CHAPTER 13- Just because I'm a beta⁷

"....This marriage is not happening."

Silence.

A thick, suffocating pause filled the line, stretching on long enough for doubt to creep into Jaden’s mind.

Then—

"Mr. Elliot."

The words were cold, sharp, deliberate. A knife carving distance between them.

Jaden stiffened.

Mrs. Sandra—the woman who had always spoken to him with warmth, who had once called him her son—had never addressed him so formally before.

His throat went dry.

"Meet me at my office. Tomorrow. 10 AM."

No room for argument. No space for refusal.

The call ended before Jaden could respond, leaving him gripping the phone with trembling fingers.

He swallowed hard.

For the first time, it dawned on him—he might have just ruined everything.

VON: «These events also transpired in the original storyline.»

"Wait, are you serious?!" Presley’s voice rose in disbelief, but before he could process it further, the system screen flickered.

The scene shifted to the next morning...

10 AM.

Jaden stood before Sandra’s office door, his heart hammering against his ribs. He had expected anger, maybe disappointment. But the moment he stepped inside—

Sandra fell to her knees.

Jaden froze. His breath hitched.

"Mrs. Wilson—!" He moved to help her, but she didn’t budge.

Instead, she lifted her head, eyes glassy with sorrow.

"Please, Jaden." Her voice trembled. "Just listen to me."

The weight in her tone left him rooted to the spot.

Then, she spoke of Jamie—of the boy who had once loved so deeply, only to have his heart shattered.

"Jamie had a childhood sweetheart," she whispered. "Someone he thought of as his world."

Jaden clenched his fists. He didn’t want to hear this.

"Jamie gave him everything—his trust, his devotion. And for what in the end?" Sandra’s voice cracked. "He found out he was being used. For money."

Jaden’s breath stilled.

"His first love, was an omega, Even after He was impregnated, Jamie was ready to take responsibility as father, at a young age, even when his father tried to convince him otherwise."

"... That's just how much Jamie loved him, The Omega was from a poor foster home, so I tried to support Jamie."

"I lent that omega a lot of money, just to make sure he had enough to take care of himself and his child."

"Only to find out he applied for abortion and fled with the money."

Jaden was stunned.

"I...I can never forgive him for killing my grandchild, and for what he did to Jamie"

"Jamie looked for him, persistently, but he never saw him again."

"After that, he changed." Her eyes bore into his, pleading. "He hasn’t trusted an omega ever since."

Jaden’s throat tightened.

This was not what he had expected.

Not at all.

Of course, it wasn’t the full truth.

It was a half-baked lie, carefully crafted by Mrs. Sandra to pull at heartstrings. And what was worse—

It was actually working.

Presley watched as the resentment in Jaden’s eyes faded, replaced by something far more dangerous. Pity. Guilt. Doubt.

Jaden swallowed hard. His hands clenched at his sides as Sandra’s voice trembled with grief.

"All I wanted was to help my son." Her sobs were soft, yet deliberate. "I just wanted him to be happy again."

Jaden’s chest tightened. His mind scrambled for words, but all he could think about was how coldly he had spoken to her last night. How unfairly he had dismissed everything.

"I... I'm really sorry," he whispered, voice cracking. "I had no idea... I—I'm so sorry."

Without thinking, he stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her trembling frame.

"I promise..." He swallowed. "I'll fix everything."

A sharp smack echoed through Presley’s mind as he slapped his own forehead.

"Fix what?! Are you going to ‘fix him’?" He groaned.

Presley exhaled, exhaustion creeping into his bones.

‘You’re only going to break yourself.’

He ran a hand down his face, watching helplessly as Von voiced out.

VON: «Presley, if you want to get what you want, you need to get a job.»

A sinking feeling settled in Presley’s gut.

"Don’t tell me..." He eyed the system warily.

VON: «You have to get your old job.»

VON: «You pulled a sly move, but will that really be enough?»

VON: «This isn’t just about luring the ML…»

VON: «Don’t forget—you’re up against the M.C.»

...****************...

The next morning...

Presley was still mulling over Von’s words.

"Get my old job… but how am I supposed to do that?"

His fingers tapped restlessly against the desk.

"Should I just walk up to him and say, ‘Hey, remember me? The assistant you fired? Yeah, well, I want my job back.’"

He let out a deep sigh. That would be insane.

And yet... was there really another way?

Meanwhile, at the office…

Jamie’s eyes remained fixed on his computer screen as he worked tirelessly through emails and reports. His fingers had been moving nonstop since morning, but his mind was beginning to wander.

Leaning back against his chair, he let out a long, tired sigh. The dull ache in his temples wasn’t going away anytime soon.

He needed coffee.

His gaze flickered toward the empty space where his assistant would usually stand, only to be reminded—he didn’t have one anymore.

"Ugh—" he groaned, rubbing his temples.

Maybe he should have just given Mr. Felix the go-ahead when he offered to hire a new assistant. But at the time, Jamie hadn't wanted to deal with the hassle of training someone new.

Now, though? He was beginning to regret it.

Jamie’s head throbbed from exhaustion when a sudden knock on the door made him groan in frustration.

JAMES: "Who is it?"

The door opened, and a subordinate stepped in, holding a large bouquet.

For a brief moment, Jamie was caught off guard. A memory flickered through his mind—Riley’s familiar habit of sending flowers as a peace offering after their disagreements.

"You almost had me there." Jamie smirked as his gaze fell on the delicate note attached to the bouquet, the word ‘Sorry’ written in neat, careful strokes.

"I knew you never had it in you."

"Sir," the subordinate continued, snapping Jamie out of his thoughts. "He's waiting for you outside."

Jamie's smirk vanished. Everything had been falling into place perfectly—until he stepped out of his office.

His expression darkened. "You?!"

Jaden sat across the hall on a bench, looking like he was waiting for an appointment. He stood up as soon as Jamie appeared.

JADEN: "I'm glad you came out on your own. I wasn’t sure if I’d get the chance to apologize in person—"

Jamie’s glare was sharp enough to cut through steel. "What the hell is this nonsense?"

Jaden flinched at the harshness of his tone, but before he could respond, Jamie grabbed his wrist and dragged him toward the elevator, slamming the doors shut behind them.

The air inside was thick with tension as they descended.

JADEN: "Look, I know we got off on the wrong foot, and I—"

JAMES: "Don’t tell me you misread me." Jamie’s voice was ice-cold, his gaze barely sparing Jaden a glance. "I thought you were smart."

Jaden swallowed. "There’s no misunderstanding. I just... I don’t want things to end this way."

Jamie exhaled sharply, his patience wearing thin. "I don’t care how you want it to end. I just don’t want to see your face ever again."

Silence hung between them like a heavy weight.

Finally, Jaden lowered his gaze. "I understand." His voice was quiet, remorseful.

Jamie ignored him, keeping his eyes fixed on the descending floor numbers.

But then, Jaden spoke again. "I know you must’ve been hurt."

Jamie turned to him, eyes narrowing.

"Where the hell is this bullshit coming from?"

Jaden hesitated before continuing.

"Your mother told me everything..."

"........."

Suddenly the air inside be elevator became more thick and tense.

Jamie felt something in his chest tighten, though he wasn’t sure if it was frustration or amusement.

"Mother told you everything?"

His grip on Jaden’s wrist loosened slightly as he took a good look at Jaden.

Jaden looked him in the eyes, sincerity pouring from every inch of his expression. “I had no idea what you went through. I should’ve been more considerate.”

Jamie scoffed. “You actually bought that sob story?”

Jaden flinched. “W-what?”

“She told you about my ‘tragic past’ and you just ate it up?” Jamie let out a humorless chuckle. “How predictable.”

Jaden’s brows furrowed. “So… it wasn’t true?”

Jamie didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he leaned against the elevator wall, stuffing his hands into his pockets. His eyes held an unreadable glint.

“What do you think?” he asked.

"I know she wouldn't lie to me, she's your mother, She's worried about you."

James seemed to be more irritated when his parents were mentioned so Jaden changed the topic.

“Look, I just wanted to apologize. I handled things poorly, and—”

“I don’t need your apology,” Jamie interrupted coldly.

“And I certainly don’t need your pity.”

Jaden bit his lip, feeling his stomach sink. “Then what do you need?”

“I need you to leave.” His voice was steady, firm. “And never come back.”

*DING*

The elevator doors open as James stepped out.

Jaden stood frozen in place, his chest tightening at the finality of those words.

...****************...

LATER THAT EVENING…

James had finished his work early for once, opting to leave ahead of schedule. His mind was a tangled mess, replaying the events of the day over and over.

"Your mother told me everything…"

His jaw clenched at the memory.

"Now she’s even using my past for her own benefit?"

The thought made his blood boil. He exhaled sharply, trying to push the frustration aside.

But just when he thought the day couldn’t get any worse—

He spotted Jaden near the parking lot, waiting for him.

James didn’t break stride. He wasn’t in the mood for this. He didn’t have the patience.

He walked right past him.

“H-Hey, wait—!”

Jaden’s voice rang out, followed by hurried footsteps.

James sighed.

'He just doesn’t know when to give up, does he?'

He finally stopped, only for the smaller omega to collide into his back.

"Ugh! Are you blind?" James snapped, irritation lacing his tone.

He scowled as he dusted off his sleeve. Great. Now this omega’s sickly pheromones are going to be stuck on me.

JADEN: "Haa....ha Fine."

Jaden exhaled a bit from the running.

"You want me out of your life? Fine. I'll leave." Jaden’s voice was steady, but there was something raw beneath it. "But all I ask for is a second chance."

Jamie exhaled sharply, pressing his fingers to his temple as a dull ache throbbed in his skull.

"Not this again."

"Look, I already told you—"

"And I know that, Jamie."

Jamie’s expression hardened. "That’s Mr. Wilson to you."

"Ah—right, sorry."

jaden took a deep breath. " if you give us just one more chance to start over, and it doesn’t work… i won’t have a reason to stay in your life anymore."

a beat of silence followed.

Jaden saw as the Alpha studied him, his expression unreadable. the pause stretched long enough to make Jaden shift nervously.

JADEN: "s-so… what do you think?"

Jamie’s gaze didn’t waver as he spoke. "kiss me."

Jaden blinked. he must’ve misheard.

"excuse me?"

jamie’s lips curled slightly, somewhat amused in his cold stare. "you wanted a second chance, right? here it is. it’s up to you."

...----------------...

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