Chương 3: A Commotion

At the Hiro family's mansion, Daleks and Kilana were guided by a housekeeper to Tuss's place.

"Mr. Hiro has been cooped up in his room lately, drinking only Nutrient Fluids, avoiding contact with anyone. We're really glad you two are here to try and help him," the housekeeper, Zeek, said sincerely, with a mix of worry and fondness in his eyes.

"We'll do everything we can to help Tuz," Daleks and Kilana assured him.

Zeek smiled, "Go have a heart-to-heart with him. I'll get some food ready for you."

After Zeek left, Daleks and Kilana opened the door and stepped into the yard.

As the door creaked open, a subtle scent of pheromone drifted their way. Both Daleks and Kilana are alphas, and they were briefly caught off guard and then stared in shock.

"Could this be... Tuz's pheromone?" Daleks' eyes turned red.

Kilana slowly nodded, "I'm afraid it is."

Daleks, as if hit hard, shook his head and choked up, "How is this possible? It does have his cool, woodsy smell… but Tuz's pheromone shouldn't be this gentle and harmless. Do you remember how it was before? Just a whiff of his pheromone would leave me in pain for minutes. An SS-tier pheromone could be deadly—"

"Daleks!" Kilana scolded sharply, "Don't bring up the SS-tier or the past again. Don't remind Tuz of his scars."

Daleks paused and then agreed, "Alright, I get it."

Tuss's leg had been amputated at the thigh, making it hard to attach a metal prosthetic, so he hadn't had the surgery for a prosthetic yet. When Daleks and Kilana walked in, Tuss was lying on an adjustable bed, gazing out the window.

"Tuz, hi," Daleks forced a grin and greeted.

"We brought you the medal the Academy gave you for your awesome help in the recent battle. The school says you can switch to any major, from mecha fighting to the prestigious battle command program or even their unique psychology major. You can join without taking any tests, as long as you're up for it," Kilana put the medal on the table, crouched down in front of Tuss's bed, and begged, "Tuz, please don't give up on yourself, okay?"

Tuss looked down, saying, "I'm planning to take some time off to recover for a bit. I'll think about what's next later."

Kilana didn't push it, agreeing, "Okay."

Daleks also moved closer to the bed, pretending to be excited, "Tuz, we just met your fiancée. She's really gorgeous, just as stunning as a prom queen. You're a lucky guy."

Tuss glanced at Daleks but stayed silent.

Daleks' false excitement vanished instantly, "If you're not into her, I can talk to your uncle and ask him to break off the engagement."

"The Hiro family and the Cheng family have business ties; the engagement is just a cover," Tuss said coldly. On top of that, this engagement was a tool his stepmom used to kick him out of the house and off Planet Alpha.

His dad and stepmom wouldn't agree to call off the engagement.

Yuri was clueless about how quickly engagements in big families could be arranged. Just three days after leaving the hospital, she found out that her engagement party with Tuss was happening that very evening.

After lunch, she was set up to choose a dress, get skincare treatment, have her makeup applied, and style her hair. The entire process lasted until 6:00 PM, with the engagement party scheduled to start at 6:30 PM.

When Yuri got to the hotel and saw the massive picture of her and Tuss, she was stunned. Even though they had never met, the couple in the photo looked madly in love, their eyes filled with warmth.

The photo was an impressive fake!

If she hadn't been part of the couple, she would have thought that the two in the picture truly shared a deep love.

"Tuz, your fiancée has arrived," a playful voice announced. A young man with gorgeous slanted eyes full of amusement leaned against Tuss's chair, hands in his pockets.

Yuri glanced at the young man sitting in the chair. His black hair, good-looking features, pale and tired appearance gave off an air of tragic beauty. This was her fiancé, Tuss, who looked even better in person than in the photo.

Tuss disregarded the young man's comment and kept leaning against the wheelchair's backrest, his eyebrows furrowed. He appeared lost in thought or maybe resisting her presence in his own way.

The entire party hall went quiet all of a sudden. People's eyes moved between Tuss and Yuri, filled with challenge, ridicule, pity, or a combination of the three. Regardless, one fact was clear: everyone was watching their spectacle!

No one had informed Yuri about the engagement customs or what she was supposed to do. Nero was busy chatting with others, while Kiki and Shero held their wine glasses, observing her awkwardness alongside the crowd.

Since nobody was directing her, Yuri decided to wing it. She aimed to win over her fiancé first, for the sake of their shared future on the ore planet.

"Hello, my name is Yuri," she extended her hand to Tuss, a friendly, polite smile on her face.

Tuss, however, didn't seem to hear her and kept looking down.

Unruffled, Yuri pulled her hand back and shifted a chair to sit next to Tuss's wheelchair.

"It looks like Tuss really doesn't like her."

"She's just an omega after all, and a disabled one too. Tuss used to be an SS-tier alpha, the top student of Military Academy No. 1, and so many betas wanted to be with him."

"But that was before. Now, him marrying a beta is wishful thinking, and the Alliance wouldn't let a valuable beta be wasted on him. What's Tuss's rank these days? How far has he fallen?"

"Who can say? But without his legs, he'll never pilot a mecha or return to the battlefield, making him no different from a waste."

"It's a tragedy that such an SS-tier alpha ended up like this!"

People nearby whispered among themselves.

Yuri sipped her juice, occasionally glancing at Tuss. As the person being talked about, his emotions didn't waver. It was difficult to determine if he had given up and was fearless or if he was mentally tough and didn't care about petty gossip.

"Hey Tuss, you didn't even invite us to your engagement party. We used to be classmates, and it really hurts," a group of tall young men walked in, and the one in front spoke.

"Thanos, what's your deal with Tuss? Don't you know your place?" the guy with slanted eyes, stepped in front of Tuss, frowning.

"We're former rivals, Ender," Thanos replied with a sly grin, shoving Ender aside. "What, has Tuss gotten so weak that he can't even talk and needs you to do it for him?"

Ender narrowed his eyes a bit and shot back, "No way. I just don't want you guys to ruin the bride's day."

Yuri, suddenly mentioned, didn't know what to say. In her mind, she thought, "They're not ruining anything actually. Those guys all look great with broad shoulders and slim waists like underwear models."

Thanos glanced at Yuri, scoffed, and then faced Tuss, "I heard your rank dropped a lot. How low are you now?"

Tuss didn't even look at him.

Feeling ignored, Thanos's face changed, and he snapped angrily, "Fine, if you won't tell me, I'll just find out for myself."

A strong smell of alcohol came from Thanos, heading straight for Tuss. Tuss groaned softly, and his pale face turned even paler.

"Thanos, knock it off," Ender threw a punch at Thanos, who dodged it, and the two started brawling.

"Thanos, who let you in here to make a mess? You idiot, I'll teach you a lesson," Daleks charged in and joined the fight.

Kilana followed closely, also getting involved in the fight with Thanos's crew. Soon enough, shouts filled the air, and others backed away to avoid the chaos.

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