Chapter Three

OF COURSE, when I arrived at the office, all eyes were on me. I bet they're saying, "The delusional is back." I was immediately told to go see Mr. Johannes Verde, one of the company's executives. He has a vague job description, but he always interferes with the news coverage. He sometimes signals which story should be out and which shouldn't be printed ever. He also sometimes interferes in the advertisement deals. He doesn't go to work most of the time and just leaves all the jobs to his three secretaries. His parents, Mrs. Vanessa and Mr. Sandro Verde, the proprietor of the publishing company, got me this job. With that fact, Mr. Johannes somewhat thinks I am indebted to him.

His secretary led me to his office. We then waited at the door for half an hour before we were allowed to enter. His secretary's face soured as soon as we stepped our feet into his out-of-place office with medieval aesthetics. There was a stench of alpha pheromones mixed with a sweet scent from an omega. A petite brunette woman was fixing her make-up on the couch, and the two obviously did it earlier than breakfast. They also acted oblivious to the secretary and me as if what they did was a small matter.

Before, I could smell pheromones like a faint perfume fused in the air. I used to only sense a delicate part of it, and my body does not have any reactions to any alphas. I just feel disgusted by them. But now, well, I could smell them proudly polluting the atmosphere. As soon as I entered the company, where ten percent are alphas, it felt like I'm in a sea of toxic chemicals. But this one, well, Mr. Johannes, smells like acidic citrus. I was feeling unaffected despite my heightened senses, though. It might be thanks to the marking. It's probably the silver lining of that misfortune.

"Russien Rene, you've been missing for a week, the HR told me you had food poisoning, but you have this particular scent on you. Did you wear cologne?" He smirked as he laid back in his chair.

"Yes, sir." I nodded and just agreed to his airy greeting. He gestured to the other two in the room to leave, and he told me to sit on the couch as he stood up, holding a bottle of vodka.

"Hey, hurry and leave." He coldly shooed the woman he had just fucked. She rolled her eyes and capped her lipstick. "Fine. Call me again, hotshot. I'll give you a good time again whenever you want it." She seductively winked at him and gave me a scrutinizing look. Her eyes scanned me from head to toe. And then, his secretary led her out while he bid, "Use the emergency exit stairs, not the elevator!"

His office is on the 36th floor. I know he wanted to hide his promiscuous lifestyle, but it was coarse. The lady must be feeling tired, and this fucker won't even let her use the elevator. I really wanted to show how disgusted I was, but I kept a frozen business expression in front of him.

He laid out two glasses on the coffee table and poured both with the alcohol.

"Your scent is quite good." He said as he tried to sniff me more. "You smell like some kind of coffee with weird sweetness... Like vanilla, but... I don't know; your smell takes away my sleepiness. What perfume is that?"

I answered truthfully as it bothers me to make it more complicated. "I guess it's my pheromone that you're smelling now, sir."

He chuckled and drank the glass in one go. "So, you weren't lying when you said you're an omega. (chuckle*) I thought you were pretending to be one all this time because you look like an alpha like that Jacob."

"Why did you ask me to come here, sir?" I asked without laughing at his 'joke.'

"You told the HR that you had food poisoned, but I heard different from the hospital. Care to explain that?" He sat comfortably on the couch across me; his legs were spread like the red sea when old Moses parted them, displaying a smelly little bump in the middle.

It's not like I wanted the whole matter to be a secret from the company forever, but he stole my moment. I just put on a fake smile and pretended I wasn't annoyed by his prying. "Well, I got marked by a stranger! And that's how I landed on the hospital like you've been told, sir."

He obnoxiously laughed, and then the sound became thinner, and he took the other glass and drank from it. "That's unfortunate. My parents really liked you to be my mate." Then he bent his neck, and a light crack emanated from it. He then combed his hair out of his forehead, revealing the beauty mark on the top of his left eyebrow. His slanted eyes showed his mood at the moment.

I guess I pissed him off.

"Well, what did I expect from a slut?!" He said in a condescending tone.

Ugh! I really want to stab his gut right now. The nerve of this bastard to call me slut when he just fucked in the company early in the morning. Ugh!

"Who is that bastard that dared to claim you?" He asked as he grabbed the whole bottle.

I read that guy's name on his cards stacked in the wallet. Lacierta Police Department Forensic Scientist Caesar Leo Musca. But it's dumb to admit it. I don't want to meet that asshole again.

"I don't know."

He drank there, looking like a mess. He has been oblivious that his parents took a liking to me. I think that's his inflated ego depleting because it was stabbed by some stranger. His pheromone leaked out like he was a fountain of lemonade soda. It's intentional.

"Sir, please control your pheromones." It's really a waste of bodily secretion.

"You always acted so unaffectedly by me... and you just gave yourself to a stranger?" He scoffed and faked another laugh. "I thought you were smart. Thank God, I did not listen to my mother when she scolded me to treat you better. I made a better choice. I don't deserve a disgraced omega like you."

"Ugh!!! As if you stood a chance in my eyes! Your ego is higher than your IQ. Now, you're saying you don't deserve me because you deserve someone better. Wow! Marry the mirror, you narcissistic piece of shit!"... That's what I wanted to say, but I shortened it to, "Yes, you got lucky. Can I go now, sir?"

He then threw the glass in my direction. It even glazed my ear. I was startled, but it wasn't unexpected coming from him. The glass hit another porcelain vase off balance, and both were broken, leaving a distinct shattering sound one after another.

"If you only had submitted to me, I would have taken you in. It was so simple. My parents like you, Jon idolizes you, and my family is willing to give you everything. Why do you have to make it harder and shun me like I don't matter to you?!!!" He barely contained the tears in his eyes. I thought he wasn't capable of crying. He's making it sound like I broke his heart. What is wrong with this bastard?

I want to leave this place as soon as possible. This whole place is uncomfortable. Can someone pick this drunk bastard and throw him out the window?

He stood up and walked toward me. He sat beside me, and he placed his hand on my hips to pull me closer to him. That landed him on the 3rd creepiest creature on my list, where the monster that haunts me is placed in the undefeated first place.

He rested his head on my shoulder and sniffed me. "If I knew you'd smell this good, I would have marked you as soon as I laid my eyes on you."

He also tried to kiss my cheek and then my lips, but I puked on him as if an involuntary reflex. It was like something inside me was fighting off his pheromones on me.

He was too stunned looking at the mess I made, the dirt on his shirt, and my repulsion toward him.

"Sorry. Your pheromones are making me uncomfortable. I'm so sorry, sir." I wanted to apologize further, but I can't stay longer there. I'm sure he would explode, so I ran and called his secretaries to help him clean up. I'm already stressed more than enough. And now, I have to be scared about losing my job? Fuck!

He followed me to the corridor without caring about how he looked. "Russien, you'll regret betraying me!" He scolded, and people heard him.

Fuck! He's getting me in trouble! When did I ever betray him? He's making it sound like I was a conniving omega who climbed the ladder by playing around with the company's heir.

"Sir, you need a shower," I told him with a low voice to give him the last piece of respect I had for him.

He suddenly cried helplessly. "Why did you not choose me? Am I not enough? Am I not good enough for you? All I wanted was a slim chance from you. All I wanted was an opening. But you never loved me the way I love you."

What? Does he love me? In what universe did he love me? Fuck! He blocked almost all of my articles, this fucking piece of moron! He only stopped by my cubicle to say insults. He always denied me in front of his parents whenever Mr. and Mrs. Verde invited me to dinner as they frequently suggested marrying into their family. What is wrong with him?

The stares from random coworkers were annoying. Some even went out of the meeting hall to witness him pour out his miserable 'heartbroken' act. Shit! I wanted to leave this place, but my feet got glued to the floor like tile grout.

Thankfully, Jacob came to my rescue. He ran and acted that there was a scoop that we had to cover as soon as possible. He didn't sound very convincing, but I ran away with him quickly.

In the car, while he was driving, Jacob let out his favorite phrase, "I told you so!" He had a full blush on his cheeks, emphasizing his blood pumping in his arteries. "I told you that Johannes has a thing for you! You never believed me! Did he finally explicitly tell you he's in love with you? How brutal was your rejection to him that he was crying like a baby who shit himself there? Tell me, how did you reject that trashy son of a bitch?! Sorry, our boss is not bitch. But, what the hell happened there?"

He was driving so fast, and I held on to my seatbelt, hoping we wouldn't crash. I hate when he's the one controlling the steering wheel. It's like he's rushing to death even faster than grim reapers.

"I did not know he's that crazy! He probably paid people in the hospital, and he learned that I got marked by someone else. Then now he's making it a big deal!" I screamed because I thought the engine's sound would overpower my voice.

He suddenly turned to the side and hit the break. I thought I was going to die thanks to him! I was wearing a seatbelt, but I still bumped my head due to the impact.

"You what?!!!" He screamed and looked at me as if I betrayed him with money on the table.

"You got marked, and you think it's not a big deal?!!! What the fuck is wrong with you? Who marked you? Let's go to the police now and report that son of a bitch!"

He quickly restarted the car and was about to take off again when I told him, "That fucker is a crime scene investigator working at the police department, basically a police officer." He quickly stepped on the break again.

"Can you drive properly? I don't want to meet any police officer right now!"

"Russien, are you sure you're okay?" He asked.

"Can we switch? Let me drive. We'll get a ticket if we don't move now."

While I was driving, Jacob emotionally processed the information.

"We still need to report him. He attacked you!" with his floral pink handkerchief, he wiped his tears away as soon as they escaped his tear ducts so that they won't ruin his make-up.

"Who said I was attacked?" I focused on the driveway and shared a little bit of info. "I met him on the hotel elevator when I was following the mayor. I don't know what happened, but as soon as the door closed, I started to feel hot, and he smelled so good. It was like I forgot everything, and I lost myself. I don't know what took over me, but I threw myself at him, and he embraced me. I don't know why I did that."

I focused on the road, but I could still see his jaw drop in my peripheral vision. Then, he started screaming. "Oh, my dear god!!! He's your fated mate like in those fairytales!!! Woah, I'm so jealous!!! Oh my gosh! You, an omega who doesn't go to heat and can't secrete pheromones, awakened when you saw your partner! That's so sweet!"

"Hey, quit your teenage princess fantasy. It's not sweet at all! It's just an unfortunate one-night stand." I can't see myself being with an alpha or with anyone. I don't think I can commit to a relationship and maintain that bond. I'm not capable of loving someone that way. That's too scary...

We stopped by the intersection with the red light's instruction. "By the way, where are we heading?"

"Oh... well, actually, I don't know. The mayor's scandal story was taken by Muller's team. We have to work on the abortion story. But that can wait. We have to think about your situation first." He then talked about how my marking story can be a good feature story or plot for a play, novel, or television show. He's like riding a rollercoaster; one moment, he's angry, then he's into another fantasy again.