Avery returned to his study with a strange weight in his chest. He sat down, opened his laptop, but barely paid attention to the screen. His mind kept drifting to Noël, to that laugh he wasn't supposed to hear, to the way his eyes looked so soft this morning despite the shadows under them.
What exactly was he doing?
He ran a hand through his hair, irritated at himself. It had only been a few days. Less than a week. How had Noël managed to crawl under his skin so fast?
He didn't like it.
The food he ordered arrived just before noon. He thanked the delivery man curtly and arranged the containers neatly on the kitchen counter. For a second, he just stood there, staring blankly at the array of mild stews and rice.
Should he call Noël down?
Or wait?
He didn't want to look like he cared. But he also didn't want Noël skipping meals again.
He chose to wait.
About ten minutes later, soft footsteps echoed down the stairs. Noël appeared quietly, arms crossed loosely over his chest. His hair was still slightly damp, cheeks flushed, and his eyes flickered nervously between Avery and the food.
"I… smelled food," he mumbled.
Avery nodded. "I got mild options. You can pick."
Noël hovered for a moment before approaching the table. He reached for a container and slowly filled a plate.
Avery watched him without saying anything, eyes unreadable. There was something about the way Noël moved. Graceful, cautious, like someone used to staying small and unnoticed. Like someone who was always expecting to be in trouble.
Avery frowned.
"You don't have to walk on eggshells, you know," he said.
Noël paused mid-bite and looked up, startled. "...I'm not."
"You are." Avery sat across from him. "Why?"
Noël glanced down at his plate. "You're my boss. You were very clear about boundaries."
Avery didn't respond. He looked away, jaw tightening. He had said that. But boundaries were starting to blur, and he had no one to blame but himself.
After a few quiet minutes, Avery stood and picked up his phone. "I have a few calls to make. Eat properly."
He didn't wait for a reply as he walked off toward his office, the door clicking shut behind him.
-------
Back in his study, Avery stared at his screen again. The cursor blinked against an untouched report.
He tapped his phone, then called his secretary.
"Mr. Cheng?" Her voice was crisp and efficient.
"Do a full background check on Noël."
There was a pause. "Right now?"
"It's overdue. I want everything. Legal documents, orphanage records, school history, medical files, the people he knows. Anything you can find."
"Understood. I'll get started immediately."
Avery hung up and leaned back in his chair.
He should've done this the moment Noël walked into his house. But something had stopped him. Maybe it was the way Noël had looked at him that night in the laundromat. Too soft, too exhausted, like someone barely holding on.
Or maybe… he'd been afraid of what he might find.
------
Two hours later, a soft chime signaled a new email.
Avery opened it.
He clicked on the attachment and scrolled through the first few lines with a straight face, but by the time he hit the second page, his brow furrowed.
Name: Noël.
Surname: None.
Born: December 25.
Place of origin: Guangzhou.
Gender classification: Omega.
Second gender manifestation: At birth.
Current status: Unbonded. Unregistered for national heat management.
Avery's fingers drummed against the desk.
So he really was one of the extremely rare cases. An Omega whose second gender presented at birth. Most didn't manifest until puberty, but Noël... he must have grown up being studied, prodded, questioned.
------
In this world, a rare group of people manifest their secondary gender (Alpha, Beta, Omega, or Enigma) at birth instead of during puberty. While they are known to be highly fertile-drawing attention from scientists and doctors-this early manifestation comes with intense disadvantages.
For Omegas, like Noël, heat cycles are longer, more painful, and come with overwhelming sexual urges and emotional
stress.
For Alphas and Enigmas, their libido is much stronger and harder to control during ruts.
This condition makes managing cycles extremely difficult, even with suppressants. Noël, being one of the few born this way, has not face easy time during his heat which is why he overused suppressants.
Most of them were just not strong enough to provide some relief.
-----
That alone was enough to shape a person, but the next part struck Avery harder.
Orphaned at birth. Raised at St. Maynard Youth Care Home, Guangzhou branch.
He had no surname. No family. No records of foster care or adoption. Just... Noël. A child named after the day he was found.
Noël. That explained the name.
The report went on to describe his relationship with one caregiver in particular. Mrs. Evelyn Mareko.
A former head caretaker who had personally named him and privately supported him through his university education.
Sunwei Culinary Institute, Guangzhou.
Course of Study: Culinary Arts.
Years Completed: Two years and four months.
Current Status: Withdrawn.
He hadn't failed. His academic record was above average, with strong marks in food theory, plating, and nutrition. Awards. Praise from instructors. Avery clicked the comments tab. "creative, thoughtful, quiet but excellent leadership in group work."
So why had he dropped out?
Then the reason appeared.
Withdrawal Cause: Non-payment of tuition.
Sponsor: Deceased.
Institution unaware of continued private funding until investigation after withdrawal.
Avery's eyes lingered on the name.
Mrs. Evelyn Mareko had passed away almost two years ago. Noël hadn't listed an emergency contact, hadn't requested help, hadn't even returned to the orphanage.
Note: Subject is unaware of sponsor's death.
Avery leaned back in his chair, letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He ran a hand through his hair.
Noël wasn't just struggling. He had no one. He had been living on the edge of collapse, still trying to appear composed. His part-time jobs weren't even recorded. Likely under-the-table work, maybe even cleaning or dishwashing in exchange for shelter or food.
The only personal contact listed in the report
Leo Kim, a Beta, part-Chinese, part-Korean student in the engineering department. Frequent call history. Often acted as a support figure.
Avery's eyes narrowed.
"So he's the one on the phone."
The jealousy was childish, but he didn't care. Leo had known everything. Leo had stayed close, had access to Noël's thoughts, had likely been with him when he cried. When he couldn't breathe. When the heat got too strong and no one else cared.
And yet, it was Avery who found him outside that laundromat. It was Avery who brought him home. It was Avery who...
He stopped.
What was this? Guilt? Possessiveness?
He shook his head and closed the file.
Noël was a lot more fragile than he let on. Not just emotionally, but circumstantially. Avery didn't know what he had expected, but it wasn't this.
This boy...no, this young man had been abandoned by the world and was still trying to smile.
He couldn't go back to the orphanage. Adults weren't allowed to live there, and he had no money, no stable job, no guardian, no registration.
Avery sighed.
How could someone survive this long with nothing?
He picked up his phone, scrolling to the chat window he hadn't opened in days. He typed, paused, and then deleted the message.
Instead, he stood and walked to the door.
Noël had been through more than anyone should at that age.
Maybe it was time Avery stopped pretending he didn't care.
------
He walked to the kitchen, warmed the food mechanically, and sat down. But after two bites, he couldn't continue. His thoughts were elsewhere—on Noël. On how he still managed to smile despite the weight he carried. On how fragile he looked, yet how much strength he held behind those gentle eyes.
"How can he still smile?" Avery whispered to himself, stirring his food without looking.
He had hired Noël out of instinct. At first, it was pity. Or maybe curiosity. But now… Now he knew it was more. It had only been a week, and yet something in his chest pulled tighter every time the Omega entered the room. Was it foolish to admit he might be falling for someone he barely knew?
"I don't care," he muttered, placing his chopsticks down. "I'll do what my heart wants."
He stood up, his usual control replaced by determination. Business meetings could wait. His perfect schedule could crumble for once. He needed time to think, to breathe, and to figure out what to do with the soft-spoken Omega living under his roof.
------
Meanwhile, in the guest room, Noël sat on the edge of his bed, legs tucked up close to his chest as he stared at the phone screen. His chat with Leo had left him feeling a little better but one thing still nagged at his mind.
He wanted to see Leo this weekend. Just a short catch-up, nothing more. A sense of normalcy. But he needed to ask Avery first. And for some reason, asking Avery for anything felt... terrifying. The man was unpredictable. One moment distant, the next surprisingly kind.
He glanced at his reflection in the mirror. His cheeks had color again, his temperature had dropped, and the fog in his mind had cleared. He felt fine. Maybe a bit tired, but that was manageable. The suppressants were doing their job.
"I should be okay in a few days," Noël told himself, rubbing his arms lightly. "I can ask for just one day off. It's not like I'm running away."
Still, he hesitated. What if Avery said no? What if he thought Noël was being ungrateful?
He sighed and lay back against the pillows, pulling the blanket over his body. He didn't want to think too hard about it. He'd find the right time to ask. Maybe when Avery was in a good mood, or at least when he didn't look like he wanted to kill someone.
But something else was happening beneath the surface, something Noël couldn't put into words. A strange warmth that lingered every time Avery looked at him. A feeling he had long buried, now threatening to bloom again.
He shook his head, trying to banish the thought.
"Don't be stupid," he muttered. "He's an Alpha. And you… you're just the help."
But even as he turned off the lights and curled up to sleep, he couldn't ignore the way his heart beat a little faster when he heard Avery's footsteps pass by his door.