Episode 16

Heat was always welcome. Fire could achieve much, but it could also cause many problems.

Bley had never felt the warmth of another person. Embraces were something that had become extinct in his life. The last person to hug him with genuine love, with tenderness and kindness, had been his mother. And though he had begged his father for hugs countless times, he learned to stop begging, to cease asking, to cease pleading for one he would never receive.

He never asked for anything. He never even asked anyone else for a hug because, if his own father was incapable of embracing him, who else would? If the man who had sired him rejected him, why would he gain approval from someone not even of his blood?

He liked winter; he liked snow because he always felt that, somehow, it was what was closest to his own life.

And for him, his life was three simple words: lonely, unfair, and cold.

Yet, as he shifted in the place where he lay, he felt warmth. He felt the kind of warmth he had longed to feel or experience for many years. He was unable to open his eyes and did not want to make the effort to open them, lest he lose this sensation. He wanted to enjoy it to the fullest if it were a dream. He wanted to enjoy it to the fullest if it were a figment of his imagination. It was so perfect that he felt he could sleep for endless hours without any concern for pain, responsibility, or anything else.

And when his eyes opened, he realized he was in his bed.

He looked around because he didn't know how he had gotten there. He blinked a couple of times and checked his body thinking the worst, but he was unharmed. He was uncertain whether the collision he recalled had been a dream, and the more he thought about it, the more his headache grew.

He wished to know where that warmth, that heat that had instantly eliminated the cold, had come from, but he couldn't because he had no clear idea.

He moved to get up and noticed he was wearing pajamas he didn't remember putting on.

He took a few steps, noting that day had already broken, and decided to go downstairs to try to speak with his father and understand everything once and for all. He descended the stairs carefully because his leg still bothered him a bit and heard voices as he descended. It wasn't just one voice, not just his father's, but many voices at once, sounding like a fight about to erupt.

He quickened his pace as he heard a voice he didn't recognize. He wasn't sure if there were police present or what, but it was a voice he'd never heard before.

Before he could reach the bottom, out came Soel, Camilo, and the redhead. Their eyes met instantly, and he stopped because the redhead's face looked different, and the way he was being looked at was completely different. He didn't know what to do and watched them pass. He remained still, unable to help but glance over his shoulder to see the redhead doing the same.

He wasn't quite sure what he was feeling inside from that look. He didn't know if he was imagining things, because the person looking at him seemed nothing like Maverick.

And naturally, it wasn't Maverick.

Because, after a long time, Alay was reigning in the daylight, and Maverick had been left in darkness.

"That was odd. I imagined you dead, and the president's son already on the other side of the world, sold off for being too pretty. Are you feeling alright?"

He gave a brief look to the boy. It was clear he was a friend, but it turned out he'd never seen him before. He blinked a couple of times and managed to nod a few times before walking. He looked around, seeing everything heavily guarded and the guards dispersed in every place.

At this point, Alay was the primary personality by virtue of being the oldest, the one that endured the longest and corresponded to the person's real name. This personality was usually passive, docile, resigned, conventional, submissive, respectful, dependent, and prone to excessively blaming themselves for everything.

Conversely, the personality that had emerged after what happened with Ilay was Maverick, the more aggressive, dominant personality; inconsiderate of others, rebellious, with a tendency toward dangerous or risky behavior, and often with antisocial and self-destructive traits.

Right now, the second personality was, so to speak, switched off, and it was the former taking control, not wanting to appear as a stranger but unsure what to do. He didn't quite know what action to take, and when it came to explanations, he was lucky to have wriggled out of everything. He thought everything would be just fine and he'd be able to go to his room and lock himself in until Maverick decided to emerge, but no.

"Excuse me, what did you say your name was?" he asked the boy who had been following him around the entire time, non-stop talking.

Camilo stopped and gave him an offended look.

"I can't believe it. You forgot my name."

"I'm very sorry; sometimes I don't remember names well," he excused himself.

"And you're apologizing," the boy remarked, looking at him strangely. "You're acting weird. Don't you have a fever or something? Besides, wasn't your voice rougher? Weren't you more intimidating?"

Alay thought about what to say. And, luckily, before Camilo could demand an answer, his phone began to vibrate and he quickly answered, as it was his wife.

He saw him walk away, completely engrossed in his phone, forgetting everything, and breathed a sigh of relief.

He swallowed hard to turn on his heels and continue walking. He remembered how he had reached the room last time, so he decided just to go there. He was aware that, during the day, it was better to avoid people because he would not know how to handle situations that might arise, and the last thing he wanted was to cause problems that Maverick would later have to resolve.

He pressed the elevator button, watching the doors open.

"Hey, you!"

He kept looking forward until he felt someone approaching.

"I told you I wasn't going to leave you alone. What you did wasn't in the plans; you just had to bring him home, not take him wherever."

He didn't speak. He watched as the doors began to close.

"Are you deaf or what?" the other one demanded furiously over everything that had occurred and the fear he felt.

"Leave me alone," he said, not in a threatening tone, but simply as a request that Soel did not take much into account.

He pressed the elevator button again and it did not take long to open, but he couldn't enter because his arm was grabbed. And maybe it wasn't the most aggressive, cold, and intimidating personality present, but that did not mean Alay was going to let himself be treated like a dirty rag.

"Don't you get it yet? I don't trust you, Maverick, and I never will. It's better for me if you disappear as soon as possible so I don’t have to see your filthy face."

Alay looked at him for a few seconds, not understanding much of this claim, but he did notice clearly that too much emotion was involved.

"I don't care if you trust me or not, just leave me alone."

Soel was startled by the simple turn and the unusual patience he was displaying, a departure from other days.

"Wait, I'm not done talking to you, idiot!" he yelled, grabbing his arm and then received a shove.

"The conversation is over," he said, looking at him seriously. "If you have a problem, talk to the boss."

"You think you're...!”

"Soel," Bley’s sudden appearance prevented him from continuing.

Both turned to look at the blonde, who examined them both as it was quite evident they were arguing as usual, for seeing them hugging and joking around was something he understood would never happen.

His blue eyes focused on the redhead’s black ones. He wasn't sure what it was, but his aura was different, almost magnetic.

He thought he was approaching a scorching fire and was not particularly concerned.

"Do you need something?" Soel asked politely.

"Yes, leave us alone. I want to talk to Maverick."

He didn't like that request much. He wanted to refuse or make an excuse to not leave; he just nodded and walked away slowly.

Alay watched him leave and, for a second, unsure if they were friends, enemies, or eternal rivals, wanted to ask him to stay because the one looking at him was causing an unprecedented nervousness. He took a step back for precaution and self-protection. Swallowing hard, he had difficulty looking him in the eyes, and Bley was aware of this. He saw him as a towering figure but not the intimidating kind that had thrown him into the bathroom like a dog, rather a size that offered certain trust and immense curiosity.

"Did you tell my father what you did to me?" he asked clearly and without a hint of hesitation.

The redhead immediately imagined bad things.

"What I did to you?"

"Or are you saying you forgot?"

He swallowed and thought about what to say.

"Though, of course, you must have realized that my father doesn't care much about me, and so you believed you could do that and treat me however you pleased. But let me be clear. If you ever take me to a place without my authorization again, you'll face serious problems, and don't you dare mistreat me again because, if you do, say goodbye to your job."

He watched him, unsure if to nod, say "yes," or what. He saw him as small, his hair was long. He wanted to ask if he recalled the time they had seen each other not knowing Bley was contemplating asking the same question, because the more he looked at him, the more he seemed to resemble the person he had seen before.

Neither averted their gaze, nor did they speak. For nearly a minute, they just looked at each other, until Bley cleared his throat.

"If you disobey my orders again, I will talk to my father and give him enough reasons to fire you. Don't think I don't know how to convince him, Maverick."

The redhead simply nodded. And he watched him walk away, his hair falling down his back as he slowly stepped towards the staircase.

It had been a long time since he had seen an Omega, a long time since he had felt any Omega's pheromones. The last time he had been involved with one, everything had ended disastrously in a manner that time could never rewind. But now he was looking at one, and thought that all the other Omegas he'd come across in his life were absolutely nothing.

He followed him with his gaze the entire time until he reached the first step, and Bley could sense he was watching. He wanted to just go up the stairs, but curiosity got the better of him, so he looked back, and Alay caught that glance as shy, curious, and nervous, before disappearing up the stairs.

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