CHAPTER 35: COMPLICATED DECISIONS

Tracy stands in the centre of her room, surrounded by chaos: dresses draped over the bed, the chair, the carpet, even her vanity. Her wardrobe doors swing open like the gates of war.

She pulls out a yellow dress, she looked by the mirror and put the dress Infront of herself

"Hmm... too basic."

A red one.

"Too plain."

A sequined one.

"Too much."

A lace one.

"Ugh—this doesn’t even fit the theme!"

Each dress she rejects gets tossed over her shoulder, landing near her nanny’s feet. The nanny crouches on the floor, silently folding, sorting, and retrieving the casualties of Tracy’s fashion meltdown.

Tracy groans, dragging both hands down her face dramatically.

"oh my heels, This can’t be happening. It has to be perfect. Everyone will be there tonight. The Dastin family. The cameras. The entire city talking about the event of the year and i cant even find a perfect outfit!?"

She stops, breath catching with a dreamy sigh.

"And it’s the day I officially meet Hunter again..."

Her smile widens as she makes her way to her drawer, retrieving a portrait of him, carefully framed, polished, clearly cherished.

She holds the picture softly, fingers gliding along his jawline.

"And soon... I’ll be Tracy Dastin," she whispers, giggling.

She melts into her chair, spinning slightly as she clutches the portrait to her chest.

"And who even cares if our first date was a disaster? I’m incredibly irresistible, soon he will even see that and will regret ever trying to dump me straight away"

The nanny pauses her packing long enough to glance at Tracy with a quiet, exhausted sigh.

Tracy props the portrait beside her mirror. She picks up a comb, brushing her hair with renewed determination.

"Tonight is all about me," she declares. "The lights, the press, the crowd... they’ll be watching me. And my future husband but mostly me , the newest edition to the Dastin’s family"

She winks at herself in the mirror.

"Maybe we’ll pose for a couple shot too. Something elegant. Something romantic."

Her eyes sparkle, then sharpen with sudden intensity.

"And nothing will stand in my way. The whole world will have to know about it"

She throws her arms out dramatically, bursting into a strange, villainous laugh. The nanny startles, then shakes her head and refolds another dress.

A voice cuts sharply through the room.

"What on earth are you doing?"

Tracy freezes. Slowly, she turns to the mirror, her mother stands behind her, arms crossed, eyebrow raised.

"M-mother!" Tracy gasps, slipping off her chair and landing on the floor "oh my heels..." she whined . The nanny lets out a tiny snort but immediately straightens when Tracy’s mother shoots her a steely glare. She bows and leaves quietly.

Tracy jumps back to her feet, brushing dust off her skirt that isn’t there.

"Mother, I was just—uh—getting ready."

Her mother sets a beautiful gift bag on the bed.

"I can see that." She nonchalantly said " Anyway, here. This is the outfit for tonight’s party."

Tracy nodded , curious , she reaches inside and pulls out an elegant, shimmering dress.

"Mother... are you sure this is appropriate for me?" she asks hesitantly.

"As an omega," her mother says firmly, sitting on the bed, "it’s your duty to impress the alpha. Internally, yes, but mostly externally."

Tracy winces but nods. "...Oh. Okay." She looked at the dress this look like a dress a adult starring actor can wear , wait will i even fit in this? She thought silently , not like she will argue with her own mother , no ways she wont

"And," her mother continues casually, "there’s a matching lingerie set."

"Mother!" Tracy’s face goes crimson. "we are going to a party not some porn star themed kind"

Her mother stands and guides her to the mirror, resting her hands on her daughter’s shoulders.

"This is your only opportunity to catch Hunter’s attention. You know what happens to your father’s business if this arrangement fails."

She tilts Tracy’s chin upward.

"With a face like yours, use it. I did the same when I won over your father. I know you’ll make me proud ,you are my daughter after all, don’t disappoint me darling "

She pats Tracy once more before leaving the room.

The silence that follows feels heavy. Tracy clutches the dress, knuckles white .She went to the chair and sat down ,Her eyes find Hunter’s portrait again , she sighed as she picked up the comb again and she brushed her hair again

"Positive thoughts... positive thoughts..."

She closes her eyes, forcing a deep inhale.

"Positive... thoughts."

When she opens them, her cat leaps onto her vanity.

She screams so loudly the chandelier rattles and falls backward in her chair again.

"....Positive thoughts..." she whines from the floor and the cat landed by her side and licked her face

Hunter’s room is quiet except for the steady rhythm of his breath. He’s on the floor, doing push-ups, slow, controlled, precise. His muscles ripple under the thin sheen of sweat coating his skin, tattoos shifting with each movement. His AirPods seal him off from the world, but his voice breaks through the silence when he speaks.

On the phone, his right-hand man reads from a detailed report.

"Ethan Aaron Steel. Age twenty. Lives alone. Raised by his mother and has a younger sister, Monica. Father absent, typically shows up begging for gambling money."

Hunter doesn’t react emotionally, he simply continues his push-ups, counting silently.

"And?" he says eventually, tone cool.

"Worked multiple part-time jobs to pay for his school fees, rent and his sister’s treatment. Joined biker crews at fourteen to make extra money. Later entered the Reagents but lost during elimination rounds. Appears he met Lucien during sophomore year."

Hunter transitions into pull-ups, back muscles flexing as he hoists himself upward, his expression a mask.

"They dated," the man continues, "after joining the Reagents as partners. Their breakup’s still unclear."

Hunter drops back to the floor, sweat dripping from his jawline.

"Still not enough. I want every recent activity that could reconnect Ethan and Lucien. Every detail. Miss nothing."

"Yes, sir." The call ends.

Hunter removes his AirPods, tossing them aside just as someone knocks on the door.

"Hunter, it’s me!" Merida announces brightly as she steps in, then freezes, jaw slack.

Her inner monologue screams:

Tattoos. Muscles. Alpha aura, that cold and blank face. My son looks exactly like the first male lead in every book I’ve ever read.

She beams.

Hunter raises a brow. "Why are you here, Mom?"

She snaps out of her fantasy and clears her throat.

"Ahem, right. I brought your suit for tonight." She sets the garment bag on the bed.

"And by the way, Lucien ran away this morning. Tried to scale the screen wall, but maned to catch him before he could go any further " She flops down dramatically. "That boy hates events more than life itself."

Hunter wraps a towel around his neck and drinks from a water bottle. The silence stretches. Well i don’t blame him

Merida sits up, examining him. "ohh my boy grew up so fast , one moment he was sweet innocent kid and now he is a giant " she teased

"So... how do you feel about being Tracy’s future husband? I know marriage without a real relationship can be difficult."

Hunter stares ahead, unmoved.

"I don’t involve emotions. It’s strictly an arrangement to connect our families. Nothing else."

Merida clutches her heart.

"You sound exactly like the cold CEO male leads in my stories. Emotionless. Distant. Forced marriage with a soft heroine. Mistreatment turning into devotion. Then babies—"

Hunter blinks slowly.

"Those books are corrupting your mind."

He grabs his clothes.

"You’re banned from reading that garbage. I’m going to take a shower"

He walks into the bathroom.

Merida gasps. "But—!"

The door shuts. The shower turns on. the male lead will eventually fell in love with the heroine, she thought, She stands there,betrayed, before stomping out "spoiled brat " she muttered

Hunter listens until he hears her footsteps fade. Slowly, he rests a hand against the tiles, steam wrapping around him.

The pheromone overload from the race still throbs through him, a heavy, suffocating pressure under his skin. He steadies himself, jaw clenched, breathing deep until the sensation eases. He turned on the shower as cold water cascaded down , but barely doing nothing to calm down is desires , his dick was already throbbing and upright , he cursed as he lowers his hand and held the throbbing cock before he stroked it in slow motion , he tilted his head up , as images of Lucian resurfaced from his mind , to his soft lips and delicate face , and the scent , fuck his scent , he let out low groans as he increased the pace of his stroke and his pheromones spiraled like crazy , "fuck" he let out a primal roar as he came undone

He lifted his hand, staring at it with a dry chuckle.

"Mother... of all the books you obsess over, you somehow skipped the one where the stepbrother falls for his step-sibling."