Frostburgh, In Esmeray's Mansion...
Grandpa Esmeray was in the lawn backside of the mansion immersed in the gardening that he loved to do after retiring from the business field and handing over the company to his sons and his grandson, Arik.
He has three sons and a daughter. Eldest son's son was Arik unlike his slacking father he proved to be a genius in the field.
His other two sons had only daughters and the daughter who married his lover had a son —Irwin Lowell who inherited the bar and restaurant business from his father and was staying in Sigor.
So, the only heir to the powerful true blue-blooded Esmeray family was Arik though later his eldest son had an affair and brought home his mistress and a five-year-old boy —Eugene, but he soon left with his maternal uncle to another country Valoldour after his mother's suspicious death.
No one in the Coldbourne country knew the existence of Eugene Esmeray. Therefore, according to them, Arik was the sole successor.
Due to this his other two sons who were also given director positions in the company always tried to nitpick Arik's work but never had the chance to find a fault as the Alpha was a perfectionist and a workaholic to begin with.
That was why Grandpa Esmeray was relieved of his worries and was enjoying his days but in the last three months, his obedient grandson caused an uproar all over Frostburgh which gave him a slight dissatisfaction.
Nonetheless, he thought his grandson would get back on the right track after giving him some time away from work so he arranged a leave for his grandson in the name of expanding their business by winning a losing bid for a project, he sent him to Sigor.
However, his two sons who usually come to quibble, this time brought some pieces of evidence of Arik searching crazily for an Omega leaving all his work for the past three months.
"An Omega?" Grandpa Esmeray raised his left eyebrow when he heard that.
"Yes, father. There is also a rumor that the Omega is the bastard son of Mr. Lucian whom they kept hidden all these years," the second eldest spoke in a serious voice thinking that he finally caught the attention of his father.
Seeing the second eldest gaining some favor, the third son stepped in and gave him the photograph he managed to acquire.
"Father, here. Hael Lucian is his name. Eighteen years old, just presented as an Omega this year."
Grandpa Esmeray took the photo in his hand and observed it intently for more than a minute.
"If he is a Lucian... then what's the reason for Arik to cause such uproar?" Grandpa Esmeray questioned cause if his grandson wanted him as his mate he would be more than happy to let him do that.
Esmerays and Lucians had a great history of friendship between them and it all started with Grandpa Esmeray and his friendship with the late Mrs. Elysia Lucian the former chairman of Lucian Enterprises also his close friend.
Seeing the photograph of Hael, Grandpa Esmeray remembered her after a long time since he looked exactly like her though he was a man.
His silver blue hair and eyes resembled the most. There was no doubt cause Grandpa Esmeray used to have a crush on her back when she was eighteen and Hael now was the exact copy of her at that time.
Maybe that was why in the past life Grandpa Esmeray was the first one to agree to the marriage right after Villain Hael knocked on their door showing the DNA reports.
Anyway, the two sons understood the hidden meaning behind their father's words, "But father though he is Lucian he is just a bastard born to a maid out of wedlock, he is not worthy to enter our Esmeray's family."
The second oldest was the first to show his disapproval.
The youngest remained silent trying to understand his father's nonchalant expression at his second elder brother's remark.
Grandpa Esmeray was never the person to judge someone based on their origins of birth. His years of experience taught him better than that so he just crossed out his son's words as a fool's blather who didn't see much of the world and thought him as immature to think and hold such prejudices.
"You both... go back," Grandpa Esmeray spoke signing his butler to see them out.
Grinding their teeth that they didn't get to aggravate and turn their father against Arik even with all the evidence. They thought to dig more before coming back again.
After sending them away the butler came and stood beside Grandpa Esmeray, "Master, what are you going to do?"
"What do you think I am going to do, Henry?" Grandpa Esmeray smiled trimming off the dead stems.
"Young master, Arik is not someone to cause such nuisance. He must have his reasons," The butler assumed.
"Right, my grandson is far more intelligent than anyone in the family. He knows what he is doing so I don't need to get involved in his dating life, do I? If he comes home with that little Omega then I will for sure bless them."
Grandpa Esmeray smiled contently looking at the sky, "... it's high time I get great grandsons to play with, don't you think Henry?"
The butler shook his head with a knowing smile, "Master, that's too soon. Wait at least for a year."
Grandpa Esmeray chuckled heartily with a long sigh at the end, "Ha... this old man has nothing but lots of time so I will wait, patiently."
...
"It's all because of you. Irwin chased us out, ah! I thought I would stay with him all the time and enjoy my long vacation," Maven Lucian whined like a kid walking beside his friend.
Arik was silent and didn't say anything. His mind was repeating only one scene where Hael got scared of him and begged him to not kill his babies.
Even if he wanted to he couldn't take that out of his mind.
>>>That night under drug influence... I...
>>>Right, that's why he is so scared of me. I behaved like a monster with him that night.
>>>I deserve it... I deserve his hate and anger but I can't see him fear me...
Arik sighed for the nth time walking beside his friend who was talking rubbish that he never paid any attention to, even a word.
"Oy! I am talking to you and why the hell are you sighing repeatedly like an old man? Also, tell me where the fuck are you going? Are you planning to do rounds around Irwin's home like this all night? For your information, this is the third round."
Maven's yell brought him back from his thoughts.
"Let's go to a hotel nearby for now. We will look for houses around here tomorrow and rent one," Arik proposed.
"Hm, that's a good idea. We have to stay here anyway until the bidding of the project," Maven agreed, "By the way, did you send men to catch the runaway general manager of yours?"
"No, my men can't openly look for him here. Sigor has its own rules that's why Grandpa asked me to take Brother Irwin's help. But..." Arik paused.
"Right, then let's talk about business with him tomorrow. I think it's strange how all the small local companies withdrew from the bidding," Maven pointed out.
"We will know once we catch that general manager. The only three big companies of Sigor are participating in the bidding and according to my sources one of three is thinking of backing off too," Arik explained as they both walked to the hotel.
"You mean the JS company, the smallest of the three?" Maven immediately caught on.
Arik sighed, "Yeah. Now the companies of the powerful families in Sigor the 'Verenas' and the 'Enders' are neck to neck for the bidding."
"Hm, I heard about them. They are like our families in Frostburgh but we don't need to worry cause..." Maven smirked as he took the keys from the reception.
Arik nodded, "Brother Irwin is on our side. Who dares to go against the Lowell's in Sigor?"
Maven didn't say anymore. He just wiggled his eyebrows feeling proud as he opened his room and entered it waving at his friend.
Arik shook his head and entered his room to get some rest and sort out his thoughts. After washing up, he plopped on the bed looking at the ceiling all tired.
>>>I need to plan something so that Hael won't be afraid of me anymore. I have to stay by his side...
....
"Brother Irwin?" Hael woke up late at night feeling hungry as he didn't get to eat all day anything with all the drama that happened in the morning.
Irwin closed his restaurant and bar for the day. He didn't want to leave Hael alone at home in this situation.
So, all day after cooking and cleaning the house he sat on the couch in the hall watching some reality show on T.V. eating some fried pistachios as Hael was sleeping in his room.
When he heard the Omega's voice he immediately put off the show and looked back.
He saw how puffy the Omega's eyes were. He exhaled deep and got up.
"Hael... sit down. You must be hungry right? I already cooked the food for us. I will go heat them up in a minute, you relax and watch something, okay?"
Hael just nodded as he sat on the couch without any thoughts. He was trying to sink in everything that happened that day.
The dream he had the realization he got from it and the promise he made to protect his babies, then suddenly Arik appeared and asked him why he left that day and how he went into panic after the Alpha touched him.
That was not like him at all... to swivet just at the Alpha's touch. But because he regained the traumatic memories of his first life he couldn't control himself at that time.
Everything was a mess inside his head but his face showed nothing... He was just staring into blank space.
It was very hard for him to accept the reality that he was the Villain Hael himself. The tragic past that he saw in the dream from the third person's perspective was not of any character of the manga he read but his life.
He was having inner conflicts accompanied by stress, confusion, and uneasiness inside his heart to accept the truth.
Everything that happened to him was no less than a miracle. When he pondered about it, Hael Argyris and Hael Lucian had completely opposite personalities and lived very differently.
Hael Argyris was a thirty-two-year-old man who made a name for himself and was loved by everyone around him though his initial days were not worth mentioning.
Hael Lucian was an eighteen-year-old boy who went through many difficulties and faced the dark side of the unfair society head-on at a young age which broke him so much that he took his life.
But in the end, both were him living in entirely different worlds and now that the personalities of his first and second lives merged and became one in him he couldn't understand himself anymore.
>>>Who am I? What is my identity?
>>>How should I behave from now on? Like Argyris or like Lucian? What's my personality anyway?
Hael was having a severe existential crisis and his pheromones imbalance due to his pregnancy wasn't helping him at all.
It was like, to the fire of his overthinking, those pheromones were adding oil continuously burning out his mind.
Without him knowing the tears were dripping down his cheeks. Irwin who came there with bowls of food was shocked to see the younger crying again.
The Beta without wasting any time put down the dishes he brought on the table, sat beside Hael, and took him in his arms patting his back gently.
"Hael, everything will be okay. Please don't be sad anymore. The little soldiers inside you will also cry feeling your mood and it's not good for their health," Irwin tried to console.
"I am not crying because... *Hic* I am sad... It's because everything is so... *Hic* so... frustrating..."
The younger answered sniffing and broke the hug. That was the truth Hael was so annoyed by the situation he was in, living two different lives and this was the third one.
>>>Living once is tiring as it is and here I am living my third life. To top it I am a pregnant man...
>>>I understand that my past self wanted to have the babies again and I want them too but why should I be in this damn world and an Omega at that?
>>>Ugh!! Why the fuck was I an otaku? Why the hell did I read the manga and who the fuck wrote it anyway? I am gonna kill them if I get my hands on them one day!
>>>And what's with all these Alpha, Beta, and Omega anyway? I was always weak in maths and physics... I fucking don't understand all this shit!!
>>>What manga? What werewolves... give me back my carefree life as the famous bartender you angel whoever and wherever you are!
Hael's thoughts were everywhere and the more he brooded over it the more he became irritated.
"Brother Irwin..." Hael called softly blinking his eyes. He was very calm on the exterior though his inner self was a total mess with all the turbulent thoughts.
"Hm?" Irwin was ready to give his views about life and a very lengthy supportive speech to strengthen his younger brother's fighting spirit.
"Perhaps... are there vampires too in this world?"
***