Chapter 71: Chance Encounter III

The room had gone awfully quiet after Arkham said his piece. He could feel the hands holding his cheeks shaking hard as Tian Jun tried to contain his emotions.

Upset omega pheromones were out on full before the young master composed himself with a deep breath. He ran his hands through his shiny dark brown hair, and his honey eyes glared at Arkham as if the entire ordeal is the butler's fault.

Hell, Arkham would love to have Hannah Garvin save and alive too because he wanted to get information from her. Unfortunately, the head butler disposed of her. Petrov is loyal to the master of the house, and Mr. Aster wouldn't have it any other way.

Tian Jun final stood up from the couch and paced the room, and Arkham wasn't sure if he should get up and run out the door back to the safety of Mar and Liam or he should stay here and wait for the omega male to say something. His green eyes didn't leave the elegant man as he Tian Jun made his way to his closet.

A wave of relief washed over Arkham when he saw the omega male taking out a bottle of scent neutralizers before he began spraying the room. This action alone will definitely save the butler's hide because really, it would be super suspicious for a beta butler to smell like an omega, and even more suspicious when he smells like the young master that he wasn't assigned to serve.

"Thank you." The words spilled out of his lips like he was trained to be polite.

"For what?" Tian Jun's tone was borderline snarling at him.

"For using the spray. Do you want me to take the dirty dishes out?" Arkham stood up from the couch, and he pointed at the tray on the tea table.

Internally, he was hoping to stay a little bit long so that he could see whether or not bruises or hand prints formed on his face. He's not one to easily get bruised, but he still had to be careful.

The young master looked like he was considering something for a moment, and then he swiftly crossed the room in three steps. His pretty face was just a feet away from Arkham's, well, the spy had to look downward because he's apparently taller than Tian Jun.

Now, the spy wondered if the young master has any sense of private space or personal bubble. Arkham had seen many times that Tian Jun kept to himself; he doesn't hug nor touch other people. Young Master Tian Jun Devin is infamous for literally keeping everyone at an arm's length when they get a bit too close. So, why he is invading Arkham's space now? Is it an intimidation tactic?

If it is an intimidation tactic, then it's working super well since the butler is trying his best not to acknowledge the omega's overwhelming scent. Fuck, if Tian Jun knows that the spy is actually an alpha, the omega male might use his pheromones to specifically fuck with Arkham.

"You said you were loyal to the money, and AOPI sent you, correct?" His tone was once again serious. The omega male chewed the inside of his mouth for a second before he continued talking, "Come work for me instead. Whatever offer they're giving you, I'll double it."

"It's not that simple." Arkham immediately gave a rebuttal even though the offer was rather tempting. "I cannot quit my current mission while I am on that mission. It's a breach of contact—"

"Then take two jobs. Work two jobs with two different bosses." The young master was determined to not let the spy slip through his hands.

That metaphor became literal when Tian Jun grabbed on to Arkham's tie. The way his tie tightened around his neck and the pulling force combined with the omega's fading scent of pine and sweet maple were enough to send unconventional images flashing through the butler's head.

"I know you're not my butler, but I need at least two people on my side." Tian Jun mumbled, and he pulled Arkham even closer. "You don't have to stick to my original plan of sabotage. I just need someone who can help me escape in case people catch on. Hannah Garvin is gone, according to you, and Petrov won't stop there. He will run an investigation, and I don't want it to lead to me."

"I can't save your skin if you mess up." Arkham tried to reason. His heart was beating quicker from the sensation. "Because according to you, Mr. Aster is more likely to believe a family friend than an escort or a butler."

Honey brown eyes widened a little bit when the omega male realized that the spy used his words against him.

"You and Ben can sneak me out of this place if things go to shit. That's what I meant." The young master let out a sigh, but he didn't let go of Arkham's tie. "And then I'll disappear. You will still get your payment as promised."

"Being a backup plan sounds too easy. This offer is too good to be true." The spy's voice remained absolute. "If you want me to replace Hannah Garvin's job of sabotaging the mansion, then I can't do that. I'm a new butler, first summer, so I don't have access to anything big. So wasn't Hannah. Why are you doing this? Can't you just enjoy the vacation like the other family friends—"

"Revenge." Tian Jun pulled Arkham closer. "I do it for revenge. The head of this shit hole had done more wrong than any normal everyday person could comprehend. Isn't that why the organization sent you? They want you to dig up dirt. AOPI had failed multiple times, but you look promising, and you're doing better than the previous seven unlucky souls that they sent to infiltrate the mansion. Most of them didn't even make it pass Petrov's second round of nitpicking. I don't work with AOPI for that exact reason, yet here you are."

How did Tian Jun know about any of this? Was he a previous affiliate or was he a previous customer who was unsatisfied with the service? Probably both.

"Revenge?" Arkham mumbled in response to that entire monologue. "What could Mr. Aster have done to you?"

"Nothing of your concern." The omega male's honey brown eyes pierced into the spy's green ones. "Do take my offer? You can say no, and you'll be out of this mansion by tomorrow."

Oh, the illusion of choice. Tian Jun made it sound like Arkham can say no, but really, what came out of those pretty lips is a threat to blackmail. The spy's mission is to stay here until his duty as a butler ends without getting caught.

"I don't have much of a choice, do it?" Arkham smiled back, showing the omega male his teeth. "Would you still pay me double the rate that the organization gave me?"

"Of course." Tian Jun's reply was rather sweet. "If you go to Petrov after this, remember that the master of the house trusts a family friend more than a butler."

Finally, the young master let go of the spy's tie, and Arkham's hand began smoothing out the wrinkles. It seems like a lost cause, so he buttoned up his suit and tugged the tie into it. Meanwhile, the omega male paced his room, and he eventually sat down on his bed.

"When do you expect to see me again?" Arkham asked as he picked up the try of dirty dishes.

There wasn't an answer to that question.

However, there was a knock on the door.

The butler quickly gathered up the dirty dishes on the tray, and he expertly balanced the tray in one hand as he opened the door.

Another omega male greeted him with a wave, and Hua Jun pushed his way into the room, almost bumping into the butler on his way.

It seems like they have to meet another time. Arkham gave Tian Jun a glance before he left the guest room.