Define The Relationship Novel - Chapter 7

Their second meeting occurred on an unplanned day. It was an afternoon, not far from his family home in Mayfair, at the Connaught Hotel, just after he’d finished a meeting with a client.

Karlyle’s schedule was set to conclude after dinner at the Michelin-starred restaurant located within the hotel. Since his mother was affiliated with the hotel, no reservation was needed; he simply had to go down for his meal.

Just then, his phone rang. The phone, used only for private matters, was tucked inside his suit jacket. Quietly, he reached in and pulled out his phone; Ash’s name was displayed on the screen.

[Good evening, Karlyle. Are you free today?]

At the unexpected name, Karlyle’s gaze fixed on the screen. His father, Jonathan, looked at him. Jonathan, like Karlyle, was often away from England, but he was currently in London to see Alice, Karlyle’s mother, for the first time in a while, and was accompanying Karlyle. The grey eyes, inherited by Karlyle, observed his son for a few seconds.

“Seems like an urgent call.”

In a low voice, Karlyle looked up. The client’s gaze also landed on Karlyle.

Karlyle’s family led two businesses. One involved the Frost family’s real estate, passed down through generations, and the other was an investment trust company owned by Jonathan.

After the 19th century, his grandfather’s family, who had amassed immense wealth through areas that now form London’s affluent districts like Mayfair, also owned vast lands in Canada. With this background, his mother Alice and his father Jonathan, who owned his own investment firm, met and had Karlyle and Kyle. It was no ordinary marriage.

Jonathan was not an aristocrat, and above all, both Alice and Jonathan were Alphas. While society did not forbid Alpha-Alpha marriages, the upper class always considered it natural for Alphas to pair with Omegas.

Thus, Alice’s marriage greatly angered her grandfather. That anger led to surveillance of his grandchildren. To avoid another failure, his grandfather strictly managed his grandchildren. He was especially strict with Karlyle. This was because Karlyle, unlike the dominant Alpha Kyle, was merely an Alpha.

Traditionally in aristocratic society, those with dominant Alpha traits inherited the business and most of the family’s assets. Karlyle was an Alpha, and his younger brother Kyle was a dominant Alpha, so, by rights, Karlyle’s role should have been taken by his younger brother.

However, his beloved younger brother was kidnapped at the age of thirteen by a criminal group that extorted ransoms from dominant Alphas. As a result, Kyle suffered severe psychological trauma throughout his adolescence after his return.

With Kyle, the heir, in such a state, Karlyle ‘temporarily’ took over Kyle’s role. He never harbored any resentment about it. Karlyle understood the family tradition that had been taken for granted since birth, and above all, his brother’s happiness was paramount.

Thus, from the age of sixteen, Karlyle consistently prepared to inherit the business and debuted in society to build connections. Over the past few years, he had focused on expanding into Qatar with his father, Jonathan, to establish a spin-off company.

Currently, the client before him was a key player in a real estate development project in East London that was steadily rising in value. He was a well-connected individual in many respects, so it was necessary to make a good impression. Therefore, Karlyle feigned a certain degree of friendliness towards him.

A business-like smile, one he only displayed during meetings, floated across his face. A seemingly drawn smile, beneath eyes that didn’t quite smile, formed handsomely. It was an awkward yet familiar expression.

“Excuse me.”

Today was Thursday, and Karlyle had a schedule. Ash’s request was not worth reconsidering. Their agreed-upon meeting was for the weekend, so this message could be answered later. His hand, reaching to put his phone away, twitched slightly.

…It would be fine.

But shouldn’t he reply? Karlyle hesitated. He was reminded of their last dinner, which was his third meeting and Ash’s second.

That day, they talked a little more about their meetings before parting ways. Ash vaguely explained what they would do over eight meetings, as if planning a curriculum. He added that revealing it beforehand would diminish the excitement, so they would discover it each time.

Then, Ash’s eye-smile, seemingly drawn yet full of life, flashed through his mind. His softly creased eyes had a captivating power. The face that had worn such a smile hardened coldly at Karlyle’s words.

Whether it was innate refinement or his nature, Ash skillfully defused the situation, which had threatened to turn sharply confrontational, but Karlyle’s impression of Ash remained unfavorable. If he ignored the call without replying here…

Jonathan, who had been watching Karlyle momentarily falter without realizing it, spoke.

“Mr. Roman, if you don’t mind, how about we have dinner with just the two of us?”

At the elegantly resonating voice, Roman Milato, the client, wore a discerning expression.

“No, not at all.”

With a slightly less smiling face, Karlyle quickly denied it. But Jonathan ignored Karlyle and spoke to Roman in a friendly manner.

“And we can talk about things young people wouldn’t understand.”

“Indeed, Mr. Karlyle is still at an age where such gatherings might be boring.”

Karlyle swallowed his discomfort at the remark that treated a man over thirty as young. It was hard to guess why his father, Jonathan, had made such a suggestion. Jonathan, having half-secured Roman’s agreement, looked forward and said to Karlyle,

“You seem to have something to do, so go ahead.”

“But…”

As if to say he wouldn’t listen anymore, as soon as the elevator door at the end of the hallway opened, Jonathan guided Roman inside. Jonathan, smiling, stopped Karlyle from following.

“Karlyle.”

At the firm call, which brooked no argument, Karlyle reluctantly obeyed. Since olden times, he had been a loyal son who never disobeyed his parents and always submitted. To take the place of his dominant Alpha brother, and to avoid adding to the family’s troubles, Karlyle had done everything Alice and Jonathan desired. Obedience was one of those virtues.

“…Then, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll take my leave separately. I apologize.”

“Not at all, Karlyle. I’ll see you at the next meeting.”

As Roman nodded, the door closed. Karlyle, left alone in the silent hallway, looked down at his hand. Gazing at the blinking message on the screen, Karlyle slowly replied.

Ash suggested meeting in Southbank. Karlyle arrived exactly ten minutes before the appointed time. Today, Ash was already there. It wasn’t hard to find Ash. There were people around Ash, who was standing in the lobby connecting the BFI and the Southbank Centre.

He saw two Omega men talking to Ash. Ash, with his arms crossed, leaned casually against a pillar, looking down at them and smiling softly. He appeared relaxed and natural.

At this ordinary sight, Karlyle missed his chance to interject. Every time he saw Ash, the sense of alienation, of how different their worlds were, became clearer.

‘His smile is a habit.’

His vague suspicion turned into certainty. Ash’s smile was not a special emotional expression directed at someone, but rather a deeply ingrained habit. Therefore, smiling at Karlyle wouldn’t be difficult for him either. Suddenly, a question that had lingered in his mind since their last meeting resurfaced.

Even if it was a request, was it really okay to touch and meet someone he didn’t even like that much?

While he was thinking, Ash spotted Karlyle first. Ash pushed himself off the pillar and gently dismissed the person who kept trying to talk to him. Then he walked towards Karlyle.

“You’re here, Karlyle?”

The smiling face was looking only at Karlyle. With a gentle voice, Ash stood before him. A subtle scent wafted. Ash’s pheromones had a pleasant, well-dried woody tone. The faint yet distinct scent, even though it belonged to another Alpha, didn’t cause him much aversion. It was strange.

With a peculiar feeling, Karlyle lowered his gaze slightly. Ash was dressed casually. A slightly fitted white short-sleeved shirt and jeans, though simple, looked stylish. It contrasted with Karlyle, who was wearing a summer suit. Karlyle averted his eyes from Ash’s seemingly firm upper body. Then, looking in the direction Ash had been, he asked,

“…I seem to have interrupted.”

“Interrupted? Oh.”

Ash looked in the direction Karlyle’s gaze was fixed, then smiled with crinkling eyes.

“I came here to meet Karlyle, after all.”

His tone was gentle, but the content was quite indifferent: “I just briefly dealt with them because ignoring them would be more troublesome.” Karlyle was momentarily speechless. He needed time to think of a reply to a statement that sounded almost like a date. No, that wasn’t it. Ash was just stating a fact. It was true that they had an appointment to meet.

“Have you had dinner?”

Karlyle checked his wristwatch. It was six o’clock. He wasn’t hungry, but it was dinner time, and he hadn’t eaten yet.

“Not yet. Have you, Mr. Jones?”

“No. That’s why I’m hungry. If Karlyle is okay with it, shall we grab a quick bite first?”

And then what? Karlyle realized an important fact. He had responded to the call without even knowing the purpose of this meeting.

“…May I ask a question?”

“Of course.”

Ash smiled amiably and stood beside him. His hand lightly touched Karlyle’s waist. That is, it just barely brushed his suit, as if about to touch his lower back.

“Wasn’t our meeting agreed upon for the weekend?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Doubt clouded Karlyle’s eyes. Though his expression showed little change, Ash, catching the doubt from the brief silence, chuckled softly.

“You came without even knowing why I called?”

Ash lowered his gaze and smiled meaningfully. A finger reached out. And lightly caressed Karlyle’s cheek. Then his index finger touched Karlyle’s jaw.

“You have an innocent side, Karlyle.”

“…If that’s a joke, it’s not very amusing.”

“I’m serious.”

‘You didn’t look innocent, so that’s a surprise.’ The index finger that had supported his jaw slid down to his neck. The finger, after brushing his Adam’s apple, returned to its place. Ash led him.

Karlyle’s mouth closed. He felt as if he was being teased. It wasn’t humiliating, but he couldn’t guess how to react at all. He wasn’t very talented at this kind of wordplay. He wasn’t accustomed to anything other than the aristocratic way of speaking, which involved sarcasm, indirectness, or probing to gauge the other person.

“I got some movie tickets, so I thought we could watch a movie together.”

This time, it truly sounded like a date.

“…Is it alright for you to spend such time with me?”

“As I said, I have no intention of doing anything until I feel like it.”

Ash said. Karlyle still looked at Ash with a bewildered expression.

“That’s how I am. I only want to do something when I feel like I’ve gotten to know the other person to some extent. We haven’t talked about anything yet, Karlyle.”

“Talk?”

“For example, what Karlyle likes, what he does…”

As he continued speaking, Ash led Karlyle to a restaurant on the first floor of the Southbank Centre, located by the Thames. It wasn’t the kind of formal restaurant Karlyle usually frequented, but its clean and modest image gave it a quaint feel.

“So, today, tell me about Karlyle.”