“What do you say, Mr Sébastien?” My eyes met his.
Probing.
Waiting.
He had to accept.
Heck, I haven’t even shown any of my flirting skills yet.
Sébastien rubbed his brows.
“I’m sorry, I’ll have to pay you in other ways, Mr Elian.”
“My schedule is filled for the next few days.”
Distant.
My lips tightened briefly.
He was trying to create distance between us.
Did he know about my reputation already?
I sighed wearily.
Of course, he might.
My popularity was so high.
He might have heard about me.
But that didn’t matter.
No one wanted commitment.
A bit of fun was all that mattered.
I took a sip of the wine.
“Other ways?
What other ways, Mr Sébastien?” I smiled softly.
“As long as it’s fun, I can accept other payments.”
Sébastien’s eyes remained detached.
Despite the small smile on his lips, the indifference in his eyes was almost jarring.
He brought out his phone.
“Your code, Mr Elian.”
My brows knitted.
“You’re kidding, Mr Sébastien.” My smile dimmed.
“I would prefer something more fun.”
“I don’t do fun, Mr Elian.”
“I can take the…”
“Mr.
Sébastien.”
Someone called, disrupting the momentary peace and successfully interrupting whatever Sébastien had to say.
My expression grew a little gloomy.
An alpha walked over.
Older.
About my father’s age.
He smiled politely at Sébastien.
“I didn’t think you would be here today.”
Sébastien nodded.
He picked up a glass of water from the waiter.
“I wasn’t planning to, either.”
The alpha smiled knowingly.
“Is this about the Northway project?
I heard Mr Cassian’s coming here tonight, too.”
“Right.”
The alpha clicked his glasses with Sébastien.
“Then, we might be competitors in a while.”
Sébastien smiled slightly, not saying a word.
Throughout their conversation, the alpha’s eyes didn’t stay on me once.
A natural reaction from those who believed themselves to be above others.
He probably thought I was a pet Sébastien brought to the banquet.
My lips twitched at the thought.
Pet?
I’d rather be a pet owner than be the pet.
I dropped the empty cup with a clank.
The man’s eyes flicked over me.
“Oh.
Is this your omega?”
His omega.
What a polite way to put it.
I sneered inwardly.
My lips parted, about to give a reply.
“No.”
Sébastien beat me to it.
His voice was firm.
Deep as always and steady.
“This is Mr Elian Sterling…” He paused.
Our eyes met.
Sébastien’s cold grey eyes moved slightly.
Calm.
“He’s my friend.”
My heart leaped.
A friend?
I’d prefer bed friends, though.
I turned to the old alpha and smiled sarcastically.
“I’m Sterling’s only son.”
The man’s face twitched.
He laughed awkwardly.
“Oh, it’s young Elian.”
“I haven’t seen you before, so I made a mistake.”
My smile disappeared.
But my cup still clicked with his as a form of peace.
“Yeah, I understand.”
Understand my foot.
I would have given him a blow if he wasn’t so old.
How could a high-class omega like myself be anyone’s pet?
Every handsome alpha battled to be my pet instead.
I wished I could sit him down and tell him how popular I was out there.
But it wasn’t worth it.
I would rather stick with Sébastien for now and continue luring him.
“Mr Sébastien, you’re here to bind for the Northway project, too?” I asked, raising my head to look at the alpha’s face again.
My thoughts became a little scattered.
Perhaps it was better to keep my eyes away from him.
But…
It was impossible.
He was too magnetic.
“Yes.
Is Mr Sterling also here for the bid?”
“No.
My father is here to finalize a contract.” I’d learn that much about the workflow in the company.
Sébastien nodded, not saying a word.
I glanced around the room.
Most of the alphas were actively speaking.
Each word passed through my ears.
The Northway project.
My father had mentioned it before.
“The competitors are many,” I commented.
Sébastien sipped his water.
He casually set the cup aside and nodded.
“Yes.
The Northway project can be compared to the E-line oil project that leaked a few years back.”
E-line project.
Wasn’t that the project that pushed Sébastien into the limelight?
The project everyone looked down upon but later became the catalyst that made Sébastien the richest man in the country today.
The Northway project was comparable to it…
No wonder so many old foggies came to fight for it.
Then, what was my father doing?
Why wasn’t he joining in the battle?
My eyes darted around the hall in search of him.
My lips twitched at the sight.
Standing before a mature-looking omega was my father with a big smile on his face.
I clicked my tongue.
Good.
He really needed to stay away.
Who knew if the competitors would send an omega to get rid of him if he participated?
I rubbed my chest.
Fortunately, I wouldn’t be losing him anytime soon.
“Isn’t Mr Sébastien’s business exclusive to oil and gas?
Are you planning to enter the construction business, too?”
That would be too much, right?
He was already so rich.
If he had more money, wouldn’t that be even more difficult to lure him into bed?
My mood soured again.
How I wished my father could be more reserved.
I would have pushed him into vying for the contract, too.
That way, I might have had enough to spoil Sébastien until he admired and willingly took my hand…
Well, there was never a room for regret.
I shook my head at my laughing father.
“Yes.
I planned to enter the circle with this project.”
“Oh…”
Turning slightly, I brought out my phone and sent a message to Noah.
“Hey, I remember you have a tiny connection to Mr Cassian, right?”
The reply came in seconds.
“He’s my uncle, Elian.”
“Oh, I couldn’t tell.
Send me all the information about him in two minutes.”
“Also, do you know about the Northway project?
If yes, send me everything you know.”
“Failure?”
I smirked.
“Death.”
“On it, Boss.”
I kept my phone and continued staring at the crowds in the room.
“The Northway project, are you certain about getting it?”
Sébastien shook his head.
His eyes betrayed a hint of fatigue.
“No.
I’m not exactly certain.”
Great.
A win.
“You know the skill of fawning, right?”
“Fawning?” Sébastien’s brows creased.
I secretly rejoiced.
He didn’t.
“Do you know the things Mr Cassian likes?
I mean the information that could help you get close to him.”
Sébastien kept quiet.
I sighed.
“My father isn’t vying for the project.”
Sébastien smiled.
“Then, why does Mr Elian seem so interested?”
I shrugged.
“You’re right.
My interest isn’t in the boring things.”
Sébastien’s eyes flickered with a hint of interest.
“Then, what’s Mr Elian’s interest?”
I took a step closer.
Sébastien stayed in place.
His eyes fixed on me.
Those cold grey eyes rested quietly on me.
My face.
My figure.
Like I was the only thing that existed in his world.
“Fuck.
So tight.”
Abrupt.
Hot.
The dream again.
My stomach coiled with heat.
My throat felt hollow.
I swallowed and blinked.
“I’m interested in something more fun.
Mr Sébastien, would you like to find out?”
Sébastien’s eyes sharpened.
My fingers curled slightly.
“Hm?” I insisted.
The air stilled.
He was all I could see.
He was all I could feel.
The familiar, intoxicating aged whiskey pheromone wafted into my nose.
My body trembled.
“Mr Elian…” His voice was deeper.
Darker.
Hotter.
I found myself swallowing.
DING!
My phone rang.
Sébastien turned away.
My eyes flickered, slowly turning gloomy.
Lowering my eyes to my phone, I realized it was a message from Noah.
My anger subsided a little.
Anyway, it wasn’t as if I could snatch him away from the banquet to my bed.
It was only a missed opportunity to grow his interest.
I opened the message and read through it.
“Mr Sébastien, I think I can help you increase your probability on this project.”
Sébastien turned to look at me.
“What do you mean?” His voice remained dark.
“Send me your details.
I’ll send every needed information about the Northway project to you.”
Sébastien continued staring without moving.
I chuckled.
“What, Mr Sébastien, don’t you trust me?”
Silence.
Sébastien smiled.
Polite as always.
He brought out his phone and added me.
“I’ll trust Mr Elian…”
This once.
He didn’t need to add it.
I knew it already.
I saved his line on my phone and sent over all the information Noah sent to me.
He stared at his phone for a moment.
His expression remained the same, but the subtle emotions in his eyes couldn’t escape my sharp eyes.
My smile deepened.
“How is it, Mr Sébastien?”
Sébastien raised his head from his phone.
“You compiled this?”
I shrugged.
“No.”
“I knew who to ask.”
His cold grey eyes grew deeper.
And for the first time, the detachment no longer existed.
“Thanks, Mr Elian.”
“You’re welcome.” I forced back a grin.
“Mr Sébastien, do I not deserve a reward?”
He paused slightly.
“What do you want?”
“Can I invite you to a place tomorrow night?”