Episode 8

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"No. I…" Victor took a couple of steps forward, extending his hand to reach for Noah. However, the only thing he received in return was a look of displeasure from the boy. The two pairs of gray eyes met, regret evident in one, and displeasure in the other. It was obvious to anyone that they weren't on the same page.

Angel saw the scene between the two and wanted to separate them, fearing that the system's brainwashing would become useless. But when he requested 0010's help, it didn't respond. He didn't know what to do and was afraid of further tarnishing his own reputation. If there was one thing he loved above all else, it was his reputation. And now, he could see his credibility points rapidly decreasing before his eyes. So, with no better option, he tried to reduce his presence and let all the attention focus on those two. The time would come to sweet-talk the foolish alpha again.

With a face full of false sadness, he stood beside his mother. And in a low voice, he told her they should leave. The woman understood that this seemed to be a lost cause and agreed. Unfortunately for them, although they got up discreetly, the wall of people prevented them from moving away. Their only choice was to wait for everything to be over and hope everyone forgot about them.

It was then that Victor's hand rose again, only to touch the air, as Noah had discreetly moved out of his reach. Everyone saw their interaction, completely ignoring Angel and Erminia's movements, and even in an unspoken general consensus, they remained silent, afraid of missing a single second of the live, unfolding drama.

The older men and women, who on a normal day had no time to worry about the love affairs of the younger generation, were the ones who watched the scene with the most interest. They were just short of pulling out popcorn.

Noah could feel the attentive gaze of his audience, and thinking that he had already diverted attention from the issue that placed him as a homewrecking villain, he decided he wanted to give them a good ending.

"It's okay that you don't love me anymore..." the boy said, no longer with fake sadness, but with anger. This emotion was real since he was now truly speaking for himself, or at least the version of himself that had gone through this the first time around. A young Noah, just turned nineteen, who hoped his boyfriend would come to his party; and who, instead, only received rejection from his beloved, family, and friends. "But tell me, did I ever offend you? Did I hurt you?"

It's true that several years had passed since this event in his previous life; at this point, the wounds should have been more than healed, or at least scarred. But Noah didn't feel like staying silent now. He couldn't allow it. Not when he had already died once, and he couldn't complain about what had happened in his life, not since Victor had returned as the true son of the Ballesteros.

"You never did anything to hurt me," acknowledged the alpha shamefully.

Despite everything, Noah had never been bothered by Victor getting his family back, because he, better than anyone, knew the other's suffering. So, when the truth came out the first time, he didn't complain; nor when everyone condemned him for taking a place that wasn't his.

He accepted it, because, according to what he knew, it was his biological father who had made the switch. It was only right that he should bear the blame for his parent. Or so he thought at the time.

Only now did he understand that he wasn't the culprit. He didn't switch the newborns of two families; nor did he purposely take someone else's place; and most importantly, he never lied about his feelings for Victor. He helped him out of love, not to blackmail or keep him by his side. He wanted the alpha to grow and surpass himself, even if along the way it meant distancing himself from him.

It was Victor himself who ignored their years of friendship... relationship, and betrayed him. Besides, there were hundreds of ways to tell the truth, but the alpha had decided to reveal everything hand in hand with his lover and at his birthday party. As if pointing directly at him. With that, he was showing him how much he had always hated him.

Well, he was never one to turn the other cheek to be hit a second time.

Years of grievances, grudges, and discontent were reflected on his delicate face, causing Victor to be surprised. It was the first time he had seen him so upset. Not even in their worst arguments had Noah ever made such an expression, which made him want to back down but without the courage to do so.

"How can I feel intimidated by a beta?" he wondered, "I'm a dominant alpha!"

"...But why do you hate me so much?" asked Noah, attracting everyone's attention. "I never did anything to hurt you."

"Noah... I don't hate you! I..." Victor couldn't even find the words to express himself. He wanted to apologize, but he didn't know how.

"Couldn't you have said that before? You know if you had talked to me, I would have stepped aside without complaint! I don't want to be with a man destined for someone else either, nor take another's family position. However, you come here, on our birthday, to shout in my face that I'm taking your place. Well, fine! Take it all," he yelled in a heartbreaking tone, that broke the hearts of more than one guest. "Attention everyone! I present to you my ex-boyfriend, and apparently, the real son of the Ballesteros."

His words were chaotic, though surprisingly understandable. The guests looked at each other, and then at the omega who was standing next to Erminia. The omega was Angel Craso, and the alpha… the real son of the Ballesteros?

Victor, being the center of attention, paid no attention to anything but the words Noah had just uttered. Especially the "ex-boyfriend" that had come out of his mouth.

Tears streamed down Noah's cheeks, but he no longer showed the pitiful appearance of the beginning, quite the opposite. He looked like a beautiful rose blooming in adversity. At that moment, when the guests noticed his tears, they felt that the boy was at the center of everything, becoming the only thing that should be seen.

Yes, this was Noah's true proud appearance. Even when he had just been displaced, cheated on, made into the enemy, and though the tears kept falling, he didn't break down. Instead, he declared his fall with pride.

Those present couldn't help but feel drawn to Noah's stoic image; it was as if magic drew them to him. Even veteran alphas were moved by the boy. More than one suppressed the urge to step forward and take him in their arms, to wipe away his tears. Quite the opposite of when general hatred was upon him.

Noah, oblivious to the admiration of others, abruptly wiped away the last tears he would shed over this matter. Goodbyes had been said, claims that he had to make had been expressed; now he could be at peace and let go of this whole issue completely.

After all, a new, happy life awaited him. He would take care of it.

The boy was about to turn around and leave everything behind when a crash echoed through the hall, startling several.

Due to the shrill sound, many backed away in panic, trying to avoid the possible danger.

"Stop!" someone shouted, attracting the attention of the audience and calming the panic that was spreading like wildfire. Luckily, his shout was enough to stop a possible catastrophe. "It was my fault, I knocked over the arrangement. I apologize," the man said, though it didn't sound like a real apology coming out of his mouth.

The guests and hosts turned to look at a young man who looked to be between twenty-five and thirty. He was a beta, who, although he didn't stand out for his looks, was well known by everyone present. Especially by the great tycoons who had attended the banquet.

Noah gave him a cursory glance at first when he heard him shout, thinking he wouldn't be anyone important, but was stunned when he saw who it was. That was Hugo! The Chief Secretary of Barlovento Corporate Group.

And where Hugo was... one step behind was always him.

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