[ 40 ]
Anyone would be nervous stepping into the lions den. But as Hisaya had already lived a life where there was a high probability that he would have his head struck off, he didn't feel at all intimidated. Another week had passed since yet another article came out with both his and Noriaki's lovely faces on the front page.
The Pantheon were making a fortune as they had all the rights to the images. And they were hardly loosing out when he himself flashed some cash every now and then. They flocked to make him happy, and more importantly, they were no longer hesitant to take the Aristocratic and Alpha Times head-on.
"Sir, I have some concerns." Yoshiaki voiced when they arrived in one of the most luxurious hotels within their own district. The hotel was well-known, and from the looks of it, highly desirable. Unlike the surrounding hotels that broadcasted their wealth by dangling chandeliers with rare jewels on it, the hotel that his assistant/bodyguard had selected was a very welcoming one.
No wonder, as the beta had informed him, that upon the Hotels opening it became overwhelmingly popular and continues to be fully-booked three years later. Whoever the owner was, they were rolling in the dosh.
"I would worry if you didn't." Hisaya countered, spotting the luxurious bar to their left. As it was late-afternoon, the air was filled with the thrums of chatter, followed with the soft clinking of glasses. People often came here when they have finished their busy work-days. But it was only the elite who could afford to.
Unsurprisingly, a majority of those in the room were Alphas. Then the Betas filled up the remainder. As for the lowly Omegas? If there were any then they were the mates of the Alphas. Their accessory to brag about.
So for Hisaya to be there, not for anyone else but himself, it did draw a lot of attention. At the end of the bar area, where most were standing, was a respectable seating area. In the back, there were some intimate seating- which is where Kazuki Hiromasa lurked.
Coming to a stop, Hisaya looked back and spoke a few words to Yoshiaki Kenta, who gave a nod and made his way over to the Alpha who had a plan. They met, and from where Hisaya stood, he watched as his assistant had a quick back and forth with Hiromasa's own assistant.
A glasses-wearing man, who had just as thick of a file as the rest of the people who worked for Hiromasa. But Hisaya knew how to work with difficult men like him; the egotistical type who believes they are the smartest in the world.
A short time later, as he had gotten comfortable at a table for two by the window, a man approached. Said mans presence was immediately noted by those nearby. Bystanders loosening their suddenly-tight collars. Although they knew Hiromasa's extraordinary reputation, they knew to give the man a wide birth just in case.
"May I join you?" Though the mans voice was deep, he spoke smoothly and with a suggestive lilt. The man had clearly dismissed both of their right-hands because they stood by the bar, watching.
Hisaya had to crane his neck back due to where the tall man stood. Right beside him, at the edge of the circular table. Whilst he had to look up, the man made a point of looking right down at him. And for a few moments, the Omega drew a blank.
Technically, they had never met. But Hisaya had done plenty of research to know what the man looked like. And he was just as disturbed by the mans image right then as he was when he first saw a photo. Why? Because of the mans eyes. The yellow irises. Which were similar, if not accurate to the pair that XeLeader once owned.
The same animalistic bloodlust was similarly present. Even if he hadn't known who Hiromasa was in this world, with just one glance he would know that this man was bad news.
"Feel free." He eventually responded, looking away with an impassive expression. But the other man would have clocked his minor hesitation, no doubt feeling somewhat smug.
Kazuki Hiromasa was a thirty-three year old man who had always been the apple of everyone's eye. He was loved and cherished by his parents, always the top in terms of popularity and education and had never put a step wrong. That's what people thought. The man had a sinister streak, if you could liken it to something so small. He was, through and through, a predator.
And he was well-practised. He popped the button of his suit jacket and flipped it lightly as he took a seat opposite. The mans long legs took up the space under the small-ish table. Which meant that it was inevitable that their legs would brush together.
The yellow eyes watched him intently. Waiting for some squirming, but he was greeted with the aloof-expression from the omega. In fact, Hisaya had no hesitations, looking directly at the man. He was always the type who would take the risk of staring a cat in their eyes.
"I suppose we should introduce ourselves, since this is actually our first time meeting." The man grinned, offering up a hand. "I'm Kazuki Hiromasa."
Ignoring the gesture, Hisaya started, "Isn't it fascinating how much can happen between two people who haven't even met? How much hatred that can be spread. How much one can know about the other, without even hearing their voice?" He glanced out of the window, people-watching.
"I suppose that's what comes with modern society. No one has their private-life anymore." He returned his attention back to the yellow gaze. And smiled, "Mr. Hiromasa, that also applies to you. Although you have your cards held tightly to your chest, sooner or later your intentions will come to light. No matter how many people you pay off in the meantime."
The man opposite was quiet. He had been leaning forward with his hands clasped, another form of intimidation, but when he sat back in his seat. He also smiled. "Hisaya Reo, although it is clear that Mr. Noriaki Fumi's story is fabricated you seem obsessed with wanting to make it a reality." He then gave a low chuckle, running a hand through his short black hair.
"I have heard whispers, which I previously ignored, but now I have to ask, are you sure you're working on behalf of someone or are you just obsessed with me?" The alpha leered.
"I'm afraid I wouldn't be of sound-mind if I was obsessed with an egotistical mad-man like yourself. But I didn't agree to meet with you to trade insults back and forth. I was just curious, curious to see how good your charade is to have fooled so many. And I'm a little disappointed. Because I can see you, Kazuki, I can see how much you want to rip me apart for even questioning you. And let me tell you," he leant forward himself, ", no matter how hard you try to cover your ass, there will always be something you have forgotten. A minuscule piece of evidence is all I need. So there's no point trying to intimidate me, because even with your alpha pheromones I'm not going anywhere."
Time ticked slowly as both men stared each other down. Eventually, whilst Hiromasa ordered an alcoholic drink, Hisaya instead ordered something lighter. He wanted to be completely clear-headed when dealing with this expert in manipulation.
"Do you know why I asked to meet you?" Hiromasa asked, taking a sip of his whiskey.
Hisaya shrugged, "I can only imagine it's to assert your dominance."
The man laughed, far more amused than expected. When he calmed down, he grinned. "I may be an Alpha, but I'm still human, Hisaya."
"That's like a rich person claiming they understand how poor people live. Don't make me laugh."
The sound of the man opposite swallowing his drink was loud. His expression mellowed, and the first traces of visible irritation showed. "I came here to give you an ultimatum."
"Enlighten me."
"If you stop harassing myself and the people who work for me, then I would like for our companies to come to some sort of agreement. I believe your company has a solid ground-work in terms of your own morals, which is praiseworthy."
Hisaya admittedly blanked for a second, then he scoffed. "Have you forgotten why it is that I'm harassing you and your company? It is because of your beliefs towards Omegas, your true beliefs. You associate yourself with all these charities, because it helps your image. When in actuality you don't give a shit about them. Even now, you want to come to an agreement with my company because, once again, your company will be seen as Omega-friendly."
Hiromasa smiled, shaking his head as he took another drink. But Hisaya hadn't finished, "Your attempt at getting me to roll over only makes me more determined to find out your dirty secrets and shout them from the rooftops."
"Ah? I didn't suggest it because I felt threatened." Hiromasa countered, seemingly amused, "You're more than welcome to come at me with all you have. I gave you that offer because yes I wouldn't mind rolling you over, actually."
"Vile, as expected." Hisaya sneered, standing up and grabbing his coat to leave, having said all that needed to be said, but before he could move away, his forearm was grabbed.
"You preach about revealing my secrets, when you have one or two I imagine you wouldn't want everyone knowing." The mans yellow eyes looked him over, landing on his waist. Which left him perplexed.
No matter what the man meant, he yanked his arm away anyway. Hiromasa wasn't bothered, retaking his glass of whiskey and swirling it around. "I'll give you a few days to reconsider my offer."
"No need to wait, I'm not accepting any offer from you. And by the way, Alpha, that is the most you will ever get to touch me." He started walking away, towards an impatiently waiting Yoshiaki.
"We'll see." Was the lasting response from the snake.
Ω
"And then you left?" Another Alpha asked the following afternoon. But this man was Yoshiaki's boss, a man very unlike the vermin that was Kazuki Hiromasa. He had complete faith in the man he worked for, and found no hesitation in relaying information about the little boss.
"Yes. He had us stop at a restaurant to pick up some food before heading home, sir." The loyal beta replied, offering up some more paperwork that he had efficiently put together upon the mans request.
"What kind of food?" The billionaire enquired, reaching for the reports. As he sat back, in his desk chair, he had one long leg crossed over the other. His suit was perfectly tailored to the mans athletic build.
Upon the odd question, Yoshiaki faltered. "Ah..well, I believe he ordered some speciality soups that this restaurant is apparently known for, then we went to a confectionery store."
The Alpha perked an eyebrow, "Confectionery?"
"Yes sir. In fact, he bought many bags filled to the brim with sweeties." The other man remembered, having found the situation odd at the time. But his boss also seemed to be momentarily lost in thought. Remembering something, but seemed to come to the conclusion of having even more questions than answers.
"Are you positive you're reporting on the right Hisaya Reo?"
"Sir?" Yoshiaki blinked in surprise, but seeing as it was a genuine question he nodded. "Of course. You can see for yourself, sir, as the little boss had his meeting with Hiromasa in your hotel." He had made sure of that.
"That's true." The alpha seemed to have remembered, directing his attention to his computer. After tapping away for a few short moments, he brought up the security surveillance from yesterday evening. His cameras weren't disclosed to the customers, not even Hiromasa, so they wouldn't have known they were being filmed.
And not only that. This recording had audio. The pair of silver-eyes watched the entire clip, which only went on for a little under an hour, before replaying it. He listened to Hisaya's every word, appreciating the young Omega's sharp bite that was hidden behind polite words.
For obvious reasons to him, he had kept Hisaya under a watchful eye. This was for his own well-being, as well as their mutual secret, but he had never expected the man to change so drastically. And into a person he found himself compelled to watch.
When Hiromasa touched Hisaya's forearm, his own fist clenched unconsciously. Only when the pen he was twiddling around in his fingers, snapped, did he realise the strength he had exerted. He looked from the large screen on his desk, to his ink-splattered hand.
"One moment, I'll get something.." Yoshiaki left the top-level office to find something to clean his hand. But the usual neat freak of a man wasn't too fazed. Instead he looked to the clip that he had paused on the shot of Hisaya. He tapped on it and it zoomed in.
The quality was the best, so he was able to capture every outline. The picture was of the Omega when he was leaving the renowned businessman, a pinched expression on his face. Clear disgust. But even so, the young mans face looked tender. No longer did he maintain an attitude of bitterness towards Alphas- which the owner of the hotel had to take some responsibility for.
He wasn't proud of his past, and judging by Reo's actions, he must be of similar mind. This drastic change to his attitude gave him a light sense of hope. Since the beginning, when Yoshiaki Kenta expressed his concerns about the Omega's personality shift, he had wanted to visit Hisaya. Even when he was in hospital. But he had stopped himself. He wanted to see the little bird spread his wings and see what he was going to do in these turbulent times.
And so far, the man was impressed. But impatient. He wanted to meet with the Omega again. They hadn't left things on good terms, not at all. Before this, he had no interest in meeting the young man again, only ensuring he kept his trap shut. But now he could only hope that Hisaya would agree to meet with him.
He expressed this desire to his most-trusted friend when he returned to the office with a wet rag. For most, Yoshiaki appeared happy to do so. But he could see the other mans hesitations too. Though it had been three years since they last met, it was still a long time. And how would Hisaya take to being monitored all that time, even though he had once expressed, with disgust, that he never wished to see him again.
Through all those doubts, the Alpha found himself looking to a small picture that had been lovingly framed and placed in the centre of his desk. The picture was a photograph of a soft-featured baby who was, at the moment of it being taken, giggling happily. The picture was few years old now, but the Alpha showed a smile that was reserved only for his precious son.
Beside the picture was the frozen image on his computer screen.
"He looks so much like him." He mumbled, his heart feeling unbelievably light.
"Did you say something sir?" Yoshiaki asked, cutting through the mood.
"No. But i've got a meeting now, so make sure you do as I said." He stood from his seat, fetching his suit jacket and slipping it over before buttoning it. He hesitated for a moment, his finger hesitating over the home button for his computer. The face of the Omega was hard to look away from. But knowing it was only matter of time before they met again, he pressed the button and the screen went to its default picture.
Unfortunately, the picture that popped up was one taken on his last holiday, of his little family. Including another Omega who held his son lovingly. He could only sigh at the major obstacle he had completely overlooked. Needless to say, he went to his next meeting in a rather conflicted mood.
Yoshiaki Kenta stayed behind, gathering his belongings before looking at his phone. He had received a text from the little boss asking him where he was. He hesitated before replying, remembering his bosses instruction, and started texting Hisaya.
When he left the building, his phone buzzed. He scoffed when he read the Omega's response, "If you're asking me for a favour, then bring me something sweet and I'll consider it."
[ TBC ]
*smiles and hides the picture of Hiromasa on dart-board*
Guess what? Chapters Forty-One and Forty-Two are on Patreon. [Link to Patreon page in my bio] <3