Leo

Present

"You lost your job?" Kayden gasped sharply, his eyes widening in shock as he reached out and grabbed both of my hands tightly. "What the hell, Leo? You can’t just hit people like that!"

I rolled my eyes and gently but firmly yanked my hands free from his grip. "If your auditory faculties are still functioning at optimal capacity, then you clearly realized they were speaking absolute shit about you. I couldn’t just stand there and do nothing. That is not who I am. Besides, that trash old man deserved every bit of it. How could he have called you a breeder? You are more than that!’’

Kayden heaved a deep, weary sigh and palmed his forehead in obvious distress. "But... you said he fainted because you punched him and..."

I raised a hand to stop him before he could finish, my voice staying calm and clinical. "That’s not my fault," I countered, smoothly crossing my legs on the wide, cushioned outdoor couch that overlooked the turquoise sea. "He was already suffering from chronic hypertension combined with a pre-existing cardiac arrhythmia. The sudden spike in blood pressure from the confrontation merely triggered the episode. That’s what caused him to faint, not me. And besides, they had already suspected that I knew something about what you truly are and that I helped hide it, so that’s another major reason why I was fired so that ugly man was going faint anyways.’’

Kayden moved away from me, his bare feet padding restlessly across the cool tiled floor of the villa’s open-plan living area. The large glass sliding doors stood wide open, letting in the warm ocean breeze that carried the faint scent of salt and tropical flowers into the airy space.

"This is all my fault!" he groaned loudly, running a frustrated hand through his tousled hair. "If I had not come out publicly, you wouldn’t have lost your job and Northern Avalanche wouldn’t be in this terrible position because of me. Everyone must hate me! I have ruined so much for others because of my own selfish thoughts.’’

"Don’t blame yourself, Kayden," Miller said in a calm, steady voice from his seat nearby. "It’s not entirely over yet. The council is still making their final decision alongside the league. It doesn’t mean anything irreversible will happen to the team. No one expected an omega to be in the nothern avalanche. I am sure they will work something out.’’

Kayden walked toward the expansive terrace and leaned heavily against the smooth mahogany railings, staring out at the glittering water as if searching for answers in the waves. "Everything is still my fault. I don’t know why it’s like this and I..."

Rhys stood up abruptly from his chair and shot me a sharp, angry look. "Thanks a lot for dropping the bombshell without waiting for me.’’

"I thought he already knew, and besides, what better way than to tell him directly that he might not return to the league anymore?" I replied evenly. ’’life isn’t always fair.’’

"What an insensitive thing to say, Leo!" Rhys retorted, his voice rising with frustration. "It took Kayden so much courage to come out, and your words right now are not very encouraging at all and that’s not why I had invited you both here.’’

I rolled my eyes dramatically. What the hell was he expecting I would say? Did he really think I would sugarcoat the harsh reality?

I turned toward Miller, hoping he would back me up or at least say something, but he simply shrugged his broad shoulders, his expression unreadable.

Had I done something wrong?

I inhaled deeply, shut my eyes for a brief moment to steady myself, and then looked back at Rhys and Kayden. They were standing side by side now on the terrace. Rhys had his strong hand resting comfortingly on Kayden’s shoulder and was murmuring something soft and reassuring to him.

Kayden turned toward him and buried his face in Rhys’s chest, his shoulders trembling as if he was fighting back tears.

I groaned internally. Crying wasn’t going to solve anything. If was the solution, I would have spent days crying out when I was fired.

Which was why I had spent countless days after the party tirelessly searching for solutions to make sure Northern Avalanche wasn’t benched and didn’t have to suffer just because Kayden had bravely come out.

I had contacted my parents immediately after everything exploded. My mother had suggested I return to Langose and join my uncle’s hospital, but I turned the offer down without hesitation.

Joining the hospital would have been selfish. Rhys, Miller, and especially Kayden would have been deeply affected by my decision.

I didn’t want that weight on my conscience, so instead I visited my uncle and we had a long, serious talk. His billionaire husband proposed buying Northern Avalanche outright and stepping in as the new CEO.

It was a risky proposal, especially since most sponsors had started dropping the team in droves after the news about Kayden broke. The board members were under immense internal pressure as well.

Yet not only was my uncle’s husband willing to buy the team, but he also possessed powerful connections throughout the council, the government, and the entire sports world.

Although a final decision regarding Kayden’s future hadn’t been made yet, the last updates I received indicated that the council and the current CEO of Northern Avalanche were seriously considering the sale.

At least it was real progress. Once it succeeded, Kayden wouldn’t have to carry this crushing guilt anymore, and maybe Miller wouldn’t look at me with that disappointed expression, as if I had betrayed him by telling the truth too bluntly.

Perhaps then the beautiful moments we had built together would finally return.

Ever since that chaotic night of the party, we hadn’t been intimate at all. Only a few awkward, brief kisses on the lips that felt cold and strained, nothing like before.

Just distance that we haven’t talked about.