, there wasn’t a puddle of water collected at the bottom of the plastic bag either.

He should have checked only that far and closed the opening again, but the hideous plastic bag looked like a tempting door. It incited a voyeuristic desire to look inside. The thought that it was another’s property and his curiosity created an internal conflict.

It’s not because I suspect him. It’s just because I’m curious about him.

Muttering the excuse to himself, Owen carefully lowered the large plastic bag until the bag was revealed.

It was an ordinary weekender bag. It was convenient for carrying by hand for simple travel, so you did not have to check in your luggage, and Owen himself owned several. It was not the same design as the ones in Owen’s house, but it was the same brand as one of them.

Owen remained lost in thought, still holding the crude plastic bag.

He found himself thinking anew that Nick was an interesting person. His taste in objects was not bad. But he showed no interest in the collections of the Rose Mansion, which was no different from a private museum and gallery. Yet, he did not seem intimidated either. Judging by how he strode through the Rose Mansion without hesitation.

His direct and uninhibited nature made him seem like a Stone Age caveman, but then again, he was skilled at operating the several machines installed in the kitchen and library. Recognizing the security device installed at the entrance at a glance could be explained by his related line of work, but he also handled other latest facilities intuitively and freely without looking for a manual.

According to the files he received from the investigator, Nick was not running a small business as Aunt Melissa had carelessly speculated. Aunt Catherine’s words, suspecting him of being a loafer, were of course not true either. But… in New York, Nick did seem to have a lot of free time. Moreover, this man also knew how to cook.

Tonight, I should try to hear about Nick’s daily life. Feeling slightly excited, Owen once again examined the bag from various angles.

Its capacity was one size larger than Owen’s. Owen remembered deliberating over choosing this one, but putting it down thinking it was a bit too big for him to carry. As he thought that it seemed to be the right size for Nick, he carefully opened the zipper.

The reason for insisting on a brand name product when buying a travel bag for a short trip is because durability is important. Although it is not handled as roughly as checked baggage, it is still easy for it to tear or break when you fill it with luggage and move around. This brand boasted not only its design but also its solid durability. Despite being submerged in water for a long time, the zipper moved smoothly without any rough resistance.

The first thing that caught his eye was a laptop pouch. Owen’s brow furrowed slightly.

I hope it was backed up. I was too thoughtless.

Until now, Nick had not said a single word about the inconvenience he was experiencing due to the accident at the heliport that day. If there was any damage incurred from data loss, he must be compensated for it. It seemed tonight’s dinner table conversation would be a rich one.

When he lifted the flat bag containing the laptop, he saw clothes underneath that reeked strongly of river water. He wanted to throw them away immediately, but that was a job for the owner of the items, so Owen tried to ignore it and turned his gaze to the side pocket. The side pocket was closed with a zipper. And that zipper, likewise, opened smoothly without stopping or getting stuck in the middle.

From inside the bag’s inner pocket, a wallet finally emerged. It was a neat, black leather wallet. Despite being in the river for a long time, it maintained its original shape without any distortion. If he opened that wallet, the credit cards and identification that Nick had written on the lost item report would be there.

And… maybe something like a photo might be there.

He had been trying to consciously forget, but the scene of him holding a child came to mind again.

Owen’s hand, which was going into the damp bag, quickly pulled out. The sound of the front door opening was heard. Owen turned around just like that.

“Owen?”

“I’m the one welcoming you today. It seems you were out.”

He was worried if his expression was awkward. It felt like he was just saying whatever came to mind.

“Yes, for a moment. I had someone to meet for company business. Is this it?”

Having said he had been on the phone, Nick immediately recognized the large plastic bag wrapped in a hideous manner.

“It was brought over a little while ago. …They do find things that were dropped in the Hudson River. I think this is the first time I’ve heard of it.”

“Is that so? I was a bit surprised myself.”

Nick, who said he was surprised, did not look particularly pleased. Which was understandable, given the state of the bag.

“I took a peek inside… the damage is severe, though that’s to be expected. I’ll compensate you for the bag. And the belongings that were inside, too.”

“Don’t worry about it, Owen. There’s nothing very valuable in it anyway.”

And then Nick grabbed with one hand what Ted had held with both hands, holding his breath, as if it were familiar to him.

“I think I’ll have to throw everything away, but I need to check the contents first. Just a moment. I’ll be right down.”

Nick then lightly lifted the plastic bag and went upstairs. But Nick’s steps were heading not to the second floor where they stayed together, but to the third floor.

Why…?

As he looked up at the upper floor where Nick had disappeared, a flash of light appeared and disappeared before his eyes. Soon after, he felt a throbbing pain that pounded on one side of his head. A migraine had suddenly struck. Owen pressed his temple and walked towards the kitchen where the medicine bottles were.

He poured a glass of water and swallowed the headache medicine. Nick, who had said he would be right down, was taking a while. Owen calmly waited for the medicine to take effect and walked up the stairs that spiraled elegantly. He slowed his pace as much as possible so as not to shake his head.

Nick’s voice came from the second-floor bedroom. He had only moved the bag to the third floor and had returned to the room they used. A sigh of relief escaped him. He even felt as if the headache medicine was already taking effect.

“…He must have used a cheap deodorizer. I didn’t smell like anything.”

There are many cases where a deodorizer… is needed. It’s an everyday item. Nevertheless, Owen suddenly felt the urge to rummage through all of Nick’s closets and smell everything.

“When did he say he’s coming?”

Nick turned around. He smiled upon discovering Owen.

“Yeah, okay then.”

The call ended immediately. Nick placed his phone on a nearby table and approached, gently taking hold of both of Owen’s arms.

“Nick, before you came, I opened the bag.”

“And?”

Even at the words that he had seen his belongings, there was no flinching that a person with something to hide might show.

“There was a laptop. If there was any important information inside. If you’ve been busy lately because a problem arose and you have to deal with it. Nick, please tell me. I have a responsibility too, don’t I?”

“I’m the one who threw the bag into the river, though.”

Nick smiled playfully.

“Nick, I’m being serious. It happened because you were trying to save me. Whatever it is, if a problem has occurred, please tell me, too. Maybe there’s something I can do? Or, at the very least, why don’t you file for compensation for damages? If it’s uncomfortable for you, I’ll tell Spiros to contact you.”

“There’s no problem at all. If a company has no work, isn’t that more of a problem, Owen?”

Nick still had a smiling face.

“…Really?”

“Really.”

“…Even so, I wish you would tell me.”

I want to know what you’ve been busy with lately. I keep having strange thoughts these days.

Swallowing the words that would not come out of his mouth, Owen just looked up at Nick.

“There’s really nothing much in the bag. I tend to travel light. The data that was on the laptop is set to automatically upload to the company server, and it was backed up to the last minute. You haven’t forgotten, have you? What industry I work in.”

“A private security firm…?”

“The industrial security field is not our area of expertise, but we still have the basics down. It’s also maintained with the latest technology. Among the jobs we get, there are some that require knowledge of the latest security technology. Anyway, since there’s no lost information, there’s no damage done. Are the questions over now? Your complexion was poor because you were worrying about such things.”

Worried eyes meticulously examined Owen’s face. The hand that had been rubbing his arm moved up to sweep through his hair.

“Then at least the bag.”

“Owen, if we’re just talking about price, wouldn’t the things you filled the third-floor closet with be more valuable?”

This time, the voice calling his name was filled with laughter.

“Did you… take on a new job? No, what I mean is. I’m not trying to meddle. I was just wondering if you could continue to work in New York.”

His voice was getting smaller and smaller.

“There is a job currently in progress. You understand that due to the nature of my work, I cannot share the details, right?”

Owen nodded his head.

“I can’t move the main office, but I intend to be where you are as much as possible. If that is what you were curious about.”