Lavenia's POV
Why am I standing here? In a glossy white gallery filled with many eye-catching paintings on display.
One of them grabbed me —a silver silhouette of a woman on a bed surrounded by four men figures in different colors. Déjà vu hits hard, especially when I read the title:
*Silver Wolf and Her Four Alphas*
Intriguing!
"Something catch your eye?" The voice made me spin. Him— the blonde! Why was he here?
"You..."
He smirked. "Don't trust me to stick to our deal, so you came to check me?" he asked, this time sounding accusatory.
"What?" I snorted. "I didn't even know you were here. Are you... the manager of this place? Can I meet the exhibition owner?"
"Who's the name?" he asked, which I thought was a genuine question.
"You don't know? He's famous, supposedly. But to be honest, I don't know him either. Maybe he's just too narcissistic that he makes other people think he's famous enough," I commented, and he just pouted and nodded. "Oj, you asked his name, right?"
I flipped open my notebook. "Uh... Jaxon..."
"Rhymes?"
"Yes, that's it!"
He nodded. Soon after, a waiter appeared with a tray and two glasses of champagne, which he offered to the blonde.
"Anything else, Mr. Rhymes?" asked the waiter after the blonde took the two glasses.
Wait! Mr. Rhymes? So he...
"No. I'll call you if I need anything. Thank you." The waiter left. I stood there gaping, realizing that a few minutes before the waiter arrived, I had a fatal idiot moment.
Shit!
The information from this man was crucial for my scholarship, according to Professor Satoshi. Failed mean no scholarship.
"Uhm... so you're..."
"Jaxon Rhymes? Yes," he said. "Sorry we skipped the intros that night. We were too serious with the deal and got caught up in..."
"Okay, I guess there's no need to bring it up again. I came here to find you, but not to discuss that business matter. It's not time yet." I cut him off.
"So... what's the real reason?" He stepped, closing the distance between us until I was pinned against the wall next to the painting.
Oh, Moon Goddess... what is this? Between me and these four alphas was just business, right? Why has it become so complicated?
He bit his lower lip, staring at me with his eyes that seemed to pierce right through my heart. His strong hands gripped my hips, then one hand sliding to my thigh, making it difficult for me to breathe.
The man in front of me had dark gray eyes and short, messy blonde hair, looking like a bohemian artist. His body was tall, athletic, but flexible. His hands were not only skilled at holding a brush and canvas, but also a woman's hips.
I don't know how many women he had pinned against the wall like this. I was surely just one of them.
"Mr. Rhymes..."
"Call me Jax."
"Uhm, Jax..."
He pulled my legs up and hooked them over his hips. "What? Are we going to carry out our plan?" he asked in a husky voice that suddenly made my shirt felt tight.
"Soon. I'll contact you and the others."
He nodded, then lowered my legs and gave me some space after making sure I was standing upright and balanced on the floor.
"Let's go to my office for your assignment," he said again. However, I wasn't sure if I should follow him. If he dared to do that to me in a public place, what would he do in a private room? "Come on! Do you need this information or not?"
"Y-yes..." I hurriedly followed his long strides to wherever he was going. It was a closed room, and luckily he turned professional once we got there.
The interview went smoothly. He gave me more information than I expected and assured me that I would get my scholarship with that.
"Thank you for the information. It was very helpful," I said as I was about to leave. He, with both hands in his pants pockets, nodded with a warm smile.
"No problem. If there's anything else, don't hesitate to pinch me," he replied. His hand crept up to my face and rubbed my jaw with his thumb. "Anyway, Lav... I see you're interested in that painting."
He pointed outside where he and I had met.
"Y-yeah. That's interesting and creative. I wouldn't have guessed that it was the silhouette of a woman and four men," I stammered. His hot breath swept across my face with an intense gaze that made my legs weak.
"That's us," he said, making me almost choke.
Us, he said? Really? When?
My heart felt like it had dropped to the center of the earth. Four alphas and a woman. It seemed familiar, but why was my brain having trouble piecing together the puzzle of that night? Was I too bold back then? Did something I never expected actually happen?
"Is it true?" I asked rhetorically. He nodded. "Or was it a dream?"
"Maybe," he replied with narrowed eyes and a smirk. "A wet dream, perhaps. Or maybe it was real... only you deny it."
"W-what do you mean?" I asked, holding my breath because Jax was so close that I felt like I was drowning in his eyes.
"Forget it," he replied, putting some distance between us, so I dared to exhale slowly. "You can take it if you want," he added. I shook my head reluctantly.
"No need. I still live with my father and he's not very fond of art," I replied. He nodded in understanding. "All right. Thank you for your time. Goodbye, Mr. Rhymes."
"See you again, Lavenia."
I stepped out of the building. The image of the painting wouldn't leave me. Was it true that the painting was a depiction of me and... ah! Impossible. He must have had a dirty dream about me and then painted it on canvas.
What a perverted artist!
My phone buzzed. I had just gotten into the car when this guy seemed impatient to interrogate me.
[Hero🧛🏻Satoshi: Interview done? Not too close to him, right?]
I ignored the chat and immediately drove to a place to cool my head. I parked my car in front of a cafe—L'Cafe. A place I usually go to when doing college assignments or just looking for some time to myself.
I'm not really a fan of crowds. My life is already too crowded with servants who take care of my every need, bodyguards who never stop following my every move, and Dad's nagging.
I took a seat in the corner of the room, far from the view of the city and the door, that would allow me to meet many people.
The waiters here even know my favorite spot. They will keep it for me, just like today. One of them came with a slice of my favorite cinnamon cheesecake and a glass of grape juice.
"Alone, as usual?" he said.
"You know me," I replied, and he smiled.
"Enjoy."
He left, and I immediately savored every bite of the cake that melted in my mouth. The soothing aroma of cinnamon made me sigh with relief.
Unfortunately, life isn't always easy. Just as I was enjoying my time alone, someone I never wanted to see for even a single day approached my table.
"Lav? What are you doing here?" said someone who instantly made my brain, which had been in calm mode, go on alert.
"I should be the one asking that, Damien. It's my regular cafe, and what are you doing here?" I replied. He pointed to a table not far from where I was sitting, where several handsome men in neat suits were sitting, looking busy with the devices in front of them.
One figure among them made me almost choke, staring straight at me with brown irises and a dark grin that seemed to remind me of every scene from that damn night.
This is bad! What is he doing there? Why did he come with Damien? What business does he have with him?