Episode 14

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Noah felt stunned, as Jerome's simple question had thrown him off. He didn't know why the alpha in front of him looked like his husband... ex-husband, but acted differently from the man he remembered.

Yes... in essence he seemed to be the same, and yet the boy had a feeling in his chest that worried him.

The Jerome he was used to and had lived with for four long years was a distant, cruel, and arrogant alpha. Someone who didn't stop to say hello on the street, let alone utter phrases like "happy birthday" with a smile on his face.

Who cared that he was in a wheelchair? The man was intimidating sitting in that chair! He didn't even want to imagine the oppression that would exude if he could stand up. Nobody could breathe around him!

However, the man in front of him had stopped to say hello, even to give congratulations and have friendly conversations. This was too opposite to what he knew.

"Forget who you are?", he repeated in his mind.

"Impossible, how could I?" he exclaimed, his eyes still on the pair of black eyes. Jerome looked at him with the same intensity, and Noah found that, as before, he couldn't read anything that was going through the man's mind. And as strange as it may seem, that relieved him somewhat, since he was used to not being able to discern any detail about the alpha.

As it happened when the bl@@d wouldn't stop gushing from his belly, he wanted Jerome to remain the same indifferent character as always. For in that indifference, there was something that transmitted a feeling of tranquility to him.

"It's good that you remember," the alpha said proudly.

Noah scanned Jerome's face for any difference from the person in his memory. He journeyed from the long hair, the firm jawline, the tanned and smooth skin, the black eyes that seemed to swallow everything they saw. And he stopped at the thin lips. It was impossible for him not to remember a certain scene that happened in a past life, and he choked on his saliva.

Somewhat alarmed, Aleida approached and patted him on the back a couple of times.

"Are you okay?" inquired the omega, her expression concerned. Delicately, the boy pulled away when his breathing stabilized. Looking directly at his own feet, the black-haired boy prayed that the earth would swallow him up at that moment. But God did not answer and left him standing in his place.

""Are you choking just by remembering a silly kiss?", he scolded himself. "Shame Noah, shame!""

"Everything alright?" the alpha asked, his tone slightly amused. The boy's cheeks flushed even redder.

"In perfect condition."

"Hugo, bring a glass of water," Jerome ordered without taking his eyes off the boy, though he soon seemed to remember something. "Please," he added.

The beta heeded the order as soon as it was uttered, though the poor man almost stumbled after hearing a simple "please" from his boss. Never, in his years of service, had he heard the magic words from the other man's mouth. The boss was so used to giving orders that he didn't stop at that little courtesy when speaking, and who would complain? He was a CEO who worked every day of the week, on a work round of more than twelve hours. With an excessive workload it was impossible to maintain good manners in every instruction given.

Hugo looked at the alpha in the wheelchair, wanting to ask if everything was all right, but feeling the boss's direct gaze, he felt a tingle on his scalp, as if he were facing a fearsome and powerful beast. He ran away, fearing that the man was upset about something and would be the victim of his fury if he didn't get away.

And not only him, the people around them even took a step back, making that invisible barrier increase in size. The only ones who remained in place were the bodyguards, almost like a couple of statues. They didn't move, some even thought they weren't breathing either. Nobody could imagine that each one felt the cold sweat run down their backs as they heard the creepy "please." It's just that their jobs were very well paid and for those extra 000 in their accounts, they could withstand the torment of such an eccentric boss.

"Still, I must ask, how do you know all this? Perhaps..." Noah changed the subject to distract himself from his embarrassing act, oblivious to the surprise in everyone's hearts. But then a key thought occurred to him.

Yes, what Jerome said could be very basic information. A question here and there, and anyone could know where he studied. The problem was that this required prior interest in the person or their situation. And the man was indifferent by nature, how could he have the necessary interest to ask about him and know such information?

They were not related in any way. They didn't know each other deeply, they weren't friends, and they had no friends in common. Where did the information come from?

"It's just as you think," he replied with a sly smile. "Before coming here today, I did a little research on you."

"Why?" the boy felt the ground beneath his feet become unstable.

"After all, you're one of the top students in the Biomedical Physics department. Of course I want to snag a person with talent and potential. I apologize for my offense."

Noah listened to and believed the words without thinking too much, as it seemed to make more sense than a Jerome interested in him. With an expected - and strangely disappointing for some reason - answer, the boy didn't let his mind wander to inopportune topics.

"No problem. I understand." It was all he could say.

Another thing that escaped Noah's understanding was that the "simple words" resonated in the ears of the guests, especially the old foxes waiting for scraps, whose meaning was deeper than a strange "please."

Several knew that the Ballestero's son had chosen a completely different path from his father a year ago, moving away from the family business; at that time, some applauded his courage, others mocked his decision.

Without further ado, the subject vanished from their minds until now. They were unaware that the boy was so outstanding in his own right as to attract the attention of the Leader of the Barlovento, known for his intelligence in multiple areas. And best of all, in such an important branch as that.

With such power in their families, it was enough to be able to develop even better in the near future, since everyone knew that things were about to change in the coming years, as far as the field of science and research was concerned. At least 80% of the businessmen present had heard the news whispered from mouth to ear about the new research group that would be formed at University H, one of the most important in the country, for the development of new suppressants and other drugs that would allow everyone to maintain control over their instincts.

Years ago that could be considered a distant dream, but what if the group succeeded this time? Life as we know it would change radically. The invention of new machines that could determine secondary gender at an earlier age and in a more specific way, suppressants that would not generate addiction, treatments for diseases such as pheromone disorder...there were many purposes, but if only they could be lucky in one, it would be a giant step forward for society.

And coincidentally, young Noah was a student at that university. Who wouldn't bet that the boy could be in the research group?

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