DARYL'S POINT OF VIEW:

I still can't believe that Xander's ex boyfriend is my cousin, Troy. What's more is that I didn't even know that something like that happened. And what? Troy kept lying to him? I can definitely see that because I know how much Troy hates the special treatment people give him for being someone from a wealthy family. But Troy having a boy toy...? That's very unlikely.

Although I do get where Xander was coming from, I also understand Troy. Of course, I didn't take any side because I shouldn't have an opinion about them since I barely know what really happened. I just told Xander that he did great in prioritizing himself at that time.

I knew that if I were in Xander's shoes, I would have done the same, too. He also said that Troy has another guy, but I don't really know if that's true since I shouldn't stick my nose into their business. I'm just an outsider that knows a bit of their story. But if Troy really did cheat on him, then he did the right thing.

Although I said that it was unlikely that Troy cheated on him, I still can't be too sure about that. Everybody is capable of doing that. It's up to us if we cheat or not, just like how my ex boyfriend decided to cheat on me.

Justin went back a bit late. He's probably sleeping right now, too.

I'm currently on my bed, thinking about the story I heard earlier.

Somehow, I was thankful that I was never marked by Andre. If he did, then I wouldn't even be able to get away from him.

As unfair as it sounds, if an alpha marks and omega, the omega can't mate with another person but an alpha can still mate with others. That's the biggest disadvantage if you're an omega. You always have doubts and you can't help but feel anxious because you can never be too sure that your partner is faithful to you.

But... there are still alphas out there who are so crazy about their omegas that they're unable to mate with other people and even get nauseous over the scent of other omegas' pheromones.

I kept tossing and turning in my bed, unable to sleep after what I found out.

Maybe I shouldn't have asked him about it. I just reminded him of his terrible past.

Thinking about the word 'past', Andre's face suddenly popped in my mind.

Haaa... As stupid as it sounds, I still miss him.

I hugged my pillow tightly, imagining that it was him.

I really miss him. I miss his gentle touch, his warm embrace, his calming scent, and his pheromones that used to drive me wild.

I... I miss him.

*****

I woke up as the sunlight touched my eyes. The birds were chirping outside and the cold breeze from the window made me shiver.

"Good morning!" Justin said as he jumped to my bed. "Jus, how many times do I have to tell you not to open my window?" I said as I got up to close the window that was opened so widely. "I get cold easily, you know," I said and turned to face him after closing the window.

"You and Tristan are so alike. He gets cold easily, too," he said and giggled with a stupid expression on his face.

What's wrong with him? It's still so early in the morning and he's already acting weird.

"I guess it runs in the blood. Now, get out. I'm gonna take a shower," I said and pulled his arm to make him stand up. "Ah, no! Wait!" He said as soon as I pulled him up. I raised my brow and said, "What is it?"

"Where are you going?" He asked. "Uh... To the university? Where else?" I said as I looked at him strangely. He suddenly burst into laughter and even started tearing up.

Seriously, what's wrong with him today?

"Our Christmas break starts today, dummy," he said and wiped his tear.

Oh, that's why he was laughing his ass off.

"It must have slipped from my mind," I said and sat on my bed.

I've been thinking about a lot of things lately. Still, to forget about the break? This is so not like me at all.

"By the way, your big sis called. She said we can come to a photo shoot later if we want to watch," he said as he scrolled through his phone and after a few seconds, he showed me the screen.

"What's that?" I asked and looked at him weirdly. I thought he was gonna show me something that's related to my sister. It turns out it was something else. "Hey, come on! You used to like this guy's boy group," he frowned. I shook my head and said, "That was before. I'm done stanning."

"Still, look at this. This guy has a scandal," he said and shove the phone to my face. "H-Hey, wait. Fine, give this to me," I said and grabbed the phone from his hand.

" 'Genesis' Mikael Thompson is Dating Cathy Sparks."

MIKAEL'S POINT OF VIEW:

"What the hell is this?!" I yelled as I threw my phone to the sofa. It bounced from the sofa and fell to the floor, giving it a crack on its edge.

"Hey, calm—" I cut him off and said, "What? Calm down? You think I 'can' calm down right now?" I glared at him and took a sharp breath. "Damn it," I mumbled as I gritted my teeth. Kyle sighed and shook his head, probably giving up on me.

Cathy Sparks...

That woman really gets on my nerves. Why does she keep on pushing herself to me? There are a lot of guys out there who would be more than willing to date her. Heck, they'd even die for her!

"Come on, Mikael. You should be honored that you're in a dating scandal with Cathy Sparks," Harvey said as he wrapped his arm on my shoulder. "Fuck off, Harvey. I'm not in the mood for your sick jokes," I said as I removed his heavy arm.

"Hey, chill out, man. I'm just saying the truth," he said and sat on the sofa.

Well... What he said was true. Being in a dating scandal with THE Cathy Sparks is truly an honor.

But not for me.

I don't want to be involved in dating scandals because someone might think it's actually true.

I ignored them and before I could even walk back to my room, someone grabbed my wrist to stop me.

"What?" I said as I turned to see who it was.

It was Harvey.

"You've already set your eyes on someone, right? That's why you can't afford to have a dating scandal. I'll help you as much as I can," he said as he picked my phone up and handed it to me. I grabbed my phone from his hand and said, "Thanks."historical

"You're usually so calm and composed. This is the first time in a while that I've seen you like this." His eyes were telling me that it's unusual for me to act like this. I just ignored him and headed back to my room.

I stared at the crack on my phone and touched it with my thumb, feeling the rough sensation of the cracked glass.

"I guess I should buy a new one," I muttered to myself as I looked at it.

I laid on my bed and stared blankly at the ceiling.

I've... I've already set my eyes on someone?

Before I could even ask myself who it was, someone's face suddenly popped into my head.

Huh?

Heart shaped face, brown hair, almond shaped amber eyes, tall and narrow nose, and plump reddish lips. His face resembles that of a famous actor, but to me, he looks a lot better than him.

Daryl Chen.

My face suddenly flushed as thoughts of him kept popping into my mind. I covered my face with my hands right away as my eyes widened with shock.

No way, haha. He's a guy, for Pete's sake. I'm a beta and I'm supposed to be with a woman, not a man.

Whatever.

I heard a knock on my door and said, "Come in." Jay, the leader of our group, went in and said, "Get changed. We'll be leaving soon."

Ah, right. The photo shoot.

"Yeah," I said and stood up. I walked to my closet to pick my clothes but before I could even do that, my movements paused when I realized that he hasn't left yet.

"What are you still doing here?" I asked as I turned to look at him. "Don't be so harsh on Cathy later, okay?" He said as he stared at me blankly. "I can't promise anything," I said and took my clothes.

"I'm gonna get changed now," I said as I looked at him. He didn't say anything and just left.

Seriously, why is he even siding with Cathy? It's pretty obvious that she set this up so we'd be forced to act like we're actually dating.

I removed my clothes and changed into a new set of clothes right away. I then left my room and saw the others waiting for me outside.

"Let's go."