Page 68 of Heat Me

The only thing I could do now was contact Mr. Ragu before a formal complaint reached him. As soon as I was far enough from the house, I pulled out my phone and dialed my boss.

"I’ve got good news and bad news," I said as soon as he picked up.

Mr. Ragu sighed. "Start with the good. After yesterday, I’m tired of bad news."

"All four clients will be at the auction and fair."

Yes, I said it—all four. Because somehow, I knew Day would come. The potential compensation was too tempting for him to pass up.

"Wow, that’s a big success. I’m glad you were so convincing… Including the fifth, the alpha?"

Oh yeah. My cousin, Gabriel. Almost forgot.

"No, I didn’t talk to him, but I hope he’ll be at the next fair. And as for the others—"

"Yes?"

"Well, things got a little out of hand. I think I overdid it with the last case—the omega involved in surrogacy."

"Sanderson? I remember our initial conversation. He seemed bitter."

"He is. Which isn’t surprising, considering he’s spent years giving birth to children for other people."

"So what happened? Tell me."

"He said he was filing a complaint because I criticized his smoking. He read too much into my suggestion that he should stop using suppressants."

Mr. Ragu sighed. "Well… considering what happened yesterday, that's really small in comparison—he’ll come around."

"I hope so. To be fair, though, he called the company a bunch of scammers."

"It’s his defense mechanism. He’s angry about his poor life choices and wants to pin it on us. It’s easier to blame someone else for his problems."

"I think it’s deeper than that. I read his initial questionnaire—he mentioned a relationship in college. It was good, but the alpha left him for a high mate. It crushed him and pushed him into surrogacy."

"Everyone has their story. But he’s dragged the surrogacy thing out for too long. It’s going to be tough to find him a mate when he looks so emaciated and unhealthy."

"Yeah… Anyway, I know I shouldn’t have made that comment. It’s been a rough day—three meetings earlier, a personal situation, and I’m just exhausted."

"Don’t stress over it. Our company already has its fair share of bad reviews—one more won’t make a difference. That’s just how this industry is."

I sighed heavily. "Anyway, it’s settled. They’ll be at the fair. Also, I’d like to request one more day of remote work to handle a personal matter. But if you need me to review more contracts, send them over."

"These are the last four with guaranteed-match, plus the young alpha case. But the problem is that after yesterday’schaos, Blue Lowen isn’t returning my calls, so we’re back at square one. We’re working on a high-end program for demanding clients willing to pay a fortune for perfect matches. Big bonuses.Top secret, of course. So don’t worry, there’ll be plenty to keep you busy."

Sure. Everything was ‘top secret’ with Ragu until someone inevitably spilled the beans and blew up his ass. Whatever. I needed to see my omega.

The call ended, and nothing could hold me back. I rushed to my car and drove straight to Damien’s apartment.

My entire body ached with longing—I craved to see him. My soul demanded it. I hadn’t texted him all day amidst the madness, and he hadn’t texted me either. But I couldn’t leave things like this. Seeing him was the most important thing in the world.

UTTERLY SYNCED

Tires screeching, I parked in front of his building, jumped out of the car, and ran inside. My heart was pounding as I reached his door, and it only sped up when no one answered. The silence inside felt deafening. Swallowing hard, I tried the doorknob. It turned, and the door creaked open. He hadn’t even locked it behind me?

The apartment was dark and quiet. The previous scent of his heat was gone, replaced by something else… a heavy, gloomy atmosphere.

Feeling a weight settle on my chest, I walked down the hall to his bedroom. On the bed, in the exact position I’d left him, lay Damien.

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