Chapter 2 Making friends with enemy

The moment that voice echoed behind me, I froze.

Slowly, I turned around.

Elias was sitting on the sofa in the manager's office, one leg crossed, posture effortlessly regal. His broad shoulders filled the space, and his dark suit clung to him perfectly, sharp enough to cut through the air itself. The last time I saw him, three years ago, he'd been a handsome boy with a quiet, frightening intensity. Now he looked like a man sculpted by power and vengeance, older and impossibly handsome.

His hair was neatly brushed back, showing the strong line of his jaw. The faint scar under his eye was still there, but instead of making him look flawed, it made him look dangerous. Even sitting still, his presence filled the room, commanding and suffocating all at once.

I swallowed hard, unable to look away. My hands trembled.

He smiled faintly, that terrifyingly calm kind of smile. "It's been a while, Naomi."

My throat tightened and I couldn't even manage a proper greeting. I just stared, every muscle stiff with panic in me.

He rose from the sofa. Each step he took toward me made my pulse quicken. I could almost hear the echo of my heartbeat in my ears.

"Why did you run away so fast?" he asked quietly. His voice was soft but it carried the weight of authority of an Alpha who never needed to raise his tone to be obeyed. "Do you know how hard it is for an Alpha to spend his rut without his mate?"

My breath hitched. So.he knew it was me. Then, did he also know about my father? About the accident?

My mind raced in panic. If he knows, he'll destroy me. He'll destroy everything left of me.

"I.I didn't know you were-" I stammered, trying to take a step back, but he closed the distance.

He tilted his head, studying me with those piercing eyes. "You didn't know what? That you were supposed to stay and fulfill your responsibilities?"

Before I could react, his hand caught my wrist.

"Let go of me," I whispered. "Please."

He simply turned and pulled me along, leading me out of the office as if I weighed nothing. I struggled, but his hand only tightened. My heart pounded as the staff looked away, pretending not to see. No one dared to interfere. I could see it in their faces filled with fear. Nobody goes against an S-tier Alpha.

"Elias , stop! Please! You can't just-"

He didn't stop until we reached the black luxury car waiting outside. He opened the door and all but pushed me inside. The car door slammed shut.

For a long moment, he said nothing.

Finally, he spoke. "You didn't know someone was in heat that night?"

I turned toward him to explain. "I swear, I didn't! I was told to take the drinks there and I didn't even know it was you! I didn't even know anyone was-"

He cut me off with a low growl. He turned to face me, his stare burning through my skin. "Why did you run away three years ago?"

"I." I couldn't speak. My lips parted, but no sound came out. My chest tightened as memories flooded back, my father's voice telling me to run, and the night I left without saying goodbye.

Elias let out a bitter laugh. "So that's it? You would rather live in poverty, hiding like some stray, than stay with me?"

Tears burned at the corners of my eyes, but I nodded silently.

His expression darkened. "You really did run away on purpose then."

"I had no c-choice,"

He looked away. "You always had a choice."

I didn't dare to speak. Then, suddenly, he reached into the compartment beside him and pulled out a stack of papers. He threw them onto my lap.

"Sign it."

I blinked in confusion. "What.what is this?"

"The payment," he said coldly. "For spending my rut with me. You'll find a house, money, everything you could want."

My stomach turned. "You're.you're paying me?"

"Think of it as compensation. It's what you wanted, isn't it?"

"No," I whispered. "I don't want your money."

He leaned in closer, his voice dropping dangerously low. "Are you sure that's your final decision?"

I nodded, barely able to breathe.

His gaze lingered on me for a moment and then he exhaled sharply and leaned back in his seat. "Fine."

He didn't speak another word as I stepped out of the car.

The next few days were a blur. The manager fired me. My landlord threw me out when I couldn't pay rent. Mira offered me her place to stay for a while. But I was still looking for a new job day and night.

One night, as I walked down a street, a sleek black car pulled up beside me. Before I could react, someone grabbed me and pulled me inside.

When I woke up, I was sitting in a luxurious restaurant. And across from me sat a man with a charming smile, Elias 's cousin.

I recognized him instantly. He'd always been jealous of Elias .

He greeted me smoothly. "I was beginning to think you'd never wake up."

I frowned. "Why did you bring me here?"

His smirk widening. "Because you failed at your job."

My confusion deepened. "Job? What are you talking about?"

He chuckled darkly. "You were supposed to sue him, darling. After that night, the plan was simple, the omega sues the Alpha to make his reputation crumble, and I finally get what I deserve. But it seems the omega happened to be you."

My blood ran cold. "You planned all of this?"

He shrugged. "It was supposed to be easy. But you ruined everything. Now I'm giving you a chance to make up for it. Help me finish what I started and I'll pay you well."

I stared at him in disbelief. "You're sick."

He laughed. "Think carefully, Naomi. You've lost everything. What else do you have to lose?"

I said through clenched teeth, standing up. "I'll never help you."

He raised a brow, amused. "We'll see."

I turned and ran out before he could say another word. My heart pounded as I weaved through the streets, checking over my shoulder to make sure he wasn't following me.

__________

Elias 's pov :

I sat behind my desk, my fingers drumming lightly against the desk. Papers lay untouched in front of me. I hadn't been able to focus all morning since that night.

Her scent still haunted me. It was a faint floral scent. The scent I'd been deprived of for three long years.

The door opened quietly. My assistant stepped in, hesitating as if unsure whether to speak.

"What is it?" I asked without looking up.

He cleared his throat. "Sir, we've finished investigating what happened that night.at your cousin's hotel."

I finally lifted my gaze. "And?"

He swallowed. "You were right. It was a setup. Your drink was laced with a heat stimulant. The intention was to trigger your rut and have an omega delivered to your room. They wanted to create an assault case and use it to destroy your reputation."

"My cousin again?"

"Yes, sir. All evidence points to him. It was his party, his staff, and his drugs."

I leaned back in my chair, letting out a bitter laugh. "Of course."

I had suspected as much. He'd been scheming for years, trying to take over the corporation, destroy the name I rebuilt from ashes. Still, the revelation didn't ease the anger burning in my chest.

He had dared to drug me. To force me into a rut like some animal. And worse it was the same omega I was looking for three years.

Naomi.

Her name echoed in my mind like a curse and a prayer. But how come I never knew that she was working in his hotel. She was so close while I was teaching so far.

"I should have known," I muttered under my breath. "It was too much of a coincidence."

My assistant hesitated. "There's more, sir."

My gaze snapped to him. "Speak."

"We tracked Miss Naomi afterward," he said cautiously. "She met with your cousin at a restaurant. We believe they spoke privately for almost half an hour."

I froze. "What?"

"Yes, sir. It may be possible that they're working together. Perhaps she was part of the setup."

My eyes darkened dangerously. "Are you sure?"

He swallowed hard. "T-That's what our man said. He didn't hear what they were talking about but he's sure that they met."

My reflection stared back at me in the glass.

Naomi.what are you doing?

I wanted to believe she was innocent and didn't go there without a motive. I want to believe she was still the quiet and soft spoken, the kind of girl who flinched at raised voices and apologized even when she wasn't wrong. She'd been my friend since childhood, the only one who didn't treat me like a monster when we were young.

But then she ran away. Disappeared without a word, three years ago, right after I found out she was my mate. I was so angry I even thought about keeping her in a cage in my house so that she couldn't run away again. I had searched everywhere, furious, confused, desperate but she had vanished.

And now, suddenly, she was back.

I clenched my fists. The memory of her scent hit me again, so strong it almost ached. The way she had trembled that night under me not. I had felt it too, the magnetic pull of her omega energy against my own Alpha instincts. It had taken everything in me not to lose control.

But if she had planned it.

"Sir?" my assistant asked cautiously, breaking the silence.

My voice came out low. "You said they met in a restaurant."

"Yes."

"Did she take anything from him? Money? Documents?"

"About that we have no proof but we are working on it. We investigated her past three years. She does numerous small jobs since it's hard for an omega to get a better job no matter what high qualifications they have. Is it possible that she was tired from the jobs and wanted a one time investment so she agreed with your cousin."

I exhaled slowly, resting my elbows on the desk."Desperate enough to work with a man who tried to destroy me? I don't think she has the guts.

I rubbed my temple, closing my eyes briefly.

I wanted to believe she wasn't involved, that she'd stumbled into the trap unknowingly. But doubt kept gnawing at me.

If she hadn't known who was inside that room that night, then why hadn't she come to me after? Why hadn't she tried to explain? Why run again? If she really wanted money, then why did she refuse when I offered it to her?

My thoughts twisted, torn between anger and longing.

"She told me she didn't know," I murmured, almost to myself. "She said she didn't even know anyone was there."

He stayed silent.

My gaze hardened. "I don't think she's involved. If that's true, why hasn't she sued me yet? That's what the plan was, wasn't it? She had every chance."

I stood abruptly, the chair scraping softly against the floor. I walked to the window, watching the rain slide down the glass. "She wouldn't do that."

A memory flickered in my head, her laughter when we were children, her bright eyes looking up at me whenever I helped her study, her nervousness around me that wasn't quite fear, more like awe. Everything was going well.

So why did she run?

"Have someone keep an eye on her," I ordered.

"Yes, sir."

"And my cousin?"

"He's been quiet since that meeting. Probably waiting for a reaction." My lips curved into a cold, humorless smile. "He'll get one soon."

He bowed slightly and left, closing the door behind him.

Silence filled the office again.

I sank into my chair, my mind a mess of fury and confusion. My hand brushed against the papers on my desk, the same documents I had once thrown at Naomi, offering her comfort, safety, money and she had refused them all.

If she were after money, she wouldn't have walked away.

And yet.she had gone to my cousin.

I exhaled slowly, the lines of tension deepening around my eyes.

I needed answers.

I needed to hear it from her lips why she left, why she met my enemy, why she kept running when she knew the bond between us would never let her go.

I pressed my fingers to my temples, closing my eyes.

"Naomi," I whispered softly. "What are you hiding from me?"