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Massive lenses pointing directly at his face, Gouta Malisili, currently running for the 7th president of the Republic of Botswana, smiled as he continued his speech. After his speech, he patiently answered all questions, despite some of the questions purposely targeting him.
Today's press conference wasn't supposed to happen, but due to Mo Laotian's plan to divert their enemy's attention, last night they abruptly called everyone to have brief question and answer portion today, knowing that a lot of people were really following his journey to the presidency. A majority of the population of the Republic of Botswana were almost sure Gouta Malisili will soon mysteriously die; it might come out as Gouta having a terminal disease or maybe unluckily caught in an accident. This is because that's just how it's been in the country.
The current president will soon end his term but he had a successor that he was openly supporting. Everyone knew how the current president deals with things, and for Gouta Malisili to still make enemies with them, his bravery and dedication was quite admirable. People were praying for him to be elected as the 7th president of the country, but at the same time, they won't be surprised if he was one day found dead before the election ends.
"Are you really confident you can win the election despite only having 3 years' experience as a politician?" One of the reporters asked, making Gouta smile at her.
"I'd like to say I am confident but we all know that's not it. If I am elected as the next president, I'll do my best to purify the whole country," Gouta said, indicating that he will be eliminating anything that will tarnish the country's economic development during his term. People are suffering due to the current administration. Before he became a politician, he thought the problem was the people's discipline. He thought the poor become poorer because of the people themselves, but he was proven wrong when he learned how corrupt the system of their Government was. The poor became poorer because the government didn't help them, instead, they robbed them.
He was able to elevate his town and its people's condition but he knew that was not enough to help them in the long term. He needed to be at the very top of the government position to do that. It was not because he was confident and it was also not because he was brave. Actually, he hated to be in a position where he was constantly being targeted. He hated being constantly worried about his life. He craved freedom, but at the same time, he knew that the freedom he was dreaming of would never be granted with the current situation of the country. There had to be someone who needed to sacrifice to fix everything and he was willing to put his life on the line to do it.
Gouta Malisili loved his country so dearly, it had the capability to become one of the richest in Africa, but its people were exploiting it. Now, if helping Mo Laotian get out would guarantee him his full support and protection, he would do just about anything to make it happen.
"What can you say about your only rival, how do you feel that our current president openly supports him?" She asked again. Gouta patiently listened and answered. As of this moment, his mission was to draw all attention to him for the next 20 minutes while Mo Laotian prepared for their escape.
The plan was to intimidate the assassins sent to kill Gouta and later trick them into thinking he's still at his mansion. Because the conference was happening in the mansion, it should at least make them hesitate to attack, knowing that the place was filled with people. They are assassins after all, they would avoid crowded places if they could and they wouldn't attack their target knowing that there might be people who will witness it. If there's a chance to escape the place, it should be now. Although Gouta's mansion was the safest place they could be in right now, that wouldn't matter if they could die the moment they step out of it.
The time was running out and finally it was the moment of truth. Gouta's assistant came to the stage and whispered to him that everything was ready. Since they were acting, Gouta nodded and let his assistant take over the podium.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the first half of this conference has ended, we are going to have a 15 minutes break before we can proceed to the second half where we are going to discuss Mr. Malisili's agenda…" The assistant said with a professional smile. Listening to him, everyone nodded in approval because they were more interested in the next topic, especially those who were looking for the chance to embarrass Gouta. Unfortunately, the so-called second half of the conference was not going to happen.
Gouta exited the room and entered another room where there was a secret exit. Since people were coming in and out of the building, it was easy to disguise themselves as some of the people from the media. Both Laotian and Gouta dressed as such and easily escaped, with Laotian driving and Gouta hiding in the van. They didn't bring any bodyguards but it was also a risk they had to take. Laotian's plan was to transfer Gouta to a different location and bring more bodyguards to protect him, since the current men he brought will serve as a decoy and will stay at Gouta's mansion for as long as they needed to be.
"More of my men will arrive tomorrow. Until you verify their identity, I need you to stay indoors. I've arranged for someone to assist you, so you don't need to worry, he will bring you to where you are going to stay," Laotian instructed while he drove the van to where his private jet plane was. Meanwhile, Gouta nodded, sighing in defeat. He really didn't like the feeling when he knew he was in danger. He felt like his heart was going to jump out of his chest whenever he was with the Alpha, because the way Laotian sounded, it's like their lives were on the brink of death, which unfortunately was the case.
"Okay, I trust your judgement," Gouta replied.
Arriving at the airport without any dangerous encounters, Laotian parked the van directly where a man in a suit was standing patiently with his umbrella. When Laotian got out of the driver's seat, Aldrin bowed at Laotian after he greeted him. The reason why Aldrin was in Africa is because Laotian felt at ease with the man around. However, because he thought that his trip was dangerous, he decided to hide Aldrin. The man was his ally in the dark, secretly helping him and mainly providing him the information that he needed.
Additionally, in case something happens, he knows Aldrin will be there to do the things that he needs to do. Worst case scenario, the man would be his messenger to Daniel in case he died unprecedentedly.
"Did you prepare what I asked?" Laotian asked, even though he already knew Aldrin's work was flawless.
"Yes, Young Master, everything is ready," Aldrin replied, already extending his hand to protect Laotian from the heat of the sun.
"Good… This is Gouta Malisili, the future president of this country. He'll be in your care for now," Laotian introduced with his usual monotonic tone while they walked towards the stairs of the parked aircraft.
"Yes, I understand." Aldrin replied and bowed to Gouta as well. Gouta looked at Aldrin and nodded with his professional smile. He observed Aldrin more and he secretly admired the man, because just by how Mo Laotian treated him, it was obvious that the Alpha respected him. Gouta is a Submissive Alpha and he could feel that Aldrin is a Beta, but earning an Alpha's trust and respect, especially Mo Laotian, was very admirable. Even to him, who was probably the same age or older than Aldrin, he knew Mo Laotian was only beside him purely for business.
"I have no time to waste. Inform the pilot that we're leaving as soon as possible," Laotian said quickly, not wanting to waste any more time on what he already said. He trusted that Aldrin would do his task without him briefing him, so he wanted to fly as soon as he could. A day had already passed, each hour he was delayed was making him more impatient.
"I've already instructed the pilot, you can leave at your signal," Aldrin said. He knew full well how much Laotian wanted to go back, so he prepared everything for the Alpha's convenience.
"Then I will be leaving now," Laotian nodded in approval at Aldrin and quickly climbed the stairs and disappeared inside the jet plane without looking back. He already told Gouta what he wanted to say earlier, so he didn't need to say it again. Laotian quickly found a comfortable chair, then the steward brought him a new set of clothes to wear because he was still wearing his disguise, but Laotian waved his hand and said he'll change later. Not ten minutes passed and the jet plane started moving, ready for take-off until it was up in the air. Meanwhile, Gouta watched the aircraft fly until it was too far away for him to see.
"He must really love his wife. His wound was bleeding this morning but he still insisted on going back despite the risk," Gouta mentioned while Aldrin listened. The Alpha must've been enduring the pain from his wound. The doctor even said he can't leave and risk exchanging fire with the enemy, but Mo Laotian was still insistent. Gouta didn't have a wife or even a lover, even though he's already in his 40's, so he didn't know what the Alpha was feeling at this moment, for him to even sacrifice his life just so he could go home.
"Yes, only Master Daniel can give Young Master that kind of expression on his face," Aldrin replied with a smile. Mo Laotian was known as someone who only had one expression, there was even a rumour among his students that the Alpha had facial paralysis from one of his dangerous encounters. They called him badass and admired him so much, but in reality, Mo Laotian didn't have facial paralysis. The reason why all this time he only shows one expression is because he simply sees everything as plain. It seems like nothing on Earth could get him interested… until Daniel Sullen arrived.
Earlier, if you've only been with the Alpha for a couple of days, you wouldn't be able notice the slight changes in his expression. But since Aldrin had been with the Mo household for almost 10 years, he knew full well that Mo Laotian's expression earlier showed that he was extremely worried. He couldn't wait for a second to be within his beloved wife's embrace. He was anxious and terrified. It was a rare expression that he only showed when he didn't know what to do or was afraid to do something.
Mo Laotian is the bravest and most daring person Aldrin knew when it comes to making decisions and taking risks, but even he was afraid when it came to the person he loved so dearly.
"Daniel, is that her name?" Gouta asked, looking at Aldrin, assuming Daniel was a female Alpha. Aldrin noticed this and he shook his head left and right.
"Master Daniel is a Male Omega," Aldrin corrected, and as expected, Gouta's expression changed to shock. For him, for a person like Mo Laotian, the rarest of all Alphas, he thought he would choose someone who could stand beside him like a female Alpha.
Although people believe that an Alpha and an Omega were made for each other, many researchers had also cited that an Alpha and an Omega were a bad match. Omegas are extremely submissive, they're soft and fragile, while Alphas are aggressive creatures, even the submissive ones. They are the exact opposite and it's not always true that opposites attract.
"Oh, that's a surprise. I'm sorry for my mistake."
"It's okay, most people would react just like you, sir," Aldrin said before he bowed in respect. After their brief conversation, Aldrin finally decided to bring Gouta to a safer location.