{ Chapter Five }
When it came to being the most ostentatious outside of Nova, #OWS1 held the record. By extension, the artificially-enhanced lump of rock was a duplicate of Nova with its love of yellow golds and platinum, but on a hugely condensed scale.
As such, it was a location where not even the super wealthy could simply afford to live. This is because of the firm grasp Nova’s Governing Body holds over the tiny planet. Their word is the law, and they control every single pebble that sits upon the lavish grounds.
Their prized jewel which is situated on #OWS1, is Cora. The Omega Finishing School that is said to welcome any and all Omegas who wish to learn from the ages of thirteen through to sixteen years of age. Which was far from the truth, when one read the fine-print.
Nova’s Governing Body’s control extended to the finishing-school, and they closely monitor who was granted a placement within its walls. With a majority of its pupils hailing from substantially-wealthy or influential families. In fact, a list was already decided upon with regards to future students, one that the school would welcome without dispute once they reached a suitable age.
Built up around Cora were many strict laws, one which dictates that once a term starts then there is no way any Alpha or Beta parent can set foot onto its premises. There are no exceptions to this law. Which is why some families take advantage of this by trying to obtain residency on the planet, with the excuse being that they wished to be closer to their child.
Those who are successful are far from the average family, and as such come with their fair share of baggage. So in order to make them happy, Nova’s Governing Body enhanced the already all-seeing security to a point where every single part of the planet was being monitored. Which was always going to be susceptible to bribes by those who knew just whose ear to whisper into, if they didn’t want a certain action to be recorded.
But that didn’t mean visitors weren’t welcome, as many often flocked to the luxurious planet. But it was hardly the place to go if a person or group wished to keep their business to themselves, and out of prying eyes. Instead those certain individuals chose #OWS2, which Nova considered the ugly sibling. Where most importantly, their jurisdiction was limited.
It was a planet the exact same scale as #OWS1, but it didn’t boast in the same way. It was somewhere people escaped to if they wanted a breather from having their every move monitored.
But contrary to the abundance of propaganda that the Governing Body fed to the entirety of Nova, where it spoke of nothing but lawlessness, #OWS2 was surprisingly pleasant. With the temperamental weather being the only harsh thing about it.
Which is why it was considered to be the sibling planet of Calix.
Regardless, it was the last place Ace expected to be, as he had planned on taking a long holiday on the Floating Isles within Nova, where he could focus on finding his next muse. But following the extensive transmissions sent between him and Mr. Xue, he had found himself quick to agree to a meeting.
There was very limited information about Finian Xue when Ace tried to look him up via the Link on his wrist. All he could gather was that the capable Omega was living very comfortably on one of the off-world settlements. And the only reason Ace suspected Mr. Xue had a child, was because of the article mentioning Thebaria First.
If Ace had once suspected that the man was potentially a push-over, which proved to be a fleeting thought as he glanced over the first sentences within the article, which talked about the manipulative Alpha, then he was swiftly proven wrong by Mr. Xue’s forthright response once Ace had agreed to a meeting.
Ace was denied the opportunity of taking his own transporter to #OWS2, and was instead greeted by one belonging to Mr. Xue. What greeted him inside was an impeccably-dressed man wearing a pair of sleek black glasses which at first glance appeared far too unassuming to be solely used for his eyesight.
As ever the socialite, Ace took a seat across from the man and crossed one long leg over the other. Around his shoulders was a white fur coat that he knew accentuated his hair and eyes. Which proved irrelevant as the man got straight to business, which came in the form of a notification on Ace’s Communicator.
“If you wouldn’t mind, Mr. Kohner.” The uptight yet calm man urged Ace to sign on the dotted line, but where was the fun in that?
“You look like the lawyer type,” Ace quirked his lips. “Help me out. Is it appropriate to pressure me into signing my name on something I haven’t even had the opportunity to read yet?”
There wasn’t a shred of hesitancy in the response he was given, “By law, you are of course allowed plenty of time to read it over. Unfortunately for you, Mr. Xue isn’t someone who will tolerate tardiness. So let me keep this brief, on that document it states that you are forbidden from relaying anything you have heard or spoken about during this meeting. If by chance someone does find out, and Mr. Xue suspects it was you, then you’re going to be in for a long legal battle.”
Ace sat back in his seat, not caring as the door shut and the transporter began to move. He regarded this strange man with an appropriate bearing, “And I’m supposed to feel safe working for a man like that? With a continuous threat of court looming over my head?” He was not as fragile as he sometimes liked people to believe he was, but he was still always interested to see how people reacted.
And from the look of it, the steady yet sharp gaze of the lawyer told Ace that he knew exactly what he was doing. But a quick shift in expressions spoke plenty. He would take the bait this time.
Silas Quincy clasped his hands together over his knee. “You’re an inquisitive man and from what I read from yours and Mr. Xue’s transmissions, you’re aware of recent ongoings. So I’m sure you can understand that Mr. Xue will do anything in his power to ensure he safeguards both himself and everything he cares about. If that means making a few enemies along the way— then so be it, that’s why I’m here.”
Ace picked up on the loss of frigidity as the man continued to speak. The familiarity in his voice, as well as the passion that unbeknownst to him laced his words, gave Ace far more insight on both the man wearing glasses and the man he was scheduled to meet. It was the little things he was unable to stop himself looking out for; a force of habit if you will.
Having stretched it out for long enough, Ace scribbled his name and the document vanished, along with any lingering tensions between him and the man he shared the transporter with. But he was in for a further surprise, as the man flickered and vanished after introducing himself.
Silas Quincy had been nothing more than a perfectly knitted hologram, completely fooling Ace into believing they would be sharing an interesting journey to #OWS2. But instead he felt like a jilted lover; forced to entertain himself by munching on the treats that were offered to him to hopefully alleviate some of the boredom that came with the short journey.
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.
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His widened blue eyes had grown dark due to the all-year-round shade that coated the small planet. It was due to it constantly being in #OWS1’s shadow, but Caius found everything obscure about it to be outstandingly beautiful.
Due to its perpetual darkness, the glowing lights were as far as the eye could see. But #OWS2’s magnificence wasn’t just limited to the ground, as the rampant air was prone to purple lightning that sliced across the overhead sky against a backdrop of black space.
It was visible from afar, and most probably dangerous. But Caius not once thought of the risk, and instead plopped on his bottom by the window and brought out his pencil case which he had been clinging onto. He unravelled the fabric and displayed the meticulously-kept pencils beside him.
As soon as his pale white fingers reached for the first colour, he was absorbed in his drawing. Which Finian quickly found was almost impossible to distract his passionate son away from. So he prepared for this eventuality, ensuring that his little soul had eaten as soon as they arrived at the restaurant.
The server, who had been appointed to them did a double-take when he spotted the young master tucked away on the ground, using techniques which were deemed archaic. But he didn’t have to look far for the child’s parent, who appeared more than comfortable allowing his child to do as he liked.
The server inclined his head out of respect to the older Omega, “Per your request sir, I am obliged to inform you that your guest will be touching down shortly. In the meantime, may I offer you and the young sir a drink?”
In the rectangular room which had an entire wall dedicated to taking in the landscape of the designer planet, Finian had positioned himself in one of the larger circular chairs away from the dinner table. Around him were a plethora of cushions, with his slender body relaxing amongst them, looking as ethereal as a painting crafted by an artist who was on their knees professing their undying love.
Finian kept himself propped up by laying on his side, his pale purple robe fanning out around him as his long white hair cascaded down over his shoulder. “A marvellous idea, I’ll have the Oblucchio Noir.” His eyes, as always, found his son. “We’ll also have another one of those sweet vitamin drinks.”
Once the server had left the room, it was only a few short minutes before he returned, but this time he wasn’t alone. Following behind was Ace Kohner, who appeared to be admiring his surroundings just as much as Caius was.
The server added another glass to the table which Finian steadily approached, and soon as the deep red liquid reached the halfway-point he placed the bottle in the bucket of ice with the branding facing away from them and excused himself. Leaving the two men dressed very differently, standing staring at each other.
“I hope you don’t mind,” Finian brought the staring contest to an end as he reached for his own drink. “I took the liberty of choosing our poison.”
Ace stepped further into the room and joined him in raising a glass. “Not at all. I’m more than interested in what vintage Mr. Xue has selected. A lot can be said by the wine we choose to drink.” He shared and had no worries as he took a sip and savoured the flavour.
“You don’t say. Then please tell me, Mr. Kohner, what my selection says about me?” Finian took a seat at the table and gestured for his guest to do the same.
His guest was staring at the glass in his hand, pondering. When the trance seemed to break, he effortlessly took a seat and swooped some of his obsidian-coloured hair behind his ear.
Along the shell of his ear was various silver and black studs. The atmosphere shifted around him; what once portrayed a flamboyant yet well-behaved young man, now revealed a further hint of uniqueness to his character.
“If I didn’t know better, then I’d say your selection of wines was not one intending to represent yourself, but instead to see how it reacts with my own tastebuds.” Ace observed and ran his tongue across his lips to lap up any excess wine. “To which I’d have to confess, is a little too sweet for my liking. But you knew that already.”
Finian leant to the side and grasped the bottle which had been sat in ice. He brought it out and set it on the table, swivelling it around so that his guest could confirm his own theory.
“Oblucchio Noir,” The name rolled off Finian’s tongue with a delectable accent. “A controversial wine which was chemically altered to best fit the desire of a certain category of people. While to most, it tastes sour.” He dared to take another sip before sliding the glass away from him to join the rest of the bottle of outstandingly expensive alcohol.
Ace also took another sip, wondering if he could hack it, but failed. His face contorted as if he were chomping down on a sour grape. Not the reaction a wine merchant would have hoped for.
Casting aside his drink, he rose to his feet and boldly took hold of the bottle Finian had already discarded. He cocked his head with a sly grin, “It would be a waste of your hard earned money if we didn’t finish this bottle, but I think I can safely say for the both of us that this sickly-sweet creation is just not up to scratch.”
“Then what do you propose we do?” Finian asked with clear interest.
They had officially breached the line that had once identified them as strangers. So Ace had no qualms about abandoning the furs that kept him warm on the cool surface of the planet. Underneath, he wore a white silky blouse with a connecting choker that appeared far more promiscuous than Finian’s airy yet regal-looking robes. On his bottom half were a pair of dark-grey trousers which clung to his lithe yet curvy frame.
Even Finian couldn’t help but admire the man’s form, especially when it was practically dancing in front of his eyes. “If you wouldn’t mind me making a request of your server?”
“By all means,” and so Finian summoned him.
Ace greeted him with a smile, “Fetch us a bottle of Viejo Cava, good sir.”
There was clear hesitation in the server’s body-language as a response. Even Finian arched a brow at Ace’s suggestion, but with a nod towards the staff, the man departed to get a bottle. Which left Ace, who advised Finian to be patient for a few moments longer and he would completely understand the odd wine request.
The Viejo Cava wasn’t a necessarily expensive wine, but still a firm favourite for Beta’s to drink. Unfortunately in many fine establishments, wines dedicated to Alpha’s and Omega’s were in abundance while Beta’s were minimal. So Ace was thrilled when the server reappeared with a bottle.
He approached the man and politely took it before he could even release the seal. He knew what he was about to do would probably give the connoisseur heart palpitations, so he thanked him and ushered him out. When he turned around, he spotted Finian looking somewhat amused.
Ace approached the table and fetched two fresh glasses from a nearby tray. With them expertly held in between his fingers, he set them down on the table right in front of his future boss. This was the closest the two men had been to each other, and they quickly had to appreciate each other’s redeeming features.
“What I’m about to show you is something that will be frowned upon in establishments like this one.”
“I can hardly wait.” Finian’s voice lacked a shred of enthusiasm, but it bounced off someone like Ace Kohner.
In the glasses, Ace combined the two vastly different vintages and looked like some mad scientist in the process. Finian noticed that the man appeared very proud of himself, as he carefully and meticulously measured out how much to put in the flute-shaped glasses.
Once he was done, he handed one over. Finian first brought it to his nose, swirling the mixture of wines around. Then he took a sip, and was left surprisingly pleased. No longer was it unbearably sweet without much of a flavour, instead it now possessed fragrant notes of fruit with a depth of oaky-ness. It was a far more enjoyable journey for the tastebuds than the palate-cleansing wines usually offered to him.
Ace was more than happy to take a few sips while Finian lingered in his own thoughts. When Ace retook his seat, they both happily enjoyed their drinks in silence before eventually it was Finian who broke it. “Are you not going to ask how I knew?”
Ace lightly shrugged, once again brushing his hair back off his shoulders. “I make it my prerogative to keep my personal details out of immediate reach of most people, but there’s no way I can hide them from those with friends in high places.”
Finian seemed pleased with his answer but felt like he had to add, “I assure you that I have no friends in such places, only myself and a very talented lawyer whom you met earlier.”
Ace appreciated the odd reassurance that his details hadn’t been passed around amongst a team of people working for Mr. Xue. He nodded his head, “He is very talented with his tongue, making sure I knew about the ramifications of going behind your back.”
His future boss glossed over the innuendo and sat back in his seat, ruffling his long white hair as a slight warming glow appeared on his cheeks due to the alcohol. Oblucchio Noir and other wines alike, were made so that the alcoholic content was minimal and yet still tasted alcoholic. It could be compared to children’s juice. Viejo Cava was a different case altogether.
Ace was used to such concoctions, he leant his forearms on the table as he regarded Mr. Xue. “May I ask if I have passed your test? Although I must say it’s quite the job interview for an art-teacher’s position.”
“No matter how minor you believe it to be, anything that involves a stranger being around my son is of the utmost importance to me. But I confess I haven’t been entirely forthcoming with you, Mr. Kohner.” Ace suspected as much. “As what initially captured my attention about you was your other passion.”
“Oh I see, and you believe your son is in need of such procedures?” Ace wondered.
Finian had no doubts, “See for yourself.” He urged and gestured with a hand to the side of the room, to where a sofa was positioned. There was no one seated on it, but when Ace climbed to his feet, he was surprised to see a young boy facing the window, completely engrossed in his drawing.
He had been completely unaware that the child was in the room with them, nor did Mr. Xue’s son seem in the least bit concerned about what they were talking about. Neither was he seemingly aware of Ace’s approaching presence.
Ace looked back to the boy’s father, who had come to join him as they stood and watched. “He never cried as a baby, instead he always watched everything around him. He’s smart and makes me laugh even when he doesn’t intend to, but lately he reached out passionately towards art. Not that there is anything wrong about that, but I just can’t help but worry about how unaware he is when lost in a masterpiece— and no, I don’t exaggerate— he creates masterpieces, Mr. Kohner.”
From what Ace could see, he didn’t doubt the latter part of Mr. Xue’s words. The striking purple would lure anyone closer to have a look. He tilted his head in Mr. Xue’s direction but didn’t remove his gaze from the boy dressed in the same colour as his father. “May I ask his name?”
“If you take the job.”
Ace grinned and offered a hand, an old way of making an agreement. He tried not to laugh at the sight of Mr. Xue’s reluctance, but in the end he gave in and sacrificed his hand.
“He’s called Caius.”
To which the little bundle of purple fabric shifted by the window. Caius stopped what he was doing, carefully popping down his pencils before turning his head to look in Finian and Ace’s direction. Ace was left completely gobsmacked.
Caius was a miniature version of his father, and definitely a child that would elicit parental instincts in just about anybody. Big blue eyes peered at him, pondering his identity. Which obviously didn’t conclude well, as Caius’ expression relaxed into a frown. It was still far too cute to be considered worrisome.
Not that it mattered, as now that Ace was under Caius’ father’s employ, there was plenty of time to tease the little star.
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On a different planet, in a location that could hardly be considered modest, sat a group of people completely embellished in and surrounded by gold and platinum.
They were located in the very heart of Nova’s most elite of locations. The Government Building. Which was through and through a palace. No expense had been spared in its construction, and those who were able to conduct business inside of it were considered royalty.
A meeting had been rapidly called, inviting only a select few members of Nova’s government who were privy to the subject they would be discussing. No interlude was permitted until it was over, and so far it stretched on for hours.
Mindless grumblings had just about driven the man possessing the highest rank mad. He pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to keep his stress level to a minimum. What had once been a matter of concern, had spiralled into full-blown disaster by the time the rest of the imbeciles had chimed in with their opinions.
He’d had enough.
“Silence! How much more time must we waste on chatter that is only taking us in circles? We shall start from the beginning, but this time I will be the only one to ask questions. Do I make myself clear, gentlemen?” The large circular room where official meetings were conducted, was designed in such a way where pheromones were contained.
It allowed superior Alphas such as himself to let loose when he was truly feeling aggravated, and as such the remainder of the people in the room began to sweat.
“Koba, tell me once again what it is you have discovered.” One of the youngest member’s of Nova’s Governing Body happily obliged.
“It has come to my attention, my lord, that following the article I’m sure we have all read regarding Thebaria First, Caius Xue has been removed from the school by his Omega father, Finian Xue. What is of major concern, is that we have no way of knowing for certain what Finian Xue has planned for his child. As it is now going to be impossible to obtain information from the source themselves, as the spy we previously relied upon became greedy not just when it came to Finian Xue’s substantial wealth, but also ended up becoming the catalyst for Thebaria First’s downfall in the eyes of the media.”
Again the man who sat at the top of the table started rubbing at his aching head. He signalled for Koba to continue.
“The witless degenerate of an Alpha will be punished accordingly, but with his exposure came more revelations about Thebaria First’s alleged impenetrable privacy. Which we all know has been as flexible as we have needed it to be in the past. But most importantly, it has put us in a position which I’m sure we would have hoped to avoid regarding our ongoing situation with Calix.”
The men who were threatened to silence could only huff and nod their heads. But they all looked to their leader for hope.
Who proceeded to sit back in his seat and tap his finger against the armrest. The clanking of his rings became the only sound in the deafeningly-silent room.
“Will this cause complications with the project?” He eventually asked and as it wasn’t Kobe’s area of expertise, he didn’t respond. So in the end no one spoke, and the headache was festering with each passing second.
Fortunately someone with sense filled the blank space. “We shouldn’t think so, my lord. We intercepted transmissions between an Ace Kohner and Finian Xue mentioning ‘independent schooling’ for the boy.”
“And do we know this Ace Kohner personally?”
“I’m afraid not, my lord. But I had him looked into in advance and it turns out he’s a surprisingly well-known artist.”
Head resting on his hand, the man in charge narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. “And why is that surprising?”
“Well, given his pretty unimpressive background and the fact that he’s an Omega, he’s done well for himself. Then there’s the fact that he’s an art therapist, so I can only presume he will know the ins and outs of the boy.”
That’s more like it.
The meeting was eventually brought to a close, with one final order issued by the man everyone tried their best to leave a good impression with.
“Get him on board.” He instructed, leaving no more room for error.
{ To Be Continued }
Thank you for the chapter ~(≧▽≦)/~
Oh my.
I hope he doesn’t do anything to Caius and Finny.
Thanks for the chapter
So Ace is Omega??? Or not? 😢😢😢❓
Thank you for the Chapter.
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Indeed he is~ which is why he found Oblucchio Noir as sickly sweet as Finian did 😉
oohh, i think he’s alpha :”
Thanks for reply
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Ohh so Ace is gonna be Caius’ teacher! And omgg, so he’s an omega! Legit thought he was an alpha at first, but forget that, I am absolutely in love with him and his whole aura!! The way him and his movements are described is chef’s kiss
Also, whomst tf are these people? They don’t sound like they’re anything good. And I wonder why they’re spying on the Xue fam…
Thanks for the chapter! 🙂
What is their obsession with Caius and Finian?
I hope since Ace is an omega, he won’t be swayed to work with those jerk alphas! He did sign a confidentiality agreement, so there’s that.
Thanks for the chapter <3
Silas is such a capable lawyer! I’m really glad Finian has someone reliable like him.
Ohhhh, Ace has found his new Muse, Caius is too fascinating!
Thanks for the chapter!
These damned alphas! I hope they get dealt with before they can cause too much harm for Finian and Caius.
if you think you Alfascan get Ace on bord your dead wrong. There is definitely no way he would help you at all. but if it does happen you will have a pissed off Mama after your behinds and I don’t think it will end well … on your part Lol. 😏
This story is fast becoming my new favorite! Love the characters!
I’m starting to ship Finian and Ace, hehe. Even in ABO we have gay pride, okay? Omega/omega ftw! <3
But by all means ship them, honestly I’ll join you lmao. There is going to be plenty of shippable material~
[ sorryforspammingyouomg ]
Whyyyyy!!!! I knew i shouldnt had read this yet and wait for more chapters but curiosity was killing me!!!! I need moree!!!
Im happy that you moved your novel to CG~
Yours truly Carina B. ٩(๑•◡-๑)۶ⒽⓤⒼ❤
Ah, poor Alpha feels attacked.
Thank you for the update ❤️
Thanks for the chapter! Why all the interest in the omega parent & child?
so wait those sick guys want want to use him as experiment? so those drugs in the past were no coincidence?
Akdndaksnanma “But instead he felt like a jilted lover; forced to entertain himself by munching on the treats” this has the mental visual equivalent of growing mushrooms in a corner for me and I laughed so much.
!!!! Unexpected! I totally didn’t tag him as a teacher and that’s fantastic! I love I couldn’t guess! Looking for to Ace’s guidance and for Caius to florish!
Meanwhile, in the dark corner I wonder why they need to keep an eye on him 🤔 especially since last life Caius maybe(?) Wasn’t aware he was being monitored?? So interesting~
Thank you for the Chapter!!