PLAK!
Barney slapped Daren hard across the face in front of Mike and the maids behind him. Daren froze as his father slapped him across the face, yet again he got a slap just because he said that name again.
"I told you not to say that name again! If I could choose, I'd rather have him alive than a son like you!" Barney snapped and turned to leave Daren's room.
The Omega sat on the floor with a blank stare and held his cheek that was red from the slap. Stinging and burning, his cheek ached from the hard slap.
"Go get the ice water!" Mike ordered the maids. He walked over to Daren and spoke close to him. "Young master, don't be sad, it's not your fault. Don't say that again, please."
Outside the room, Axel was just about to leave for Daren's room when he ran into the maids who were panicking and whispering because they felt sorry for their young master.
Curious, Axel asked them. "Why are you in such a hurry to get out of the young master's room?" he asked.
"Young master just got scolded by master in his room because of the news that spread in the media!" one of the maids replied.
"That's right, master even slapped him," replied another maid who then pulled her friend to get the ice that Mike had asked for.
The two maids left, leaving the bodyguard behind. Axel, who knew this, immediately went to see how Daren was doing.
When he entered the room, he saw Daren still sitting on the floor with his head down. Mike turned to Axel, as if he felt confused about what to do.
Without thinking, Axel rushed into the room and lifted Daren bridal style and sat him on the bed. The Omega didn't protest how the Alpha lifted him up. He just stayed silent as if he didn't want to say anything.
"Mr. Axel..." Mike handed over the newspaper that Barney had thrown earlier. It showed that there was a photo taken two days ago, where he was also there.
It's just that he wasn't seen in the photo at all.
"I knew this would lead to trouble," he muttered as he crumpled the newspaper in annoyance remembering how Noah had dared to kiss Daren.
He turned to his young master who sat silent and seemed unwilling to say anything. Thinking that eventually Daren would stop seeing Noah let alone contacting the actor.
When the maids arrived, Mike helped apply an ice-cold towel to Daren's cheek that had been slapped by his father. Just then, the man finally opened his mouth.
"Everyone out of my room," he ordered.
"But young master." Mike tried to persuade the Omega man, but Daren looked like he wanted to be alone.
Having no other choice, they left Daren's room and waited in front of the room. Mike closed the door and sighed.
"Looks like it's better to leave him alone first," he said. "Master Barney has always been hard on him, like always cornering the young master about him being an Omega."
"He really hates that, doesn't he?" Axel asked.
"Yeah, ever since he was a kid and I think even longer ago, this family has always treated Omega's badly, like they're really down on them. Even Mistress could only follow what Master told her."
"When young master was born, everyone was very proud and happy because he was a boy. However, when he turned 13 and Master Barney found out that young master was an Omega, they immediately treated him differently," explained Mike, who had heard part of the story from his father who was a servant of Barney.
Hearing the story, Axel immediately understood what Daren had been feeling. Since childhood, he had been treated like the proud son of his family.
However, when they found out he was an Omega, all the things he had always gotten and the good treatment he no longer got and he was treated like someone low because he was an Omega.
"You Alphas don't understand what we Omegas feel! You only know us as satisfiers of your savage lusts, and throw us away at will! I really hate Alphas like you. Why do I have to be stuck with you now?!"
Axel's eyes closed as he recalled the words someone had always said to him.
"That really annoying."
*****
A few days later, the news about Noah and Daren really became big news in Zondalia as the hot gossip there. Noah was interviewed about this and he just smiled kindly and said that he and Daren were just friends.
"We are just actor friends, what is being spread is not true. I was adjusting the mask he was wearing. But the camera angle made it look like I kissed him," he replied casually.
The news also affected Daren quite a bit, with everyone really trying to figure out who the man was. Especially since he was the son of a wealthy family.
That day, Daren intended to attend a talk show because he was invited to talk about his rising career with several other actors and actresses. He was sure that his problems with Noah would definitely be brought up on the show.
Shortly before filming began, Daren waited in the artist's room with Axel. Soon, two men entered the room and approached him.
"Hey Daren," called a Beta male.
He and Axel turned their heads as they approached, the bodyguard staring at them both which was enough to scare the Beta and Omega. But Daren ordered him to stop.
"What are you looking for me for?" asked Daren rather sarcastically because those two were the ones who had cursed him.
Otis and Nora.
"We just wanted to ask, are you really have relationship with Noah Oliver?" Otis asked Daren.
Of course there was no relationship between him and the man, but from the way Otis spoke, it was like he had something to say.
"If there was, what would you do?" Daren asked them again.
Nora and Otis exchanged glances and looked somewhat worried by Daren's answer.
"I know that our relationship isn't good, I mean we had a bad start. But there's something we want you to know. Maybe a warning from us." Nora tried to convince the Omega man to listen to what they had to say.
"Noah Oliver is not as good an actor as he seems. He's not a trustworthy Alpha."
Daren's forehead wrinkled in confusion at their words. "What do you mean by that?"
The two exchanged glances until Nora finally answered.
"Noah Oliver is an Omega predator."