Broken Bond: Between Vices and Virtues (BL)
Chapter 189: Why won’t you tell me? [2]

Chapter 189: Why won’t you tell me? [2]

In the dimly lit confines of his office, Rage sat behind his desk, his fingers tapping on the wooden table as he pondered deeper about his plans.

The shadows from the desk lamp cast flickering patterns across his face, accentuating his cold, ruthless, and calculating eyes. The room, as silent as the dead eerie night, was filled with his dominant scent.

Rage is already in his forties, but he is an alpha, a dominant one. And alphas, no matter the age, still experienced ruts. However, unlike his early years where he sought the warmth and flesh of an omega, he stopped indulging in their embrace, given how an omega betrayed him.

So, during his pre-rut and post-rut, he’d stay in his haven, putting his brain to work enhancing his plans after taking some strong suppressants.

His mind churned with malevolent plans. Someone was sabotaging him, which he later found out to be his twin sister, Raine, out of her worry for him. His head hurt just thinking how stupid his twin sister was.

We’re old already, yet her stupidity is still the same as when we were younger, Rage thought inwardly.

Raine cleaned the traces he purposefully left, and the spies he planted in the Horace Mansion were all useless.

His strategy was to infiltrate the house with spies, sow distrust among their members, and ruin their reputation, then orchestrate a series of events that would culminate in their total ruin, using the evidence he deliberately left.

But Raine took them out, and cleaned the evidence like a freaking neat freak, and now he was back to leaving proofs of deliberate schemes and illegal activities.

Rage frustratingly tapped his fingers on the desk, heavier and faster than before.

His thoughts spiraled to chaos and destruction, each scheme he planned next was colder and more devious than the last. No mercy will be shown.

The Horace Family, who questioned his authority and challenged him in his own territory will pay for wasting his time, taking his son, putting his businesses into jeopardy, and ruining his reputation.

They’re just foreigners who migrated here and acted all benevolent and mighty. How dare they poke into my business? They should have let it go when I let their bastard son live, Rage angrily thought.

The marriage between his son and son will be another way for him to easily infiltrate their family. However, his son, Azrael, was acting slowly. Why wasn’t he arranging their wedding already?

His other plans that would only take action once the two were officially married were halted.

As Rage pondered over his diabolical machinations, the soft creak of the office door broke the silence. His head spun abruptly on the door and he yelled irritably, "I clearly told all of you not to enter this room!"

Lyssana, his head maid wearing an innocent façade, entered the room. Her eyes, hidden behind a demure smile, flickered with hidden fire.

Oh, how she wished she was an omega, perhaps as soon as she entered and smelled that faint scent that permeated her nose, she’d be crawling naked and losing her mind over her master’s pheromones.

Lyssana had served the Del Valle with her family. She was the daughter of the former attendant of Rage’s father. She grew up in the annex and had been admiring the young master from the moment she learned how to like someone.

She was a decade younger than Rage and was born a beta, unfortunately. She accepted that her fate would never be one that stood next to her master, but rather behind him, following his orders obediently.

She thought that was enough for her, however, when she watched her master lose himself over some dominant omega who came from a lowly family, lower than hers, she began to harbor envy, greed, and hatred toward that person.

The master she served began acting unlike himself, so she had to do something to put him back on the right track. And she succeeded. Rage Del Valle became more impenetrable, indestructible, and powerful.

She made the man he is right now, yet he still refused to look her way. She took the role of a guardian to Azrael and showered him with affection. Now, the younger alpha was caught in the palms of her hands.

"Chairman, I just wanted to bring you this drink. I remember you used to like drinking it whenever you were lost in your thoughts," Lyssana answered, lifting a bottle of fine liquor and wine glass. She added quickly, "Besides, I’m a beta, chairman. I don’t get easily affected by your pheromones. There is also something I wanted to discuss with you, so should I leave or..."

Rage eyes the head maid. A few seconds later, he gave a curt nod. Lyssana’s face brightened with relief. She glided over to the desk, her movements graceful and deliberate.

The sound of the cork popping out of the bottle echoed in the room.

Lyssana poured wine on the glass and pushed it toward her master. She then stood on the edge of the desk, breathing in the scent of her master’s pheromones that she could only smell faintly.

Rage took the glass and sipped on it, then he gave Lyssana an approving look. He then asked, his voice cold but no longer unkind, "So, what brings you here besides delivering this?"

Lyssana responded with a smile, her voice a gentle whisper that belied the sharpness of her intent. "Someone random guy had been seeking you for four consecutive days already, sir."

Rage’s attention fixated on Lyssana, making the woman blush but the dimness of the room hid her flushed face. She cleared her throat and continued, "He claimed to be the son of...that person."

Her last two words were barely a whisper, certain that Rage would immediately recognize who she was referring to, and alas, to her expectation, Rage’s expression darkened and his hands clenched on the wine glass.

"Where...is that guy now?" Rage inquired with a voice dripping with darkness and fury. How dare that person claim he is my son?! That bitch slept with whoever has a dick! He should have asked his sl*t of a father before coming here!

Lyssana witnessed the rage burning in her master’s eyes, and she couldn’t contain her satisfaction. She replied, leaning closer, "The guards chased him away, but I’m sure he will try to come back."

"Hold him if he does. I want to meet him," Rage commanded.

Lyssana’s eyes gleamed with dark amusement, hiding it from the man seething in anger before her. "Yes, chairman."

Rage dismissed her after that, much to her dismay. Begrudgingly, Lyssana left the room. After the door clicked shut behind her, Rage returned to his plans, but his mind unwillingly wandered to the events of two decades ago.

He pursed his lips tightly. Slamming the desk out of the anger that revived inside him, he cursed himself for thinking of that person again. He poured another glass of wine and drank it in one gulp.

His throat burned, and his tongue tasted the wine sweeter, yet all he felt was bitterness. Unexplainable bitterness.

Meanwhile, as the dark started to deepen, another night of Knox was filled with anxiety and worry for Azrael. They spent the whole day in Franz’s café, it was an abrupt and unplanned outing, but somehow, he found time to think about what his sister, Althea, proposed.

He decided to accept it, realizing his job at Athan’s company would only take more of his time, and he couldn’t afford it, especially when he planned to finally give Knox a brother. It was also an idea that came to his mind after seeing how happy and lively his son was after playing with someone in the café.

He waited for Azrael to return once again, determined to talk about it and whatever was bothering him.

When Azrael finally arrived, he appeared distracted, his eyes darting around as though searching for something he couldn’t find. Knox’s heart sank. This wasn’t the warm reunion he had imagined.

Something was truly off with his partner. Taking the courage to ask, Knox held Azrael’s hand, "Azrael, what’s wrong?"

Azrael looked down at him and forced a smile. "Nothing’s wrong. Just had a long day. Is Knoa asleep already?"

Knox smelled the scent of soap on him, and his hair looked damped. His heart raced, and anxiety flickered in his eyes.

Azrael might have seen his expression because his body stiffened. After a pause that lasted a minute, the alpha sighed and caressed his omega’s face, muttering gently, "It’s really nothing. I just don’t want you to be involved with...Elise again. Don’t worry about it."

Knox wasn’t convinced. He selfishly thought, I’m not worried about her or what she’s going to do. I’m worried about you!

There was something hauntingly different about Azrael, something that Knox couldn’t quite place but felt deeply troubling.

Azrael’s avoidance only heightened his worries. Knox bit his lower lip, restraining himself from complaining and getting doubtful. He gave Azrael a sad smile. If the man couldn’t tell him, then does he need to wait until he could? Or does he have to probe, dig into him, and obstinately demand answers?

Knox was uncertain about what to do. In the end, now that Azrael was home since he had a feeling that tomorrow morning the guy would disappear again and would only come back at night, he just took the chance to bring up what he’d been thinking for Knoa’s sake.

"When...will we register our marriage?"

Azrael froze. He averted his eyes from Knox and answered vaguely, "We...should do it after everything is settled."

Knox insisted, "We need that paperwork to bring Aresh home from the orphanage." He stopped to let his words sink into Azrael’s head. "I don’t mean we need to hold a ceremony, but we discussed it before, right? We planned to adopt him. Since Knoa looks bored and lonely without a playmate, I’m thinking of registering our marriage first and obtaining a certificate, that way, we can finally apply for Aresh’s adoption."

Azrael remained silent. He was thinking seriously about whether it was the right time to bring another child into their household when his father was clearly planning to harm his family in any way possible.

Knox saw the hesitation in Azrael’s eyes, and it felt like a thousand needles were stabbed in his chest. He swallowed the lump in his throat and mumbled, "Why are you hesitating? Did you change your mind already?"

Azrael, "Knox—

"If you don’t want this marriage to continue, tell it to me already. Instead of disappearing before I wake up, ignoring my calls, coming back home late at night, smelling like you just had a shower someplace I don’t even know, just tell it to my face!" Knox shouted, the corner of his eyes watering, but they were ablaze, burning with hurt, frustration, and injustice, mixed with feelings of anger and disappointment.

He dreaded what Azrael’s answer would be, but he steeled his heart and decided to confront him rather than play dumb.