Winter hadn't necessarily been keeping his identity of being a third-generation heir to a dynasty a secret. It was just that no one in Chestfield had ever asked him if he was related to the Almighty Dumont family in the past.
They were always too distracted with his face and actions to think about his background. However, it was easy to tell that he was rich. From the clothes that he wore, the money he was always spending, to the cars he drove.
Whoever couldn't guess that Winter was rich from one glance must probably be blind. But no one knew just how rich he was until today.
"Your family's company…?" Blue asked Winter slowly.
Winter nodded with a feigned humbled look on his face. "Yes, so it is all my fault. I take the blame. Please forgive me."
Blue was truly at a loss for words. If this person in front of him was telling the truth about being a third-gen rich kid, then how come he wasn't getting sued for assault?
But instead getting invited for coffee?
Blue looked Winter from his head down to his toes with narrowed eyes. Winter was still holding up a humble countenance with a polite look on his face.
Blue concluded that perhaps Winter was interested in him. It explained why the latter would degrade himself like this in public when it was obvious that he was going to get rejected.
Blue sighed. Then he said with a detached tone, "I don't care for your apology. And I don't care for coffee. Just stay away from me. That's good enough."
Blue missed the mischievous glint that flashed in Winter's eyes after he said those words because he had already sidestepped Winter in an attempt to leave.
However, Blue didn't predict that Winter would grab his hand to stop him from leaving and say, "Please, let me—"
Blue didn't even wait for Winter to complete his sentence before he turned around and slapped Winter's hand that had held him in place.
This made Winter let out a pain-filled hiss as he winced and retracted his hand. Blue realized that Winter had stopped him with his injured hand.
And said injured hand was now bleeding through the bandages that were tied around it.
Everyone quickly noticed this too. The Omegas once again flocked Winter with concern.
"Oh, my gosh, are you alright?"
"Your hand is bleeding once again. What should we do?"
"Hospital! Let's go to the hospital right now!" Someone proposed.
Winter internally frowned. Outwardly, there was a composed look on his face as he raised one hand to stop the Omegas from doing unnecessary things.
"I'm perfectly fine. No need to worry too much. I just moved the hand too much. I'll be careful from now on." Winter reassured everyone around him.
Then he lifted his head to search for Blue and continue his shameless act of indirectly begging for a date. But he saw Blue already walking away with some distance between them.
'No way,' Winter thought. 'I can't let him slip from my grasp today.'
Winter faced the Omegas around him and said, "I will be right back. I need to go make up for my mistakes."
Then he dashed away in pursuit of Blue. The Omegas weren't happy about this development at all. Why would their Sunshine Prince have to chase after Blue for forgiveness when he didn't even do anything wrong?
Instead of them accepting the fact that Winter was the one chasing when Blue didn't want to be chased, they concluded that Blue must have been using underhanded means to get Winter's attention.
Meanwhile, all Blue wanted to do was get away from Winter as fast as he could. However, he wasn't fast enough.
Winter caught up with Blue and blocked his way in front of a tall building. Blue was prepared to turn around and use a longer route to his house, but Winter said:
"Only a cup of coffee. Please. I have something important to tell you."
Blue was skeptical. Winter's kind of 'important' could be a different kind of 'important' to Blue.
"Why can't you tell me right now if it's so important?" The sarcasm in Blue's words and voice was heavily intended.
"It's better to talk while sitting down." Winter said, then flashed a smile.
His eyes curved into a crescent shape, and his white teeth seemed to sparkle under the sun. Blue finally noticed that Winter was handsome. But he chose to disregard that glaring fact.
"If you think that you can find a way to convince me to go out with you over coffee, then you're wrong." Blue said with a stern tone.
Winter was momentarily taken aback, but thankfully, the expression on his face did not change. His little Omega had already realized that he was being chased?
"I never said anything like that. I'm aware of your… dislike for Alphas. I won't ever cross the line with you." Winter said with an earnest tone, then thought, 'Because you'll be the one to cross your own line for me.'
All of Winter's endless chasing would be fruitful in the future when Blue would successfully fall into his trap and become the one to chase after him.
That was how Winter's hunts always went. First, he chased, then he stopped chasing, causing his prey to worry about him already losing interest in them. Then after a while, they begin to chase him back, realizing that he was worth their time.
Blue's time would soon come. Winter just had to work a little harder.
"Oh, really?" Blue raised an amused brow in response to Winter's words.
Winter nodded without a thought, then said, "Yes. So can I please invite you out for coffee?"
Blue scrutinized Winter's being from his head down to his feet, then he unexpectedly said, "Fine. Whatever."
Winter almost exploded with joy. He had thought he'd have to peel off his skin through his bandages so they could bleed once again and garner attention, making him manipulate Blue into feeling bad for him so he would accept his terms.
But it turned out this way. Blue agreed. However, the approval was too easily attained so Winter decided to proceed with caution.
"How about we go to Dot's Café?" Winter offered. Blue nodded without saying a word.
Since Dot's Café was the most popular coffee shop around and served quality coffee, it was a good place to bring Blue. This would be their first date, right? Or maybe their first date tryout?
Winter had tried to rope Blue into a conversation while they made their way to the café, but the latter had not indulged him even a little bit. Blue gave the phrase 'playing hard to get' an entirely different meaning.
After getting to Dot's Café, the two picked a table next to a window. Blue ordered a plain black coffee. Winter ordered a latte.
Before their orders arrived, Blue impatiently said, "Here we are, tell me the important thing that you had to invite me all the way here for."
Winter smiled weakly and said, "Actually, I really admire you—"
"Fuck this." Blue didn't even wait to hear the rest of Winter's sentence as he scoffed and rose up from his seat to leave.
Winter had already predicted this reaction, so he quickly stopped Blue from leaving by grabbing his hand and saying, "Not in the manner that you're thinking. I admire your work. Your book. Your short stories."
Blue's countenance shifted. His body seemed to relax, but there was still a trace of doubt and irritation in his dark blue eyes.
"I've always wanted to talk to you. Please, let me speak." Winter said with a desperate tone, faking the appearance of a pathetic yearner.
Blue looked at Winter again with his eyes narrowed, searching for the falseness in Winter's body. But he didn't find any. This was because Winter was extremely good at lying.
Blue had no choice but to calm himself down and stay back. Winter's grip on his hand loosened, causing Winter to miss the warmth of Blue's skin against his palm.
Blue returned to his seat and said, "If you say any nonsense, I'll leave this place without giving you a chance to explain yourself. And be quick about it."
Winter only smiled in response to these words. A waitress dropped by their table right on cue and served their orders.
Blue didn't touch his coffee immediately, he waited for Winter to speak.
"It is true that I admire you and am your biggest fan." Winter began with red-tinted cheeks.
Blue found these words unbelievable. In all of his works, Blue had never once said anything good about Alphas. His writing was tailored solely for himself and Omegas.
How could an Alpha like and admire his work?
"I have been your fan since your first web novel." Winter said with a small voice.
Blue's cheeks—for the first time in a long time—turned red with embarrassment.
"What the fuck!? Who told you about that!?" Blue demanded in hushed whispers with an expression that was so unlike him.
Now, not only were his cheeks red, his entire face and neck were also red. He looked like he was about to explode.
Winter restrained himself from reaching out and pulling Blue's cheeks to play with it. This kind of expression on Blue's face… it was really doing things to Winter's body.
Winter wondered just how many more expressions like this that Blue had. He suddenly got the thought of wanting to see them all and knowing what triggered them.
"Answer the question!" Blue's voice disrupted Winter's thinking.
Winter continued to act coy as he bit down on his bottom lip.
"I told you. It is because I am your biggest fan."