Desire Me If You Can Novel - Chapter 10

In an atmosphere crisscrossed by feelings of self-deprecation and futility, a woman doing arm exercises with dumbbells opened her mouth with a cynical expression.

“That high-and-mighty Miller family must have donated a huge sum. How could we possibly stop that? We’re up against the Millers, after all.”

“Damn it, to hell with them!”

Another man spat out a rough curse. Everyone felt terrible about this unreasonable situation, but as she said, there was nothing they could do about it. Except to lift weights faster than usual or pour out profanities in a useless vent of anger.

“Looking at it the other way, it means we received some kind of compensation, so there might be some benefit for us, too. Maybe the facilities will improve, or the equipment will be replaced.”

At the other woman’s consoling words, everyone muttered small curses with uncomfortable expressions.

“Either way, the conclusion is the same. The situation right now is pretty shitty.”

Everyone agreed with someone’s clear-cut conclusion. Following that, another colleague offered an opinion.

“Since it’s come to this, why don’t we give him a scorching welcome?”

In that instant, they looked at each other. At first, their expressions were bewildered. But soon, realizing what a “scorching welcome” meant, their faces took on strange smiles. Naturally, it was a completely different story from the “fun welcome party” the chief had spoken of.

Perhaps it would be even more fun than that.

Words of agreement began to emerge one or two at a time.

“Oh, right. He’s a person from the great Miller family, we can’t just let him pass by unnoticed.”

“Let’s welcome him passionately. With all our burning hearts.”

“He must be a Dominant Alpha, right? Since he’s a Miller.”

“We should check out just what those precious pheromones are like.”

Heh heh heh. Emitting ominous laughter, their eyes burned with hostility toward the Miller they hadn’t even met yet. Just you wait, Miller!

Thanks to this, they were burning with fighting spirit and exercising their muscles diligently here and there, when suddenly one of them turned their head and asked.

“By the way, where is Dane?”

“Huh?”

Realizing their colleague’s absence belatedly, the crew members looked around with puzzled faces, and Ezra answered.

“He’s at the police station. Said he’d be a little late.”

Startled, the colleagues widened their eyes and repeated his words.

“Police station?”

“The police station? Why?”

At the appearance of such an unexpected word, everyone’s eyes went round, and questions poured out from all directions at once. As the colleagues asked the same question with identical expressions, Ezra answered with a flustered face.

“Well…”

“Dane Striker, sign here.”

Dane took the document the police officer held out with an expressionless face and scribbled his signature in the blank space. Immediately retrieving the paper, the officer spoke dryly. “Once the investigation proceeds, you will be contacted accordingly. In the meantime, you must absolutely not visit the victim. Keep that in mind.”

He recited a few points to be cautious about, but Dane yawned, clearly showing a bored expression as if he had absolutely no interest, despite it being his own business. Seeing the vein bulging on the police officer’s temple at that delinquent attitude, the lawyer hurriedly smiled and soothed him.

“Do not worry, I will manage him well. Thank you for your hard work. Then, we will be going…”

After bowing and mumbling a farewell, he hurriedly pushed Dane’s back and left the police station. Only after chasing Dane, who had gone out ahead, outside did the lawyer let out a sigh of relief and grumble.

“Everything else is fine, but please don’t sleep with married women.”

Solving legal problems for firefighters was the role of the fire station’s legal counsel, but he only felt a sense of reward when solving issues entangled with their actual work; getting involved in adultery cases like this was considered sheer torture.

“She said she was single.”

However, Dane still insisted on his innocence with annoyance.

“I hate things getting complicated, too. But who knew her husband would suddenly come in? He wouldn’t listen to a word I said and started jumping around like a maniac, so I just hit him once to calm him down.”

“So why did you hit him? Actually, from his perspective, the intruder is you, Dane!”

Dane clenched his fist as he looked down at the lawyer, who was pressing him again in a slightly excited tone.

“He was loud.”

At that one cynical remark, the lawyer flinched and shut his mouth for the first time. When Dane lowered his hand and looked straight ahead again, the lawyer walked beside him, gauging his mood. He seemed to be waiting for the right timing to speak, but the wait wasn’t long.

“I know well enough that having a one-night stand with a woman you met at a bar is just daily life for you. But why did you follow her to her house? No, didn’t you say you never sleep out? What about Darling?”

This bastard, why does he know so much about me?

As if seeing right through Dane’s thoughts as he looked down with a frown, the lawyer continued.

“The Chief earnestly requested that if anything happens to Dane Striker, I should get you out as quickly as possible. He even said your cat is blind and deaf? And old, too. If something happens to you, Dane, it won’t be easy to put it up for adoption, so if you cause an accident like this, it’s very troublesome. Have a little more responsibility!”

“Haa.”

Of course, he naturally had more than enough responsibility. Even without the lecture, he was feeling an enormous sense of guilt toward Darling, who would be waiting alone because he had unexpectedly stayed out all night.

“Fine. I’ll restrain myself for the time being.”

When he swept his hair back with a sigh, only then did the lawyer nod.

“I’ll trust you. Then I’ll take care of this matter. Are you going to work like this?”

“No, I have to stop by my house first. I need to feed Darling…”

Just as Dane glanced at the watch on his wrist and was roughly calculating the time, the lawyer opened his car door first and spoke.

“Get in. I’ll drive you.”

Dane readily opened the passenger door and got in. Watching with a dumbfounded expression as Dane sat down even before he did without a word of thanks, the lawyer suppressed his rising anger and silently sat in the driver’s seat.

“Ah, come to think of it, did you hear? The rumor that the second son of the Miller family is coming to the station today.”

“What?”

At the lawyer’s words as he started the car, Dane asked back shortly with a grimace. Focusing on driving, the lawyer answered perfunctorily.

“They say he decided to work as a firefighter. For the next year. So I heard he starts coming to work from this afternoon.”

“…Ha.”

Dane still didn’t say much. He simply let out a sigh of absurdity, as if he were dumbfounded.

Ominous.

Feeling a chill run down his spine for some reason, the fire chief looked at the immaculate face of the man sitting across the desk.

True to being a child of Ashley Miller, his beauty was extraordinary. It was a well-known fact that the appearance of Dominant Alphas was exceptional, but seeing it with his own eyes, he was mesmerized, if only for a moment. Those violet eyes, in particular, were so mysterious that one could get lost in them endlessly. It was as if he were peering into the universe. Added to that was the sweet scent of pheromones drifting faintly around him; he felt completely unrealistic, as if he were dreaming. Because of that, even when Grayson Miller offered a greeting and extended his hand for a handshake, the chief just stared blankly up at his face for a few seconds.

Grayson, who had arrived fifteen minutes earlier than the appointed time, had sat in the waiting room chair without a single complaint until it was time. Even after finally entering the office and facing him, the man had merely offered a formulaic greeting with a smile still on his face. As if such a trivial wait was nothing at all.

So far, his attitude was impeccable. He was extremely polite and didn’t say anything unnecessary. Above all, his appearance was too magnificent. The chief clearly saw his secretary unable to take her eyes off him, as if possessed. If things continued like this—even though he had used expedient methods to get here—a hopeful observation arose that after a suitable amount of time passed, he would integrate to some extent, and the fierce atmosphere would subside.

Even knowing full well the backlash from the staff.