Chapter 31: The Surprise

"The useless scentless one?" Madison made his opinion known. "Surely, you're not going for Rita."

And this is why everyone doesn't like Madison. Also, it's a family dinner, and he's wearing a patterned suit and tie. Liam thinks the oldest Aster child has a thing for dressing up inappropriately for events since he saw multiple times that Madison showed up to interviews on TV in T-shirts and shorts, and to his family dinner, he wears a white shirt with small designs of grey and light blue crisscrossing each other. The designer suit looks pretty cool, but really kinda inappropriate. One can argue that it's a family dinner, people can wear whatever they want.

Rex gave his older brother a glare from across the room. "Ji Jing and I have agreed to marry each other. We're just taking the more traditional courtship route and let our parents finalize the engagement."

Sometimes, Liam forgot that Blue has a real first name on paper. Also, fuck the pilot. This is the surprise? Asking her parents for her hand in marriage?

Well, he did tell the younger alphas that he was paranoid that they'd ruin the surprise. Shit fucks... Dramatic asshole. He could just tell Blue directly that he agreed, not just saying "okay" and leave it at that, only to go directly to her parents at a family dinner.

A buzz of voices penetrated the air as people began whispering to each other. Meanwhile, Blue was chewing on her croissant, looking a shade paler; she's stress eating.

Purple eyes met blue ones, and Liam sighed and shrugged just a little. There's nothing they can do about it right now.

"We are not surprised." Mr. Devin the first finally talked, and his expression from a few seconds ago contradicted his words. "Aster, your son Vijay is a good friend of our son. I knew my daughter would catch his eyes eventually. She's quite..."

Black eyes looked at his own daughter, who was looking at him with food still in her mouth. Mr. Devin decided to still shame her. "Stubborn and lacking in many aspects of an omega. I have to ask, Vijay Patrikovsky, is this a charity case?"

Vijay Patrikovsky "Rex" Aster looked like he's about to explode in a fit of rage, but he took a deep breath to calm down before he came up with any response.

Like hell, Liam was angry too. The fact that the Devins referred to their own daughter as a charity case when someone asked for her hand in marriage was bad enough, but Blue's round black eyes were kept on her now empty plate to avoid confrontation is even worse.

If Liam or Mar stood up for her, then the consequences would be worse for all of them. If Liam says anything, he'll be viewed as a direct competitor to Rex. If Mar says anything, Mr. Aster will definitely punish the black haired alpha for taking interest in a scentless omega.

Mar's purple eyes were on Blue, hoping that she would look up and see him. Any form of comfort, no matter how small, is better than none.

"No." Rex's answer was firm. "This is not a charity case, Mr. Devin. You shouldn't be surprised given the amount of time we spent together at your estate in our youth, yet here we are."

"And the dowry?" Mrs. Devin the first asked. "How much are you asking for?"

Blue wiggled deeper into her seat when her mother talked.

"As much as you're willing to give." The pilot's eyes moved to the woman and the omega that was not meeting his eyes.

"I remembered you were spending Christmas breaks at the Devins." Mr. Aster made his way to his seat at the head of the table as he talked. Once he's seated, he put both of his arms down on the armrests. His cold grey eyes didn't leave his second oldest son. "It's been six years since any of us have seen you face to face. Suddenly, you show up and want to marry a Devin omega? A useless one, nonetheless."

Liam, just like everyone else at the dining table, looked at the pilot expectantly. What are they expecting? Well, they're expecting Rex to spill something, anything. The platinum blond alpha knows the second Aster child's little escapes to the safety of Blue's apartment. Will he say anything about that? Fuck, if he does, it would put more pressure on Blue.

Because... Let's face it, no one blames an alpha for laying with an omega before marriage, but everyone blames the omega for being a slut.

"I don't see the problem here." Rex's deep brown eyes didn't weaver.

"What's your scheme, brother?" Madison put his glass of wine down on the table, spilling a little bit from the force of it all. "To leech off Jin Long Devin's wealth by marrying his precious little sister? You said the dowry is as much as they're willing to give with no specifications. How much is one willing to give you to marry their infertile omega?"

Jin Long Devin is Jake's real name. The alpha prefers "Jake" around his friends and those who are close to him, just like Blue identifying more with "Blue" than her actual name. Honestly, Liam doesn't blame them.

"It's not about the money." Rex sneered at his older brother.

"Oh, so now it's not about the money." Madison stressed his words. "Would you take fifty cents then?"

"Okay." The pilot's face didn't change. "As long as Mr. and Mrs. Devin agrees."

From the looks of both of Blue's parents, they're now offended that Rex would take a dowry that low.

"Is this a joke of some sort?" Mr. Devin the first gritted his teeth. "Fifty cents for a dowry?"

"How much would you offer?" The pilot stood his ground, a good ten feet away from the Devins. "I'll take anything as long as you agree. Nothing is also an option."

An uproar of whispers sweep through the dining table again, but it was quickly subdued when Mr. Aster banged his hand on the table. All eyes fell on the Aster family patriarch, and the older alpha released his pheromones. The heavy scent of sage filled the air, and Liam didn't want to take in any of it.

Fuck, he's angry.

Why is Mr. Aster even angry? Because his son Rex would take nothing for a dowry?

"Vijay." The father called for his second son in a stern voice. "You were gone for six years, and you came back with a marriage proposal. Do you expect us to give in when clearly you have something else in mind?"

"I have no other motives than marrying the omega I love and mending our broken bonds by formalizing the engagement." Rex clenched his fists, but he didn't do anything about them. "I've been gone for a long time, and it damaged our family relationship. Unlike all of you, Ji Jing actually wrote to me."

Blue finally looked up from the table cloth; her bottomless black eyes met deep brown ones. Next to Liam, Mar was moving in his seat. The platinum blond alpha looked at his companion, and the other alpha's purple eyes glanced at the omega in front of them before they were back to staring at sky blue eyes.

"It's about love now." Madison sighed, but his voice was rather mocking. "What's next? Tradition?"

Deep brown eyes closed for a second as Rex let out a deep breath. "Why did I even try?"

When he opened his eyes again, black eyes were on him. Without another word, the pilot turned around and walked towards the door. The butlers moved out of his way as he opened the doors by himself.

Blue was agile enough to get out of her seat in time before her mother stopped her. She ran out the doors before they closed behind Rex.

"Ji Jing!" Mrs. Devin the first shouted as the doors closed shut.

Purple eyes met sky blue ones for a second, and before he knew it, the platinum blond alpha was following his best friend as he ran towards the doors. A pair of butlers opened the doors for Mar, and at that moment, Arkham jumped.

Liam was a bit shocked until he saw the new butler catching a wine glass in mid air. The contents in the glass were long gone, but it's still hella impressive that Arkham caught it.

Fuck Madison.

"Good catch, Arkham!" The platinum blond alpha gave the new butler a thumbs up before he ran after his friends.