RYUICHI
Shimada and I just finished one of our sessions and here we were now, sitting on the floor and not facing each other. We were doing it so often that he already brought a portable folding bed into his office and hid it somewhere inconspicuous. And to be honest, I was getting bored of this routine.
"Kicchan once had a mate."
"If you look closely at his nape, you will see leftover bite marks that were etched onto his skin which left a remarkable scar not just on his body, but also his heart and soul."
Whenever I remembered what that four-eyed bastard told me, I couldn't help but feel irritated. I didn't have any idea on how or even why I was this irritated. In the first place, I shouldn't be worried since I was only in this ordeal because I coincidentally found out Shimada-senpai's true identity and prevented anyone from knowing.
I secretly glanced at him then felt a sudden sting on my chest when I saw him carefully rubbing his nape as if he was trying to trace something. Even if I was facing his back, I could tell that his face was still flustered.
I balled my hands into fists and clenched my teeth. Why was I even worrying about this stupid deal we had?
"Shimada-senpai… don't you think that it's better if we stop this?" I suddenly suggested.
'No! That wasn't really what I wanted to say.'
Shimada-senpai frantically looked at me while his eyes dilated.
"Don't worry, I won't spill your dirty secret." I mocked him, but he remained motionless and shocked.
"If you do that, I will have to fire you." He tried to threaten, but I knew immediately that it wasn't his concern at all.
Rather than having his reputation be tainted, he's more afraid of the thought of having no one beside him to help him ease his painful heats.
And to have the knowledge that he was once bonded with someone, the thought of maybe he couldn't forget that person still unto this day. Shimada-senpai may have been hoping that his feelings would lessen if he found someone else to pick up the pieces.
Why didn't I notice before-hand?
The situation was so similar to my mother's, only it was Shimada-senpai who was left broken. And to think that he's an Omega, I don't think I could ever give him the warmth that he longed for.
"Do whatever you want. My work here is temporary, anyway." I added as he looked as though he was bothered by what he heard.
"What do you mean?" He asked, his voice slightly cracking at the end.
"Oh, you didn't read my profile? My old boss told me that I'll be your subordinate for a short time. He instructed me to help you out and when you manage to satisfy your customers, I'll go back. I thought you knew." I disclosed while smirking.
Of course, It was a big fucking lie.
This was all I could think of to end our contract before I totally lost my cool and forget the fact that I hated Omegas.
I hated to admit it, but I could no longer see him as my 'senpai'. Just smelling his scent whenever he's in heat made me want to ravish him. My instincts would scream at me to destroy him and make him mine and at the same time would probably overpower my sense of reason gradually.
So, before I totally break him… I have to go.
"Is that so?" And just like that, Shimada-senpai looked as if he had lost all hope as he stared at me.
Seeing the expression on his face almost made me grab his face and kiss him, but I stood up and controlled myself.
"Guess… this is goodbye? Though, we will still be seeing each other tomorrow. After you meet with Fujiwara-san, I'll leave." I said and grabbed my things, once more leaving the office as if nothing happened.
~~~~~
Honestly, I didn't want today to come. I wasn't able to get enough sleep after telling all that shit to Shimada-senpai.
Today, Ichi Fujiwara-san would be coming over to further discuss their agreement. But before Shimada-san could sign the documents, he must ensure first that our client was trustworthy, or else, our company would be going down into the pits.
"Okuda-kun, are you okay? You look exhausted." Moriya-san commented.
I tried to smile to hide my grimace even though he got it right. "I'm fine. I just finished some… 'unfinished business' last night; that's all." I lied.
Moriya-san was quite perceptive. He might be acting worried now, but who knows if he felt that something was going on between Shimada-senpai and I.
"Okay. Did you notice Shimada-san when he entered? His eyes were swollen and puffy as if he cried all night. Not that I'm meddling, but do you have any idea if there's something bothering him?" He speculated.
He was clearly more worried than poking into someone else's life. Moriya-san was simply a good person.
"None." I shook my head and averted my eyes.
'It's not something that I can easily tell anyone'
"I hope that someday, I will see Shimada-san smiling." Moriya-san suddenly uttered.
My brows involuntarily furrowed in doubt. "Moriya-san… Do you like Shimada-senpai?"
Moriya-san's face literally turned red and I could almost see the clouds of smoke escape from his nose and ears. He trembled like crazy and became fidgety all of a sudden.
"Okuda-kun, you surprised me." He said as he scratched his head.
"What? I was right?" I began to feel like teasing him a bit.
He hastily shook his head. "It's not like that, Okuda-kun. I greatly respect Shimada-senpai. Even if he's kind of unfriendly and doesn't know how to socialize, I can feel that he has a reason why he's like that. In the world we are living in now, whatever state we are in, all of us have some kind of sorrow and grief that is kept hidden." He explained. "There are Alphas that, even though they look harsh and cruel, are actually good people, especially to the people who lack strength. Us Betas are envious of the capabilities that Alphas can do. But for me, Omegas are the most sorrowful of all."
"Why?"
Now, I was thinking of Shimada-senpai while Moriya-san told me these things. I couldn't help but feel guilty.
"Even if he was giving us the cold treatment, not even once had Shimada-san gotten mad at us. He takes all the responsibility every time we receive complaints. He treats us all equally. We here in this office feel that he's kind but doesn't know how to express his feelings. That's why… No matter what happens, we will support Shimada-san with all our strength!" Moriya-san exclaimed.
"Being dramatic again, Moriya?" Amamiya-san suddenly interrupted our conversation, and both of us turned our heads to her in unison.
"Huh? Of course not, ah!" Was Moriya-san's accented denial.
"Excuse Moriya for his ramblings, Okuda-kun." Amamiya-san excused. "Because you know, prior to Shimada-san being our boss, a tragedy befell this company.
"Tragedy?" I frowned.
"Amamiya-san, don't scare Okuda-kun!" Moriya-san reprimanded in panic.
"Shh! It's better for Okuda-kun to know rather than him hearing it from someone else. Lies and slander might be the things he will hear from those meddlesome idiots." Amamiya-san answered back.
"B-But…" In the way Moriya-san spoke, it was obvious in his voice that he was scared of spreading this story. Even if it was just talking about the said tragedy once more.
Before Amamiya-san started talking, she took a look around first and made sure that there was nobody that could possibly eavesdrop. When she was assured that it was fine to start speaking, she secretly snuck in between Moriya-san and I, as if she were a runaway criminal who was hiding from someone.
"We had an Omega co-worker once, Okuda-kun." She started. "He was shy, gloomy and alone most of the time. Our boss that time was an Alpha and it wasn't long before they got together. Once they became mates, there were changes to the Omega. He became joyful and open about their relationship with our boss. They really loved each other and all of us and our former co-workers were witnesses to their love."
"Amamiya-san, I think that you need to stop now." Moriya-san pleaded while trembling in fear.
"If you are having the urge to pee from the extreme terror then get the hell out of dodge. Coward." She sniffed and turned to face me again. "In the day where our former boss was about to propose to the Omega, he disappeared for a long time. The omega was worried, but we assured him that maybe he went somewhere first. But to be honest, we were also perplexed as to why our boss didn't show. We were his 'partners-in-crime' for his planned proposal.
"Half a day passed before boss arrived. But instead of us feeling happy, we were all horrified because his clothes were covered in blood. The blood trails started from his mouth and left stains because he was sweating badly. His hands and arms were covered with bite marks. He was wailing while asking for forgiveness from his lover."
"Amamiya-san…" Moriya-san was already shedding tears.
"Then, boss told us that he coincidentally met his Fated Pair on his way here. He tried to fight off his instincts, but it was futile. Suffice to say, heat came to his Fated Pair and numerous times he held himself back to bite because he didn't want to betray his current mate. It was obvious to the bitemarks that scarred his hands and arms. But Fate is a bitch, Okuda-kun.
"In the end, our boss wasn't able to avoid the person fated for him. Even though it was excruciating, he was compelled to retract their bond so that the Omega would be free. But, the results differed for the Omega. A week after their break-up, the Omega killed himself inside the boss's very own office. Boss was horror-stricken from what he had seen, but more than that, he wasn't able to take the stress when he lost his only chance for his own happy event. We came to know that he was one month pregnant when he decided to end his life because he left a proof on the table.
"Boss became in denial and couldn't accept the fact that his beloved disappeared from his grasp and that he would commit suicide. What happened was an extremely traumatic event so many of our co-workers resigned. Our department was also transferred to another building and decided to close down the location where it happened. The authorities did everything they could to prevent the news from spreading. They paid off the employees involved and also those who resigned telling them to keep a lid on what had happened."
I was flabbergasted. My throat went dry and I felt these unexplained emotions that crawled through my whole body.
I just realized how difficult it was for bonded couples when a mate suddenly found their Fated Pair in an unfortunate time. Just because this could happen, a bonded couple would go through so much tragedy.
My mother could have been hurting back then, and yet… I hated her for not knowing the real reason behind it.
There was a possibility that Shimada-senpai could have experienced what the Omega who committed suicide had which is why he was so terrified to once more have a mate.
'What have I done?'
"Okuda-kun?" Moriya-san called worriedly as I wasn't speaking after hearing the story.
Amamiya-san also gave me this worried look and regret since she insisted on bringing up a topic that was supposed to be forgotten for everyone's sake.
"Sorry." I apologized. "Thanks for telling me." Were the words that I was barely able to mutter somehow, their worry dissolved like smoke.
"Well, we're going to leave first. It's lunch break, hehe…" To change the topic, Amamiya-san spoke out and pulled Moriya-san. "You just relax, Okuda-kun. You're our co-worker so you have the right to know." She added before finally leaving with the Beta.
A few minutes later, everyone else also left to have their lunch. The door to our department suddenly slammed open and an older man entered. Though he was aged, his demeanor and bearing were still graceful. It was obvious that he lived a healthy lifestyle.
He indifferently ignored my presence and walked towards Shimada-senpai's office. But before he disappeared from my sight, he gave me a scathing look.
WIthout my notice, I felt this heavy aura that quickly escalated and covered the whole place. Our eyes met and we began throwing daggers at each other. This was the first time that I felt this kind of uneasiness. My whole body was trembling. But I think it was more like it was telling me that the man staring at me right now was a threat. It was the same feeling that I had when I talked to the four-eyed freak.
Just now, I was releasing a tremendous amount of deadly pheromones that Alphas produce when they feel that their Omega was in danger!
The old man revealed a mocking smile before he continued walking.
'Just now… I have a feeling that I should stop that ugly geezer from going inside Shimada-senpai's office.' I thought to myself while clenching my fists.
What's holding me back?!