⁹LIKE A HUNTER EYEING ITS PREY

⁹

LIKE A HUNTER EYEING ITS PREY

Reese was the sickly one, and when everyone thought that he wouldn't survive another week. He was left somewhere amid the forest to die.

The forest was thick and filled with wild beasts, and the little child was crying from hunger, covered with mosquito bites.

A roaming husky found and picked him up out of curiosity, which surprised the owner to see a dying infant in its mouth, and that's how he became the only son of the underworld master.

After hearing the story of Reese, he knew that Rowan owed him a lot.

Under his old man and father's fraudulent love, Iro remained a complete waste, hiding his real second gender. The sole reason they were born. Why was his mother being held captive underground?

To produce an Enigma.

Enigma: how he hated to be one but also his pride. If only he could live normally, maybe his mother would not be treated like a pig, and he would not fear losing his younger brother.

Stupid according to everyone, like he's not a threat.

Ascending to the top floor of the Reesidex company, Iro sat casually in his seat. His table was clean and tidy, but the table next to him was piling up, where the person's existence couldn't be seen.

Seeing the load of work already drained the soul out of Nigel; he suddenly regretted being the trusted hand.

“So, how's the investigation going? ”

A bored, deep sigh escaped Nigel's lips. He already knew Iro was going to ask about it, but he couldn't help but roll his eyes.

Then he took an envelope from under the table where he was sitting and just tossed it next to his boss, who was idling like a king.

Iro was satisfied while opening the envelope because Nigel was such a reliable person, and while reading the report, he scoffed.

He knew how small the world was because he met Reese during his darkest time; he just didn't expect the small to ridicule him.

“A fool who stepped down from fame to marry only to get betrayed—how cliché.”

The report was crumpled as if telling lies only to be straightened back.

“Ryota,” he said, remembering something.

The cloud in his mind was like a cinema; he remembered it as clear as the day. Entertainment and media outlets, magazines, radio, and news were all crying out loud for the famous perfumer's early retirement as if the legendary phoenix were unearthed.

“Such a tasty name swirling like wine on my tongue.”

He remembered how his father lamented as if one person ruined his life; even his old man tried to imitate the perfume but failed until an unknown company produced a copycat of that perfume, producing eighty percent of its quality, forgetting the original.

Nigel, who was sitting next to Iro's table, shook his head.

“Why are you like that?”

“Like what?” Iro looks at him, raising his brows, hiding the glitter in his eyes.

“Like a hunter eyeing its prey,” Nigel whispered, flipping the paper by page, and then he just ignored Iro because the matter on his table was more important.

“Carlson? Really? Ha! ”

Iro slammed the table like a joke. Getting hyped, his obsession and possessiveness ignited, eyes turning gold.

“Mine”

He growled in between his teeth, seeing Carlson's headless body.

Jealousy was filling the room, while Nigel was nearing his limit.

Suddenly, the paper in Iro's hands was snatched, cutting off his illusion and saving Carlson from dying multiple times.

“Here! Sign this instead and review these papers for the upcoming board meeting.”

Like a kid, Iro groaned watching Nigel come back to his table.

“Come on, you're no fun; you will stay single for life.”

He teased his best friend once and went back to being serious, sparing a few glances at Ryo's pictures on the table.

The next day.

Time passed too fast, and Ryo's stomach was protesting, telling him to feed himself after the whole drama he had been through yesterday.

First, he got up and felt his surroundings; he wasn't anywhere like a hotel or any friends to stay over with because he didn't have any.

Suddenly, his car became his second home; he had an inflatable bed, pulled himself away from the blanket, and drove away to buy a new pair of shoes.

He wanted to go home but decided not to, thinking the bitches were anywhere in sight that might ruin his already stable mind.

But he swears he won't let them have their way; he already has a plan; he just needs to get himself fed and cleaned and release toxins.

Lurking where to go, Ryo parked his car in a random hotel, with a little hesitation.

He continued driving in without noticing a familiar car being chauffeured; if he knew it was a five-star luxury hotel that was highly recommended on X (formerly known as T*****r) for its finest meal, would he still want to release toxins or take them in?

Without thinking much, he just went with the flow and planned to get off.

A male Beta staff member took his keys after he got out, and so he decided to end the day there.

The house where he grew up and the only place where he has so many memories with his deceased mother were his lifetime treasures, and he won't let them take them.

Someone assisted him inside the lobby with a warm smile, and he returned the smile given to him, but that captivating curve around his lips was all ruined in one go.

Those people he would rather not see anywhere were just around like a mouse. Luck was pretty kind, and he had not overcome the irritation after seeing the two leeches when they spotted him openly eye-catching in the middle, just because many were fawning at his incomparable beauty.

And as expected, they approach him with their proud look, clanking like an empty bottle, getting attention.

“Guess who we have here, Mother? ”

Sachin chided like a chicken.

“Oh?”