While still wrapped around each other, sharing body heat, Alexander pulled away slightly and stood up.
“I meant to give this to you after dinner last night, but…”
When he returned, Alexander had a small red box in his hand. The surface was marked with the word Cartier. Yeon Yiseo didn’t know exactly what was inside, but the atmosphere gave him a pretty good idea. He looked up at Alexander’s face.
Click. The lid opened, revealing a bracelet.
The chain was slightly thicker than average, with three diamonds—or at least diamond-like stones—spaced evenly along it. The center stone was a striking colored gem. It didn’t look gaudy at all. It was elegant, sleek. The delicate cut made the gemstones shimmer dazzlingly under the ambient light. Even Yeon Yiseo, who wasn’t familiar with jewelry, found himself unconsciously parting his lips in awe.
“…This is…”
Yeon Yiseo tried to sit up but failed; he couldn’t muster the strength. He used to wonder why characters in dramas and movies always reacted so dramatically when someone pulled out a gift as if it were expected—he thought it looked forced. But now that it was happening to him, he understood. There were no other words. He really hadn’t expected this.
“I took some time picking out something I thought would suit you. Will you accept it?”
Alexander was subtly referring to the time Yeon Yiseo had declined the suit he’d tried to give him. Yeon Yiseo looked up at him again. He knew it’d be better to decline. But the words wouldn’t come. It wasn’t about the price of the gift. It was the fact that Alexander had taken the time to choose it himself—that sincerity moved him. Especially because he knew just how busy Alexander was.
Alexander gently lifted Yeon Yiseo’s wrist and fastened the bracelet. The subtle weight of it felt unexpectedly pleasant. Almost like Alexander’s touch was still wrapped around him. Click. A soft metallic clasping sound.
Fine jewelry. And from Cartier, no less. Even if he didn’t know the exact value, Yeon Yiseo was sure it was worth at least half a year’s salary—or more.
He couldn’t accept something like this. He shouldn’t. He knew that. He should return it. But watching the way Alexander’s face lit up as he looked at the bracelet on Yeon Yiseo’s wrist, the words got stuck in his throat.
“Giving gifts can feel this good, huh.”
At Alexander’s words, Yeon Yiseo closed his mouth again. Who could bring themselves to say, “Please take it back,” after hearing something like that? Barely managing to find his voice, Yeon Yiseo finally spoke.
“Thank you. It’s beautiful.”
“Thank you for accepting it.”
Alexander smiled brightly and kissed Yeon Yiseo’s forehead. A strange sensation filled him—his chest tightening, an ache that spread through him. He even held his breath for a moment. Then Alexander leaned in for another soft kiss.
“The reason I’m giving this to you now is… well, I wanted to see the look on your face. But also, I have to visit my family estate early tomorrow morning.”
“Ah. Then I should…”
Yeon Yiseo began to sit up, not knowing Alexander’s schedule, but the man pulled him into an embrace and stopped him.
“I didn’t tell you on purpose, because I figured you’d react like this. When I return tomorrow… could you be here to welcome me?”
It was a suggestion, but also a cautious request. Yeon Yiseo didn’t respond right away. The enormous, six-foot-three extreme-dominant Alpha standing before him somehow looked… lovable. It was such a strange emotion. He’d never received an invitation to stay at a place while the host was away, especially when he was technically still a guest.
“If Alexander, the owner of the house, gives his permission… then yes.”
Yeon Yiseo finally opened his mouth and answered. A smile bloomed across Alexander’s face like a flower in full spring.
“Of course you have my permission. Thank you.”
Like a big dog excited to see its owner after a long absence, Alexander climbed on top of Yeon Yiseo and kissed his neck and shoulder. Yeon Yiseo laughed and wrapped his arms around him, enjoying Alexander’s happy reaction—but the playful mood quickly turned into something heavier, more charged.
“Wait—Alexander… ah…”
He tried to push himself up, but Alexander stopped him. So Yeon Yiseo attempted to squirm away while lying face down, but that, too, was blocked. On top of that, both his hands were pinned, leaving him completely helpless under Alexander’s kiss. All Yeon Yiseo could do was try to steady his increasingly erratic breathing.
***
The mansion at the upper edge of Trousdale Estates in Beverly Hills overlooked Century City, Midtown, and even the Santa Monica Mountains. On clear days, you could see all the way to the ocean. Today was one of those days—cloudless sky, and a single hawk soaring overhead.
An old man sat in a chair facing the 4-meter-high windows, his posture relaxed, but without an ounce of looseness. His eyes glistened like snakeskin, and his tightly pressed lips gave off a cold impression.
The man’s name was Leroy A. Scott. He’d inherited what had been a small factory and transformed it into the Scott empire that existed today.
Leroy was waiting for the eldest son of the Scott family. It would take a bit longer for him to arrive—flying from New York to LAX, then driving over.
Fweee—
A whistle-like cry rang out from the hawk. It dove sharply, then soared back up, something clutched in its talons. A successful hunt. Leroy’s pupils expanded with interest. It was the only moment his expression shifted.
He liked the Malibu Colony Beach mansion, but after seeing the view here—dozens of mansions sprawled out below—he signed the real estate paperwork without hesitation. All you could see from Malibu was the ocean. That was meaningless. It didn’t satisfy him.
From this house, though, he could see countless homes beneath him. The view stirred his imagination—the thought of all those people living below him, struggling, toiling. That thought was deeply satisfying.
Someone had once asked if he ever felt lonely in the stillness of this vast house. But Leroy had never felt that way. With just a bit of imagination, he could hear the people in those houses below, scrambling to survive. To him, it was the finest kind of music.
Someone might say that a big city like New York would be better for that kind of stimulation. But that place was too noisy, too messy. Here, he could look down from on high and savor the feeling of superiority—quiet, secluded, and private. It suited him perfectly.
He especially liked this chair. With just a finger on the remote built into the armrest, he could control the doors, lower the curtains—everything.
He recalled just how much effort it had taken to continue the extreme-dominant Alpha bloodline. His first wife, Elena, had given him a firstborn son who was just that. But relying on only one child came with too much risk. There was always the chance that something could happen.
He needed a second extreme-dominant child. But Elena couldn’t give him one. She was an extreme-dominant Omega, but her health was too fragile to bear another. Even putting that aside, statistically, it was impossible to expect her to produce another extreme-dominant child.
The odds of a single Omega giving birth to multiple extreme-dominant children were close to zero. Leroy wasn’t foolish enough to cling to that slim chance. He had wanted to get Elena’s agreement, but she was too stubborn. Still, he believed she was rational enough to eventually respect his decision.
He slept with many Omegas. The tests that could determine a fetus’s traits before manifestation were useful, but it was disheartening how all those children turned out disappointingly ordinary.
Still, he never gave up. Through relentless effort, Leroy eventually obtained another extreme-dominant child. That child was brought into the house. Alexander had been eight years old. Ethan, four.
Naturally, he never forgot to draw up contracts with the Omegas before intercourse, ensuring they couldn’t demand excessive compensation. If the child turned out to be ordinary, the mother would raise it as a single parent—but he still provided ample financial support. And if the child was extreme-dominant, she would be given a seat as matron of the Scott family. Not a bad deal for them, really.
So he’d gained a second extreme-dominant child. But the boy fell short in many ways compared to the eldest. Leroy provided endless support. Yet the results were lacking. Despite being born with the coveted trait, he never lived up to Leroy’s expectations. It was profoundly disappointing.
To lead the Scott family, to inherit the empire Leroy had built, the child couldn’t just be average. He’d pushed both sons equally hard, but in the end, the one who satisfied him was Alexander.
