Twelve Years Later
The boardroom is all glass and quiet judgment, the kind of space where deals either bloom or bleed out. A polished black table runs the length of the room, reflecting sunlight in sharp lines.
Kaien sits at the head of the table, perfectly still as if even the furniture knew who owned the room. Posture immaculate, eyes moving through the Aurora brief with a cold, surgical calm. His assistant stood behind him, pad in hand, pen poised.
"We are impressed with Verrane's works, it would benefit your company a great deal to handle the Aurora Capsule Launch."
Kaien's eyes flickered from the brief to the man who sat at the far edge of the table. Brief. Detached.
He didn't seem to mind Kaien's silence. "We've already decided. Verrane handles the campaign; DMG handles production. Adrian D'Amour is leading. Naturally, you'll defer to his team."
Kaien set the brief down slowly, deliberately. Silence.
He leaned back into his seat and measured the man opposite him. The way his scent filled the room with something oppressive. The subtle curve of his smirk. The arrogance clung to him tighter than his suit. Predictable. Another Alpha in a suit.
Yet another Alpha who thought they could walk into his empire and dictate what he should do.
"You want me to hand my brand over to his team?" He straightened his cuff, fingertips lingering on the silver cufflinks as if they were a weapon.
The Alpha smirked. "Don't take it personally, we're just matching scale with experience. You run a fashion house not a media empire."
Kaien smiled, thin and sharp. "Verrane won't work with DMG." He smiled inwardly at the Alpha's frown. "Don't take it personally."
He frowned, leaning across the table. "Why? We thought it would be efficient — both your companies have the resources."
Kaien's gloved fingers tapped the table. "Verrane's vision can't be outsourced. Not to someone who thinks chaos is art."
The Alpha leaned back, arms crossed. "Chaos sells. You might want to remember that, Mr. Liroux. Perfection doesn't always make headlines."
Kaien's gaze flicked to him, calm but sharp. "If you want perfection, you come to Verrane. Not to DMG. Not to that circus. My brand is not a subsidiary of someone else's vision."
The Alpha frowned, glancing at Kaien. "And what do you mean by this? Are you turning us down?" The words felt tight in his throat, as if he had never faced rejection.
"I refuse, and I must make it clear to you, Mr. Vale—Verrane works only on its own terms." The words were calm and immovable.
Kaien noticed the way Mr Vale's eyes flicked to his neck, gaze lingering on his collar for a beat too long. The subtle disgust on his face, he hurried to mask. He eyes Kaien, disgruntled at the rejection. From someone he deemed himself superior to, purely by biology, no less.
Mr Vale's assistant leaned forward nervously. "We can negotiate — maybe just creative supervision on your end —"
"If you want to work with my empire, you will do it under my rules….or not at all." Kaien's smile was not quite a smile.
Mr Vale leveled Kaien a glare as he stood up. The smell of his pheromones spiking — an intentional display of dominance. "Bold. It's true what people say about you…." he paused, "You're difficult."
"Mr Vale." Kaien's assistant cut in sharply. "Your behavior is highly unbecoming. I don't need to remind you that intentionally using pheromone coercion is a crime punishable by law."
"Sir let's go." His assistant whispered timidly. He fixed them with a vicious stare and thundered towards the door, his assistant scrambling behind him like a shadow.
Kaien gasped, skin pale as ice. "Nora —"
"I have got it." Nora nodded, a flicker of worry in her eyes.
The hum of the Aerascent filled the room, replacing the offending stench of Alpha pheromones with a light lavender scent.
"Are you alright?" Nora's eyes lingered on the small beads of sweat clinging to Kaien's forehead.
"I am fine." His pale skin, and the way he gripped the table suggested otherwise, but Nora knew better than to contradict him when he was like this. She nodded and placed a glass of water in front of him.
"Still angry with Adrian over that incident?" She teased slightly after a few seconds.
"My refusal to work with DMG has nothing to do with personal feelings." Kaien placed the empty glass on the table. "DMG's…. barbarism is a stain on Verrane's brand identity."
"Which is actually code for 'I hate his guts, so I won't work with him', but let's go with your version." Nora rolled her eyes. "You're done for today, in case you want to leave and plan world domination or something."
Kaien's eyes remained fixed on his phone, lips curled in a faint smirk — cold and detached — as he scrolled through the headlines
"From Tragedy to Triumph: Kaien Liorux's Rise in Fashion"
Kaien Liorux, once a young Omega facing hardship after the death of his mother, has become the youngest CEO of VerraneFashion Group and the Lysnadra Initiative at just 28. Despite years of personal challenges, Kaien's rise demonstrates resilience, intelligence, and unyielding drive. Industry insiders praise his vision, describing him as "untouchable" and "a new standard in fashion leadership."
Sources close to the Liorux family say Kaien's childhood was far from easy, but his achievements speak louder than his circumstances. "He faced adversity that most could not survive," says one source. "And yet here he is—making waves in the fashion world."
He scrolled down to the comment section.
"So Kaien Liorux survived everything and now runs Verrane? Omega power levels unlocked 🔥"
"Rich family drama, tragic past, and still killing the fashion game? Respect 😮"
"Imagine growing up neglected and now looking down on the whole family empire like 👀"
"This tragic omega news is everywhere—he's untouchable. Poor Liorux family…"
The Liorux family would be scrambling to bring this down by now.
"Have the driver prepare the car," Kaien said, eyes still glued to his screen.
Suddenly the door of the boardroom was pushed open, startling them. A young woman entered, cheeks flushed pink, eyes darting nervously. She clutched her chest awkwardly as if holding her heart from jumping out.
Kaien narrowed his eyes. Intern. Skittish.
"Have your manners gone on a long holiday?" Nora arched a questioning brow.
"I am sorry." She bowed nervously. "It's Mr Étinne Liorux, he's been causing a ruckus downstairs. Security has tried to remove him to no avail." Her eyes flicked to Kaien for a second before she quickly looked away. "He won't leave until he sees Mr Kaien."
Kaien smiled thinly. "Family reunions, my favorite."
**********
Étinne Liorux looked exactly the same as the pictures of him Kaien had seen. Dyed black hair cut close to his scalp. Numerous piercings. Tattoos revealed by his sleeveless shirt. Dressed in all black. In short, he looked the image of a pathetic rebel child, which he was. Compared to his golden siblings, surely he had fallen far from the norm.
From a distance, he didn't look like Celeste and Darius's son, but when his gaze locked with Kaien— those sharp blue eyes — they belonged to Darius, and the hate in them definitely belonged to Celeste.
The security guards greeted Kaien with slight bows, which he acknowledged with a dismissive nod.
"When you were younger, you always used to wait for me outside until I came back from school. I thought it was quite cute then." Kaien drawled. "But aren't you too old to keep up the habit now?"
Étinne flustered. "What?" His gaze sharpened. "That's not why I am here."
Kaien adjusted his dark shades. "Start speaking."
Étinne lifted his phone, Kaien barely caught the glimpse of the words written on the screen "From Tragedy to Triumph: Kaien Liorux's —"
"You're the one who released this news right?"
Kaien felt utterly bored.
"You're trying to paint our family—"
"Your family," Kaien cut in coldly, "I stopped becoming a part of it 12 years ago."
"Is this some type of revenge scheme?" Étinne shook with anger. "Are you trying to paint us black, as though you were abused when you were a child?"
Revenge? How naive. Étinne thought one news headline was his revenge. Kaien could have laughed.
"You did this purposely." Étinne pointed a finger at Kaien. "Selling the whole tragic omega scheme to discredit the Liorux name and buy public sympathy."
"So the Liorux are pissed and they send their…. guard dog to come bite me," Kaien leaned in, words soft enough to hide the disgust. "Go home boy."
"You are as horrible as Mother said. How can you despise your own family —"
Kaien leans slightly forward, eyes fixed, voice calm but cutting. "You think you know me, Étinne. That boy you knew… he's dead." Étinne shivered— not because his voice was cold— it was soft, disturbingly gentle "I hate every one of you, and you will understand what it means to feel powerless when I rise."
He tilts his head, almost amused, but his words are venom. "Lucien, Vincent… your petty battles, your pride—they'll be the first to fall. Your golden empire isn't safe. Not from me." Étinne swallowed
A pause, letting it sink in, the silence as sharp as a blade. "I've been patient. But patience is over. Watch closely. Because when I move, there will be no mercy. And there will be no one left to protect your family."
Kaien stepped back from a stunned Étinne. A black car pulled to a stop in front of him and the driver stepped out, ignoring Étinne as though he was invisible and opened the door for Kaien.
He moved to the car, then he turned with a small exhausted exhale. "This is not a threat. It's a schedule."