Chapitre 11: 1.11 Cunning

Everyone was in shock upon hearing that Persie had patented everything under his name, leaving them all concerned about the implications of this decision.

Evander frowned, knowing that Demetrius would want that cell phone, but as long as it remained under Persie's name, he wouldn't change the heir.

"Why wouldn't you patent it under Leos Enterprises?" Evander asked, hoping to find a solution to this predicament.

Persie hesitated, feeling nervous about dropping the bomb in front of Cole, who was the president and also his friend.

Cole noticed the worry in Persie's eyes and caressed his cheek with a smile, calming him down.

"I made it in my free time and paid for everything. It's a personal project," Persie finally explained to Evander, feeling the weight of the situation on his shoulders.

Demetrius grew agitated, realizing that he needed those patents for his plans. He had been planning to announce to Cole that Evander was his new heir, but now he had to wait.

Demetrius forced himself to stay calm and asked, "How could you not patent it under Leos Enterprises? Aren't you the managing director of R&D?"

Persie's eyes filled with sadness, and he blinked back the tears before answering, "I am. But like I said, this is a personal project. I've been working on it for the past nine months, every day after work. It has nothing to do with R&D. That's why I only patented it under Persie."

Demetrius gnashed his teeth, knowing that losing his temper wouldn't make Persie give up on the patents. He decided he would take a different approach and play on Persie's emotions.

Evander, noticing the tension in the air, asked Persie, "It's under Persie and not Persie Leos?" Persie nodded.

Luke sneered, "So what, being a Leos isn't good enough for you now that you've made what no one could?"

Persie blinked, taken aback by the hostility, and said, "I don't think that..."

Evander interrupted, jumping in, "I think you're distancing yourself from Leos Enterprises, which is weird considering you wouldn't have been able to create that cellphone, without your parents putting you in the best schools and letting you work at R&D."

Persie struggled to maintain his composure and resist the urge to throttle Evander. The original had started working at the company at the age of ten, which was simply insane.

Even during Christmas vacations, while his parents went on vacation, he was left at home with his nanny Sophia, working away.

He never had the chance to go out and have fun like a normal child. Despite all this, his parents acted as though he should be grateful for the opportunity they had given him, by depriving him of a normal childhood.

Evander, on the other hand, had a happy childhood, despite his humble beginnings. He felt grateful that he had been switched at birth when he met Demetrius and Calista and witnessed the way they treated the original.

All they did was mistreat him, and the original wanted nothing more than for Demetrius to regret his actions, and for Calista to realize what a terrible mother she had been before they passed away.

He wanted Evander to suffer, and for Luke to experience the same heartbreak he had gone through.

Persie had already devised a plan during his time in the meadow, and while it involved doing things he never thought he would do, he was determined to succeed.

In addition, he was genuinely committed to helping mortals move on and re-enter the circle of reincarnation so that they could lead better lives.

Persie was incredulous when he heard Evander's comments. "How can you say that when you're supposed to be my friend?" he asked. "You know more than anyone else what I do at the company since I taught you everything I know."

Evander tried to defend himself. "I'm not trying to upset you," he said. "I just think that you're being ungrateful, and I'm telling you this because we're friends."

Persie swallowed hard and looked down in silence. It was clear that he felt betrayed by Evander, and everyone else at the table could sense it.

They all turned to look at the doors when the servers entered with plates. Persie stood up and made his way to the end of the table, where the only empty chair was located.

He felt grateful that he wouldn't have to talk with anyone again, and the dining room became livelier as people chatted cheerfully.

Luke smiled at Cole and said, "I'm glad you're back. The castle was too calm."

Cole returned the smile and replied, "We'll see if you'll still feel that way in a few days."

Luke chuckled, "I will." He had been bored without Cole and was glad that he was back.

Just then, Demetrius called out, "Leader Cole."

Cole glanced at him, and Demetrius said with a smile, "I wanted to officially introduce you to my son, Evander."

Evander's heartbeat quickened when Cole looked at him. "It's nice to meet you, Leader Cole," Evander said.

Cole smiled and replied, "You too."

Evander's cheeks flushed, and Luke wasn't surprised by his reaction. Every person who laid eyes on Cole immediately fell in love with him.

Unfortunately for them, Cole would never give up his bachelor life. Ironically, the fact that Cole was honest about not wanting more than a few nights, made them want him more.

If he and Cole weren't close, Luke would have an inferiority complex. Not only was Cole a dominant alpha, but he was also superior to him in every way.

Before, Luke couldn't help but wish he was just like Cole. It took him some time to accept himself and embrace who he was.

Oddly, Persie always told him he was perfect the way he was. Thinking about that, Luke gazed at him.

Persie had his cell phone in his hand while he ate, and he was looking at something important on the screen.

Luke tilted his head as tears fell on Persie's screen. Persie discreetly wiped them, as well as his screen, before covering his face with his long hair to hide his emotions.

Luke kept looking at him, even though he couldn't see his face. He wondered why Persie wasn't happy to be seen crying, as it could make him appear like a victim.

After dinner, everyone decided to go to bed early, as they planned to spend the next day hunting.

Persie walked slowly towards Luke's bedroom, took a deep breath, and entered without knocking. He closed the door behind him.

Luke, who had dropped his cell phone on the bed, turned around, thinking it was Evander.

When he saw it was Persie, his eyes darkened, and he asked, "Wasn't I clear with you last time?"

Persie swallowed and murmured, "You were. I understood. I just wanted to say something."

Luke walked towards him and sneered, "If you did, you would've used those pills I gave you."

Persie took a step back when Luke approached, his eyes flashing with fear, but he stayed put.

Luke narrowed his eyes, sensing Persie's fear but also his determination to speak his mind.

Persie swallowed and said, "I just wanted to tell you that you don't have to worry. From now on, I'll leave you alone and act as though I can't see you. I won't talk or even look at you."

Luke chuckled, not believing him. He knew Persie had gone to great lengths to seduce Cole just to make him jealous. He was certain that Persie wasn't done with him yet.

Before Luke could respond, Persie held his face and kissed him. Luke was stunned by Persie's boldness.

Luke put his hands on Persie's waist, intending to push him away, but when he smelled Persie's sweet scent, his hands wrapped around his waist, pulling him closer as he deepened the kiss.

As they kissed, Luke lost himself in the moment, unaware of the world around him. He was lost in the sensation of Persie's touch and the taste of his lips.

Luke was stunned when Persie abruptly broke the kiss and took a step back. They both looked at each other, panting.

Luke was feeling confused about the situation. Hadn't Persie just said that he would leave him alone? How could kissing him be considered ignoring him?

The only thing Luke was certain about was that he wanted to kiss Persie again. However, as he took a step forward, Persie took a step back.

When Persie's eyes seemed to flash with disappointment, Luke's eyes darkened and he asked, "What?"

Persie looked down, feeling remorseful for what had happened.

"I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have done that. I just wanted to make sure that I only have feelings for Cole," he said, looking up at Luke.

"As I said, you don't have to worry. I don't have feelings for you anymore," Persie added.

Before Luke could say anything, Persie left the room.

Luke looked at the closed door, confused about what had just happened. He realized that the kiss was only to confirm Persie's feelings for Cole.

Luke wasn't sure which part of the situation angered him the most, the fact that Persie moved on so easily, or that he used him.

Persie entered his bedroom and closed the door. Iris appeared and asked, "Why did you do that?"

Persie replied, "The original wants Luke to feel heartbroken, so that's what I'll do before I kill him."

Iris studied Persie, wondering why he underestimated Kronos. There must have been a reason why Kronos chose Persie.

Persie looked at him, confused, and asked, "What's wrong?"

Iris said, "You're more cunning than you look."

Persie smiled and replied, "I'll be whatever I need to succeed my T&T."

Smiling back, Iris asked, "Did you like kissing Luke?"

Persie paused to think before answering, "I did. He is a good kisser."

"Better than Cole?" Iris inquired.

Persie shook his head and said, "No."

When Cole kissed him, Persie felt his body warm and the sensation was exciting. However, he didn't feel the same way when kissing Luke. The two experiences weren't comparable.

Iris then asked, "Do you like Cole?"

"I do. He's my friend," Persie answered.

"I meant, do you have feelings for him?" Iris clarified.

Persie chuckled, replying, "I don't have feelings for people, only nature."

Persie loved his mother and grandfather, but it was nothing compared to the love he felt for the flowers and beautiful plants in his meadow. That was a fact.

Iris nodded, once again completely confused about what was going on in Kronos' head.