Broken Bond: Between Vices and Virtues (BL)
Chapter 48: Trapped by the devil

Chapter 48: Trapped by the devil

"What did you say?!" Athan rose from his seat abruptly. He heard something ridiculous that his butt pushed itself upward and made him stand. He was in the middle of an interview with one of the models they were trying to hire for their upcoming launch, but his temporary secretary came in and whispered the news to him.

"Mr. Del Valle of the DV Group would like to meet you, sir," the secretary repeated.

The secretary didn’t need to elaborate on who the guest was as there was only one Del Valle that would seek for Athan. He looked at the employee as he thought of that. "Tell him I’m in the middle of an interview and if he needs to meet me, set an appointment first."

The female secretary hesitated, "Sir, he looks like he’ll explode anytime. I guided him to your office already—

"What?! Why would you do that without my permission?" Athan seethed in dismay.

The secretary flinched and stammered, "H-He’s scary..." her voice trailed off as she remembered how intimidating the CEO of the large group was, looking down at her waiting for her to leave and call for her boss. She couldn’t refuse or even stand her ground and tell the man that he needed to set a meeting first.

But the secretary also didn’t expect that his boss would get mad at her just because he let the other alpha in his office. She was expecting to be treated kindly like how the boss treated his executive secretary. So, she was really eager and excited when HR asked her to stand in for Knox temporarily.

Athan sighed frustratedly. Somehow, it seemed like he knew why the man visited already. He had already forgotten the woman sitting across him, sipping coffee elegantly as though her ears didn’t perk up upon hearing Azrael’s name.

She faked a cough to steal Athan’s attention again, "You should go and talk to him if he’s already in your office, Mr. Horace. I can just wait here," she flashed her pearly white teeth in a beautiful and innocent smile.

Athan sighed, "I’ll be back soon, Ms. Elise,"

Elise waved her slender fingers and replied, "Take your time."

With that, Athan went back to his office with quick strides. The interview he was conducting was merely a formality between the hiring company and the model to be hired. As a leading clothing brand in the country, only famous influencers and personality should advertise their products.

However, the best and the most famous declined, so he went to the second-best instead.

As soon as Athan entered, sharp and daunting eyes greeted him. Those unblinking orbs were oozing with contempt and displeasure. Unbothered by them, Athan walked over to his desk and faced the uninvited guest sitting on his office lounge as if he owned it.

Not beating around the bush, he spat, "I can hire her if she wants it. I also would like her to model for us. If you came here to complain about why your fiancée wasn’t—

"You smelled no more than just like an alpha. I don’t sense any lingering scent on you. Why is that?"

Athan froze. His brows knitted in confusion. He thought as he threw Azrael a weird look, ’What the hell is he saying?’

Azrael stood and approached his desk. He stopped a foot away and slammed his hands on the table, leaning forward to sniff Athan. The latter shuddered. He leaned back in total disgust and shouted, "What the hell are you doing?! Why are you sniffing me like a dog, man?! Have you gone senile?!"

The secretary who stood by the door jumped at the loud voice, but she trembled more when her boss’ voice was followed by a voice deep and lowered, dark and contemptuous, subdued yet terrifying, accompanied by the flare of suffocating smell flowing directly to her boss.

The secretary gasped and her knees trembled. The intense pheromones released due to anger were making it hard for her to breathe as a beta. She didn’t hesitate to open the door and stepped outside, even getting startled by the person who suddenly appeared before her.

Recognizing the person, the secretary blocked the door firmly, "You can’t enter, Ms. Elise! The pheromones inside are so heavy and thick!"

Elise frowned, though she didn’t force entry and just shrugged her shoulders. She said she’d wait, but she also wanted to see Azrael as they seldom meet after all. She felt irritated thinking that the man must have come personally because of his fiancée.

On the other hand, Azrael just further showed his unmeasurable dislike toward Athan. He straightened his body and fixed his necktie. "You don’t smell like him. That would probably mean you weren’t with him."

Athan sat properly and asked seriously, "Him who? Stop talking in monologues and answer me." He blasted a frustrated sigh and glared at Azrael. ’Who the hell is he referring to any...no way...’

Realization flickered in Athan’s eyes. Those bluish eyes shook as he remembered the scene on the day of the engagement party. The male alpha who was known for his hatred toward omegas and his cold and expressionless countenance intimidating anyone who dared to stand his way, desperately chased an omega and even showed many emotions in that curt meeting.

Athan felt his heart drop in a second. Why would such a man tie and dare to kidnap Knox upon glimpsing his face?

"You know where he is, right? Tell me where Knox Arden is right now."

Athan snapped from his deductions. It was still uncertain. There might be another reason. He stood and leveled his eyesight with Azrael, but doing so, only made him notice more of his facial features.

Dark hair as black as the night sky, straight and slanted eyebrows above sharp and dragon-shaped eyes, and pale thin lips that a slight curving up of the corner would give him a mischievous look, utterly exhibiting a very familiar expression to Athan who always suffers from a three-year-old’s pranks.

Athan’s lips parted, and he boldly replied, "F*ck you."

Azrael was rooted in his spot. That direct and impertinent reply of a curse took him aback. A few seconds later, the corner of his lips was twitching to stab the man before him. His hands clawed tightly into his palms itching to beat Athan into a pulp.

"But a dead man can’t talk," Azrael mumbled.

Athan brow’s furrowed, "What?"

Azrael grinned cockily, "Are you partially deaf? You kept asking that f*cking question. Do you think that I won’t be able to find him even if you don’t speak? Well, f*ck you too, Mr. Horace. I have my own ways. F*ck off, you f*cking bastard."

Athan gaped.

Azrael thought, ’Does he think he’s the only one who can curse here?’

Athan pointed to the door while wearing an incredulous yet angry look, "This is my office, Mr. Del f*cking Valle. You f*ck off, you good-for-nothing alpha—

Azrael cut him off, "Who was it you were just interviewing? Elise Chen? That woman is under Idol Entertainment, which means I can pull her off this job whenever I want to. All the famous models, leading actresses, and actors are under Idol management. Keep cursing at me and hiding Knox, you’ll be getting beggars on the street to model your unimpressive collections."

Athan snapped. The worst thing that could ever said to him was to disregard all his team’s efforts and reduce them to nothing but garbage. He marched closer to Azrael and grabbed his collar, "You’d better leave this place before I call the security to drag you around. I will never surrender Knox to you. Get lost, Del Valle."

Azrael paired Athan’s intense and furious gaze, "Think about what I said, Athan Horace. If you’re so ticked off like this just because I called your brand garbage, then everything will really reduce to waste if you don’t give me what I want. I will ruin that launch you are preparing, and burn all your efforts to ashes. What would happen then? The youngest son of Chairman Horace was nothing but a foolish immature child and a complete failure of a son."

Athan seethed in anger. Azrael was obviously provoking him but he knew better than to engage in the man’s mind games. If he bends, he’ll end up in court for a simple scratch on the bastard’s face, because that is what he would do if ever Azrael punched him first. Athan inhaled deeply and pushed the other alpha away. He stomped to the door and opened it aggressively, "Leave."

Azrael remained unmoving.

Athan took out his phone and dialed the security department, "Come to my office immediately. A trash had walked its way up here, pick it up now."

Azrael snickered. He walked to Athan, his every step promising a threat that would soon land on Athan’s mine, with unyielding determination to find what was stolen from him, he blurted out, "Knox Arden will come to me. Soon."

Athan met those blazing eyes, unshrinking from the man’s warnings. He still couldn’t believe the possibility that he was connected to the pair of father and son, but even if it was confirmed, Athan would never let Knox and Knoa run to the side of a dangerous man.

So, before he knew it, he spouted sentences that he believed would push Azrael away, no matter how absurd it may sound, "Knox will never. He is ’my’ omega. He will never be yours, Del Valle. Give up."

Those words echoed outside the opened door and the two people who stood not far away gasped in shock.

Azrael leaned in and whispered something to Athan.

Then, the shocked faces of Elise and the secretary turned into terror after witnessing a body get hurled into the air and hit the wall on the opposite side of the hallway loudly, before the body fell and slammed on the floor.

Azrael smirked despite the pain in his back and shoulders. He specifically put an effort to throw himself after Athan punched him powerfully. Witnesses, attained. Evidence, secured. He’ll make sure Athan would rot in jail, by then, Knox would be his again.