When they arrived in the mansion, Ryuichi turned to look at him, "I'll take it that you have already agreed in the engagement."

Yukio didn't answer but he looked down. He just didn't know what to say. This man's voice was enough to block his throat.

"Since we're getting married, I cannot tolerate any disloyalty. Stop playing around or cut your ties with him now."

Yukio's soul spun in a drastic motion like, "What????" 

But no word came out of his lips and only his eyes showed a shocked and confused expression. Of course, this was misinterpreted by the one in front of him as him being mortified in being exposed and reprimanded.

"There is no love between us but I don't want any scandals and I hate sharing what's mine."

"I.. What -"

"If you insist in seeing him, make sure that I don't find out about it. Of course, that would be impossible."

Before Yukio could react again, Ryuichi had already leaned over and quickly opened the door on his side and lightly tilted his head. The gesture's meaning was so clear. The former was so confused that he just swallowed a block of air, unbuckled his seatbelt and went out of the car. Not even a minute after his feet touched the ground, the car already sped out of his sight.

Yukio remained standing outside the gate. His body was trembling and his heart was madly palpitating. "Eh?? Have I just been accused of something?" He closed his eyes and held both of his hand on his temples and rubbed them. 

When he felt himself getting calmer and steadier, he moved his feet towards the entrance of the mansion.

Ryuichi clutched the steering wheel so tight that his knuckles had gone white. He gritted his teeth as he remembered the face of a tall, blonde man always present in the photos of his Omega that were sent to him by the person he paid to tail Yukio. The worst part that really made his blood boil was Yukio's reaction. What did he expect? That he wouldn't be able to find out about the man? What was he planning to do, keep him in the shadows?

Ryuichi slammed on the brake and rested his head on the steering wheel. "Yukio... Don't you dare. I'll rip him apart in front of you."

When Ryuichi reached their villa, his mom immediately approached him even before he reached his room. "How was it? How's our little Yukio?"

"He's a grown up now, mom."

"Yeah, yeah, but he will always be a little Yukio for me." Rumi waved her hand and looked at Ryuichi seriously. "How is he?"

"Fine."

"Ryuichi!"

"Mom." Ryuichi slightly bent his head backward indicating that he didn't want to talk.

"That child had nothing but emptiness and sadness, Ryuichi. Pay more attention to him."

"Don't worry mom, he's in no way empty and sad. He has someone paying a lot of attention to him."

"It doesn't matter. You're the one who is supposed to do all that. You have no idea how much that child had gone through and how much he had endured."

Ryuichi turned the knob of his room and stepped in, "Good night, mom. Please tell dad I'm tired."

He immediately closed the door and slumped on his bed. He raised his right arm and rested it on his forehead. 

"No idea, I see..."

How could he, Ryuichi, have no idea about everything? From the moment he left, he already had people tailing and looking over Yukio. He absolutely knew everything. The troubles, the suicide attempts, the medications, what else? But in all that, the man that Yukio took in was always with him. Never failed to stay by his side. Never failed to do the things that he was supposed to do for Yukio because he chose to leave. 

But, could he blame Yukio? He needed someone to be there for him because his family wasn't. He was desperate to the point of raising a person even before he matured. He already became a benefactor at 12 years old, so it was just natural that the man he helped would serve him in any way he was needed.

Ryuichi wasn't blind. He wasn't stupid, too. He knew the depth and strength of the bond formed between the two. And this always made him mad. Mad, but helpless. Furious, but had no right to. He left, that was an unchangeable and undeniable fact. He abandoned Yukio. If there was someone to blame for the relationship of the two, it was him. 

He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight. So he went to his desk and opened his laptop. As what he was already accustomed to do, he would just divert his attention to work and work until his brain was toasted enough then he'd finally be able to sleep.

The whole week passed that Yukio didn't see Ryuichi again. The former also diverted his attention to work and efficiently accomplished everything that needed his management. 

He was having lunch with his mom on a Saturday when his mom's phone rang. Ayako stood up and talked away from the table. When she came back, Yukio asked her about the call while putting more meat in his mom's plate. He didn't rush her to answer though. Her mom seemed so bothered.

After thinking for a while, Ayako spoke, "The Nakamuras are inviting us for dinner tonight in their villa."

His hand stopped midway before picking up a piece of broccoli for his mom. He looked at her and smiled, "Let's go then."

"Yukio..." Ayako was not far from Rumi in terms of beauty. If Rumi was appealing and warm, Ayako was cautious and reserved. Nevertheless, her beauty could not be overlooked. She was like a fresh raw fruit, simple but flavorful. But then, this fact never reached Ayako's sense of security. She always felt inferior to Rumi in all aspects and this was just greatly amplified but her husband's continuous hidden affection towards the other party.

Yukio put down his chopsticks and held his mom's hand. He again dramatized a silly scared look, "They're not cannibals, right, mom? I don't think we taste that great anyway. I think we'll survive."

He then slightly shrugged his shoulders and his smile was too playful that it infected the worried woman in front of him. He looked so unaffected and even happy about it but the truth was, there were massive drums in his chest again. His last encounter with Ryuichi played back in his head and there was no way he could be calm about it. But sensing that his mom had it worse, he hid all his internal difficulties. The atmosphere finally relaxed and both of them continued eating.

The dinner was set at 6PM and 10 minutes before that, the Chief bodyguard who was also driving the car was already parking in front of the Nakamura's villa. Yukio alighted first wearing a white polo shirt layered with a dark blue V-neck sweater and a casual dark gray coat, a pair of dark jeans and a pair of expensive loafers. He held his mom looking so lovely in a long, light pink cold-shoulder dress and a pair of white pointed toe, thin-heeled shoes. As usual, his mom wasn't even fond of wearing so much make-up.

"You're so lovely, mom. No wonder I'm handsome." Yukio whispered to his mom as they walk towards the door.

Ayako just threw him a look but didn't answer. Her son's remark made her smile and relax a bit though.

Before they could even walk pass the door, Rumi was already excitedly walking down the stairs approaching them. "Ayako, Yukio! It's so, so nice to see you both again."

"Good evening, Rumi." Ayako smiled and hugged Rumi back.

"Good evening, Mrs. Nakamura." Yukio bowed to greet the elegant woman in front of him. 

Rumi was wearing a little orange dress and a pair of navy blue high-heeled sandals. Like her mom, the former wasn't fond of too much make-up, too, but she was still more adorned than her mom. Ayako only had light lipstick after putting on a moisturizer and a bit of face cream. Both women were truly beautiful in their own way.

"Aunt Rumi, Yukio, Aunt Rumi." She corrected the young man in a playful way. "Not that it matters though because I prefer you calling me mother instead."

"There, there, love, don't startle our future daughter-in-law."

Ichirou went out of the study room followed by Ryuichi. Both of them looked like they entered the study room directly from work and had only taken off their formal coats. Ichirou shook hands with both Ayako and Yukio but Ryuichi only reached out to Ayako then nodded his head to Yukio. The latter acknowledged it by slightly nodding his head as well.

"Thank you for inviting us for dinner." Yukio once again bowed in front of the three. Ayako did the same.

"Let's throw away the formalities, we'll be a family soon. Come." Rumi was in high spirits as she led them to the dining room where quite a number of dishes had already been prepared.

Ichirou sat at the chair closest to the door, Rumi was on his right side while Ryuichi was on his left. Ayako sat on Rumi's right side and Yukio sat next to Ayako. Even if the round table wasn't big indicating that the family that lived there really preferred being close to each other, there was still a vacant chair between the two young men. 

Because of Rumi and Ichirou's congeniality, the atmosphere immediately turned warm and cozy for everyone. Yukio stayed silent though and was just happily watching his mom chatting with Rumi. From time to time, he placed some meat and vegetables on his mom's plate and refilled her bowl of soup. Oblivious to Ryuichi's keen and observing eyes, Yukio was smiling while listening to the two women. Ichirou occasionally butted in with short remarks that further made the conversation livelier.

"Oh! I just remembered. Yukio, dear, you're managing the corporation now, right?" Rumi turned her head to Yukio.

"Yes, Aunt Rumi. It has been a couple of weeks now."

"How is it? If you need any advise or any form of help, never hesitate to let us know, okay?"

"Yeah. Your dad and Nobu might be lenient and forgiving to those directors but your Aunt can actually beat people down." Ichirou's laughter rang through the room. 

Ayako was proudly looking at his son. "He had been doing very well. More impressive than we have all expected."

Ryuichi was just silently listening but not sparing a glance at him this time.

"Yukio is naturally smart and resourceful. He is strong like his mom and brave like his dad. It wouldn't be long before he could completely manage the whole corporation."

Ichirou praised him a bit more. The couple intended to boost the young man's confidence more thinking that he needed it.

"But, dear, are you minding your health as well?"

"Yes, Aunt. And even if I forget to eat, I have a friend who is more effective than my secretary and an alarm clock combined."

Yukio lightly chuckled and the others were amused with what he said. What he didn't notice was the person who had stopped his hand midway from picking up a piece of meat. The said man put down the chopsticks and drank water instead. Leaning back on his chair, his gaze was fixed on the glass that he was holding but the attention was elsewhere.

"That's interesting. And, who is this friend? Maybe you can also invite him to eat with us next time?"

"Oh. That would be his closest friend, Eiji. They had been together since they were young." Ever since Eiji was found by Yukio, the whole family already had a tacit understanding of not disclosing to anyone the real identity of his half-brother. They all took it, even Eiji, as the best path for everybody's peace of mind.

"Eiji?" Ichirou asked.

"Yukio met him a couple of years after Ryuichi left. They had been inseparable since then." 

"And until now, he acts like my mother, father, brother and best friend combined." Yukio added cheerfully. Obviously, he was so fond of the person he was talking about.

Sensing the murderous aura slowly creeping out of her son's body, Rumi immediately coursed the conversation to another subject.

"Oh, I'm glad you've met another good friend, dear." She lovingly smiled at Yukio then turned to look at Ayako, "You aren't in a hurry to go home after dinner, right?"

"Of course not." Ayako smiled.

"Great! Let's have coffee in the garden after dinner and chat some more. We have so much to catch up with."

"Yes, I would love that." There was no need for both of them to hurry back home anyway.

After eating, Ichirou excused himself saying he still had so many things to attend to in the study room so he went up ahead. The two ladies walked towards the garden, Rumi was holding Ayako's hand. Yukio went to the toilet then intended to follow when he saw Ryuichi standing on the doorway.

"Brave of you to talk about that man in front of me." Ryuichi was sneering and his eyes emitted a kind of fire that was threatening to burn even the soul of the young man in front of him.

Amidst the confusion, Yukio sniffed the air. "What is this smell?" It smelled so intoxicating but also dangerous. It was suffocating him but he could feel some tingling under his skin. He started to feel dizzy.

"W-what do you mean?" Gasping for air and struggling to clear his head, Yukio's voice was low and unsteady.

Seeing that the young man wasn't looking at him and was stuttering, Ryuichi's anger climbed a couple of levels up. "How special is he to you that you weren't even embarrassed to talk about him?"

"What is there to be embarrassed about?" There were many things he didn't understand in this situation but he didn't like feeling that Eiji's worth was being questioned. " I can talk about him to anyone."

Yukio was stunned when he felt Ryuichi's hand tightly grasping his nape, forcing him to look up at him. The smell in the air was getting stronger and he really found it harder to breathe this time. It felt like there was a strong force oppressing him but his body was starting to feel hot. It felt so uncomfortable.

His eyes were starting to become misty already as he held Ryuichi's wrist. He looked like he was in pain. "Let me go..."

"No. You need to be taught a lesson--"

Ryuichi's eyes widened. He smelled this fragrance before but this time, it was violently strong but delicately sweet, fully saturating all of his senses. It was like a subtle minty scent mixed with the fragrance of a peach blossom. His body reacted and trembled but at the same time, he felt the temperature of the nape he was holding getting higher and he knew that his body was of no difference.

"Do you have an inhibitor with you?" His voice was loud but he restrained himself from panicking. He was angry but he didn't want to do something that would leave a deep scar again.

"In-inhibitor? No..." He didn't think he would need it here and now. How could he be so careless! He fumbled inside his pant's pocket to get his phone. Subconsciously, a name slipped out of his lips. "Eiji..."

Hearing the name from his mouth, Ryuichi went mad. His eyes widened in fury and they even looked like they were tinged with red. He looked like a monster that was about to devour his prey. In a blink of an eye, the phone that was in Yukio's pocket flew across the room and brutally crashed against the wall. The splinters and pieces bounced and fell on different places. 

"You want him?!" 

Yukio's ears were hurt with the loud and ferocious voice but he was desperate. He wasn't stupid not to know that he was starting to undergo an estrus. 

"Please... Please, Eiji... Let me call him..." He knew that if Eiji was there, he would be safe. Eiji would do anything to get him away and solve the problem. Regardless of the situation, nobody was willing to save him but his half-brother.

In Ryuichi's anger, he whisked him away with great force and Yukio's body hit the wall. He fell on the floor but with a bit of normal consciousness still left, he crawled towards the side table where the home phone was placed. He needed a savior now. He felt like crying. He wanted to scream. He couldn't understand why Ryuichi was hurting him and he couldn't think of anyone else who cared enough for him to answer his call. 

"Eiji..." As he was about to reach the phone, he felt his whole body being lifted from the floor. "No, please... " Before he knew it, he was already carried back to Ryuichi's room and was thrown on the bed.

"I want to kill you right now. No, I want to kill that man in front of you first."

Yukio didn't know what was making Ryuichi extremely angry but the way he looked at him was enough to make him wish the ground could just eat him up right now. He was scared, really scared. His estrus scared him. Ryuichi's bloodcurdling eyes and cold voice scared him more.

He crawled towards the headboard and curled his body into a ball looking away from the big man standing in front of him. His body felt crazily hot and itchy right now. Even the feel of the sheets on his skin gave him a very strange feeling. His senses, especially his sense of touch, had become crazily sharper. It seemed that there was a roaring fire inside of his body.

When he pulled his knees towards his chest to hug himself, he felt it. The organ between his thighs was hard, really hard. The hole on his back was wet. His throat felt so hot and dry. He was sweating despite the low AC in the room. And what's worse, he was getting more and more intoxicated with the warm and musky scent being emitted in the air. The scent was also getting stronger and more prominent. He was gradually losing the capacity to think clearly.

"Eiji... Help me..." Yukio buried his head between his trembling knees and whimpered.

Too bad though, Ryuichi heard him and it became the last straw that snapped the last thread of an Alpha's self-control. He reached out to grab Yukio's feet and abruptly pulled him closer to him. Because of the sudden movement, Yukio wasn't able to guard himself nor move away. He was already lying flat on the bed and Ryuichi's body was on top of his.

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Author's notes:

This is still un-proofread and unedited. My brain is a little bit on fire again so I just let some of my thoughts flow into words. Should you have any corrections, please feel free to send me a message. Thank you! (^_^)