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The rest of the first day at the company passed without any more drama. Compared to my conversation with the mighty director, nothing could even come close. I felt strangely numb and detached, like someone recovering from a trauma. I nodded, said ‘hi’, shook hands, introduced myself, though it felt pointless, since everyone already knew exactly who I was.

Manager Lorens turned out to be a pretty decent guy. One of those easygoing, nurturing types of supervisors. He walked me through everything I needed to know, handed over all the system passwords, and filled me in on all the information I was expected to have as an employee. Then he started explaining the projects the team was working on, and that’s when something caught me off guard, his department was in charge of designing the graphics for the registration system of… the Beta Activation Program.

Small world. Blue would be surprised.

This government initiative had its own website and app, allowing participants to register easily. DevApp was responsible for its development, and they were currently working on some upgrades, which meant they needed additional graphics.

In practice, that meant sifting through stock photo sites or sitting around generating AI images for the program’s help and information sections. The pictures had to show smiling betas, absolutely thrilled about the opportunity to transform into alphas or omegas. Yeah, right. I had to hold back a snicker as I generated one cheerful scene after another, carefully choosing the right color schemes so everything would look just perfect.

Mind-numbing work. But in some industries, there were jobs like that—dead ends, positions that always had to be filled by someone.

There were four other graphic designers in my department. Like me, they all reported to Manager Lorens, who in turn reported to Winter. Two of my coworkers were omegas, the other two betas.

Since Lorens had introduced me to the team, they’d occasionally glance at me throughout the day, subtle looks that were hard to interpret.

Were they irritated that the CEO’s son had been dumped into their department, forever changing the mood in the room?

No more gossip about the CEO, and I knew there were some colorful ways he was secretly described— "He's got a stick up his ass", or "The human embodiment of a clenched sphincter", or "The guy with an authority kink without the fun part."

Not anymore! I was the ultimate buzzkiller.

But maybe their glances were just… curiosity? About how an alpha would handle a job that typically wasn’t meant for alphas?

Both omegas were married, and both betas were in relationships, which was honestly a relief. Alphas were always suspected of bringing a certain kind of energy into the workplace, so at least here, I wouldn’t have to deal with any of that.

The day dragged on, uneventful and tedious, except for the occasional unwelcome flashbacks of my peachy encounter with Winter. Other than that, nothing happened.

At lunchtime, most of the employees headed to the cafeteria, but I wasn’t really in the mood to join them. These types of social interactions had always been kind of tricky for me. I was that emo loner in high school, then a commuting student who didn’t live on campus, always a bit on the outside. Maybe it was time to change that? Be more social?

…Yeah, no. That just wasn’t me.

So after a moment of thought, I gave up on the idea. I’d brought my own breakfast anyway, so I stayed behind and ate in silence while everyone else filed out, enjoying a rare moment of peace.

The rest of the day—more of the same.

As I finally walked out of the building, I pulled out my phone right away and called Blue.

From the start, I complained about Winter’s behavior, expecting sympathy.

Instead, Blue surprised me by taking his side, at least a little.

"You know," he said, "if Mr. Malden had a son, and that son came to work for me and snickered during our first conversation? I’d also take it as him trying to challenge my authority. Like he was marking his territory—‘boss’s kid’ style. Sending a message about who’s really in charge."

I sighed. I hadn’t seen it that way. I hadn’t been trying to challenge him at all. But I guess everyone interprets things differently. Hearing what he thought about it, I decided to leave out the fainting incident. Too embarrassing.

Then, just for fun, I mentioned something else I’d noticed about Winter: his lips. How, for a second, I’d imagined leaning in and kissing him.

Blue, of course, had the most Blue response possible.

"Very funny," he muttered. "But I strongly advise against it. Kissing is disgusting. You know you exchange bacteria every time you do it, right? With every new person you kiss, you absorb their oral microbiome. People with multiple partners end up with insanely diverse bacteria colonies. Some of them can be aggressive, even cause diseases. So maybe don’t go around kissing just anyone."

I made a noise of pure disgust.

"Can you not?" I groaned. "Do you have to analyze everything like that?"

That was just so typical of him. I couldn’t decide if I hated him for it or secretly found it endearing.

"I highly doubt Winter has a ton of partners. People usually aren’t into that albino aesthetic. Sure, he has symmetrical features, but his coloring…"

"You never know," Blue added, his voice dropping to a low, amused murmur. "Some people may be into how different he is."

That got me thinking.

"Hmm. If I were to be honest, I also think he’s beautiful in a unique way, almost magical. Like a character straight out of a fantasy novel. But still… in real life? Probably doesn’t have it easy when it comes to dating."

"‘Still waters run deep’, as they say. Sometimes, the quiet ones turn out to be absolute demons in bed."

He let out a grave little chuckle. I almost fired back something sharp—"Yeah, because you’d totally know, considering you’ve never been in a relationship in your life."

But I bit my tongue. No point kicking a guy when he’s already down.

***

At home, my father didn’t ask a single question about my first day.

We ate dinner in silence while Vren took over the conversation, ranting about his problems at the bank and complaining about his subordinates. I actually felt kind of bad for them, it was another classic case of the boss’s kid being in charge when he probably shouldn’t be. Sure, Vren had the education, but not much real experience, especially in a managerial role. So it wasn’t exactly surprising that there was tension at his workplace, and of course, he spent the entire dinner rambling about it. As always, everything revolved around him.

Only when we were done eating did Dad acknowledge me, stopping me on my way to the bathroom. His eyes radiated worry.

"Everything alright, Sariel?"

I knew what he meant. He wasn’t just asking if I was okay. He was also asking how work had gone.

"Yeah, everything’s great, Dad. Perfect," I said, stretching my lips into a fake smile. I did it for his sake. He was way too anxious to handle my workplace drama. It was better to spare him extra stress.

He gave a relieved nod and left just as quickly. His face showed a kind of quiet contentment.

My father always had specific plans for me, but my dad just wanted me to start working. He wanted it so badly that he genuinely didn’t care what kind of job it was, where it was, or what I was doing, as long as I was doing something. He was raised this way, in a culture that valued hard work, and he just couldn’t understand how I managed to spend the whole summer floating around doing whatever. Now that he was finally relaxed, I wasn’t about to spoil it for him.

Shuffling like an old man, I made my way to my room. I slumped in front of my computer and stared at my new project. Just a few sketchy lines so far: an outline of a tropical island. I wanted to draw it from a bird’s-eye view, in the style of those classic adventure game maps. There were supposed to be hidden treasures and traps scattered across it. I thought about giving them sarcastic names like "Ouch, That Hurts", "Here Lie My Deepest Insecurities", "Rapidly Declining Self-Esteem", and "Don’t Dig Here, I Might Bite". I was even planning a funny little legend to go with it.

But I just wasn’t in the mood. My creativity had pretty much burned itself out today.

Instead, I grabbed a regular sheet of paper and a pencil and sketched a simple scene: me, impaled by an icy lance held by an elven prince. It looked dramatic, there was a pool of blood, and a cold, white light radiated from the elf’s eyes.

Sighing, I put the pencil down. I had dance practice at the studio tonight at 7 pm, but I couldn’t bring myself to go. I collapsed onto my bed instead, still clutching the sketch in my hand.

For a while, I just stared at the drawing, blankly, numb.

Should this even matter to me this much? Blue always said I overthink everything.

I’d practically made it a hobby.

***

Just like that, my time at DevApp had officially begun.

Of course, I made sure to steer clear of Winter. The first few days blurred together—identical, monotonous. It felt like waking up, loading the same images, going to sleep, and waking up again, only to load the exact same ones.

Like trudging endlessly through snow. Or sand. One day indistinguishable from the next, one hour identical to the last. Mindless tasks, boring assignments, coworkers hunched over their desks in silence. Nothing, absolutely nothing to inject even a flicker of excitement into my life.

Maybe that was good? Maybe peace was a blessing. Some people would probably be grateful for a job like this.

But I wanted more. I wanted something challenging. Something that would make me feel alive. I was eager to learn, to develop new skills.

Was that too much to ask?

The only things that gave me any real distraction were my dance practices and sketching new scenes for my T-shirts. It was my only creative escape.

About a week into the job, I finally decided to go down to the cafeteria for the first time. Just for a change of scenery. To see some different faces, because I already knew the ones in my office way too well.

As I stood in line, I noticed something interesting.

Another alpha had just walked into the room.

I raised an eyebrow in surprise. It took me a second to remember. Of course, I wasn’t the only alpha in the company. Winter’s brother, Skye, was here too.

It truly felt surreal to see him at DevApp. But he looked nothing like me. When he entered, every head turned. He was the kind of alpha no omega could ignore.

Strikingly handsome, almost annoyingly so.

Taller than me, more muscular, and dressed like he’d just stepped off a runway.

Yet somehow, it didn’t look forced, he carried himself with an effortless kind of elegance. Sophisticated yet masculine, striking the perfect balance. His hair was styled in that calculatedly messy way, dark chestnut strands falling just right over his forehead.

Looking closely, I could see the resemblance to Winter. They had similar noses, and then there were the lips: full, sensual, almost identical in their definition. But Skye’s coloring was definitely more approachable, or at least, that’s probably how most people saw him, especially compared to Winter’s.

I had no doubt he had zero trouble getting any omega he wanted spread wide in his bed. Guys like him always had it easy.

But it was a different case. His eyes weren’t on some omega.

The entire time he sat at his table, he was locked onto one person, some weird-looking beta. The kind of guy I wouldn’t even glance at. Actually, the kind I’d usually go out of my way to avoid.

Shaved sides, barbed wire tattoos across his cheeks and temples, screaming ‘I have a troubled past’, piercings in his ears, nose, eyebrows… even at the corner of his mouth.

And yet, Skye kept staring at this oddball.

I’m not saying the guy was ugly, his features were sharp, very attractive, but the whole ‘edgy’ aesthetic? Way over the top.

I had no idea how someone like Skye could be into someone like this beta. Enough to actually take a job here just to win over this ‘bad boy’?

Too ‘bad’ for him, pun intended. The beta seemed to already have a boyfriend. He was sitting at a table with another beta employee, and that little mousy guy was gazing at him with the sweetest, most adoring eyes.

Funny. Looked like some kind of love drama was playing out.

Not that I had a clue what was really going on. And to be honest, I had no desire to find out. Other people screwing up their lives wasn’t my business. Folks tend to do ridiculous things for romance, right?

For a brief moment, my gaze met Skye’s. Like everyone else, he probably knew who I was. There wasn’t a single employee here who hadn’t heard about ‘the boss’s kid’.

Not much I could do about that. I just sat down and started eating.

Winter and the other high-ranking managers never showed up in the cafeteria, their assistants brought them their meals instead.

Good. That meant it was a safe space.

I finished my lunch and went back to my office.

The rest of my day was spent making icons.

Same old, same old.

***

But that same day, something new happened. When my working day ended, I headed to the parking lot toward my car.

That’s when I saw a tall figure crossing the lot diagonally—not far from me.

Winter.

Hoping he wouldn’t notice me, I slowed my steps. He got into his car. I was just about to walk past, pretending to look the other way, when I saw him try to start the engine.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Nothing.

I hesitated.

Shit. This was risky. He could get pissed.

Winter stepped out of the car, and only then did he see me standing nearby.

But… his expression didn’t change. Same as always, distant, unreadable.

And then, for some reason, I felt compelled to speak.

"Car trouble?"

He looked at me like a bug had just spoken to him.

No response.

He lifted his phone, about to make a call.

But before I knew what I was doing, I said, "I can give you a ride. I don’t have any plans right now."

Still, no response.

He started typing something into his screen.

Even from a distance, I recognized the Uber app.

"Wait," I said, struck by sudden intuition. "I have jumper cables in my car. Might just be the battery, I can help you get it started."

Winter slowly lifted his head. The 'bug' had caught his attention? I wasn’t expecting the reaction I got. His expression was… somewhat annoyed and a little bit surprised. I honestly hadn’t thought his visage was even capable of looking any different than haughty and aloof.

"I thought we had an understanding, Lowen," he said. "Was I not clear enough?"

I scoffed, a little bitterly. "Yes, you were, Director. But this could be an easy fix, I’m just trying to help."

He kept staring at me. His white lashes were long, so long they curled slightly at the ends, giving them this effect… like frost had settled on them.

"I know. Rich kid. What could I possibly know about jump-starting a car?" I waved a hand toward my head. "Just the thought alone is probably short-circuiting your brain, huh?"

I tried to smile to lighten the mood. I did this a lot, joking about myself out loud. Why not? I just said what everyone was already thinking. Usually, people reacted the same way: ‘Oh no, that’s not true, I wasn’t thinking that!’—even though they obviously were.

But Winter surprised me. His face barely changed. Except, at the corner of those beautiful, full lips, a tiny smirk of contempt appeared.

He didn’t bother reassuring me that he didn’t think that way. Instead, he just folded his arms across his chest, challenging me now. I looked at them. And damn. They were solid. His biceps tensed, noticeably defined beneath his sleeves. His build was better than mine. And I was supposed to be the one alpha-presenting here.

"Well then, be my guest," Winter said, making a brief gesture toward his car’s hood.

I felt a slight rush of adrenaline. What if this didn’t work? What if I just embarrassed myself? But then again, who cared? Worst-case scenario, his sensual lips would curl into yet another contemptuous smirk.

Clenching my jaw slightly, I grabbed the cables from my trunk. When I was younger, I used to go with my uncle Victor and his grandkids to his cabin in the woods from time to time. He liked switching up his environment, escaping the city life. He was the one who taught me a few handy tricks, things that definitely set me apart from the typical downtown kids.

Winter popped the hood of his car, and I pulled my car closer, so the cables could reach. Keeping a neutral expression, I hooked them up to my battery first, then stretched them over to his.

"Try starting it now. Even if your battery is old and needs replacing, at least this way, you’ll be able to drive somewhere to get a new one and drop off the old one."

I held my breath for a moment as Winter got into his car and turned the key. And then… a miracle happened. The engine came to life!

For a split second, I saw surprise flash across Winter’s face, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared, replaced by his usual unreadable expression.

He stepped out of the car, leaving the engine idling while I unhooked the cables.

"The old battery’s a minor issue, if the timing belt snapped, I wouldn’t have been able to help…" I muttered, trying to sound funny, but it didn’t land.

His eyes bore into me like daggers. So very like my father’s.

But then, I heard it.

"Thanks. Useful skill."

Wow. Honestly, I thought he’d just drive off without a word. But I actually got a kind word.

I shrugged slightly. "Not a skill I get to use often. The people I usually deal with trade in their cars every two years, so their batteries don’t even get the chance to die."

It was hard to tell what reaction, if any, my words sparked. His face remained the same, but somehow, in a subtle way, I could feel his lingering surprise.

How did I even sense that? Hell if I knew.

And once again, my gaze drifted to his lips. This was getting ridiculous. Almost masochistic. They fascinated me.

How could something so soft and sensual belong to someone so cold?

I imagined Winter having a boyfriend, someone who got to kiss those lips every day, someone who got to enjoy the contrast of that warmth in a sea of ice.

Stupid thoughts. Completely pointless, borderline self-torture. And yet, they kept sneaking back in.

I coiled up the cables and put them back in my trunk. Dragging this out any longer would just be awkward.

"Well, I’ll get going then. Have a good evening, Director."

I sent him a brief, polite smile. For a moment, it looked like he wanted to say something, but he changed his mind.

Then his eyes drifted to my chest.

By a twist of fate, I had on the T-shirt with the elf prince piercing an ice lance into my heart. Winter’s eyes fixed on the scene for a few seconds, obviously analyzing it. The surprise kept lingering in his energy.

But soon he snapped out of it. He gave me a small nod and headed for his car.

And that was the extent of my interaction with the ‘icy prince’ for the day.

That evening, I drew another scene and printed it on a T-shirt.

It showed me on my knees, coiling up cables next to a car, while an ice prince rested his elegant foot on my back, a naughty expression on his face.

With a smirk, I put it on that morning and headed to my car.

***

Fifteen minutes later, as I reached the parking lot and pulled into one of the few empty spaces, I spotted an Uber stop nearby. And stepping out of it? None other than Winter.

Our eyes met, and I figured, why not? Perfect chance for a little follow-up.

"So, turns out it was more than just a battery issue?"

Winter didn’t look thrilled to see me. No surprises there.

"I don’t know yet. I had to make a stop on the way, parked the car, and after that, it wouldn’t start again."

"Got it. Sounds like you’ll need to call roadside assistance and have it towed." I shrugged. "In the meantime, my offer still stands, I can give you a ride. No need to waste money on Uber."

I added a small, innocent smirk, because let’s be real… Winter, as a high-ranking executive, probably didn’t care about the cost of an Uber.

Well, I guess my offer didn’t land.

His gaze slid lower, over my chest, and fixed on the scene. I could literally see him freeze for a second, the meaning of it registering in his mind. Maybe he even put the pieces together, realizing that the other T-shirt prints were also about him?

Then he straightened up, gave me his signature unreadable look… and walked right past me without a word.

Wow, respect! He really controlled himself well, not showing what he truly felt about my little displays of dark humor.

Or he just really didn’t care?

Still, I spent the day in a relatively good mood. Even the slightest thaw in my interactions with Winter had a strangely uplifting effect.

Why was it important anyway? He was a withdrawn, emotionally unavailable guy. Probably a total psycho. Definitely hated alphas for no reason. And he personally couldn’t stand me. What was I expecting? That our professional relationship would greatly improve? That was wildly unrealistic to begin with.

But later that afternoon, as I was leaving work, I was in for a surprise.

It was raining. Hard. Sheets of water pouring from the sky.

Hesitating, I stopped just before the exit, but then I noticed Winter stepping out of a different elevator, phone in hand.

He was probably calling an Uber. Or maybe he already had.

Standing there, I considered my options.

For some reason, I felt a weird reluctance to speak to him again, so I just pretended to scroll through something on my phone.

He paused by the glass wall of the lobby, waiting for his ride.

Eventually, I thought, screw it. Why not try again?

"Excuse me, sir. I see you’re waiting… Maybe you’d reconsider that ride? I’ve got time."

Winter slowly turned his head to look at me, like a machine with rusty gears.

"What exactly is this game, Lowen?"

I froze. "What… game?"

He made a short gesture toward me. "This whole act of sucking up."

I felt the heat rise to my face. "I… This isn’t sucking up. When I see I can help someone, I try to do it."

"Might I suggest applying to an animal shelter? That big heart of yours could be put to good use where it’s truly needed."

I clenched my teeth. Hilarious.

"Okay. Cool. My bad," I muttered.

"And what’s with the T-shirts? Some other sneaky way of doing what you did on the first day, but in a less obvious manner?"

My breath just didn’t want to leave my lungs for a second. The guy was good, seriously. It could’ve really been what he suggested, some way of ridiculing our interactions, making them a caricature. Kinda insolent, if you think about it.

"Excuse me, but what I wear on my body is my private choice, one I don’t need to justify to anyone—"

"And that’s exactly my point. Kind of sneaky. But did you know there’s actually a dress code at DevApp? Maybe I should enforce it?"

I froze. Fuck, could he actually do it? My breath left my lungs with an oddly heavy effort.

"Killing me in the one way my father didn’t manage to? Yeah, go ahead."

I gave him a nod and headed for the exit. I wasn’t such a masochist that I’d keep that conversation going. It felt like impaling myself on an icicle.