The charity auction was already well underway by the time a young doctor arrived.

Sebastian paused at the entrance and straightened the lapel of his grey suit. He had come straight from work, his tie loose, collar slightly askew, and dark strands of hair falling out of place.

There was nothing neat about him tonight.

A sudden ripple of excitement moved through the crowd behind him. Sebastian turned to look.

A car bearing a British emblem was parked at the kerb, its tinted windows hiding whoever was inside. The convoy behind it made the person's importance obvious. Sebastian watched for a moment before turning and heading inside.

“Your invitation, sir.”

Sebastian handed the white envelope to the security officer at the door. The man's expression changed as soon as he saw the surname. Recognition flashed across his face before he quickly composed himself and moved to bow.

“My apologies for the rudeness, sir.” Sebastian stopped him with a small wave.

Inside, the hall was decorated almost entirely in white. Garlands of fresh flowers lined the walls and tables, filling the room with a soft, elegant atmosphere.

Sebastian took a cocktail glass from a passing tray and took a slow sip as he looked around until he noticed someone new entering.

The man who had just entered was dressed in a black suit, tailored in a distinctly British style. It was simple and precise, without anything flashy about it. He moved through the room with quiet confidence, several attendants following a few steps behind him.

Sebastian found himself watching him.

Then the man looked up.

Sebastian's breath caught the moment their eyes met.

The young doctor looked away first, pretending to be interested in something else. He lifted the cocktail to his lips and took another sip, if only to steady himself.

Five years already.

Sebastian’s finger moved to the ring on his left hand, turning it almost unconsciously.

If Sebastian remembered correctly, it had been exactly five years since he and Eric married. The wedding had happened before he'd even had time to brace for it—one moment he was simply living his life, the next he'd already spoken the vows that welcomed that man into it.

Nothing between them had ever been born of love. Everything existed for the simplest of reasons.

Eric was an alpha and Sebastian was an omega.

That was it.

The only reason they had ever been tied together.

The auction began not long after Sebastian arrived at the event. Several paintings by unnamed artists were bid on under his name. He'd meant to win them quietly

For that he had Eric to thank, since the man had drawn nearly all the media's attention onto himself instead.

Once the final painting had been sold, Sebastian slipped away to check on the pieces he'd won, heading toward the area behind the stage.

On his way there, his gaze caught on a small figure being shoved hard enough to lose his footing and crash to the floor.

Thud!

Unluckily for the man, he'd fallen right in front of Sebastian. His eyes welled with clear tears, the tip of his nose gone red and raw in a way that made him look thoroughly pitiful.

Sebastian's hand had already started to reach out to help him up—but he stopped himself the moment his eyes landed on whoever had done the shoving.

The young doctor's gaze flicked between the two of them, and it seemed the other man had noticed him too.

“Mr. Pierce?”

“Victor?” The one addressed looked at Sebastian, then turned to glance at the boss standing behind him.

“You're here too?”

The flat, unreadable tone made Sebastian's nerves prickle.

“Yes,” the young doctor answered.

“Eric...” A trembling voice came from the small man still sitting on the floor. The tears rolling steadily down his face were the kind that usually softened anyone's hearts. Anyone except the man he had called

“Come home with me?”

The look Eric leveled at Sebastian left him at a complete loss. He couldn't tell if that had been a question or a command.

“It's fine. I drove myself here.”

“Then I'll see you at home. I'm sleeping there tonight.”

That last line caught Sebastian off guard, but his surprise remained hidden behind that  blank expression.

“Understood.”

The moment Sebastian gave his answer, he was left standing exactly where he was, watching the back of Eric walk away without so much as a glance behind them.

Sebastian turned his attention back to the man still crumpled on the floor. He wasn't sure whether he should just walk past or offer a hand.

It was obvious that something had happened between Eric and this man.

He only hesitated a moment before reaching out to help the stranger up again. But it seemed his help wasn't wanted.

The man swatted his hand away without ceremony.

“I can take care of myself.” The irritation in his voice left Sebastian more than a little baffled.

“I wasn't trying to say you couldn't. I was just offering, one human being to another.”

“I don't need it. So stay out of my business.” The man got to his feet and hurried off.

Sebastian felt like he'd stumbled into the middle of a story that wasn't his. The young doctor beside him shook his head and let out a long, helpless sigh.

“Excuse me, are you Sebastian Pierce?”

Sebastian turned toward the voice and found a man approaching him, someone dressed was likely one of the artists selling work at the event tonight.

“Yes.”

“I'm Jones. Thomas Jones.”

The name struck Sebastian as oddly familiar, and he found himself frowning slightly.

“I'm the one whose painting you bid on.”

Sebastian extended a hand in greeting, even as the puzzle of the introduction still nagged at him.

“Nice to meet you.”

“Thank you so much for choosing my work.”

“It was my pleasure.”

“This might sound like an overly personal question, but..” The man hesitated. “May I ask if you’re an Omega, Mr. Pierce?”

Sebastian's startled expression made Thomas immediately realize he'd asked something inappropriate. The young artist quickly scrambled to apologize.

“I didn't mean anything by it, please don't misunderstand. It's just.. I have a younger sister who's an omega, and all the paintings I brought tonight were dedicated to her.”

“Ah.. I see. You're right, I am.”

Sebastian answered easily, though he didn't bother explaining to the young artist that his shock hadn't come from being asked about his secondary gender but it came from the fact that there was still someone in this country who didn't recognize him as 'property of the Pierce family.'

“I'm a beta myself, so I don't really understand the hardships omegas go through. But watching my sister struggle to adjust to living in this society, I found myself inspired to paint these pieces because of her.”

“I see,” the young omega replied simply, not sure which painting the man was even referring to.

The only thing Sebastian had actually done during the auction was watch for the pieces no one seemed interested in and raise his paddle to claim them. He felt no particular attachment to what he'd spent his money on beyond the fact that it would be donated to a foundation that needed it.

“Here's my card. If you ever want to know more about those paintings, feel free to reach out.” Sebastian accepted the card and gave a small bow of thanks before excusing himself.

The British-made car turned in through the gates of the sprawling mansion, the digital clock on the dashboard reading nearly midnight. Deep down, the young doctor prayed that whoever waited inside had already gone to sleep so he wouldn't have to face him tonight.

“Welcome home, Mr. Seb.” Ivan, the mansion's butler, stood waiting by the entrance as he did every night.

“Thank you.” Sebastian handed over his bag out of habit.

“The master's waiting for you in the study.”

Sebastian went still for a moment before answering in his usual tone.

“Understood.”

Sebastian wasn't sure what made him hesitate in front of the large door. He stood there for a long moment, caught in a feeling he couldn't quite swallow or spit out.

Then the faint scent of roasted coffee drifted toward him, and that was what finally made him reach for the doorknob.

But he was too late.

The door opened from the other side.

Eric's irritation barely concealed on his face.

“How much longer were you planning to stand out there?”

Before Sebastian could get a word out, the young alpha cut back in.

“That mint scent of yours is distracting me.”

“I was just about to come in,” the young omega answered in a low voice.

“I only asked you to talk. Is that really enough to make you this uncomfortable?”

Sebastian chose to say nothing. He followed Eric into the study docilely, even as the atmosphere pressed uncomfortably against him.

“What do you want to talk about?”

“I just wanted to talk to my own wife. Do I need a reason for that?”

Sebastian's brow furrowed. The deliberate weight Eric put on the word 'wife' only deepened his confusion. The young doctor couldn't understand why, after five years apart, Eric had called him like that.

“Is there actually something you want to discuss? If not..”

“I want to know what you're planning to do in Ukraine.”

The flat question made Sebastian's round eyes widen in shock.

“How do you know about that?”

“Don't answer a question with a question. Just tell me what you're going to do there.”

“I...” Sebastian fell silent for a moment before continuing, his voice barely above a murmur.

“I'm visiting a friend.”

“A friend?”

Eric arched a brow, clearly caught off guard by the answer. He hadn't expected the man in front of him to tell the truth but he also hadn't expected the lie to sound quite this unconvincing.

“Which friend of yours is still in a country at war right now? Or was I wrong to assume the Pierce family only keeps company with the upper class or billionaires?”

“...”

“Wasn't even our wedding only happened because of my money?”