Damn! Damn! Chapter 35

A pheromone shower was neither a rare occurrence nor a wrongful act. However, the reason Achim found it so uncomfortable was because it was a method Alpha clones usually used to prevent other Alphas from approaching their Omega partners.

— Is there any way to wash off the pheromones?

Achim asked, suppressing his surging anger. At that, Nils glanced at Achim’s expression and shook his head.

— There’s no choice but to mask it with a stronger pheromone…

After that, both Achim and Nils fell silent at the same time. This was because they both knew it was impossible for any Alpha to possess a stronger pheromone than a Royal Alpha.

Nils threw out an alternative, saying soothingly that it would naturally fade over time, but unfortunately, it didn’t offer the slightest bit of comfort.

“Crazy bastard…”

That was why Achim was currently heading straight back to the main building right now.

What on earth was he thinking? He had known it ever since the man started being obsessively persistent about strange things, but the extent of it far exceeded his expectations.

Due to his own poor judgment, they had temporarily ended up in that kind of relationship, but just as Nils said, shouldn’t the man have at least given him a heads-up? Especially regarding an action that would be illegal if the other party was unaware?

…Of course, there was nothing sillier than applying standard rules to a guy like him.

It was just as Achim spat out another curse, glaring at the main building as it drew closer. Suddenly, his pocket vibrated, and he irritably pulled out his phone.

Checking the name flashing on the screen, Achim fixed his sharp gaze on the third floor of the main building and pressed the answer button.

[Babe, why have you been so hard to reach lately?]

Achim involuntarily let out a sigh at Linus’s voice, which asked the question without any pleasantries.

[Something’s up, isn’t it?]

He guessed Linus must have noticed from hearing his agitated breathing. That was what Achim assumed.

[I should probably just tell you what I called for and hang up. Achim, you know, that thing. The matter you asked me to look into last time.]

At the memory that flashed through his mind, Achim took his hand away from rubbing his forehead.

“…Dora?”

[Yeah, that kid.]

“…”

[He’s admitted to a hospital run by Maaconi.]

At Linus’s words, Achim froze dead in his tracks.

“What?”

When Achim asked back in shock, Linus continued.

[It’s not even that far from the mansion. You know Maaconi runs more than just one or two hospitals, right? He’s admitted to one that’s pretty close to the mansion. It shows he’s been receiving consistent treatment, too. Um… it looks like his physical condition has improved a lot, too.]

“…”

Achim fell silent for a moment. Perhaps because he hadn’t let go of the suspicion that the man might be in cahoots with the warehouse manager, the news Linus shared was downright astonishing.

“Is that true?”

Achim found it so hard to believe what he was hearing that he asked Linus a second time, even though Linus’s information had never been wrong before. After all, it was partly because of the nonsense the guy had spouted on the day of the incident, and partly because of his behavior afterward.

[Yeah, it really doesn’t seem like it, does it?]

“…”

[That he’s in cahoots with the bastard who made the kid that way.]

Achim silently agreed with Linus’s question. He reasoned that if the man had been partners with the warehouse manager and had led the operation, there would be no reason for him to help Dora.

Erasing all the evidence and getting rid of a single kid would be absolutely nothing to a guy like him…

[To be honest, I was suspicious too when I heard your story, but either way, the conclusion is that he doesn’t seem to be involved.]

“…Right.”

[He’s a really interesting man in many ways.]

Linus said with a chuckle.

Just when he thought the man defied expectations at every turn, to think he would even be wrong about the matter with Dora. In a way, Linus’s words didn’t seem wrong, so Achim nodded his head in agreement.

To think Dora was receiving proper treatment in a safe place. It was the most welcome news he had heard in a while, and only then did Achim breathe a sigh of relief.

He hadn’t expected his prediction to miss the mark so completely, but he was glad it did.

Achim raised his head again with the phone still pressed to his ear.

His eyes looking up at Michael’s office were significantly softer than before. Thanks to the news Linus had delivered, his boiling insides felt calmly suppressed, as if cold water had been poured over them.

Still, he had to say what needed to be said. Just as Achim, chewing over Nils’s words, was about to take another step—

[Oh, by the way, babe.]

Linus’s voice came through the receiver, sounding completely thrilled.

[An article came out this morning claiming to be about a woman that man is seeing lately. They blurred it, but man, it’s so obviously you that I burst out laughing the moment I saw it, haha!]

“…”

[Well, since it’s a civilian and you were cross-dressing, other people won’t have a clue, but I recognized you instantly. See, aren’t I amazing?]

“…”

[Hurry up and praise me. …Hmm? Hello? …Achim?]

“Did the call drop?” A murmuring voice could be heard from the other end of the line. At the same time, Achim, who had stopped again after barely moving a few steps, rubbed his forehead roughly with his palm and let out a curse, “Fuck.”

[Oh, babe. I thought the call dropped. What’s wrong? Did someone look down on you and tear your appearance apart again?]

He really was a guy who knew how to turn a person’s stomach upside down in a completely different way. Achim roughly swept back the bangs covering his eyes. “Shut up, Linus,” Achim barked in a exhausted voice, making Linus chuckle.

[Putting that aside, how on earth did you get caught up in a scandal like this?]

Achim only let out a long sigh without a word. Finding that reaction amusing, Linus continued in an excited tone.

[It’s not like you’ve actually ended up in that kind of relationship with the guy.]

“…”

[It’s bad news for you, Achim, but that man just brushed off the reporters’ questions with a smile, and I guess that only added fuel to the fire. They sure noticed he looks handsomer when he smiles.]

Linus grumbled while occasionally throwing in compliments.

It was after a string of words that could either be insults or compliments. When Achim remained silent, Linus fell quiet at some point as well. Although neither had suggested it first, a tense psychological battle suddenly ensued.

After a long while, it was Linus who broke the silence first.

[…Achim?]

As Achim couldn’t even part his lips due to his complicated feelings, Linus spoke up after a brief pause.

[Don’t tell me.]

“…”

[The scandal, it’s… not real, right? …Achim? Why aren’t you answering? Huh? Babe!]

Linus ultimately yelled at the top of his lungs. Achim pulled the uselessly high-performing, junk phone away from his ear. His head was already throbbing, and now that it was ringing right through his brain, he automatically frowned.

How was he supposed to explain this?

Achim pressed his palm firmly against his temple as he thought of what to say.

He had repeatedly disobeyed Linus’s advice not to take risks, and his confident judgment had missed the mark entirely, so there wasn’t a single thing he could feel honorable about.

“For now, it’s not…”

[Right, it’s not, right? You scared me…]

“But it is.”

[Huh? What are you saying?]

“Is it real, or is it not?” When Linus asked in frustration, Achim tightly closed his mouth before opening it again.

“Linus, I’ll meet you next time and explain.”

[What? Achim, what does that m—]

Click.

Achim pressed the end call button, leaving the voice behind.

Even without this, the guy was someone who would die without his curiosity. He knew that what he had just done was the ultimate cruelty to someone like Linus, but it was the best option for now.

Since he wasn’t usually very silver-tongued, he figured it would be better to meet in person and explain after organizing his thoughts, rather than getting his words twisted and causing a greater misunderstanding.

The moment he hung up, the phone started ringing incessantly, but Achim ignored it as expected.

“…”

Was that why he kept getting calls from unknown numbers since early this morning?

No wonder it felt strange. Spam calls happened often enough, but he had thought it was particularly excessive today. Don’t tell me those were all reporters.

— It’s bad news for you, Achim, but that man just brushed off the reporters’ questions with a smile, and I guess that only added fuel to the fire.

Should he say it was a relief the man hadn’t confirmed it? There was no way a guy with that foul personality would have done it out of consideration for him, though.