Taeyong held onto Daehyun’s arm as they followed the maid from the hand-crafted Sandalwood door through the softly-lit house. “This is such a good song,” Taeyong whispered, humming along to the peaceful jazz melody.

“I’ll ask which one it is,” Daehyun whispered back and Taeyong grinned, kissing his shoulder.

They thanked the maid as they walked into the grand living room. Just like the rest of the house, the open and modern interior and the large windows reflected the air of glamour that Taeyong adored.

“You’re here!” Cho Hwa jumped up from the sofa, bouncing over and hugging him tightly.

“Sorry we’re late,” Taeyong laughed and leaned down, hugging her back, kissing both cheeks. “You’ve lost weight,” Taeyong said, leaning back and patting her sides. She had always been pudgy since high school, but she was starting to look the same as she did before she had her baby.

Cho Hwa nodded. “Thank you! Yeah, I got a new chef. She’s an omega too and is from France.”

“Oh, fancy,” Taeyong hummed. He expected nothing less from an heiress.

Pulling away, Taeyong greeted her husband, Li Wei. He was more stout than most alphas, but Taeyong liked him even more because of that. Plus, he also came from humble beginnings and now look at him.

“Look who’s here. Fashionably late as always,” Jaejin drawled, sauntering into the living room.

Taeyong smirked and walked over. “It’s good to see you too, Jaejin,” he said and kissed both his cheeks as they hugged. His white structured blazer mimicked the bold lines of the house and made his signature cherry red lipstick pop against his skin. A red only he could pull off.

“Where’s Hyunwoo?” Taeyong asked, looking around for Jaejin’s husband.

“He’s on a call,” he sighed. “He’ll join us soon. Dinner’s on the table, by the way.”

Everyone followed Jaejin through the hall into a low-lit dining room, the glass table sparkling under the chandelier. Through the other entrance, Hyunwoo appeared.

“Sorry, I’m late. Business never sleeps,” he said in a low, gruff voice.

Daehyun smirked as they shook hands. “I feel for you. Hope everything is settled for the evening now.”

“Let’s hope,” he said and waited until Daehyun pulled away before shaking Li Wei’s hand, subtly brushing his hand off on his blazer when he pulled away.

The omegas sat down after the alphas and the first course was served; a light lemongrass soup. Taeyong hummed as he took his first sip.

“What is everyone drinking, tonight?” Jaejin asked from the head of the table.

“Scotch as always,” Daehyun said. Taeyong smiled and nudged his shoulder.

“Should’ve known,” Jaejin said and gestured to the housekeeper. “Do you want the same thing?”

Taeyong stiffened and shook his head, chuckling. “No, thank you. I’m not drinking tonight.”

“Not drinking,” Cho Hwa gasped. She and Jaejin both looked at each other in bemusement. “Who are you and what have you done with Park Taeyong?” 

Taeyong rolled his eyes. He didn’t drink that much.

Jaejin clicked his tongue. “You never turn down a drink. What are you? Pregnant?”

The room went silent and Taeyong and Daehyun shared a look. Daehyun proudly holding his hand under the table and Taeyong ducked his head, bit back a smile, “Actually, I am.”

Cho Hwa gasped. “Oh my Gods,” she squeaked, bouncing in her seat. “Finally,” she cheered, clapping her hands.

“Congratulations, you two. How does it feel, Daehyun?” her husband asked with an equally dopey grin.

Daehyun smiled, looking over at Taeyong with adoration. “I feel like the luckiest man in the world.”

Taeyong blushed and squeezed his hand, unable to hold in his giggles.

Jaejin leaned over and smirked. “I was starting to wonder what was taking you so long.”

“I was making sure our kids won’t be in the same grade,” he teased.

Jaejin smirked and leaned back. “Well, congratulations. Having a baby truly is a gift. Right, Hyunwoo?” he asked, eying him across the table.

Hyunwoo averted his eyes, focusing on taking a sip of his scotch. “Yes. Children are a blessing,” he said in a monotone. Taeyong glanced back between the two, a thousand words exchanged in the silence.

“So, who had the dream?” Cho Hwa asked, her naturally shrill voice resetting the conversation. “Was it your mother-in-law? That was the case for me.”

Taeyong smiled. “Actually it was my youngest brother. You both remember him right?” They nodded. “Yeah, he said something about seeing me carry a basket of apples under a tree near our childhood home. And that night we checked and the rest is history.”

“Cute,” Cho Hwa cooed as she pulled the fork from her lips. “I wonder if it’ll be an omega then. Seeing fruits is a sign of omegas.”

Jaejin rolled his eyes. “Yeah, and dragons are alphas, yet Minjun’s an omega.” He shrugged and sipped his wine.

“Maybe that means he’ll have your fiery personality,” Taeyong teased, both of them giggling as Jaejin gave them a pointed look.

“He’s too sweet for that. I already know he’s a lot nicer than I am,” he said, casually. Yet, he stared at his plate in deep contemplation.

Taeyong reached over and placed his hand on his. “You are nice,” he said, cracking a smile. “You just don’t waste it on undeserving people.”

Jaejin chuckled. “True. Who has time for that, anyway.”

“Yes, well. I hope you don’t teach Minjun that,” Hyunwoo said, nonchalantly taking a spoonful of soup.

Everyone stared at him, Cho Hwa and Taeyong flicking their attention to Jaejin. His gaze felt uncomfortable paired with a casual smile instead of gritted teeth. “Well, I’m the one raising him. I can’t help it if he starts acting like me.”

“I wouldn’t call it raising when we have two nannies.”

“At least I see him more than five minutes in a day,” Jaejin said, barely concealing the snap in his voice.

Taeyong grimaced and met Cho Hwa’s equally concerned eyes. “Well,” Taeyong started. “You can’t tell a child’s personality by their parents,” he said, gaining momentum with each word and smiling at the end.

Cho Hwa nodded. “Exactly. I mean, look at Taeyong and his brothers. They’re all so different.”

Taeyong giggled and they took the chance to change the conversation.

The maid replaced their plates with the main course, a french style steak, drizzled with a rich glaze. Taeyong poked at the meat, and as much as he would normally relish it, he opted for the light vegetables around it. He glanced over at Daehyun and pouted momentarily.

Daehyun shifted his hand closer and brushed his pinky against the back of Taeyong’s hand, offering a glimpse of a comforting smile. Biting back his own grin, Taeyong took another bite.

“So, Daehyun. I hear you’ve hired a new architect. I heard she’s an omega too,” Hyunwoo asked.

Daehyun turned away from Taeyong and hummed. “Yes. We recruited her from a firm in Singapore.”

“I see,” Hyunwoo said, sipping his scotch. “She must be quite beautiful,” he said and flicked his eyes up. “Wouldn’t you say so?”

The mood grew tense again as Daehyun stared back, upright and rigid, stretching the silence. “I wouldn’t know. I don’t look at my employees like that."

“Of course,” Jaejin said, locking eyes with Hyunwoo. “It would be very unbecoming for an alpha to think that way of their employees. Wouldn’t it, dear?”

Hiding his lips behind his glass, Hyunwoo clenched his jaw. He flicked his eyes away and downed the rest of his alcohol. “You’re right. Although," he said and turned to Taeyong, “didn’t you used to work for Daehyun?”

Taeyong pressed his lips into a thin line. “I worked for his mother. And you know it’s more complicated than that, Hyunwoo.” It was impossible to compact Daehyun and his fourteen-year history into that. If anything, childhood friends were a better fit. And far more appropriate.

“What are you implying?” Daehyun spoke up, glaring at him.

Taeyong squeezed his hand and turned to Jaejin to stop them. But Jaejin was staring daggers at Hyunwoo, gripping his knife like a weapon.

Hyunwoo shook his head, holding his glass out as the maid topped it up. “Nothing. I just thought Americans were more—” He shook his head and smirked into his glass. “Nevermind,” he said and took a sip, smacking his lips at the burn.

“No, finish your sentence,” Daehyun insisted, his voice almost dropping into a growl.

They locked eyes, staring with tense jaws, unwavering, their scents wafting a suffocating musk. They were sizing each other up, a palatable tension between the two alphas. Taeyong watched them, stopping himself from clutching his chest or covering his nose. Hyunwoo should know better than to do something like this when omegas were around.

“Come on! Come on, guys. No need to be so feisty,” Li Wei said, loudly and joyfully, clearing the suffocating air. “Isn’t this why our mates tell us not to talk about work?” he laughed and turned to Cho Hwa. “Hwa, why don’t you tell everyone about our trip to France?” He whipped back to the others. “It’s a great story.”

“Ah yes. Oh, it was so much fun,” Cho Hwa cheered and dove right in.

Taeyong leaned back and let out a sigh. Thankfully the politician in the room knew how to change course. Leaning in, Taeyong smiled along, equally as loud and joyous as them.

Taeyong looked over to Jaejin, his eyes still locked on Hyunwoo as he stabbed his steak, tearing through it with his knife, while Hyunwoo ignored him completely.

He squeezed Daehyun’s hand, subtly taking in a deep breath as Daehyun squeezed back.

Dessert continued much the same. Jaejin eventually started talking and the conversation remained relatively shallow until the end.