Chapter 7

Brooklyn paled at that and shook his head vigorously. "No, I… I can't do it."

"There will be serious consequences if Zachary doesn't marry Dimitri," Kenneth said, looking steely. It was so serious that the Hart family would probably cease to exist if the wedding fell through.

"But what does that have to do with me?" Brooklyn mumbled. He was just an ordinary citizen. What did the matters of the upper crust have to do with him?

"I was delighted when Dimitri informed me that he'd found you. I thought everything was settled… until I received a message from Zachary telling me that he'd already left the country." Kenneth pulled up some photos and screenshots of conversations to show Brooklyn.

It looked like Zachary had truly left the country, and he looked intimate with the man beside him in the photo. Brooklyn asked, "Who's that man?"

Kenneth looked at the man scornfully and said, "The boyfriend Zachary found himself—he's a Beta to boot. Honestly, I have no idea what goes on in his mind."

Brooklyn looked at the photo, thinking that Zachary and his boyfriend looked like quite a good match. He said softly, "There's nothing wrong with seeking true love. Why can't they be together?"

"Have you ever seen a Beta and Omega ending up together?"

Brooklyn didn't answer that. He couldn't say that he had, but what was so bad about a Beta and Omega being together? There weren't any laws stating that Omegas had to be with Alphas, nor were there any stating Betas couldn't be with Omegas. It was just an understanding most people had.

"The only way to resolve this matter is for you to take Zachary's place until I can bring him back," Kenneth concluded.

Brooklyn still didn't say anything. He'd expected things to turn out like this, but he still couldn't stop himself from feeling delighted and agitated upon hearing Kenneth's words. That didn't mean he wasn't worried, though.

"Have you considered the consequences?" he asked. "We'll all be doomed if Dimitri finds out I'm not Zachary."

"Of course, I have. But if we don't do anything about the situation, we'll all be dead meat now," Kenneth said coldly. He stood up and approached Brooklyn, oppressing the latter with his presence. "You don't have a choice, Brooklyn. This isn't a discussion—I'm telling you what you need to do."

Brooklyn looked up at him and gulped. Then, he said, "But I'm not like Zachary at all. I don't know what he's like. I'm bound to slip up before Dimitri."

"You already look just like him—the only difference is your hair color." Kenneth grabbed Brooklyn by the hair and dragged him to his feet. Brooklyn's face twisted in pain; he couldn't speak.

"All you need to do is make sure you're a little more like Zachary in terms of your behavior." Kenneth released him and dusted his hand off as if afraid it had been contaminated. "As long as you put on a good act, I'll ensure you and your grandmother are compensated for this.

"I'll send her to the best nursing home available and have her treated with the best medication and medical equipment around."

Brooklyn didn't want to put on any acts—it weighed on his conscience. Still, he didn't have a choice. "I can leave once you track Zachary down, right?"

"Yes. Not only will I set you free, but I'll also give you a sum that's enough to ensure you and your grandmother live comfortably for the rest of your lives." Kenneth didn't see any need for the conversation to proceed any further.

He said, "Tomorrow, tell Dimitri that you want to return to the Hart residence to pack your stuff. When you come over, I'll tell you how to be more like Zachary."

The conversation with Kenneth wasn't a happy one. Fortunately, this was as far as it could go. They were at the Wood residence, and Kenneth was afraid of the walls having ears. So, he ended the conversation there and left.

Brooklyn sat on the couch and watched Kenneth leave. He still felt like he was dreaming.

"Mr. Hart." Heather suddenly entered the room. "Mr. Wood is waiting for you in the study. Are you going to head over there now?"

Brooklyn returned to his senses, remembering Dimitri telling him he would wait in the study so they could have dinner together. He hurriedly got to his feet and said, "Yeah, I am."

Heather sighed at his actions. "You don't have to be so on edge. Just think of this place as your home."

"Okay." Despite his words, he still couldn't get used to it. The place he stayed wasn't even as large as the drawing room. How could he get used to it?

He followed Heather to the study. He was about to enter the room when she stopped him. "Mr. Wood is attending to some work matters, so you'll need to wait for a bit after heading inside. I have other things to attend to, so I won't wait here for you two."

"Alright." To Brooklyn, the fewer people there were around him, the better. If someone were to constantly be with him, he would feel awkward. He entered the study, trying to keep his actions as surreptitious as possible. He didn't want to disturb Dimitri.

"Heather, get me a coffee," Dimitri said.

Brooklyn wasn't bothered by Dimitri thinking he was Heather. He headed to a coffee machine nearby to make Dimitri some coffee.

Dimitri didn't even look up as he drank the coffee; his gaze remained trained on the computer screen. He frowned after taking a sip and looked up. He was about to say something when he saw Brooklyn standing before him. The words became lodged in his throat.

He set the coffee aside and hooked a finger at Brooklyn. "Come here."

Brooklyn leaned closer to him and asked in a small voice, "You don't like the coffee?"

"No one would like instant coffee," Dimitri said gently. He tugged Brooklyn into his arms, making the latter sit on his lap.

Brooklyn jolted, feeling a little afraid because of Dimitri's leg. He didn't dare place all of his weight on Dimitri's lap.

"It's fine; this leg is my good one." Dimitri saw through him and pulled him closer.

Suddenly, Brooklyn felt Dimitri's hard-on. It reminded him of what had happened last night, and his face turned crimson. He looked at Dimitri, not knowing how to react to this change.

"I've just noticed something." Dimitri didn't seem to mind. He wrapped an arm around Brooklyn's waist and rested his jaw on the latter's shoulder. "The scent of your pheromones is very faint. It's so faint that I didn't even realize you were the one who came in."

Brooklyn knew why. He said, "It's because I'm a low-ranked Omega. That's why you can't really smell my pheromones."

"Low-ranked?" Dimitri tightened his grip on Brooklyn and leaned closer to take a whiff. His warm breath fanned over the latter's neck, making the latter's heart race. His body temperature started rising, and his face was redder than it had been before. His eyes gleamed with moisture as he looked at Dimitri.

It looked like Brooklyn's pheromones were spiraling out of control. Dimitri looked at him as he trembled all over. He nibbled on Brooklyn's earlobe and rasped, "Are you in heat?"