Kian’s POV

After reaching home, the night unfolded just like every other night recently—in complete darkness, with me crying myself to sleep.

When I graduated, I thought getting a good job and taking care of my mom would be more than enough to keep me happy forever. But look at me now. Why was I crying every single day? Why had I become so weak and emotionally fragile?

I knew logically that Kai and I could never be together. There was absolutely no future for us. So why did my heart keep breaking over and over again?

Sitting on the edge of my bed, staring at the floor, a desperate idea took root in my mind.

I need to get a girlfriend.

That was the only way out. If I had a girlfriend, I’d no longer have time to feel this way or obsess over Kai and Emma. I could focus all my energy on caring for someone else, building a normal life, and moving on.

Next day at evening, I pulled out my phone and dialed Rose, a former college classmate. Back in university, she had confessed her feelings and proposed to me at least a hundred times, but I had always turned her down gently, telling her we were better off as friends.

She picked up on the second ring.

"Rose? Are you free tonight? Can we meet at a restaurant?" I asked.

"Kian?! Oh my god, yes! I'm completely free!" she replied, sounding thrilled.

Once the reservation was settled, I walked into Kai's private cabin at the office to ask for permission to leave early.

He didn't even look up from his tablet. "Why do you need to leave early?"

I decided not to lie or make up an excuse. "I have a date with a classmate from college."

That caught his attention. Kai paused, his fingers freezing over the screen as he raised his eyes to meet mine. "A date? Is she someone special?"

"She's been confessing to me for a long time," I replied, forcing my voice to sound casual and steady. "She's a great person. I think it's time we become more than just friends."

Kai stared at me for a long, heavy moment. A strange, unreadable shadow passed across his dark eyes before he lowered his head back to his work. "Okay. Go. I can handle the rest of the workload myself."

"If you need help finishing these reports, I can tell her I'll meet her a bit later," I offered professionally.

"No need," Kai interjected flatly, his tone turning cold. "I'll just ask my girl to come over as well. We can spend time together here."

My girl.

The words felt like a physical slap to my face, but I kept my composure. I gave a polite nod, turned on my heel, and walked out of his office.

When I arrived at the restaurant, Rose was already sitting at a corner table, looking bright and excited. I walked over, offered a small smile, and pulled out a chair. "Hi, Rose."

"Hi, Kian! I missed you!" she beamed.

I gestured to the menu. "Order whatever you like."

As the waiter took our orders and left, an uncomfortable knot formed in my stomach. I sat there staring at my glass of water, suddenly realizing how lost I was.

Where do I even start? How do I lead this conversation? Am I even doing the right thing?

A wave of heavy guilt suddenly washed over me. I hadn't even presented my secondary gender classification yet! What if I turned out to be a Beta? Would she be disappointed later on?

More importantly... just because I was desperately trying to run away from my feelings for Kai and forget him, did that give me the right to use Rose? Did it give me the right to play with someone else's genuine feelings?

No. That's completely wrong.

"Rose," I began gently, clearing my throat as I looked across the table. "Honestly... the reason I invited you out tonight is because I really missed my college friends. Everyone has been so busy with their own lives lately."

Rose smiled warmly, seemingly unfazed. "It's totally fine, Kian! I'm just really happy you reached out. It's been so long! So... what have you been up to these days?"

"Mostly just working," I answered, taking a sip of water. "And you wouldn't believe who my boss is. I'm actually working under Kai—our senior from college! It turns out he's the CEO of a huge IT conglomerate. I didn't even know until my first day when I became his personal assistant."

Rose smiled, swirling her water glass as she listened. "It really is a small world, isn't it? But tell me... is he giving you a hard time like he used to back in college?"

"No, not really," I replied, forcing a soft, faint smile. "It's just as usual. Honestly, it's fine."

She paused, looking at me warmly across the table. "So... have you managed to find yourself someone special yet?"

I shook my head, keeping my voice quiet. "Like I told you back in university... I'm really not interested in getting into a relationship right now."

Rose let out a soft laugh. "You've told me that a hundred times already! But honestly, I'm just happy you finally gave me some attention and asked me out tonight. Even if we're just friends for a long time, that's more than enough for me. Don't you think?"

I offered a small, appreciative smile and nodded. "Yeah... that sounds good."

Right at that moment, the brass bell above the restaurant door chimed. I glanced toward the entrance, and my heart instantly sank into my stomach.

It was Kai and Emma.

Why of all places did they have to come to this exact restaurant?!

A sharp sting bloomed in my chest, but I quickly forced my gaze back onto Rose, determined to ignore them completely. I threw myself into the conversation, talking freely and openly with her. Honestly, it had been a long time since I'd chatted with someone like this. It was surprisingly fun and easygoing—even easier than talking to Sun lately, since Sun was always swamped with his new job under Senior Moon.

I laughed at Rose's jokes and smiled warmly, though my eyes kept betraying me, instinctively drifting over her shoulder toward the corner booth.

Kai and Emma were sitting across from each other, eating their dinner in quiet peace. Not once did Kai look in my direction. Not even a single glance.

Why would he even look at me? I thought bitterly, swallowing the lump in my throat. When he has such a beautiful, elegant woman sitting right in front of him... why would his eyes ever wander anywhere else?

Rose suddenly tapped the table gently, bringing my focus back to her. "Oh, look! Isn't that your boss over there with that girl? She might be his fiancée, don't you think?"

"Yeah," I murmured, staring down at my napkin. "They go everywhere together. Maybe she is his fiancée... I don't really know for sure."

Seeing the sudden gloom settle over my expression, Rose reached across the table and gently placed her hand over mine. "You look a little off tonight, Kian. Do you want to go for a quiet walk outside after we finish dinner?"

I looked up at her kind eyes and nodded. "Hmm... sure, no problem."

After finishing our meals, I settled the bill, and we stepped out into the crisp evening air. Rose lived in an apartment building just a ten-minute walk from the restaurant, so I decided to walk her back home to make sure she got back safely.