Desire Me If You Can Chapter 9

Koi hurriedly pressed the buttons on his phone.

In truth, Koi was the only one Ashley would break such news to. He knew Koi would immediately spread it to the entire family. Just as Ashley expected, Koi was busy making calls to deliver the news this time as well.

“…You’re not picking up. Are you in the middle of a trial? Grayson says he wants to be a firefighter! He’s looking for someone new and doing good work, isn’t that just wonderful? Stay healthy, and come by to show your face sometimes. I love you.”

After leaving a voicemail on his eldest son’s phone—who was the spitting image of Ashley—he dialed the number for his eldest daughter and third child, Stacey.

What? A firefighter? Grayson? That idiot?

As soon as she heard, Stacey burst into loud laughter. Koi blinked, completely bewildered. When he didn’t receive the reaction he had hoped for, he awkwardly wrapped up the conversation and hung up after a final “I love you.”

Then, the next call. He hesitated a bit for this one. It was because the person was Chase. It hadn’t been long since he and Chase had mended their relationship. Truthfully, even if they had “mended” it, it wasn’t a full recovery. They just exchanged occasional messages, and their conversations were barely more than a few awkward sentences. Still, for Koi, even that was something to be grateful for.

“Hoo.”

Koi took a deep breath to steady his heart before calling Chase, then checked the time on the West Coast.

It’s okay, the time is fine now.

Nodding, he steeled his nerves and pressed the button. He waited with bated breath, and when the ringing stopped and he heard a voice, he nearly screamed.

“Uh, um, hey. It’s me, Chase. Have you been well?”

In stark contrast to his hopeful heart, only a blunt, cold remark came from the other side.

What.

“Uh….”

Koi squeezed his eyes shut, opened them, and barely managed to force out the next words.

“Look, Grayson says he wants to be a firefighter. So Ash decided to help him get a job, and….”

He had spoken with such difficulty, but there was no response from the other side. In the ominous silence, Koi spoke up cautiously.

“Hey, Chase….”

Before he could even finish the sentence, Chase cut him off with a cold, profanity-laced remark.

What kind of stunt is that crazy bastard trying to pull now?

“What?”

Koi asked in shock, but Chase had already hung up. Koi stood there with his mouth agape, staring at his phone, but nothing changed. He let out a sigh at the futile conversation and realized one thing. Chase would definitely tell his partner, Joshua, exactly what had happened. Because the people most precious to him were Joshua and the children.

It’s fine.

Soon, a smile spread across Koi’s face. How fortunate it was that his child, like himself, had finally sought out their one-and-only partner for life. Actually, the child Koi had worried about most among all his children was Chase. But the surprising thing was that it was Chase who had found his mate first. Following that, the other children had also found their loves one by one and were living stable lives. All except one: Grayson.

Isn’t it truly ironic? Grayson was the one who had spent his whole life searching for his one-and-only destiny, yet he was the only one left alone.

I hope someone appears for that child soon.

Koi made a brief wish, then added inwardly. Even if he couldn’t find “that person,” if Grayson could use this opportunity to help others and awaken some “humanity,” that would be more than perfect. Even if he wasn’t born with it, he could learn it. Just as he had finally learned “social skills,” even though it was an incredibly difficult process.

Thinking up to that point, he continued to call the rest of his children in order. Their reactions varied, but he was certain they all felt the same as he did: hoping Grayson would meet his destined partner soon.

Because all our children are angels.

Koi simply pretended not to notice the thought that followed: Even if they are a little unusual. He remained completely unaware of the dark clouds gathering in contrast to his sunny disposition.

The Miller family’s prodigal son is coming.

That news spread throughout the entire fire station in half a day. Of course, the reaction was not very good. Why would it be? Everyone gathered here had become firefighters only after much deep deliberation and struggling through quite difficult procedures. But now, someone was waltzing into the organization through family influence, not even during a recruitment period, and without even the most basic physical fitness test.

Clearly, he had no sense of duty or mission; he probably thought it looked cool, or it was just a fleeting interest. And once the reality didn’t match his imagination, he’d probably run away without a second thought. It was a perilous job where they risked their lives, but they were serving their local residents willingly, fueled by nothing but pride. So, who would be happy to see their sacred profession tainted by the whims of a rich boy?

Because of this, the staff in the physical training room all wore murderous expressions. As if they wouldn’t let just anyone get away with it. Faced with the staff’s menacing glares, the Fire Chief broke into a cold sweat behind his back and tried to keep talking.

“So that’s how it is, so everyone please understand. It’s only a year, at most, isn’t it? Think of this as service to the citizens. Miller is a citizen too—and one who pays an enormous amount of taxes at that. Right?”

He added the last part as if seeking agreement, but the response he got was cold.

“It’s not service to the citizens; it’s playing with a citizen’s toy. Do we really need to provide such a role when we’re already busy enough with emergency dispatches?”

One person raised their hand to ask, but the intention was clearly sarcastic. The Fire Chief knew this but swallowed his temper and answered in a gentle tone instead.

“Just think of it as a new volunteer firefighter joining us. Well, you can think of it as a light part-time job.”

Of course, no one was convinced by the Chief’s excuses. While that might be true for regular firefighters, the fire scene was always a place where lives were at stake, so it was by no means a job one could just dabble in as a volunteer. They, too, had undergone training equivalent to full-time staff and held their positions with duty and responsibility. Faced with the icy silence that wouldn’t break no matter what he said, the Fire Chief gave an awkward laugh and hastily changed the subject.

“Well then, I’ve decided to hold a fun welcome party on the day Miller arrives. Let’s all have a drink and get to know each other, shall we? If you eat and drink to your heart’s content, you’ll be close friends in no time. Ah, I know extreme Alphas aren’t supposed to get drunk, but… well, if you pour enough, what can they do, haha! Everyone, make sure to attend, okay? Everyone!”

A fun welcome party, my foot. No one responded, but the Fire Chief urged them once more, told them the name of the bar they usually frequented, and hastily fled the room as if escaping.

After the door closed, a chilly atmosphere lingered in the room. Among the people who had been keeping quiet as if watching for a sign, someone couldn’t hold back anymore and spoke up.

“Does this make any sense? It’s not a regular recruitment, and he’s crawling in without even a single physical fitness test?”

A man sitting on a bench press bench erupted in fury and stood up abruptly. Soon after, outcries burst out from everywhere.

“It makes no sense! This isn’t fair; it goes against equity!”

“That arrogant jerk—he clearly didn’t even take the firefighter qualification exam.”

“You should give equal opportunity to everyone; this is just a loophole. Not like you’d expect anything less from that devious law family.”

“It’s already the third generation—the damn Miller Law Firm!”

“Even if a Miller becomes President, they shouldn’t be able to act this selfishly—this is America!”

“Miller isn’t the President, he’s a lawyer at best!”

“He’s a Senator, though the Miller Law Firm is behind him!”

The pouring grievances gradually subsided, and silence returned. That’s right, this was America. A country where everything is possible if you have money. Plus, if you own the Miller Law Firm—a firm regarded as the best in North America for three generations—is there anything impossible? Furthermore, a Miller family now advancing into politics is essentially no different from having America in their hands.