Chapter 5

A Shadow Following Me

"..." I frowned in frustration at the man sitting in the VIP section, propping his chin on his hand as he stared at me with a grin that could only be described as unsettling. Who else could it be but Knucker? No one else would be crazy enough to follow my every move like this. Recently, he’d taken his madness to a new level, coming to the bar every single day. His presence had the staff on edge, and even the customers seemed to increase whenever he was around.

"Damn it, he keeps following me around." As I thought about that night, the one when I went into heat and ended up in his bed, the memory only fueled my anger. When I’d woken up and demanded he undo the bond he’d forced on me during our first meeting, do you know what he said?

"No. Absolutely not."

I could have screamed. Why doesn’t nature have any mercy on lowly Omegas like me? Not only are we born weaker than Alphas, but in every other way too—body size, strength, everything. No matter how hard we train, we can only defend ourselves to a certain extent. Actually taking on an Alpha? Forget it. But the most unfair thing? It’s that Omegas can’t cancel the bond on their own. It’s absurd!

"Knucker’s been coming here every day lately, hasn’t he, Master? And he keeps looking down at the main floor. Do you think he’s interested in someone?" I glanced over at Jeffy, who was talking to the master at the drink bar. I was waiting for a drink, so I casually eavesdropped on their conversation.

"True. The last time he came, I gave him some chocolates and asked him to visit more often. I never imagined he’d take me so literally. I guess I’ll have to bring him more chocolates next time I visit Belgium." I raised an eyebrow. That mafia boss likes chocolate? That explains why he keeps saying I smell like chocolate.

"It’s hard to believe someone as tough-looking as Knucker would enjoy something so childlike and sweet," Jeffy continued, clearly intrigued by the topic about Knucker. Talking about him this much, could it be that Jeff is secretly interested in that guy too?

"Knucker only eats dark chocolate. He doesn’t like anything overly sweet. If you’re planning to give him some, be careful. If you get the wrong kind, he might get angry enough to kill you. Now, take the drinks to the customers." Jeff grabbed the drinks and left to serve them as the master instructed. I waited for mine and then rushed to deliver it to my table as soon as it was ready.

"Great service as always. Want a tip?" I smiled at the customer faintly before he reached out and touched my hip and lightly stroked it. I froze, staring at him coldly before grabbing his wrist firmly.

"I’m a waiter, sir. If you’re looking for a hostess or companion, I can fetch one for you. Which one would you prefer? All of our hostesses are gorgeous." That customer licked his lips nervously, his expression shifting.

"U-uh, sure. Any hostess will do. Just bring one over!" I furrowed my brow slightly. What the hell? Why was he acting scared all of a sudden? I turned and walked back to the bar, where I spoke with some of the hostesses to assign one to the table. As I finished, my gaze drifted toward the VIP section.

"What’s his deal?" I quickly averted my eyes when I realized Knucker was still staring at me, his intense gaze unrelenting. Worse, he was releasing his pheromones just enough to make some of the patrons visibly uncomfortable. What was he even trying to do?

"Ram, the master wants to see you in the VIP section. He said it’s urgent." I looked at Rudy who walked in to tell me before nodding and walking up to the VIP zone. Normally, I wasn’t responsible for anything on the second floor; I’d only ever been up here to help clean after closing.

"You called for me, Master?" I approached the bar master, who was busy serving Knucker and his men. Knucker stared at me with a sharp gaze, as if he wanted to throw me to the ground right then and there. What did I do wrong?

"Ram, Mr. Knucker requested that you sit with him for a drink." The master stepped closer to me and put a little distance between himself and those people. I frowned, utterly baffled.

"Why? I’m not a hostess. You’ve told me yourself we’re not responsible for sitting with customers. There are plenty of hostesses in the bar—why not call one of them?" I asked in a bad mood. It wasn't my duty, and the more I knew I had to sit with this guy, the more I didn't want to.

"Come on. Mr. Knucker is one of our VVIPs. Since he started coming here daily, our shop’s been busier, and sales have gone up. You’ve gotten more tips and bonuses because of it, haven’t you?" I frowned even more. It’s precisely because of him that I’ve been working myself to exhaustion.

"Still, this isn’t part of my job description," I insisted. When I signed my contract, my responsibilities were clearly limited to being a waiter—not to sit and entertaining customers.

"Please, Ram. Just this once, as a favor to the bar. Mr. Knucker specifically requested you and refused anyone else. I even tried offering other hostesses, but he wouldn’t accept. I’ll make sure you’re compensated extra. Just help us out, okay?" I exhaled deeply and glanced toward him, who sat with his legs crossed, tapping his foot idly on the floor and smirking at me.

"Fine. Just sitting with him, right?" The master nodded quickly. Reluctantly, I sighed and walked toward Knucker and his entourage. His men stepped aside to let me through, their grins suggesting they were thoroughly entertained by the situation.

"What do you want? I’m not a hostess," I stood looking at the person sitting on the sofa. Knucker tilted his head up, flashing that smug, mafia-boss smile of his.

And if you’re wondering why I dare to speak to him so rudely despite being much younger and him being the mafia boss of this area, I will answer that I’m pissed. Since the night I went into heat, I’d begged him multiple times to release the bond he’d forced on me. Each time, he refused. My anger had reached its peak.

"Why? Someone like me can have anyone I want sitting next to me. Whether you’re a hostess or not doesn’t matter to me. Now, sit down." I stood there, glaring at him, refusing to obey. Before I could react, Knucker grabbed my arm and pulled me onto his lap.

"What the hell?! The couch right next to you is empty. Why do I have to sit on your lap?" I shouted, twisting to face him. After he pulled me down onto his lap, he kept sniffing my hair, the nape of my neck, the back of my head, everything.

           "Let me take a sniff. That chocolate smell." I wanted to bury my face in my hands. I’d never met someone so shameless. Not only was this a public space, but the bar was packed.

"Stop it! Are you insane? There are so many people here. Have some decency!" I pushed Knucker’s chin away, trying to make him stop, then scrambled off his lap to sit on the couch instead.

"What’s there to be embarrassed about? We’re practically husband and wife." I turned to look at him with a shocked expression. Even without looking in the mirror, I could tell how shocked I was. Husband and wife?

"Hey, when did I become your spouse?"

"The moment I bonded with you. What else would you call it? Besides, our pheromones only react to each other now."

"That doesn’t make us married. And the bond can be undone. When are you going to do it, huh? My life’s been miserable because of it." His pheromones had been a constant disturbance. Normally, I don’t really pick up on alpha pheromones, and even if I do, it’s barely noticeable. But after being bonded to him, his scent was so strong it interfered with my day-to-day life.

"No. Who said I’d undo it? You’re just assuming things. I. Am. Not. Canceling," Knucker said firmly, emphasizing every word. Fury bubbled up inside me. I clenched my fist, ready to punch him in the face, but one of his men grabbed my wrist before I could swing.

"Let’s not do this. Have a drink instead," Knucker turned to pour a glass of whiskey and held it out to me. I glanced at the glass but didn’t take it. Yanking my wrist free from his men’s grip, I pushed Knucker’s glass back toward him.

"I don’t want to drink," I drank occasionally when customers insisted and tipped well, but with this guy, I didn’t want to drink. What if I got drunk and he dragged me off somewhere?

"Why not? I tip generously," Knucker pulled a wad of cash from his pocket and handed it out to me. The sight of the money made me hesitate. No customer had ever tipped me this much before. That amount could easily cover my rent.

"Uh! Fine," I was reaching for the money. But just as I was about to take it, he pulled it back, not giving it to me.

"One glass per bill." What a schemer. Grinding my teeth, I had no choice but to drink several glasses to earn the money. Sorry, liver. You’re going to have a tough time today.

“Ugh!” After several glasses, I started feeling lightheaded. I squinted at the person sitting next to me before seeing that I was leaning against Knucker’s shoulder. I quickly moved away from him and sat down to massage my temples lightly.

"Time to go. You’ve got work tomorrow. Go get Lef and Jody downstairs,” I was pulled into another hug before being carried from the VIP floor downstairs.

"I’m taking this one with me. I’ll pay extra for the trouble." I heard Knucker talking with the bar master. I wanted to protest, but I was too dizzy to get my thoughts together. It was my fault for being so stupid, prioritizing money over everything else, letting myself be fooled into drinking.

"Of course, Mr. Knucker. Please visit us again tomorrow." God, please no. If he keeps coming back, I’ll end up with liver cirrhosis and die for sure.

"Oh, I’ll be back for sure," that bastard. I punched Knucker's back with a loud thud because he was carrying me on his shoulder. He didn't say anything, just walked out of the pub whistling happily.

I was shoved into a car and driven who knows where. I wanted to yell at him, punch him even, but I could barely manage to sit upright. By the time I realized what was happening, I was being dragged into a building. Squinting through my haze, I recognized it—it was my apartment building.

"Small. Are you sure this is for living?" I heard another person mutter, commenting on my place before everything went black. I swear I’m never drinking that much for money again. I felt like I was dying. It drove me crazy.

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Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!

Gasping!

I shot upright at the sound of birds chirping outside my window. I looked around. I was in my own room, my clothes had been changed, and I was tucked under the blanket properly. Last night, I remembered Knucker carrying me home. He didn’t do anything to me, did he? I quickly checked myself over. Everything seemed normal.

"My head hurts... I need food," I pressed my fingers to my temples before getting up to change and head to the nearby convenience store.

Slide!

"Welcome. Oh, Ram, it’s you. Weren’t you heading back to Thailand?" I turned around to see Ivan greeting me from behind the counter. It was probably his part-time shift at the store.

"Yeah, I was, but I got a job at a pub, so I’m staying to save some money first. Let me grab something to eat," I grabbed a basket and walked through the aisles, yawning as I browsed.

After picking out some food, I went to the register to pay, exchanging a few words with Ivan before heading back home. In a few hours, I would need to go to work. Should I eat and take a nap?

Sitting in my room, I ate my meal in silence. Once I was done, I tidied up and prepared to throw the trash out. I glanced at the clock—still three hours before work. Deciding to rest, I lay down and dozed off.

The alarm woke me, and I got up to shower and get ready for my evening shift. I had left early yesterday, so I hoped the staff wouldn’t mind. I didn’t want to slack off, but it was Knucker who had dragged me out without asking.

Click!

Entering the pub through the back door, I planned to head straight to the changing room, but voices from inside caught my attention. Looks like I came at the wrong time.

"...Yeah, right? He hasn’t even worked here a full month and left early like that. Plus, he’s still getting paid the same as everyone else. So unfair." I didn't know who was talking, but it seemed like they were gossiping about me.

"Why’d Knucker take such a liking to him that he called him up to sit with him?" There was no need to envy me for that. I didn’t even want to be near him myself.

"You don’t know? He flirts with every customer to get bigger tips. Guess he thinks being young and good-looking is enough." I let out a quiet sigh. People like this exist everywhere, don’t they?

"Well, I guess it makes sense. I heard he’s trying to save money to send back to Thailand. Maybe his family taught him to act this way." I clenched my fist before opening the door and walking in. As soon as they saw me, they immediately stopped talking and turned to look elsewhere.

"Ram, you left early last night and didn’t help clean up. So today, you’re responsible for setting up the entire restaurant by yourself." I looked at Noris, who told me to prepare everything alone. I nodded slightly, and went to change into my work uniform. Then, I hurried to prepare the restaurant. Doing it alone meant I had to move quickly if I wanted to finish on time.

I knew they were deliberately making things harder for me, but I couldn’t say anything about it. They weren’t wrong—I had left early, even if it wasn’t my choice. Still, I didn’t want to cause any trouble. I just put my head down and got to work. It wasn’t too difficult.

"Ram, why are you setting up alone? The others aren’t here yet?" I looked up to see Jeffy and Judy walking in to help. Actually, Judy was a bartender, so he had his own preparations to do too.

"I left early last night, so I’m making up for it today. Judy, you should go handle your own prep. I can finish this on my own," I smiled faintly at Judy. He raised an eyebrow but nodded and returned to the bar’s counter.

"It’s not like that was your fault, though. Thanks to you, Mr. Knucker carried you out last night, and we got a big tip. Honestly, we should be thanking you. Maybe let him take you out again tonight, and I’ll clean up for you," Jeffy joked. I smiled faintly and shook my head. If only everyone thought like him, I wouldn’t have been stuck preparing the restaurant alone this morning.

“…” I didn’t respond, just gave Jeffy another small smile.

"By the way, is Mr. Knucker trying to court you?" I froze, my hand hovering over a chair I was about to set down. I turned to look at Jeffy, who seemed very curious.

"No, why do you ask?" Courting me? As if. He’d already declared I was his wife, and he refused to undo the bond. Why can't an Omega like me cancel it myself? It’s so unfair.

"Well, he doesn’t usually come here, but now he’s here every day. And yesterday, he called you up to sit with him, something he’s never done for anyone else. Doesn’t that make you wonder?" I shook my head at Jeffy.

"You’re reading too much into it. I’m going upstairs to finish preparing the second floor," I said, cutting the conversation short and walking away before Jeffy could ask anything else.

What answer could I even give him? I didn’t understand it myself. Why would someone like Knucker, a mafia boss, be interested in me? I was just a waiter—a freshly eighteen-year-old one at that. Was it because he’d bitten me and felt some obligation? But if that were the case, he could still undo the bond.

"Whatever. Who knows what someone like him is thinking," I shook my head as I focused on preparing the store, afraid I might be late.