I Just Want A Simple Life (ABO)Chapter 3

{ Chapter Three }

  NI5iWR

The bank situated within the heart of Nova’s financial hub, was such a place that dealt with only the most affluent of clients. Because of this, management had long since decided that instead of hiring robots to deal with the day-to-day requirements, actual living staff were employed. In this day and age, in both reception and administrative jobs, this could be considered a rarity.

These members of staff were highly trained; prim and proper with both the appropriate looks and temperament. There was a fine line, as they smiled at those who entered the bank, between losing what made them human in the first place, as they followed their scripts, and being genuinely courteous. 

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

They were kept up to date, with rigorous meetings early in the mornings. The establishment in which they worked, even though it was just a bank, was scarcely the place where the super rich and famous would turn up unannounced. Usually they made appointments with only the best of the provided financial advisors and more often than not, the clients would be the ones that had to wait a few weeks. So a list of names were ingrained into the receptionist’s minds. 

But what they hadn’t expected, and what made their strangely-robotic smiles twitch, was a name that suddenly shot to the top. Last minute instructions were blared through their ear-pieces; ones which were only to be used at their sole discretion. And no sooner were they conveyed, did the entrance to the bank fly open. A figure emerged, features pinched and eyes dark. uM9ZeR

Kalel knew how this bank worked, he’d attended meetings almost on a regular basis. He was friends with those in all the right places and so felt that he never had to worry. The red-carpet was ordinarily rolled out for him as soon as he showed his face, but that was not the case this time. No one scurried over to him, batting eyelashes as they offered his favourite beverage.

No, instead he had to cross the expansive hall himself and come to a stop in front of one of the receptionist’s desks. He stood with one hand in his pocket, the other he tapped on the surface to get the woman’s attention. Who appeared more than happy to avoid eye contact and focus entirely on her own work with renewed determination.

She lifted her head and smiled broadly at Kalel over the desk. “Good morning, sir. I have informed the necessary persons of your arrival. In response, I have been instructed to ask that you take a seat until you are called.” With that, she glanced over at the cluster of sofas that were designed to make such an ostentatiously decorated space look somewhat ‘homely’.

Kalel had often made silent remarks about the people who were forced to wait for an appointment. Never had he been treated like some second-rate citizen. The anger he felt in that moment was something he could never put into words. The instinctual rage every Alpha was born with, commanded him to break the marble desk in front of him and demand to be treated appropriately. But then that sense in him, the very thing that had propelled his career from nothing to the very top, coerced him into turning away and walking over to the waiting area.

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He took a seat very calmly. Crossing one long leg over the other, portraying the image of someone who wasn’t teetering on the edge of collapse.

Ten minutes past, Kalel brewed a headache from frowning so intensely. Twenty minutes past, no matter the durability of the sofa beneath him, Kalel’s nails were close to puncturing the fabric. But before that could happen, a man appeared from within the lift. He took a few steps forward and regarded Kalel with a sweaty complexion.

“Sir. Thank you for waiting, please follow me.” The man cleared his throat, and tugged at his tie which appeared to be strangling him. This pathetic figure was clearly a man who had currently been dealing with many hardships. Anyone would pity the man, shaking their heads as they believed the man was being mistreated by his superiors.

What few wouldn’t know at first glance, was that this individual was actually the man in charge of the whole bank. Someone who, until today, maintained a stable position of power. Who was flocked towards by people trying to be in his good graces. Now he was little more than an errand boy. ftxhKn

Kalel rushed to join the man, entering the lift in complete silence. The man who was perspiring was someone he had considered a good friend. Someone he had known for a few years, but gotten to know better in the previous one. They often met, and one of those occasions was only two days ago. They had gone for dinner and spared no expense as friends who thought of money as no object. But all that seemed like a dream now.

The man refused to make eye-contact. All Kalel could hear was the man’s heavy breathing and, if he listened even closer, was probably the man’s erratic heart beating. The journey in the lift felt like it stretched on for hours, and when the doors did eventually open, the nerves began to eat Kalel up inside. On the top floor of the luxurious building, reserved solely for the most important individuals when they requested a meeting of utmost privacy, the bank’s Chief Financial Officer hurried out of the confined space and down the hallway.

Kalel witnessed this action and swallowed. His throat like the all-encompassing desert of Calix’s uninhabited zone.

He joined the skittish man, who stood at the end of the short hallway and in front of a large door. In that split second before he opened it, the Chief Financial Officer turned his head and looked Kalel in the eyes. The look was fleeting, but the Alpha grasped the pity which was expressed. But there was no time to brace himself, no time to flee back down in the lift. The door opened. od3UNW

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

Light streamed into the otherwise shaded hallway. But as Kalel took a few steps into the boardroom, the initial sunshine melted away to reveal thickening grey clouds. The sudden drop in temperature only seemed to affect the man who entered the room. And it only grew colder as Kalel’s attention cast out over the large rectangular table.

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With that, the Omega happily took a spectators role and retreated to his isolated planet to raise his child. 

That’s where Kalel had escalated his plans. That’s where he presumed Finian would retreat to and not need to step foot off of #OWS4. But now he was left with the sight of a spectacularly attractive man, someone he now felt unable to reach, seated amongst those who wielded a vast majority of power within the financial sector.  I 30EC

The conversation consisting of hushed murmurings did not cease upon Kalel’s arrival. They didn’t even lift their heads, as Finian was the one to nod his on occasion, allowing the man beside him to do the talking for the both of them along with a series of muted hand gestures. Instead it was a man who sat on the other side of the Omega who addressed the newcomers.

“Take a seat, everything has already been prepared for you. I encourage that you read through the prepared documents for a bit of context before we begin.” The man who held airs of an Alpha, was in fact a Beta. He never removed his gaze from Kalel, his voice never wavering in his instruction.

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Kalel had no other option but to do as he was told. But his attention kept reverting back to Finian, who still refused to drag his attention away from his private conversation. Looking comfortable seated at the table along with all the people who worked for the type of organisation that Finian once complained about regularly.

He cleared his throat and swallowed. Then he focused on the well-prepared stack of documents that were piled high in front of him. As he flipped to the first page, he was greeted by many numbers. Something he had become an expert at handling. But now he was on the opposite end.  qG7skm

The correlation— he deduced as he skimmed through with increased perspiration— was that the numbers didn’t add up. Bold red indications were stabbing the crisp white paper, ripping his attention to only the most marginal of revealed equity.

Kalel’s breathing grew heavier and so did his speed in devouring the information that was in front of his face. He tried to remain calm, to compose himself so he could make a desperate plea for his life when the time came. But the extent of the information which had been dredged up was enough to render the Alpha speechless. Underhanded business deals, ones he had long since hidden under the disguise of legitimate investments, were clear to see. 

Attention flitting across the pages, taking in the harshly coloured and circled figures that were intended to draw his attention, Kalel’s hands shook. By the end of the extensive research, Kalel sat back in his seat and stared without blinking at the paperwork. Frantic thoughts rattled inside of his head as sweat trickled down from his hairline.

With one hand fixed on the table, the Alpha lifted his head. He now found that everyone seated opposite was watching him intently. Most stared blankly, whilst a few of those faces which Kalel easily recognised, were looking increasingly strained; the body language of someone who had been told how to act in a situation, with the knowing pressure of a weapon pressed against their backs. Edgtk3

These men had a lot to lose. But the only attention Kalel currently cared about, was from the Omega he previously considered his partner. Though one glimpse at those steely blue eyes was enough to make the Alpha gulp. They held a harshness to them he’d never before witnessed from an Omega.

All prior notion of how a certain gender was supposed to act when faced with each other, were tossed out of the window as soon as they entered the boardroom. Alpha, Beta and Omega. Each carrying their own weight of expectations and stereotypes. And with that, no one would believe such a gracefully good-looking Omega was able to make an Alpha squirm.

Kalel was left to stew in his own thoughts for a good few minutes. When the time came where Finian broke eye-contact, he did so to give a nod to the Beta who sat next to him. The same man who had previously given orders to Kalel, and held no reservations about continuing to do so. 

“Before we begin, I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Silas Quincy and I specialise in Business Law. And on this occasion, I will be speaking to you on behalf of my client, Mr. Finian Xue. Ordinarily you would be permitted to obtain a lawyer of your own, and in time you may just do that, but as of right now it’s in everyone’s best interest that this remains within this room and between those present. That is, unless you disagree with anything we will shortly discuss. If so, then the necessary next steps will be taken and there’s very little need for you to be present.” Silas Quincy spoke effortlessly and without a fault in his speech. OBVEM5

Lawyer’s weren’t uncommon, but successful Beta ones were. Nowadays, Alphas rule the roost in that field and they left an impossibly narrow margin for anyone else to obtain a standing such as their own. So naturally those who had the brute determination had to be the best if they stood any chance of taking on those who were born sheltered by privilege. And that’s exactly what the Beta had and was.

The way he could gage his success in his career was hearing it from the Alpha’s themselves. Which was by no means complimentary, often times they referred to him as a pest. Which could only mean he was stepping on their toes and ultimately doing something right.

Which is exactly the type of character Finian sought after. He didn’t think twice when requesting Mr. Quincy’s services last minute and with a handsome fee to compensate. But money aside, both men were obtaining far more from this case than originally intended.

Instead of fighting it, Kalel listened in silence and when Silas Quincy had finished speaking, he leant forward in his seat and rested his hands on the table. “Surely you’re going to give me an opportunity to respond, right?” l72yVe

“Of course, sir.” Silas gave a sharp nod as he clasped his hands together in front of him and on top of the meticulously arranged paperwork. “But that opportunity will come when you actually have something to respond to. As of yet, I have only introduced myself.”

Kalel flexed his fingers and suppressed the urge to show the Beta what it meant to be born an Alpha. But there was something that held him back, and that was a major law within their current judiciary system. One which stipulated that Alpha’s were forbidden from using pheromones to forcibly influence another person, unless absolutely necessary. But even then, pheromones were detectable from a maximum of half a kilometre away, there was no way of discreetly using them.

With guaranteed witnesses, even if the usage of those pheromones were said to be used in that narrowest of exceptions, the individual they were used on are immediately required to approve or deny whether or not they were used with good intentions. 

There would be no light at the end of the tunnel if Kalel opted for that route, so he instead took a deep breath and gestured to the thick wad of papers that all but consumed the large table. “I wouldn’t be very good at my job if I didn’t notice what has been clearly outlined for me.” Kalel decided on his position and stuck to it, “And so judging by our difference in positions, I imagine now that all suspicion befalls to me.” U8Mh6v

Silas Quincy wouldn’t be where he was today if he wasn’t able to expertly cut through the bullshit. He didn’t change his expression as he nodded his head in a sign of acknowledgement. “As Mr. Xue’s most trusted Financial Advisor, you are indisputably very good at your job. You have many years of experience and training under your belt, which meant that your qualifications were exactly what my client was looking for when he wanted to entrust his estate to someone to manage when my client took a step back due to personal reasons.”

The Beta leant forward a fraction, “But here’s where it gets a little confusing, and I hope you could enlighten me as I can’t quite understand some things. As someone who is— as I said— indisputably good at his job, how does one who works with numbers all-day every-day, overlook transactions of vast amounts of money leaving your employer’s account which you were then responsible of?”

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Kalel instinctively looked towards Finian, who still responded with a blank stare.

He then looked to the perspiring men who sat on the opposite side of Silas Quincy. Men he had worked closely with to pull off the fraud for many years. With no response from them, without even a flicker of a look given, Kalel heavily cursed them in his mind and looked to the lawyer once again.  9YPdp0

“Fin—Mr. Xue entrusted me with his estate, not just because I fit the job description, but because we got along well and he trusted me beforehand. And so when Mr. Xue chose to bequeath the responsibility to me, I invested his wealth where I was confident Mr. Xue would have chosen to do so as well.”

The room was stifling, but perhaps it was the many frantic heartbeats that were making it so. But Mr. Quincy was as calm as ever. This time though, something Kalel had said made him quirk an eyebrow.

“And this trust you say that you established with my client, can you say that it was through that that your relationship naturally developed?”

Kalel faltered before his expression pinched. “What are you implying?” imTV06

“Sir, I’m not implying anything. All I’m asking you, is whether this trust between you and my client— in your opinion— helped in the development of your relationship?”

“What? Of course trust is important. What relationship can happen otherwise? Mr. Xue and I always worked closely, and after I was left in charge, naturally I visited often to keep him in the loop as to where his money was being invested. Although I cannot speak for Mr. Xue, I know that over time I started to develop feelings for him. I understand that comes across as inappropriate, but it wasn’t something I wanted to fight, and I hope that Finian feels the same way.” Kalel’s tone softened and he felt confident enough to look back towards the Omega.

But even if there was the tiniest of chances that Finian would have forgiven him, Silas Quincy quashed it by responding immediately. “Going back to what you were saying about regularly visiting my client to showcase statements and such, my client actually kept all documents you presented to him.” Mr. Quincy had them to hand and slid them across the table.

“And these,” Silas revealed as he gestured to more pages in his grasp, “Are the real statements which haven’t been forged to hide substantial amounts of money leaving my client’s bank account.” Those also slid across the table to rest in front of the Alpha. HT3WdI

Kalel didn’t reach for them. There was no need to. He knew exactly what was written on those pages, he knew the exact numbers he had swindled from certain accounts. A pressure around his throat forbade him from swallowing. His clothing felt unimaginably tight as the room became like a sauna. Every time he opened his mouth, the words he willed to speak in his defence melted away. 

His escape options were all but crumbling away, and it felt like out of everyone who had aided in the crime, he was the one going to have the biggest fall. 

When it was clear that Kalel was struggling to think of a response, Mr. Quincy instead opted to fill that silence. His tone did not carry the weight of Kalel’s injustice. Instead, he was patient and waited for the exact moment where the Alpha was blubbering like a fish struggling to breathe. 

“I hope now that henceforth for the remainder of our meeting, you won’t feel the need to lie to us. As anything you do say which doesn’t mirror what we have laid out in front of us, will be a sign of non-compliance and, as I mentioned previously, the necessary steps will be taken. Do you understand?” G 9jlh

Kalel had rapidly wasted away in such a short space of time. He kneaded his sweaty palms which had dropped from resting on the table. Sweat dripped down the back of his neck and it ran cold as soon as he nodded. Because as soon as he did so, Silas Quincy slid more papers towards him. One of them revealed an all too familiar account number, one which he had kept well-hidden and had begrudgingly used to pay an outstanding bill at a hotel. 

As soon as he spotted the time-stamp, he couldn’t stop himself from looking towards Finian. The Omega he had severely underestimated, had actually laid a trap for him.

Witnessing that mix of desperation and regret, Silas Quincy called stage one of the meeting to an end. Before they continued onto the next phase, he drew the Alpha’s attention back onto him and away from his client. “I forgot to ask, would you like some water?” There was a semblance of a smile on the Beta’s face which looked very much out of place. 

    d3GE60

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Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

As soon as Finian’s transporter touched down onto the surface of #OWS4, the ache which had riddled his body seemed to wash away. He took a moment to absorb the absolute silence that came with his private home, and the safety which was provided for both him and his little soul. 

When he closed his eyes, Kalel’s pitiful expression would appear. A man who had almost succeeded in taking everything Finian cherished. But more importantly, the Alpha had risked his little soul’s quality of life. That was something truly unforgivable, and something he had reiterated to Silas Quincy. 5uYUI4

‘Leave it to me; Kalel and all those who see themselves as untouchable will be licking their wounds before long’, the beta had assured him.

Thoughts becoming all consuming, Finian took a deep breath and tilted his head back, willing his mind and body to once again relax as they once were before the recent mess. He knew there had to be changes made, guarantees that no one like Kalel would be able to slip through the cracks. 

“Papa!” A child’s call, followed by a few energetic taps on the window, captured Finian’s attention right away. His tense facial expression dissolved into a smile as broad as his little soul’s. As their identical eyes met through the glass, Finian’s heart melted just as it did every time he saw his son.

Potentially an admittance from a biased parent, but Finian knew his son was going to be even better looking than him, and although that made the older Omega proud, a natural case of the nerves began to bundle up inside of him. The determination to take necessary precautions to ensure his baby’s safety, and to protect him from the toxicity the world had to offer, became his utmost priority. No longer was retreating to their own world, which was shrouded by the highest level of security, a proper guarantee that they would be safe. Ncjday

But what Finian hadn’t expected, was for his little soul to have already made arrangements.

{ To Be Continued }

[ A/N:  Hi there! Thank you for picking-up IJWASL. I hope you are all enjoying it so far, and it’s great to hear that everyone appreciates the early and thorough face-slapping of Kalel. I’m just here to reveal that every now and then I do (pretty terrible) artwork for my novels in hopes of giving people a general layout of things. On this occasion, I have drawn a layout of the planets, which has information on it as of chapter 3. ]

If you’re interested in taking a look, then I popped it on my Ko-Fi page, which is free to view~ ୧☉□☉୨ lLcG91