Wonho followed the butler through the sprawling manor, his eyes sharp, cataloging the displays of "Old Money" with a critic's detachment.
Every hallway was a curated museum of ancestral pride, but the air was stale, smelling of floor wax and the heavy, oppressive musk of dominant Alphas.
When they reached the formal dining room, the heavy double doors swung open to reveal the Kang family already gathered.
At the head of the long mahogany table sat the patriarch, Grandfather Kang Wonjun, a man who looked like he had been chiseled out of cold granite.
To his right were the parents Wonho had met at the gallery, Kang Dae-jung and his wife, Kim Eun-sook.
Next to them sat a young man who immediately drew Wonho's gaze.
He was taller than Wonho and broader, his frame filled out with the muscle of a man who spent more time in a gym than a library.
There was something undeniably off-putting about him, a predatory glint in his eyes and a smirk that suggested he viewed the world as his personal playground.
Wonho gave a brief, stiff bow before taking the empty seat at the center of the table.
"So, the prodigal son returns."the man remarked, his voice a low, mocking drawl.
"Wonho." Eun-sook began, her voice trembling with forced warmth. "This is your grandfather, and this is Min-gyu. We... we wanted to properly introduce you to the family."
The Grandfather didn't offer a greeting.
His eyes, sharp and judgmental, swept over Wonho. "An Omega." he grunted, the disappointment in his voice sharp enough to cut. "Twenty-eight years of waiting, and the biological heir is an Omega."
Wonho didn't flinch. He reached for his wine glass, his movements fluid. "I apologize if my biology doesn't meet your business requirements. I've found it hasn't hindered my ability to outproduce most Alphas in the market."
The Grandfather ignored the jab. "The hospital error was a disaster, but the solution is simple. To ensure the Kang lineage and the corporation remain unified, Wonho will marry Min-gyu. It is the only way to solidify the transition of power."
The room went cold.
Even Dae-jung looked shocked, but it was Eun-sook who spoke up first. "Father! You can't be serious. That's crossing a line. Min-gyu is already part of the family; we can simply adopt him legally. Why go to the lengths of a marriage?"
"Adoption is a flimsy paper shield," the grandfather snapped. "Marriage is the strongest tie. I will only accept Min-gyu... as my heir if he is also my son-in-law. It's settled."
Wonho felt the Alpha pheromones in the room begin to spike, an aggressive, territorial cocktail that made the vintage wine taste like ash on his tongue.
He sat in silence for a long moment, the rhythmic ticking of a grandfather clock the only sound in the room. Then, he leaned forward and sharply knocked his knuckles against the table.
Knock.
Knock.
"All of this is entirely meaningless." Wonho said, his voice cutting through the tension like a blade. "Because I am already married. And I am carrying his child."
The silence that followed was absolute.
Every eye in the room pinned him to his chair.
"Liar." the Grandfather spat. "I had your records checked. There is no marriage certificate, no registration. Do you think I'm just some senile old man?"
Wonho let out a short, dry laugh. "So you really did manage to steal my DNA without my consent. How distasteful. But you wouldn't find a public record because my husband likes his privacy. He's not the type of man who needs a piece of paper from the government to prove what he owns."
Min-gyu leaned back, a sneer curling his lip as he sipped his own wine. "Is that so? And who might this elusive husband be? Or did you just pick him up at one of those clubs you used to frequent?"
Wonho bit the inside of his cheek, his pulse thrumming. He needed a name. A name big enough to silence a Kang, but distant enough to be a plausible secret.
He thought of the green eyes from the gallery.
That piercing gaze that seemed to bore into his soul.
And the unforgettable scent of peaches following him.
"Jeong Hoseok." Wonho said, his voice steady. "My husband's name is Jeong Hoseok."
The reaction was instantaneous.
Min-gyu's smirk vanished, replaced by a flash of genuine shock that quickly devolved into mockery. "Jeong Hoseok? The head of the Jeong Group? You expect us to believe that a lowlife like you is married to the most elite Alpha in the country? Come up with a more convincing lie, Wonho."
Wonho maintained his poker face, though his heart was hammering against his ribs.
"Do you want me to call him? Do you want to hear it from my husband himself? For you to consider my husband elite, then you must have realized that your place is below him."
-_-
Wonho's remark made Min-gyu freeze for a second then he chuckled, gesturing mockingly at the table. "Please. Call him. I'd love to hear the dial tone of your imagination."
Wonho reached into his suit jacket and pulled out his phone. His fingers were cold. He had Hoseok's number from the contract paperwork, his private line.
He quickly edited the contact name to 'Hubby' and pressed the dial button, praying the man wouldn't just hang up on an unknown late-night caller.
The phone rang twice.
"Hello?"
The voice was deep, resonant, and unmistakably Hoseok.
Wonho felt a tingle of genuine fear but that wasn't enough for him to back down.
"Honey." Wonho said, the word feeling like lead in his mouth. "My family doesn't believe that we're married. They... they wanted to confirm that you're actually my husband."
There was a pause on the other end. Wonho held his breath, expecting a confused "Who is this?" that would end his life.
Instead, a low, melodic laugh drifted through the speaker.
"Oh? Put me on speaker then, darling."
Wonho's eyes brightened. He placed the phone in the center of the table, his hand only slightly trembling. "Honey, say something so they can hear you."
Hoseok's voice filled the dining room, cold and brimming with a dangerous authority.
"I hope I'm speaking to the Kangs. I'll make this simple: stop pissing me off. I know you've been digging into my wife's records, and I don't appreciate people touching what belongs to me. If you want to see Kang Corporations go up in flames by sunrise, by all means, keep bothering him. Otherwise, stay away from my wife."