On the one-lane road leading to the villa, a car kicked up dust as it drove. Since there was only one expected visitor, Dominic leisurely turned around and headed for the front door.
Dominic was parking his car in front of the house as Juliet opened the door. Dominic waited for Juliet to close the car door and walk toward him before speaking.
“You’re on time this time.”
“I already apologized for that day.”
Juliet scolded him, looking uncomfortable.
“I barely managed to free up today. I was with her the day you called, too.”
“It must’ve been hard convincing your fiancée.”
Juliet responded stiffly to Dominic’s words as he leaned against the panel with his arms crossed.
“I didn’t convince her.”
Before Dominic could ask a question, Juliet continued.
“I told her I had a business trip, so me being here is a secret.”
Dominic stared at Juliet for a moment, then chuckled.
“You’re a bad groom.”
“It’s a white lie.”
Juliet replied curtly to Dominic’s joke.
“Sometimes you need to clear your head like this. That way, you can be more faithful to each other.”
Juliet, passing Dominic at the door, glanced up at him and said,
“Keep that in mind.”
Dominic muttered, watching him enter the house, his words lingering with a hint of sarcasm.
“Yeah, I will.”
Juliet, who didn’t hear the low remark, headed to the living room as if nothing had happened. He plopped down on the sofa without asking for permission, but his unease was palpable.
Dominic left Juliet alone, who couldn’t stop his restless behavior, leaning his elbows on his thighs and constantly looking around, and sat down on a single sofa with a homemade cocktail.
“I didn’t expect you to come so willingly.”
Because you threatened me. Juliet bit back the retort and simply shut his mouth. Instead, as he glared at Dominic with resentment, Dominic smiled.
“Relax, didn’t I tell you? I just wanted to congratulate you.”
“I said I was fine.”
“Well, I’m not. I have to do what I have to do to feel satisfied.”
He added casually.
“I need to end things properly this time.”
No matter how many times he asked, the answer was always the same. Juliet still didn’t know what Dominic was planning, but for now, he had no choice but to go along with it.
“Okay, thank you.”
Juliet, speaking in a listless tone, soon became serious.
“Just in case, there’s a GPS tracker on my car. If I go missing, the police will come right away.”
It was better to mention it upfront in case things went south. Of course, if Dominic truly had no ulterior motives, Juliet would feel embarrassed, but that was better than something terrible happening. As he issued the warning, hoping he was just being paranoid, Dominic narrowed his eyes and laughed silently.
“You think I’m going to kill you or something?”
Juliet turned his head away instead of answering. In any case, he made it clear that he didn’t trust this man. Seeing his unwavering wariness, Dominic spoke as if he’d just thought of something.
“There is one thing I want.”
Of course. Juliet tensed up instantly, ears perked. What is he going to say? Or maybe it’s not words but actions?
He glanced at Dominic’s hands, but one was holding a cocktail glass, and the other was empty. Maybe it’s something else…
“There’s still one last game left.”
Juliet was stunned by the unexpected words. Did I hear that right?
“…What?”
Juliet responded after a pause.
“Last… what?”
“Chess.”
Even though he heard it clearly, he still couldn’t believe his ears. Chess? Suddenly? Out of nowhere? Dominic continued, watching his bewildered expression.
“The score is still 2 to 2. Have you forgotten the terms? I said that whoever wins three games first wins.”
“Yeah, I know. Of course, I remember.”
Juliet stammered, clearly at a loss for words, then frowned and asked,
“What does that matter now? We agreed to the transfer and even signed a contract with the law firm. Wasn’t it all over?”
Dominic unexpectedly chuckled at Juliet’s flustered question. Juliet couldn’t read what that laughter meant. Dominic spoke again, watching him carefully.
“Juliet, as you know, I’m a man bored to death with life.”
Juliet took a deep breath and barely contained his voice.
“Yeah, I know.”
Repeating himself in a low voice, Dominic continued to murmur.
“That doesn’t mean I’m stupid enough to waste my life on trivial things. All I want is chess. One last game.”
The weary tone made it sound like he was serious. Juliet hesitated, uncertain whether he was reading the situation correctly.
“…Why is that important?”
When he asked cautiously, Dominic answered without hesitation this time.
“Didn’t I say? I don’t like leaving things unfinished.”
He didn’t hesitate with any of Juliet’s questions. Juliet felt uneasy but couldn’t ignore it. In any case, this man was definitely not someone to be underestimated.
But.
Juliet soon changed his mind. If Dominic intended to do something to him, he would’ve done it already. There was no reason to bring up chess.
Maybe he was serious.
Trusting this man might be as foolish as trusting a crocodile. But he was already here, and there was no backing out now.
“You’re just saying we’ll play a game? There’s really nothing else?”
Dominic nodded briefly at the carefully posed question.
“No, I don’t want anything else anymore.”
He said the same thing when the transfer happened, and he actually did. Dominic gained nothing by moving to H&J. This man always said the same thing. He wanted nothing.
Except for one thing.
Juliet, who had thought it through, finally nodded.
“Okay.”
Dominic raised his cocktail glass as if toasting and emptied the remaining liquor in one go. Juliet expected him to go get the chessboard when he saw Dominic stand up, but he was wrong.
“Before that.”
Dominic paused deliberately and then smiled.
“Shall we have dinner first?”
Surprisingly, the table was already set with food. Juliet was momentarily speechless at the variety and the fancy plating. There’s no way this man cooked it himself. As if Dominic had read his thoughts, he said,
“I can at least heat up the food.”
I knew it.
Juliet understood. He probably ordered it from a restaurant and brought it here. Then the taste would be guaranteed. Feeling somewhat relieved, Dominic pulled out a chair and gestured to Juliet, as if inviting him to sit. Juliet felt strange. He clearly wanted to chew him up and spit him out, but he still acted polite.
Well, he was a man who maintained at least that much decorum.
When he thought about it, Dominic was a strange person. He was arrogant and spewed out all kinds of harsh words without hesitation, but his actions remained impeccably polite. Maybe that was his last line of restraint. As that thought crossed his mind, Juliet’s guard eased a little. There was nothing he couldn’t handle. If this man kept his manners intact until the end, the scope of what he could do was limited. But that was the key — “until the end” and “if he doesn’t lose his manners.”
“Thank you.”
Juliet decided to play along for now. It wasn’t that difficult because, deep down, he still felt some guilt over what he had done. At the very least, he owed this much.
“Is Representative completely bald?”
That was the first thing Dominic said after they started eating. Juliet, who was about to take a bite of his salad, was so startled that he coughed. Did I just hear that right?
Juliet blinked and looked at him, but Dominic continued as if nothing unusual had been said.
“All the executives barely have any hair left. Be careful. You might have to pluck out all your hair to become an executive.”
“No way!”
Juliet burst out laughing before he could stop himself. He tried to regain his composure quickly, but it wasn’t easy. As he hastily covered his mouth, he ended up chuckling again.
“Pretend you don’t know. The Representative is really sensitive about his hair. You might end up on his bad side.”
Dominic unexpectedly chuckled at the joke.
“Thanks for the advice. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Juliet nodded, saying, “Okay.” The tension between them had dissipated, enough for Juliet to actually taste the food.
“It’s good.”
When Juliet took a bite of the chicken dish and complimented it, Dominic said he was glad.
“If you want, I’ll tell you where the restaurant is. It’d be a nice place to take your fiancée.”
For those words to come out of his mouth. Juliet was surprised again and glanced at Dominic. Despite his seemingly casual demeanor as he continued to eat, Juliet felt a pang of something like pity. But he couldn’t bring himself to say anything. The words hovered on the tip of his tongue but never left his mouth. In the end, Juliet just closed his mouth and kept eating.
The food was impeccable — except for the fact that everything from the amuse-bouche to dessert was laid out all at once. Dominic casually explained the reason.
“I didn’t feel like getting up to grab more food.”
Because of that, the conversation continued uninterrupted. Dominic didn’t bring up any topics that might make Juliet uncomfortable. Just casual talk about the weather, the latest high-profile trial, and some small anecdotes from their college days.
Juliet, who had initially responded in monosyllables, gradually relaxed and eventually found himself laughing and chatting.
Just like before.
That time felt like ages ago. It hadn’t even been two months.
Because of his lingering guilt, Juliet focused more on the moment with Dominic. This felt like a chance to end things properly, at least on the surface.
“Why?”
Juliet snapped back to reality, realizing that he had been staring at Dominic when he suddenly spoke up. No, he hadn’t been staring — he had just stopped moving and was caught in the moment. Juliet quickly tried to brush it off.
“It’s just… strange.”
Juliet hesitated, then finally spoke as if he had made up his mind.
“I thought you’d want to kill me.”
Unexpectedly, the time they were spending together felt so comfortable, so devoid of hostility. It was only natural that he couldn’t understand something so contradictory. It was a logical assumption, but Dominic brushed it off easily.
“People seem to think I must have killed someone.”
“Haven’t you?”
Juliet boldly joked, pushing the line. Hey, don’t go too far. A small voice echoed in his head, but it was so faint that he ignored it. This was their last conversation anyway. That fact emboldened him.
“Well.”
Dominic skillfully sidestepped the question.
“Killing someone isn’t as easy as you think. Hiding the body is also a hassle, and thanks to advances in forensic science, it’s become harder to escape the police’s investigative network.”
I never thought I’d get such a realistic response from him. Juliet blinked, momentarily dumbfounded.
“You must be frustrated, wanting to kill but not being able to.”
It was a new discovery — the idea that even a man who seemed capable of anything had limits. Dominic casually picked up on Juliet’s remark.
“I didn’t say I couldn’t kill you.”
Juliet paused, his gaze locking onto Dominic’s face. A wave of tension washed over him. Dominic continued, as if he had been waiting for this moment, as if he had been measuring Juliet’s reaction.
“If you kill yourself, the police can’t do anything, right? I’ll take care of the body.”
“Ah…”
Juliet, who finally understood the meaning behind those words, let out a breath and relaxed his shoulders. Dominic added, noticing that momentary flicker of wariness.
“If you’re not planning to kill yourself, there’s no reason to imagine I’m going to do it for you. It won’t happen.”
“If I thought that would happen, I wouldn’t have come here in the first place.”
Juliet smiled, feigning boldness. He was a Gamma. He didn’t react to any Pheromones. Because of that, Dominic couldn’t control him as he pleased — unless he resorted to physical methods. That was one of the reasons Juliet had made it this far.
The likelihood of Dominic using physical force now was slim. More than anything, what would he gain from it? They were just sex partners, after all.
Even though he had used him.
The thought brought a renewed sense of guilt. Supreme Alphas hardly felt emotions. Juliet saying he loved him wasn’t part of the plan. He had just gotten caught up in the moment and blurted it out on impulse.
Would this man still get excited if I said I loved him now?
Juliet had been wildly excited at the thought that everything was over once he signed the contract. The breathtaking scenery had overwhelmed him, and he’d simply said it without thinking, spouting whatever came to mind. How lucky that Dominic reacted to it, finally signing the contract that had been dragging on for so long.
I really am lucky.
Dominic’s reaction when Juliet told him the truth was unexpected, but he had still achieved his goal. Juliet, though not as privileged as Dominic, had never really faced hardship. Whenever he encountered difficulties, absurd luck always came through, resolving everything.
When he fucked the professor, he almost got caught and expelled, but then an absurd sexual harassment case broke out, and he was able to pose as a victim himself, narrowly escaping the crisis.
It was always like that. Juliet always managed to get by on sheer luck. This time was no different. He had gotten through what was arguably the biggest crisis of his life. Just like always.
There was no reason to be afraid or on guard. Juliet’s life would continue to sail smoothly.
Living the perfect life his parents had envisioned.
After the meal, they started the game. Dominic drank wine, but Juliet only drank water. He hadn’t touched alcohol since arriving. No matter how late it got, he intended to drive himself back. Besides, if he drank and ended up getting drunk, he wouldn’t be able to prepare for any unexpected situations.
Even as he did his best to part ways with Dominic, he refused to let his guard down. Feeling sorry for him and staying cautious were two separate things.
Despite his intense wariness, the time passed comfortably. On the surface, it seemed no different from before. They sat across from each other with the chessboard between them, exchanging trivial, mundane chatter. When Juliet attacked, Dominic countered. When Juliet went on the defensive, Dominic slowed down.
I’m enjoying this.
Juliet’s lips loosened into a slight smile at the comfort he hadn’t felt in a long time. He knew he shouldn’t, but his mouth wouldn’t stop.
“Are you going to change the rules again if I win? And say this game is invalid.”
Juliet joked, and Dominic also smiled.
“Accepting defeat is also a rule of the game. I was just careless last time.”
Juliet felt a sting of guilt at the unnecessary comment, but Dominic’s expression didn’t change. He couldn’t tell if Dominic was talking about being deceived or just about the chess game. Either way, he knew how to respond — play dumb and match Dominic’s tone.
“Is that how you accept defeat? By saying you lost because you were careless, not because of skill?”
“For me, it is.”
Dominic gave a faint smile at the bold sarcasm.
“Don’t be disappointed. I’m also impressed you managed to do this much against me.”
He brought the wineglass to his lips and added,
“But there won’t be a second chance.”
Juliet chuckled and corrected him.
“I don’t need a second one either. I got what I wanted.”
“Congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
He replied easily to the words that held no malice, but soon his expression grew serious. With each word they exchanged, the precious time was slipping away. This would become a memory now.
Would he feel bitter when he thought of today? Or would he remember it as a good time?
Come to think of it, his time with Dominic hadn’t been bad. He was the only person Juliet could be honest with, and the sex was incomparably better than with anyone else he had been with.
If he wasn’t a Gamma, and if he were a woman, Juliet might have chosen Dominic.
But “if” was meaningless. Juliet was a Gamma, and above all, he was a man. His parents would have never accepted Juliet choosing Dominic. That left only one conclusion.
Juliet would not choose Dominic. Absolutely not.
“I’m sorry.”
The words slipped out suddenly. Dominic, who had been focused on the chessboard, raised his head. As if asking what he was talking about. Juliet continued, still looking down.
“I regret deceiving you. But H&J is a good company, so you’ll be satisfied.”
The last part was more like self-justification. A man like Dominic would receive exceptional treatment anywhere in the world, in any field. Yet, those sweet words were ultimately just a consolation for Juliet himself.
Dominic didn’t react. He just sat there, staring silently at Juliet, who couldn’t bring himself to meet his gaze. After a brief silence, Dominic finally spoke.
“You regret it, but you don’t feel guilty?”
Juliet stubbornly kept his head down.
“Yes. I don’t.”
Dominic might think he was shameless. It might have been better to keep his mouth shut. But Juliet didn’t regret saying it. If he didn’t apologize now, he’d definitely regret it later.
“That’s good.”
Juliet’s eyes widened at the unexpected response. Confused, he looked up to see Dominic smiling.
“How was the meal? You liked it very much, didn’t you?”
“Huh?”
Juliet could only utter a foolish sound. Dominic’s lips curved up as he let out a low, chilling laugh.
Juliet’s mind, which had been hazy, started to turn. The meal? What meal? He hadn’t touched the alcohol. Then was it the food? The salad? The steak? The fish? Or maybe the pudding?
Or all of it.
“What… did you do?”
Juliet, muttering blankly, belatedly jumped to his feet. A moment later, dizziness overwhelmed him, and the ceiling began to spin.
“…Ugh.”
He barely managed to keep himself from hitting the floor face-first. Dominic’s voice reached him as he gasped for breath.
“Careful. It’s about time the drug started to kick in.”
Dominic’s tone was almost affectionate. Juliet barely managed to hold onto the chair and look up at him, his vision blurred.
“You… you drugged me.”
His words were slurred, his face pale.
“This… this is absurd. You ate it too. You ate the same thing as me…”
“Yes, I did.”
Dominic admitted it with a delighted laugh, as if singing a lullaby.
“But my trait is different from yours, isn’t it?”
Ha. The sound that escaped Juliet’s lips was somewhere between a disbelieving laugh and a groan.
I have to get out of here. I have to run away from this man. Quickly.
“Ah, uh, uh.”
Juliet moved desperately, a strangled groan escaping his throat. He thought of running to the door, but that was just a thought. His body collapsed to the floor like a lifeless doll.
Haa, haa…
Juliet’s ragged breaths echoed loudly in his ears. He trembled, imagining all the things that might happen next.
This was it.
He should have kept his guard up. Dominic had just been waiting for the moment Juliet finally let it down.
Dangerous.
Warning bells blared in his head. He didn’t even know what kind of drug he had taken. But one thing was clear. Dominic had no intention of letting him leave safely.
Dominic rose from his chair and walked toward him, each step deliberate and measured.
“Gammas have a strange sense of confidence.”
Dominic said, his purple eyes glinting coldly. Juliet caught a glimpse of that gaze from the corner of his blurred vision.
“They think just because they can’t smell or be affected by Pheromones, Supreme Alphas aren’t a threat to them.”
“Uh, uh…”
Dominic looked down at him, legs spread wide apart, straddling Juliet’s body as he groaned in pain.
“Why is that? There are plenty of ways to do it without using Pheromones, so why do they think they only need to be careful of Pheromones? They’ve never even experienced what Pheromones really are.”
He tilted his head to one side as if genuinely puzzled. Like a child watching a butterfly with its wings ripped off, Dominic just stood there, watching Juliet writhe at his feet. He didn’t offer any help.
“Do… minic.”
Juliet gasped, desperately pleading.
“Please… I’m begging you. Call an ambulance… take me to the hospital. I was wrong… I was wrong…”
His sentences broke apart, barely coherent. Dominic chuckled, watching him squirm and groan in agony.
“Here’s to my love. O true apothecary! Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die.”
It was a line from Romeo and Juliet. His voice, reciting the lines Juliet had once dramatically whispered before drinking the poison, sounded almost affectionate, tinged with a faint smile.
“Don’t worry, Juliet. Juliet doesn’t die from poison. Neither do you.”
He continued casually.
“I told you, didn’t I? I don’t commit murder.”
It sounded like Dominic was laughing, but it was a hallucination. He just stood there, watching Juliet with a strange, detached smile. Juliet thrashed weakly, feeling trapped between the suffocating pain and Dominic’s chilling gaze. Rational thought slipped away, leaving only raw panic.
Lies. All lies. You’re trying to kill me now.
Dominic’s gaze didn’t waver. He just watched. Watched as Juliet’s breath came shorter and shorter, as his vision dimmed. That unmoving, detached stare made him even more desperate.
See, you’ve definitely killed someone before.
Juliet gasped, trying to stay conscious, his hazy vision focusing on Dominic’s blurry figure. But the man’s face was losing shape, blurring, distorting.
Someone, just like me… now…
Dominic leaned forward, his face inches from Juliet’s as he whispered.
“Nemo me impune lacessit.”
No one provokes me with impunity.
With that chilling phrase as his last words, Juliet’s vision went dark.
Congratulations, Juliet!
Congratulations, you’re such a perfect match.
Have a wonderful life. I heard you’re going to Europe for your honeymoon? Wow, I’m jealous. With such a beautiful wife…
Amidst the chorus of congratulations, the Representative of the law firm approached and pulled him into a hug.
“I’m so proud of you. Don’t worry about the work here. I’ll set up a meeting with the executives as soon as you get back, so be prepared.”
Juliet laughed heartily, shaking hands vigorously. When he turned around, his parents were standing there.
“Oh, my child.”
His mother hugged him tightly, her face radiant with joy.
“You really are a special child. All the years we raised you… they were worth it.”
Then his father took his hand, grasping it firmly and patting his arm.
“I always believed you would bring honor to the Dawson family. You finally did it.”
Then, in a lowered voice, he whispered in Juliet’s ear.
“Now, all that’s left is the Representative position at H&J.”
Juliet pulled away and smiled, returning the same expression his father wore.
“Yes, of course, Father.”
With a bright smile, he said,
“I’ll make it happen this time too.”
Beside his father, his mother beamed. Juliet kept smiling and smiling. His face started to ache, but he couldn’t stop. He had to keep smiling as if he were happy. He had to pretend he wasn’t exhausted, that he still had plenty of energy, that he could keep running endlessly.
Just like that.
For his entire life.
“Hah…”
He snapped awake with a sudden, sharp gasp. Juliet’s eyes shot open as he frantically looked around. The noise that had filled his ears was gone, and the surroundings were eerily silent. All he could hear was his own ragged breathing.
His mother, his father, the Representative of the law firm, the woman who had just become his wife, the wedding guests — all of them were gone. There was nothing. No lavish flowers decorating every corner, no ten-tiered wedding cake, no orchestra playing soft music.
The place where Juliet lay was the complete opposite of the luxurious wedding hall — utterly desolate. The narrow space, barely the size of a single room, was dimly lit by a single bulb dangling from the ceiling.
His eyes darted around as he struggled to sit up, but something immediately restrained him.
“Ugh!”
A sharp pain shot through his body as he tried to lift his arm. His armpits ached as though they were being torn apart. Something was tightly binding his wrists.
Haa, haa.
He took a deep, shuddering breath, then forced himself to look up.
No. No way. It can’t be. It absolutely, absolutely can’t be…
“Eek…!”
Juliet’s eyes widened in horror. His arms were spread wide, handcuffed to the bedposts. He yanked at the restraints, but only the unpleasant clanging of metal echoed in the room. Nothing moved.
It wasn’t just his arms. His legs were restrained too, spread wide and bound to the bed. And what was even more horrifying — he was completely naked. Not a single thread of clothing covered him.
To wake up naked and tied to a bed — it was the worst possible scenario.
“N-no way… T-this, this can’t be happening…”
Juliet choked out the words, panic flooding his veins. He thrashed violently, but nothing changed. The only sound was the relentless clanging of the chains and his own desperate cries.
“Aaaah, aaaaah…!”
He screamed until his throat was raw, but there was no answer. Nothing but the echo of his own voice.
Just as his screams mingled with the clanging of metal, a sound came from outside. Footsteps. Someone was approaching.
Juliet’s entire body went rigid. He stared at the door, trembling.
A heavy metallic clang followed. The sound of a lock being undone. Then, the door finally opened.
A shadow filled the doorway, and Juliet’s dilated pupils took in the sight.
The dim light revealed the figure step by step. First, the feet. Then the legs. The waist. The chest. And finally, the face.
The footsteps stopped.
Juliet’s wide, terrified eyes locked onto the man staring down at him.
Dominic.
Juliet opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. Even the name that had been circling in his mouth vanished.
Dominic stared down at him, his eyes dark, the hint of a smile playing at the corners of his lips.