Chương 4: Zeke Roderick

There were many things Jian Yu hated working in the Zeros mansion, but he particularly hated this one the most.

Accompanying Lady Clement to her college.

Accompanying meant he had to enroll in the same college.

To the same degree.

Which was one of the most, ultimately boring courses.

The business course.

For once, he couldn't blame Lady Clement for being extremely undisciplined. Who wouldn't be? Jian Yu would much prefer something that was associated with fine arts, like painting, designs, or even music.

He was much more of a melancholic guy.

Everything the business course offered had been learned by him from his adoptive father. Han In Sik had homeschooled him about stuff like this since he was young.

Currently, he was sitting down in the library, lying face flat on one of the desks. He was debating and contemplating on his pathetic life now.

He turned his head slightly to the side and saw Lady Clement and a few of her friends talking loudly. He wondered why they were all allowed to talk that loud when you were supposed to be silent in the library.

But what could he say? The perks of being the heir of one of the richest and successful families, no one dared to reprimand her, terrified of losing their job if they ever opposed these families.

Jian Yu turned his head back and groaned, not without banging his head a few times over.

Should he... make friends?

Well, it wasn't that he didn't want any friends, he was just a natural-born loner, he never knew how to make friends. People usually came and talked to him first.

Now that he recalled, he never had someone to call a friend before, it was either his superior or junior. Maybe Rei? But Rei was like a little brother to him.

There were times where he felt lonely, perhaps that loneliness he was feeling had become part of him, it had turned into the willingness to be alone. He didn't feel bad being ignored, abandoned, or even unloved anymore.

Bullshit, he couldn't confirm the last one though, he didn't know what he would do if Han In Sik suddenly threw him away.

Well, more bullshit.

He actually wanted to feel loved, being cherished and all, but he had decided to give up all that hope. Really, he really couldn't picture anyone having a crush on him, or maybe daydreaming about him.

Sometimes he would wonder before bedtime, what would it feel like when someone thought about him before going to sleep. He wondered how it felt to have butterflies in his stomach because he liked them so much.

Oh damn, now he was being sappy.

Curse his bleeding heart.

'Ahhh...' he groaned internally, he preferred being in his room and reading a book instead of being here. It's not like there was anything to do here instead of waiting for Lady Clement to finish gossiping with her friends.

Another loud chatter interrupted his banging head session. Jian Yu glanced at where those voices came from and were met with a group of seniors.

A group of three.

Jian Yu's eyes immediately scanned through them. All of them seemed to be in their mid-twenties.

On the left, stood a man with short dirty blond hair, a set of clear blue eyes that sparkled like a child looking at his favorite toy. He was a bit tanned with freckles spread across his face. He looked to be six feet one.

He was from a family that accompanied the Roderick family for years, the Crosse family. His name was Mika Crosse, an Alpha.

The one from the right was also another family like the Crosse, the Jeon family. Standing six feet tall, with dark brown hair, shaggy and ruffled, looking like it had never been combed before, he had quite pale skin and wore thick-rimmed glasses. This one was called Jeon Dong-Hyun, also an Alpha.

And now...

Jian Yu paused for a dramatic effect.

Zeke Roderick.

Lady Clement's soon-to-be spouse.

Jian Yu's first impression of him was that he was tall.

Too tall.

He stood six feet two, it didn't help when his body was quite muscular, giving him the image 'huge'. He was the perfect image of an Alpha.

Jet black hair, high razor blade cheekbones supporting a set of jade jewels. His eyes were sharp and deep as if they were made to pierce someone.

The three of them had been friends since childhood. It was no wonder to see them together all the time.

Jian Yu panicked, pulling his stare back to avoid getting caught. He picked up the book he took right after entering the library and stood up, he planned to slip among the tall bookshelves.

However, he was too late and obsidian met with jade.

XXX

College life had been pretty flat for Zeke. With a small group of childhood friends to hang out with, getting straight A's, going to the gym, and getting flocked by omegas for being a good looking and prestigious family.

Everything had been too normal and Zeke was in need of some new entertainment.

He was bored.

Zeke slumped forward against his desk, groaning loudly. He expertly ignored the stares he was getting for making such noises, they ranged from annoying glares to lovey-dovey stares, he could even feel some lust gaze being sent his way.

But, he was used to it.

Anyway, back to the topic.

He was bored.

And no one seemed to understand how bored he was. Being bored could rot his mind out.

Grunting even harsher this time, he definitely caught the professor's hard stare. Zeke dropped his face to rest against the palm of his hand. He let his eyes swapped through the class before setting on Jeon Dong-Hyun.

Zeke frowned and stared at him. That guy had been having this dreamy look since this morning. Suddenly, he felt something unpleasant settled deep inside him. It took him a minute to realize what he was experiencing.

He was jealous.

Dong-Hyun had an omega of his own. Whenever Dong-Hyun talked about his omega, he would have this dazed and dreamy look, he would talk and gush about how sweet his omega was, how his days would light up like a Christmas tree, about how he and his omega were made to be, and all.

To be honest, Zeke was happy for him.

The corner of his lips turned upwards. He wanted someone to be called his too. Someone who he could spend his entire life with, someone to share secrets, someone he could protect, or maybe someone that would depend on him.

That was all he wanted.

But fate seemed to hate him. His beautifully crafted world crumbled when he heard his father was trying to engage him to another Alpha. Not just any Alpha, it just had to be the Alpha from the Zeros.

A female Alpha at that.

Didn't his father know that they had been on odds with each other? Ever since they were young, they were taught to beat their rivals in everything, academics, sports, games, clubs, so why did father suddenly decided to merge their business?

Even if you do, leave your kid out of it, Old Man!!

Gloomy auras surrounded Zeke, he was spreading distress pheromones all over the classroom. Some omegas in the class had trembled in fear, shaking ferociously.

"Mr. Roderick, control your scents!" the professor reprimanded him.

"I-- I'm sorry, I will go to the nurse's office!" Zeke apologized, quickly snapping out of his gloomy state and packed his bag, before rushing out.

"Zee!! You okay, man?"

"Zee!"

Zeke stopped when he heard his friends calling out at him. Mika and Dong-Hyun rushed up to him. Mika swung his arm around his shoulder.

"Whatcha thinkin bout to make you like that, huh?"

Zeke rubbed his hand across his face, using his index finger and thumb to pinch his forehead.

"Nothing," Zeke sighed.

"Ya thinking about that stupid arranged marriage again?" Dong-Hyun asked.

Zeke blew raspberry before sighing again.

"Maybe?" he shrugged, ruffling his jet black hair before pushing them up, he liked his forehead clear off bangs.

"Nah, forget it. Let's go," he sighed one more time, clutching the strap of his bag, he slung it over his shoulder.

"Where are we going?"

"Library, I need to borrow a book," Zeke replied, his legs had immediately brought him towards the library. Mika and Dong-Hyun had followed him right away, chattering away.

By the time he reached the library, he noticed a group of women gossiping loudly. He barely managed a frustrated sigh when he saw Clement and her gangs there.

However, there was something odd about the scene. Sitting not far from the women, a young man with silver hair was currently banging his head on the desk. He didn't look like an Alpha, but he wasn't small like an Omega. A beta, perhaps?

He observed as the young man who kept banging his head stopped and turned to glance at him and his friends.

The view had made him breathless. The sunlight that had seeped through the windows of the library shone through, making the silver mane of the young man shine brightly. Obsidian eyes stood contrasting under those long white eyelashes like burning orbs, especially when he was trying so hard to avoid staring at them openly.

The young man didn't seem to realize that he had been caught.

After a few minutes of staring, Zeke tried to force down the corner of his lips from tugging up when the young man's eyes widened slightly when he realized he had been staring too long.

When he did, Zeke tried to catch his gaze, and indeed, his Jade ones immediately locked with obsidian ones.