Chapter 474: What is your relationship with the most powerful Alphas of the Century?

The questions crashed in like waves, suffocating and demanding, trying to force a word from the most powerful Alphas in the country but they all ignored the reporters.

Whatever they wanted to know, they would know as soon as the ceremony began, so why waste time with them?

I walked beside Ki-hoon, my eyes rolling from one side to another. I’ve been in the face of the media before, but this was just extraordinary.

And then, the focus of the reporters shifted from the cooperation and towards me, who, they surely remember, had a headline with Jin-Yeok, Min-Cheol, and Ki-hoon. Seo-Jun was the only one who didn’t get caught on camera with me during our date.

And so the questions came rushing in like a flood.

"Jo-Pil! Jo-Pil!" How did they even know my name? "Look this way."

There was one reporter who did not forget my participation in the banquet and the auction.

I was sure I didn’t introduce myself but for some reason, through some means, they had gotten my name and were shamelessly calling out loud, trying to get my attention.

And the rest of the reporters picked it up, knowing that the name belonged to me, who had been unknown up till now.

It was kind of annoying.

"Jo-Pil. Is it true you’re the silent partner?"

That does that even mean?

"Jo-Pil, look this way! Are the rumors of a quartet engagement true?"

Well, I did flaunt that Jin-Yeok and I had a thing, and it definitely seems like they took it seriously. Welp.

"Is this really a business merger or a marriage announcement?" 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

I felt my jaw tighten.

The questions were very invasive, sharp, and hungry. I instinctively reached for the gold lily brooch Jin-Yeok had pinned to me, my fingers brushing the dark diamond.

Should I say something?

I looked at the backs of the three in front of us and then at Ki-hoon by my side.

They weren’t saying anything so maybe I should keep quiet as well

Then, Jin-Yeok slowed his steps just so he could walk by my other side, trying to protect me but that only sparked the reporter’s hunger even more.

"What is your relationship with the most powerful Alphas of the Century?"

I gulped. Wasn’t it obvious? I was their prized possession.

"Ignore the noise, Jo-Pil," Jin-Yeok’s voice sliced through the chaos, sound as calm as a graveyard. "They are mere spectators."

But then, a reporter broke through the security line, shoved a microphone inches from my face, and screamed,

"Jo-Pil! How does a former slave feel standing among the men who bought him? Is this a reformation or just a high-end leash?"

The air around us went dead silent for a microsecond.

My heart began to thud gently but then violently. It became the only thing I could hear.

This... How did he know I was a former slave?

I saw the smirk on his lips as he felt he had succeeded in dismantling my calmness.

This reporter... He definitely did his homework. But I was sure all records of me being a slave were erased so how...? Who sent him?

I felt a violent spike in pheromones from ahead. It was from Seo-Jun who was up ahead, returning to give the reporter a piece of his mind.

His red eyes became visible even behind his dark lenses. He didn’t shout, or lose his cool, but he looked at the camera lens behind the man.

"That’s a very bold and daring question," Seo-Jun said, his voice carrying a jagged edge that made the reporter visibly pale. "I hope your network has good insurance. Because by the time this ceremony is over, you won’t have a job to go back to."

Min-Cheol stepped up as well, his blue eyes flashing with a dangerous, icy light I’d only ever seen in my previous life. He didn’t look like a kind and innocent baby anymore. He looked like a predator protecting his heart.

He didn’t even try to smile and act the gentleman he usually did in public while hiding his true intentions. That mask fell as soon as they dared ask me such a question.

"Hyung doesn’t answer to bottom feeders," Min-Cheol said, folding his arms. Then, he looked at the reporter with a dangerous light in his eyes. "You... I’ll find you once this is over so just stay right there."

That was definitely a threat. Min-Cheol was not going to let this guy get away after trying to remind me of my past, which they tried so hard to erase.

"Let’s go."

We swept past the stunned silence of the press corps and through the massive glass doors of the venue. The instant they hissed shut behind us, the noise vanished, replaced by the climate-controlled hum of the lobby.

I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding, my shoulders sagging. "That was... intense."

"It was an insult," Ki-hoon said, taking off his sunglasses. His eyes were burning. "One that will be dealt with."

I looked at them—all four of them—standing in the marble lobby. They were furious, their white suits making them look like vengeful deities. My worry about the ’ruins’ of the original plot flared up again. This was the kind of tension that led to blood.

"Hey," I said, reaching out to grab Seo-Jun’s sleeve and Ki-hoon’s hand at the same time. "Let’s just forget about it. It was one nosy reporter trying to make the headlines, nothing more."

But my instincts told me it was definitely something more. That reporter was involved with someone.

"Anyway, ease up. If you go in there looking like we want to kill everyone, the headlines will be about your tempers, not the cooperation. Please. For me."

Jin-Yeok looked at me, his thumb tracing the edge of his glove. He was the hardest to read, but I saw the way his gaze softened when it landed on the brooch he gave me.

"He’s right," Jin-Yeok conceded, though his voice was still tight. "We have more important matters to deal with. We can bury the vultures tomorrow."

He turned to the grand double doors leading to the main hall.

"Jo-Pil, you stay between Ki-hoon and me. Min-Cheol, Seo-Jun, you take the flanks."

"And who made you boss?" Seo-Jun asked, folding his arms and Jin-Yeok smiled.

"Why? Wanna be the boss instead?" But Seo-Jun saw that as a threat and just turned his face away.

"Well, whatever. I was going to say the same thing anyway." He said and a light chuckle escaped my lips.

"Then... Shall we go in?"