Chapter 16
Shen Yu's gaze lingered on Jiang Li, who now stood beside his mother, speaking with her as though their earlier argument had never happened. Even after everything, her curiosity had clearly gotten the better of her; she had gone to him anyway. That, however, wasn't what unsettled Shen Yu.
It was the blond-haired omega.
The image from earlier refused to leave his mind—the omega sitting in the car, those honey-brown eyes soft yet piercing. The person standing here now, flushed and composed under the lights, felt different. Not entirely changed, but not the same either. The more Shen Yu thought about it, the more the unease crept in, coiling quietly in his chest.
He exhaled under his breath, pinching the bridge of his nose before lifting his glass and taking a slow sip of champagne, hoping the sharp taste would ground him. It didn't.
Instead, he became aware of something else.
Not a sound, not movement—but a presence.
It pressed subtly against his senses, unmistakable to someone like him. The natural, oppressive aura of a dominant Alpha.
Shen Yu's eyes shifted, landing on the source without needing to search. Taehyun sat near the spacious dining table, posture relaxed, yet his attention anything but. His dark eyes were fixed on Shen Yu, unmoving and silent.
They were unsettling eyes—unnaturally dark, so much so that the pupils seemed to consume everything, leaving only a stark contrast between black and white. There was no softness in them, no easy distinction, just an endless depth that felt closer to ink than anything human.
When Taehyun noticed Shen Yu looking back, his lips curled into a grin.
It was enough to make irritation flicker across Shen Yu's expression.
"Yu-er!"
The call broke through his thoughts before the annoyance could settle. Shen Yu turned, momentarily caught off guard, and his eyes widened slightly at the sight of He Lian approaching him.
She hadn't changed.
Her warm hazel eyes still held that same brightness, her shoulder-length brown hair framing her face as she smiled at him with effortless familiarity. Before he realized it, she was already standing in front of him, close enough that her presence softened the sharp edges of the evening.
"Why didn't you tell me you'd be here?" she said, her voice light, almost teasing. "If I'd known, I would have made more of an effort."
A quiet chuckle slipped from Shen Yu as he tilted his head slightly. "And sign my own death warrant? I'd rather not be strangled by your husband tonight."
She smiled at his sarcasm, unfazed. "Don't be like that. We were friends long before Taehyun and I started dating. He's not the jealous type."
The way her expression softened, the almost dreamy look that settled into her eyes as she spoke of her husband, caused Shen Yu's faint smile to falter. His gaze dropped slightly, the familiar discomfort settling in.
That had been the reason distance grew between them.
He couldn't stand listening to her talk about another man like that.
Not him.
Even though the sharp ache he'd once felt at twenty-two had long since dulled, it had never truly disappeared. Now it returned in a quieter form, less consuming but no less unwelcome—a lingering, hollow ache that settled deep in his chest.
Before the silence between them could stretch too far, a child's cry cut through the air.
Their son.
The seven-year-old boy looked overwhelmed, frightened by the crowd gathering around him, each person eager to curry favor because of who his father was. He Lian's attention shifted instantly, her expression tightening with concern.
She offered Shen Yu a brief, apologetic smile before hurrying toward the child, leaving him standing alone once more.
For a moment, Shen Yu remained still. Then, almost instinctively, his gaze drifted back to Jiang Li.
Only to find the omega already looking at him.
Shen Yu's younger relative stood nearby, chatting casually with Su Ran, seemingly at ease, yet Jiang Li's attention was elsewhere. Those honey-brown eyes were fixed on Shen Yu, filled with something that teetered dangerously close to pain.
Shen Yu looked away first.
He didn't trust it.
He had learned not to.
No matter how soft those eyes appeared, no matter how easily they could stir warmth even in someone like him—his heart refused to follow. It never had. Perhaps he should have realized that much earlier… back when the omega had begun stalking him.
A quiet sigh escaped him as he ran a hand through his already disheveled hair. A sudden urge to smoke rose sharply within him, the kind that came when his thoughts became too loud.
"Did you enjoy talking to my wife?"
The voice came from too close—low, near his ear.
Shen Yu's frown deepened instantly as he stepped back, turning to face Taehyun. The man stood just slightly taller, his expression unreadable, his presence as imposing as ever.
"I did," Shen Yu replied evenly. "It's been a while. I see you still keep her on a tight leash. Not surprising for a dominant Alpha."
He watched carefully, waiting for a reaction—anger, irritation, anything.
There was nothing.
Taehyun's gaze remained as empty and impenetrable as before.
Then, slowly, his lips curved into a smirk.
"It seems your omega has more freedom," he said casually, tilting his head. "Perhaps that's why they chose a beta like you."
The words were deliberate.
Yet Taehyun wasn't truly looking at Shen Yu.
His attention had already shifted—drawn toward Jiang Li.
That same look.
Deep. Focused. Possessive.
It was the same gaze Shen Yu had seen years ago, the one Taehyun had once directed at He Lian… before quietly taking her away.
Now, it rested on the blond omega.
Something sharp and dangerous flickered through Shen Yu's eyes. Before he could think better of it, he reached out, grabbing Taehyun by the tie and pulling him closer.
"See something you like?" he asked, his voice low, edged with restrained anger.
Taehyun didn't resist.
If anything, his grin widened as he met Shen Yu's gaze.
"Yes," he murmured. "It seems I do."
A humorless chuckle left Shen Yu as he released him, though the tension in his chest only tightened. It wasn't just the implication that irritated him—it was the ease with which Taehyun spoke, as though nothing else mattered.
As though there wasn't someone who loved him completely.
Shen Yu steadied himself, forcing his expression back into something cold and controlled.
"Then it seems you have a taste for the delicate," he said.
Taehyun let out a soft laugh, glancing down briefly at the whiskey glass in his hand, the amber liquid catching the light.
"And yet, after all these years, Yu-ah," he replied, almost lazily, "you still don't know what I like."
The grin remained.
Shen Yu's vision blurred slightly, that same expression burning itself into his mind while everything else seemed to fade into darkness.
It was a grin he had seen too many times.
One that lingered far longer than it should have.
God, he hated people like that...
Fake.