Icing on the Cake Chapter 5

The red-blond handsome man before him was looking at Yuri with a radiant, eye-smiling expression. His slightly damp, medium-length bangs, his blemish-free white skin tinged with pink, his reddish lips, and his straight nose bridge—everything was so dazzlingly bright, as if a flower had been made into a person. Yet the jawline supporting those features was sharp and masculine, and the thick neck leading down to a broad, sturdy chest and wide shoulders.

“Oh, you seem more docile than before. I guess you like my face?”

Interpreting the brief silence in his own way, the man suddenly stepped closer to him. Startled by the sudden encroachment, Yuri reacted instantly. To subdue the one who had approached without permission, Yuri thrust out his hand, but unlike before, the man caught Yuri’s arm and instead pressed even closer. It happened in a flash.

“It’s charming that you go straight for the hands, but…”

The man, looking down at him from right before his nose, grinned. His red lips curved seductively.

“I’d rather not show an unsightly side of myself again in front of such a beauty.”

Whether he had truly approached thoughtlessly earlier or not, the strength of the man holding Yuri was formidable enough to be difficult to ignore. The thought that this man knew how to use his body, despite his careless demeanor, triggered alarm bells in Yuri’s head. He had been momentarily taken aback by the unexpected identity of the client and let his guard down, but now there was only one thing to do.

“Alyosha, I think it’s better to turn down this commission.”

This man was suspicious. Having met him on the street right before coming here and then seeing him again here—that was too high a probability to dismiss as mere coincidence. Yuri had no idea what scheme lay behind the man’s approach on the street, but this commission felt dubious to him.

At that, Alexei, who had been silently watching Yuri and the man, tilted his head. The playful air had vanished, and a sharp glint appeared in his blue eyes. Walking slowly to their side, Alexei raised his eyebrows in puzzlement and asked.

“Why?”

His friend had always been one to listen to his opinions. If Yuri truly didn’t want it, Alexei would not take on this commission either. No, in the first place, Alexei wouldn’t have accepted a commission from such a suspicious man. Now that he thought about it, it was strange. Alexei wasn’t the type to do sloppy background checks.

Having grown up in an environment where even a single wrong breath could cost them their lives, both of them understood well that a moment of carelessness could lead to irreversible consequences. It was incomprehensible that Alexei would make such a mistake today.

After a moment’s thought, Yuri slowly pointed toward Alexei and spoke.

“I met this man before coming here. It was a suspicious approach, too much to be a coincidence. And even if it truly was a coincidence, I doubt a man who has to borrow money from a stranger because he doesn’t even have 20 dollars can afford to pay a commission fee.”

The more he recalled their earlier encounter, the more guarded Yuri became. If everything—from the sloppy, vulnerable act to the nonsensical babble—had been calculated, then this man was no ordinary person. Among all kinds of people, none are more difficult to handle than those whose true intentions are impossible to read.

The man, as if observing Yuri’s reaction, listened to his words with a smiling face, and when Yuri finished, he burst into bright laughter. What could possibly be so amusing?

“Handsome, don’t you know who I am?”

Yuri ignored him and spoke.

“Unless it’s absolutely necessary, refuse the commission. I’ll see this one out.”

It was best not to get entangled with suspicious people from the start. Having his residence exposed was a setback, but selling the place and moving on wasn’t difficult. He had no particular attachment to his home anyway.

However, Alexei, who had been silently listening to Yuri, exchanged glances with the man and then cautiously asked Yuri.

“Yuri, don’t you know who that man is?”

The question, spoken as if Yuri should naturally know who he was, made Yuri squint.

“No.”

As if to say, Why would I need to know?—that expression appeared on his face, and the man burst out laughing.

“Wow, you really didn’t recognize me, did you? This is even better in its own way.”

Yuri thoroughly ignored the man’s nonsense. Without even glancing his way, he continued talking with Alexei, and the man, as if hurt, twisted his brows and leaned his upper body toward the direction Yuri had turned, whining.

“Hey, handsome. Look my way too. Where is it written that you can ignore a client like this?”

“I’m not taking the commission, so you’re not a client. Get out.”

Having made up his mind, Yuri considered where to strike in order to free himself from the man holding him. It was commendable that the man had a grip, but if he didn’t subdue him properly, closing the distance would only give the man an opening for a counterattack.

Sensing Yuri’s intent, Alexei grabbed Yuri’s other arm. Though also an alpha, Alexei’s pheromones always had the power to calm him, like those of a brother. Glancing at him, Alexei shook his head and explained.

“First, Yuri, calm down. That man came here through Heather’s introduction.”

At the mention of Heather, Yuri fell silent. Heather was a mutual acquaintance, one of the few decent people they’d met in Vancouver. A journalist who had helped Yuri’s father out of an unsavory situation and whom they had also assisted in turn—Yuri hadn’t expected someone introduced by her to be like this. Given the man’s utter lack of seriousness, it was hard to believe Heather would introduce such a person.

“Why?”

“I was planning to explain that gradually.”

Yuri pondered for a moment. Even with Alexei bringing up Heather, his heart wasn’t quite settled. Probably because their first meeting had been far too suspicious. Moreover, that cheeky tone of voice, calling him “handsome” at every turn, had already been grating on his nerves for quite some time.

After a moment’s consideration, Yuri fixed his gaze on Alexei and asked again for confirmation.

“Is this something that requires me too? To the point of exposing this place?”

“I’m really sorry about that. I would have brought him to my office if I could, but that man stands out too much to be seen downtown.”

Alexei wore the same nuance he had when Yuri asked earlier—as if many people would recognize this man. Since the reason wasn’t entirely unconvincing, Yuri gave a slow nod.

Well… he is good-looking.

A model? Or an actor? Whatever it was, it only made Yuri dislike him more. Conspicuous people meant that much more to worry about.

Yuri folded his arms and kept his mouth shut, as if to express his reluctance. If it weren’t for Alexei, he would have thrown the man out by now, but since Alexei had gone this far, Yuri decided he would at least hear the story.

“Is it something you can’t handle alone?”

“It seems so.”

“If it’s that big a job, the commission fee must be considerable, but as I said earlier, this man didn’t even have 20 dollars and was begging on the street.”

As a hint of sarcasm crept into Yuri’s curt tone, Alexei curled the corners of his mouth in amusement.

“You two must have had quite an intense first meeting. I’ve never seen you show such obvious dislike before.”

At that, the man let out a delighted sigh, shaking Yuri’s arm and hovering beside him as if to demand his attention.

“You’re already feeling such intense emotions for me, are you?”

The man had a knack for saying utterly incomprehensible things. Yuri frowned slightly and warned Alexei.

“It’s more surprising to me that you don’t dislike him.”

“He is talkative, isn’t he.”

Alexei agreed. But he didn’t show the same aversion Yuri did.

“But Yuri, don’t worry. The man has more than enough money to pay the commission fee. Whatever else may be uncertain, he won’t cause you any headaches over money.”

Rather, Alexei seemed to welcome the man.

“What makes you so sure?”

“Because, you see.”

Alexei grinned, baring his teeth as if he found the situation amusing. Alternating his gaze between Yuri and the man, he smiled mischievously, as if observing Yuri’s reaction, and said.

“That man is Cheriot Gutnight.”