CHAPTER 40: REMEMBER THIS DAY.

When Le An came downstairs, the scene he encountered was far too much for his weary mind to handle. It was chaotic.

The alpha assigned to him was trying to force the door open, but judging by the situation, one of the guards had sealed it shut with their abilities. After that, the alpha had gone completely feral, losing control to the point of releasing his pheromones, attacking the guards, only to be pinned down with excessive force and restrained to the ground.

At the top of the stairs, Le An pressed his fingers against his temples when he saw the struggling, twitching body of the alpha, unable to lift himself from the floor like a wild animal.

But before he could speak a word, Theo walked in through the main door, and their eyes locked instantly. "..."

As soon as Theo’s emotionless eyes found Le An’s, they rapidly filled with helplessness. Le An, now fully alert and staring back at him, looked no different.

At that very moment, Le An couldn’t help but think about what would become of them if he could never recover from what Theo had done. But the others followed Theo’s gaze and realized someone was standing in the shadow of the staircase, Le An. And then, the alpha screamed.

"Treasure! Tell your damn guards to let me go! Fuck this!"

One of the guards, Gildas, who had pinned the alpha down with ease and now wore a faint smirk, looked over at Le An. Le An gave him a slight nod, signaling to release the alpha.

As soon as the invisible pressure lifted from his body, the alpha sprang to his feet like a coiled spring and bolted toward the stairs, toward Le An. Instantly, Gildas slammed him back down onto the steps and pinned him right at Le An’s feet. "Hey, ah!"

Le An couldn’t begin to imagine how much having his pride crushed like that was tormenting the alpha, but he could tell from the purpling hue of his face. Good thing he wasn’t an esper; otherwise, this house might’ve turned into a mess by now.

"Let him go, Gildas," said Le An, watching the alpha with clear discomfort.

"Only if he’s away from you, Le An," Gildas replied.

Yesterday, you had no issue with him being near me, even in my most private room, Le An wanted to say, but the words never reached his lips. Instead, the guards all noticed the rare expression of visible annoyance on Le An’s face and exchanged uncertain glances.

"GAC wants him back," Theo said as Le An crouched in front of the alpha. Without looking at Theo, Le An spoke to Gildas.

"Just... let him sit up," he said, eyes fixed on the alpha still lying facedown.

Gildas eased some of the pressure. The alpha scrambled upright into a seated position, once again restrained, like a puppet being played with. The alpha lifted his head, looked at Le An, and gestured angrily toward everyone behind him.

"Hey, I fucking want to know why I’m being held captive here, but your damn guards tell me nothing and attack me like this! What the hell is going on?"

Before Le An could respond, the alpha kept roaring.

"I came here because you needed an alpha, and then you turned me away, you never called me back. Now I just want to leave this damn house, and I can’t. What’s the deal?"

Le An nodded. "I understand, listen-"

But the alpha continued; the pheromones he released out of a sense of threat made Le An’s body twitch. Still, he didn’t feel overly sensitive to it; truth be told, the suppressant had worked wonders.

"I quit, alright? Tell them I’m leaving and that I’ll return whatever GAC paid. And tell him to get this damn oppression off me!"

Without meeting the alpha’s eyes, Le An kept nodding and said, "We’ll go upstairs." He turned to Gildas. "Let him go."

Gildas glanced at Theo. And Theo looked at Le An again.

As Theo moved toward the stairs, Le An, eyes shut tight against the pounding in his head, muttered, "That’s not necessary."

Theo stopped in his tracks and immediately objected. "You can’t be alone with him, Le An."

Le An glanced at the alpha, still seated on the floor. Then he looked up; yes, maybe this alpha wasn’t in the right state to be left alone with.

"Then..." Le An gripped the railing tightly and began ascending the stairs. "Gildas will come with us."

As Le An disappeared toward the second floor, stunned gazes and sideways glances filled the house -from staff to guards- all turning toward Theo. Gildas shrugged, lifted the alpha to his feet with a mere flick of his finger, and as he passed by Theo, patted his shoulder.

"He’ll calm down soon," he said with a smile. As he stared upstairs, thoughtful, Gildas added. "But... I’ve never seen him like this before."

Truth be told, everyone believed that no matter what happened, Le An would forgive Theo in the end. The bond between them was strong, and Le An was always the softest-hearted person toward Theo.

Le An had never been seen truly upset with anyone, not even once, nor had he ever been seen refusing to smile. So what had just happened -especially his demeanor toward Theo- was far from what anyone had expected.

"Move," Gildas grunted when the alpha hesitated clumsily on the stairs.

But just then, Theo rushed past both of them, climbing the stairs two at a time, and entered Le An’s room right after him.

When he stepped inside, Le An was walking toward the window. "Le An." Theo followed him all the way, stepping in front of him when he stopped.

"Le An, this... this isn’t something you should get involved in. Mr. Qui won’t let this go, and he’s already furious that you didn’t return the alpha to the team he sent."

"What do you suggest?" Le An asked, his voice distant. Was Theo seriously suggesting he hand the alpha over and ignore the fact that he’d be killed out of sight?

"Let us handle it, and besides, you need to rest," Theo said after a pause. And Le An could tell that Theo had only just made up that answer, that he hadn’t even considered acting to prevent the alpha’s death until this very moment.

After all, it was Theo who’d agreed to let the alpha in on Le An’s secret and bring him into his room. Of course, he hadn’t expected it to go this far.

"I’ll talk to him," Le An said, trying not to look even more hurt than he already was.

"Let me talk to Mr. Qui first..." Theo reached out his hands again. But Le An folded his arms and turned more toward the window, avoiding his eyes.

"Even if you talk to him, how long can you protect him, Le An?" Theo asked, his voice low but biting. His fingers lightly touched Le An’s arm.

"Let me speak to Mr. Qui. There has to be another way."

Just days ago, Le An had longed for that touch, for its comfort. "Hm?" Theo stepped closer, emboldened by Le An’s lack of resistance. "Let me handle this, please."

At that moment, Le An wanted nothing more than to believe in Theo again, to pull those fingers closer and fall into his embrace. But in response to Theo’s current request -and to himself- he shook his head slowly.

He couldn’t trust Theo to protect this alpha from being killed. Not anymore.

"I’ll talk to him. I’ll find a way," Le An said, his voice full of anxious determination. In truth, he had no idea what he would do next. He’d protected the alpha by keeping him in the house, but had made no plan beyond that. "I just... won’t let them kill him," Le An said, finally turning toward Theo with that same, familiar light of vulnerability in his eyes.

"I know you don’t want to listen to me," Theo replied, "but... he knows you’re an omega now, Le An. GAC won’t back down."

"Le An, may we come in?" Gildas’ voice called from behind the door, and Le An looked at Theo. That was when he spoke his final words to him before they left the house together with the alpha: "Then I won’t back down either."

At that, Theo seemed to step back, stagger, even. Because reflected in Le An’s eyes was the truth: he no longer stood beside him, but opposite him.

Le An would search for that alpha every morning and night if he had to, and send guards after him to check if he was safe. Until GAC gave up trying to kill him, he would protect him with everything he had. Money, security, a hidden house, or a new identity... Theo knew just how far Le An would go, driven by guilt and conscience. And now, he also knew Le An didn’t want his help.

"I’ll be with you," Theo murmured at last. And so, when Le An, the alpha, and Theo set out for the GAC main building, not another word was exchanged.

They had silently decided not to tell the alpha that GAC planned to eliminate him now that he knew Le An was an omega; it would be a mistake, a dangerous one.

Still, the alpha grew suspicious. He could sense something was terribly wrong and that it had to do with him. He kept demanding his phone, threatened legal action, and when Theo snapped at him, he grew even more agitated and tried to force the door of the vehicle.

By the time they reached their destination and the alpha was about to be dragged out of the car by force, he did not doubt that something terrible awaited him.

"Let me go! If you don’t explain what’s happening right now-"

Le An stood up from the seat where he’d been sitting apart, took the alpha’s shoulders between his hands, and shook him slightly.

"Listen, nothing will happen. The reason we treated you this way..." Le An exhaled and looked into the alpha’s eyes with furrowed brows, sincere and remorseful. "I’m sorry. For everything. But you need to trust me."

The alpha froze for a few seconds, mesmerized that the Treasure of the nation was apologizing to him so earnestly. But then, even as he tried to brush Le An’s hands away from his shoulders, he kept grumbling:

"I don’t understand any of this, but you’d have to be a damn fool not to know this isn’t going well."

"I know. But nothing will happen," Le An said as he gently let go of his shoulders. "After this, we’ll let you go."

Le An truly believed that. And only after those words did the alpha finally calm down. And so, they were able to enter the GAC building without further trouble.

When Mr. Qui said only Le An and Theo were allowed into his office, the GAC guards began to approach the alpha. Le An stepped in front of him.

"No. He comes with us."

After contacting inside, the security allowed all three of them into the office. Mr. Qui wasn’t sitting in his usual grand chair but standing, leaning on his desk. As Le An stepped in with a slight nod, every sentence he had planned to say vanished the moment he looked at Mr. Qui’s chilling, unreadable face.

Theo stepped forward, about to speak in his place.

"Mr. Qui, we are sure this alpha hasn’t leaked any information about Le An being an omega. We kept him home all day and under Le An’s orders-"

"Under Le An’s orders?" Mr. Qui interrupted coldly. "Le An, you, Mr. Theo, and even this alpha—aren’t all of you under GAC’s orders? Am I mistaken?"

"I told you I didn’t want another partner," Le An interjected. "Shouldn’t we discuss that before what my guards follow through?"

Mr. Qui slowly raised his brows.

"I also told you we hadn’t closed that matter. We only put it on hold, dear Le An."

As fury surged through Le An’s veins, overpowering his entire body, he opened his lips to speak "Mr. Qui, there must be another way-"

But Mr. Qui continued.

"Because you’re rare, darling, we made the mistake of granting your every wish, placing you on a pedestal, and rewarding you as much as we could for your exceptional service... And in doing so, both you and we forgot that, at your core, you’re still just a GAC guide."

"Mr. Qui-" Theo stepped forward with a cold tone, as if trying to shield Le An from the harsh words. Mr. Qui looked at him with an openly disdainful gaze.

"And do you think you have the right to speak here, aside from being a guard dog?"

Theo clenched his jaw, veins prominent in his neck. "I’m doing my job," he answered.

Le An, chilled by the tension in the room, only managed to murmur, "Theo."

Mr. Qui laughed. "I didn’t expect to deal with this today!" He turned his eyes back to Le An.

"Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to refuse you, darling," he said with mock affection.

"I’ll ask you one last time," he continued, clasping his hands together, pressing his fingers against each other before him. "Are you absolutely sure you don’t want a partner from now on?"

Le An, hesitantly relieved from the weight in his chest, nodded. "I’m sure, Mr. Qui." All that remained was for them to spare the alpha’s life and find another way.

The alpha, on the other hand, with his face ashen, could do nothing but listen in silence.

Mr. Qui placed both hands on the desk and slowly shook his head. "Very well," he muttered.

But the gleam in his smiling eyes faded abruptly.

And then, it happened in an instant.

Mr. Qui pulled a gun from behind him, aimed it at the alpha, and just as the alpha opened his mouth to shout, a single bullet hit him directly in the face.

The gunshot deafened Le An; Theo quickly pulled him close, shielding his body and face from the splattered blood. He covered Le An’s wide, stunned eyes with his hands.

The alpha dropped to his knees, then collapsed. His shattered face hit the floor.

The room was filled with the scent of blood and gunpowder. After a while, the silence was broken only by Le An’s sobs.

"Well then... we’re settled," said Mr. Qui, stepping around the body without touching the pool of blood. He leaned in, moving dangerously close to Le An’s ear. As he did, Theo pulled Le An even tighter against him, holding him firmly in place.

"You thought you could resolve this by talking, didn’t you, Le An? You were wrong. You forgot your place." He pressed a finger against the cold sweat collecting on Le An’s forehead.

"Remember this day. This is your place. They should’ve taught you that back at the orphanage. Tsk."

Le An was frozen, paralyzed to his core. All that came out were broken sobs. "Huff... hic, hic..."

As the door clicked shut behind Mr. Qui, Theo carried Le An out, his hand still covering his eyes.