Emelia wanted to head home after the doctor's visit, but her phone reminded her that she had made an excuse to get out of the house—and that excuse was groceries.
If she showed up without them, then this would cause trouble for her for sure.
So, to not appear as a liar, she decided to head to the store and buy the necessities she needed. It was a good thing she had made a list beforehand of what was needed.
As she passed the seafood section, Emelia's eyes fell on the fish.
'Ah, didn't Eric tell me he liked fish? Should I buy some for him?'
Emelia did not want to seem like she was favouring one person in the house over the others, but she also couldn't ignore it when someone had specifically told her to bring back fish.
Swallowing her discomfort, Emelia picked up the fresh fish packet and put it into her basket as well. Once she was done, she moved towards the checkout section.
The cashier scanned her things and Emelia had a moment of panic when she remembered she had neither her card nor cash on hand.
Her panic flashed across her face and the cashier instantly made a sour face.
"Hey miss! Are you gonna pay or not? Can't you see that there is a large line behind you waiting for you to be done? Shit! I don't get paid enough for this."
The cashier spoke harshly and showed her discomfort clearly.
Emelia looked back at the 'line' she was stopping and there were only three people. But they did look impatient, making Emelia panic a little more.
"Hey, hurry up."
The cashier looked visibly annoyed now and her pheromones saturated the air a bit. Her sweet scent marked her as an omega
Somehow, that made the situation worse.
Maybe it was fate's twisted joke, but two out of the three people standing behind Emelia turned out to be Alphas as well. And the omega's agitation seemed to be getting to them.
"Hey, didn't you hear the cashier? Can you hurry up?"
One of them barked, causing Emelia's heart to skip a beat in fear. She almost didn't speak up, but realized she needed to if she wanted no drama.
"I… just give me a minute."
Emelia asked, now taking out her phone. But the alpha seemed disinterested in hearing her out…
Or giving her time to figure things out even.
A hand shot out to grab Emelia's wrist, but she avoided it. That caused the alpha to sneer in her face.
"Look, if you cannot afford to pay for your things, then it might be better not to buy them. Not everyone has the time and patience to deal with you."
The alpha looked angry and a new kind of pheromone joined the air. But unlike the alpha pheromones in the main mansion, this one felt faded.
Emelia was easily able to overcome those pheromones and keep her head up.
"I am paying for my things. If you would just give me a second—"
Emelia pulled out her phone to scan the code. Apparently, that was the wrong move to make.
Ignoring the alpha made him aggressive, and he decided that it was fine to lash out at Emelia to show that she was a fool for challenging him.
"You little… you're just a beta. How dare you ignore me—!"
Emelia stood strong under the pressure of those alpha pheromones, but when a familiar one drowned the unfamiliar ones with its own scent, Emelia felt her breath hitch.
She felt Sehyun close in around her and the unfamiliar alpha before she saw him. His smile looked radiant, and even the omega cashier looked taken aback to see him.
"I hope you were not planning on hitting my companion. If you were, I would advise you to reconsider. Otherwise, I would have to take action against you. I don't think you want your face to be plastered all across social media for hitting someone."
Sehyun's voice was the calmest one you could find, but the heat behind the eyes was enough to scorch anyone.
Unfortunately, the cocky alpha either did not notice this. Or if he did, he likely thought he could outpower Sehyun.
"And who are you? Wait, I think I've seen you before. Aren't you from the Kim family? Are you sure someone as high-profile as you will be able to get away with threatening me? Isn't it your reputation that's at stake here?"
The unknown alpha tried to pressure back and Emelia was starting to feel bad at this point.
A small part of her felt like what was happening was her fault. But a bigger part of her knew that she was a victim as well… now only if her brain realized that too.
Sehyun only looked more and more amused by the second when he heard what the unknown alpha said to him.
"Hmm. Am I being threatened? Are you sure you can afford to do that?"
Sehyun's voice did not sound like a threat—it sounded like a warning and a promise at the same time. He was telling the other party that something bad would happen if he kept pressing him.
The other alpha finally understood where he stood—or perhaps he didn't want to get into a legal conflict. Whatever the reason was, he folded while pretending he was the better person.
"You've truly lost your mind, threatening me like this over a beta. But since I'm a good person, I'll let this go for now and not press charges. You should be thankful that I am so merciful."
The alpha took a step back before leaving the store. He did not even scan his items or buy them.
Sehyun was not done yet. Once he was done with the alpha, it was the cashier's turn.
But unlike the alpha, she did not pose much of a threat to Sehyun. In fact, she already looked infatuated with him at this point. Her crimson blush said a lot about her current mood.
"Miss, I would like to pay for my companion's things. Is it a problem for you?"
Sehyun asked in a calm voice and the female in front of him did not even look away as she scanned Emelia's things.
The cashier gave a nervous giggle and shook her head quickly.
"No problem at all, sir. Please, take your time."
Emelia felt like sinking through the floor from the secondhand embarrassment.
She kept her eyes on the floor as Sehyun tapped his phone and completed the transaction in less than a second.
"See? That wasn't so hard."
He murmured, leaning close to her ear, his voice laced with amusement.
Emelia forced out a weak, Thank you," not knowing what else to say. The eyes of everyone in line were now on her—not with irritation, but with curiosity.
Some were even trying to place her identity, whispering softly as they glanced between her and Sehyun.
Once they were outside, she expected Sehyun to tease her, but instead, he handed her the bag of groceries in silence and walked at her pace.
"Next time, don't forget your card. And if you feel like you're in danger, call me. Do you have my number?"
He said with a slight smile, though his voice held no judgment—just genuine concern.
Emelia blinked at him before her instincts kicked in.
"How did you know where to find me? How did you even know I was in trouble? Are you somehow keeping an eye on me?"
Emelia asked in a threatened voice. She didn't want to show how affected she felt because of Sehyun's sudden entrance and help.
"Hmm, I don't know what you mean. I was just walking around the town when I saw you. I assure you this is a coincidence."
The alpha assured Emelia, but it all sounded like bullshit to her.
'Even if I ask again, I doubt I'll get my answer from Sehyun. But one thing I'm sure of is the fact that Sehyun is keeping tabs on me.'
How and why… Emelia didn't know. But she had a feeling it would be better for her not to know.
______
One more chapter of buildup before smut. I wish I got more colls and Power stones. But I guess I'll have to wait for it.