The mood of the conversation had shifted from a saddening one to that of scheming. To Kian, his dignity was everything. If he went back to that mansion that he left so angrily, he would be letting himself be belittled by the alpha by forgiving him for taking advantage of his sudden heat and then for humiliating him right after.
But if he lets this deal take place on his own terms rather than on Elian's, he felt that maybe that will make him feel, even if just a little bit empowered, a feeling he hasn't experienced for a long time now.
There was a time when he felt his spirit was headstrong, like he was unstoppable. But ever since he had crossed paths with Elian all he remembered was feeling poor and vulnerable. But he didn't want to give up just yet. He wanted to become the person that Uncle Lee had turned him into. He wanted to retain his real self. And so, he had promised to himself that he will not let himself be manipulated or controlled by the alpha at any point in the future. If anything, he will let him know how difficult he could be and how much he could hate him.
"Well what if he insists upon staying in the apartment with us, you know just to get his way?", Will asked. "Well, then I will make sure to take my revenge", Kian replied, after thinking for a few seconds , with his eyes fixed looking in front of him. Will chuckled at his response, lightening the mood a little, "Calm down, I was just thinking of different possibilities. Someone like him, who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, won't ever even be able to come to this kind of neighbourhood let alone live with three omegas in such a small space", he replied.
Kian narrowed his eyebrows, "That reminds me, where has Allis been off to these days? I barely see him home". "Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you", Will said shifting in his own place, "There was a call for him a few days ago, it sounded like it was a middle aged woman on the other end, but when I asked Allis he didn't say much. He said it was family and he will need to visit them". Kian was even more confused, "Didn't he say he had lost all contact with his family? Also he hasn't mentioned any family members since he's been with us", he wondered. "Exactly, I'm a little worried too. I mean what kind of family doesn't even bother contacting for two whole years and then suddenly just reappear. But again, it's Allis. He never really reveals much about him". Kian nodded lazily, "Yeah, still you should talk to him about this. As far as I know, we are the only family he has."
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As Elian had anticipated that Erik had come back just after missing a day from the office and hopefully had calmed down. This was not the first time it had happened. It was a frequent phenomenon around the office, that the CEO would take a leave once in a couple of months just to disappear off the face of the earth. And when on leave no one could reach him, not even Elian. Only his personal assistant, Ms. Robins, knew of his whereabouts and was only allowed to disclose the details of it at the cost of her job.
Erik was extremely hardworking and persistent, so much so that some might even call him a geek, but at the same time he was just as confident, charming and surprisingly mysterious. He had a strong presence in the company and around the workplace. His relations were great with everyone he worked with. But at same time, nobody could say that they personally knew him, or have felt an intimate connection with him. He was familiar but in many ways distant. The only thing one can confirm about him was that he was extremely opinionated like his grandfather Marius Falk, the man who had built the Falk Corporation with his blood and sweat.
The man had a magnetic personality and an aura around him. Almost everyone revered him. He was also the one that chose Edlyn O'Brien for his eldest son Damien. He was close to his grandsons Elian and Erik even after Damien's scandal broke out, but especially Erik, who had spent a lot of time learning things from him growing up and it was obvious that he had taken after him. Even now, years after he'd passed away he was a source of inspiration for him. Unfortunately, Erik hadn't just inherited the qualities of his grandfather, but also his perspective.
Since the two brothers grew up in a family where omegas and even betas were looked down upon, it was natural for them to follow the same ideology. However unlike Elian, who's hatred was fueled by the incidents of the past and acted as a wall of defence for his heart, Erik's bias was based on the viewpoint of the rest of the alphas in the Falk family. To him, their father was a man who had lost his way. The man who had given into the temptations for trivial comforts instead of protecting his position and power that were more important.
To him, the omegas were like cheap ecstasies, that were atmost only capable of lethal addictions. Their function was to provide pleasure and to fulfill alpha's animalistic desires. And that is how they were meant to be used, for pleasure. The decision taken by his father, to leave his wealth and image behind for things like 'true love' and family was just foolish. Like, his grandfather used to say, he too believed that Damien Falk was an incompetent alpha who couldn't live to his full potential.
Elian had been waiting outside his brother's office, sitting on a couch constantly tapping his feet against the floor, when the door opened and a woman stepped out talking to Erik. The two continued to chat for a while after which she left. Erik turned to see his brother sitting on the couch outside his office, "Get in", he said, pointing to the door of the office with his head.
"Is the deal with Morrisons going smooth?", he asked as the two got inside the office. "Umm.. I managed a second meeting to further discuss it but I don't think they are really into it", Elian replied hesitantly as seated himself down. "Jesus El, they are our last hope right now. If you lose them we might have to shut down most of our restaurant chains. If it is obviously failing, even I can't keep convincing our shareholders to keep faith, you get it?" he scolded. Elian lowered his gaze from his brother's face.
Erik sighed realizing his aggressive tone, "Is Natalie helping in any way?" he asked, trying to calm down. "Yes she is trying her best. Are you okay?", Elian asked worriedly. Usually his brother appeared a lot more calm and composed, especially after his quick vacations, which Elian thought was the whole point of them, to release his stress. But this time he seemed a little uncomfortable and agitated. "Are you still angry about the omega thing from before?", he added after his brother didn't answer the previous question. "I'm not angry about anything. Don't worry", Erik replied, rubbing his right temple.
Elian could notice some sweat on his forehead and a little shakiness in his brother's voice. "You look like you're sick. You should see a doctor", he said. "I'm fine. Just tell me why you came to see me?", he asked. "Uhh….nothing it's not very important right now", he answered, hesitating. "Just say it alright.", his brother ordered.
"Umm….you know I came to you the other day to talk about something but then that incident happened and you laid out a circular about firing omegas. I was just thinking that it was a little much, don't you think?", Elian said as his brother looked at him suspiciously. "I mean we already don't let them apply for any managerial position or above. Laying them off from even labor work is kind of a stringent policy as compared to other companies….", he explained.
"Why do you care about omegas, all of a sudden? Are you into one of those women who yap about gender equality on dates?", he asked angrily. "What? No, I'm not dating anyone. I was just worried about the image of the company and you know, yours too", he replied like a child explaining a mistake. His brother let out a little chuckle. "Since when have you become so involved with the company and the image? I thought you hated working here", he joked. Elian didn't reply and just sat there wondering what he was doing sitting there.
"Alright. I'm glad you're taking interest, but you don't have to worry about our image. I have an interview tomorrow morning and I know they will bring that up. So I have made sure that the circular clearly states that we are only doing this for the safety of omegas. We wouldn't want our alpha employees to be attacking them at the workplace or to be distracted by their pheromones and affect their efficiency", he said reading from a paper sitting at his desk. "See, all people need is a more considerate perspective and some might even follow my footsteps", he smiled.
Elian nodded at him, "Okay, I'll get going now", he said getting up from his chair, "Great, getting back to work", his brother replied. As he was about to walk out the door, he heard him again, "Elian, don't let me down okay?", his brother said and the younger alpha could only nod in reply.