Has The Live-in Alpha Stepped Up - Chapter 2

2: The Fork in the Road

“Is this the result you begged Grandma for another chance to prove yourselves?” The woman behind the desk placed the documents on the table.

Her tone was calm, merely stating a fact, yet it carried an interrogative pressure that silenced the three men standing before her.

The woman leaned back.

Her fitted blazer wrinkled slightly from the movement.

Perhaps it was the constraints of formal wear that made her feel utterly exhausted. Even her meticulously applied makeup couldn’t hide her weariness.

She looked at the three men but addressed only one: “Last year, you promised Grandma you’d prove yourself. She entrusted this factory to you, and this result—along with you… all of you—is hardly presentable.”

Her voice was stern, though not loud.

She was too tired.

Removing her glasses and setting them on the desk, her light-colored eyes, now devoid of their usual brilliance, were only streaked with fatigue.

She pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes, trying to ease the exhaustion weighing on her.

The man at the front spoke first: “Xiao Qiu, how can you talk to your uncle like that? Even if I’m just your cousin-uncle, we’re still family, bound by the same surname. No matter what, I’m your elder.”

Mentioning this only made things worse. The woman opened her eyes and retorted bluntly, “I know you’re my elder. If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t have to clean up your mess.”

Her words froze the air in the room.

The other two men in front of the desk, though accustomed to her no-nonsense attitude, exchanged uneasy glances.

The manager, whose employee badge was prominently displayed, glanced at the nearly empty water cup on the desk and signaled the young man beside him with his eyes.

The young man, who wore no badge, understood and quickly stepped forward to refill the cup.

The manager himself approached with an ingratiating smile. “Ms. Yu, Director Yu Feng has been working hard with us. But in recent years, our patent moat has been breached by some pharmaceutical companies. Outside, all the major families are fighting for their share of the market. You’re well aware—some dark horses have even emerged, and their momentum is no joke. These disadvantages aren’t something we can overturn in just half a year of effort.”

After listening to his spiel, the woman coldly raised her gaze, all traces of exhaustion now gone. Her light eyes, deep and unfathomable, swept over him like an icy blade.

The manager shuddered, frozen in place, then mechanically turned to Yu Feng for help.

The young man also looked at Yu Feng.

Yu Feng’s eyes flickered, signaling again.

The young man inwardly groaned but mustered his courage to step forward. “Ms. Yu, you seem really tired. Why don’t you rest for a bit? Your dormitory has been kept clean—it’s perfectly suitable for a nap.”

Ms. Yu was thoroughly sick of these sycophantic incompetents.

Worse still, their spokesperson was a so-called elder who hid behind his surname and family ties but was utterly useless.

By now, her exhaustion had peaked, and she realized something was off with her body.

[Have I really been pushing myself too hard lately?]

She asked herself but immediately shook her head.

That couldn’t be it. But this wasn’t the time to dwell on it. She stood up abruptly.

The manager and the young man tensed, ready to follow.

“Don’t bother. Prepare for your online debrief tomorrow. Grandma and I both want to hear it.” She cut them off and left without another word, slamming the door behind her.

Inside the room, the manager wiped the sweat from his brow. “Brother Feng, she drank the entire first cup of water. Shouldn’t we follow her?”

Yu Feng strode to the office chair and sat down, leaning back with a smile. He asked the young man, “Did you use all the medicine?”

The young man’s legs trembled, but he nodded. “Don’t worry, Brother Feng. I poured it all in and made sure it dissolved completely before serving it.”

Yu Feng’s expression turned cold. “My niece is exceptional in every way—just too domineering, exactly like her grandmother. But my aunt is a once-in-a-century Alpha genius in our family.”

He paused.

The two lackeys didn’t dare interject.

After a moment, Yu Feng continued, “If only she were as easygoing as her mother, I wouldn’t have had to go to such lengths. Tell me, why does an Omega have to be like this?”

The manager seized the opportunity to chime in: “Exactly! Omegas should act like Omegas—marry early, stay home, and take care of their husbands and children. Though, I’ve always heard Yu Guqiu’s pheromones are quite alluring. Too bad I’m a Beta and can’t sense them.”

Once Yu Guqiu left the room, the manager’s respect vanished. Addressing her by name was the least of it—he’d even begun indulging in inappropriate fantasies.

Smack!

Yu Feng hurled a folder at the manager’s head. “How dare you entertain such thoughts? No matter what, Xiao Qiu is my niece! She’s a top-tier Omega—do you think trash like you is worthy of her?”

The manager clutched his head, stealing glances at Yu Feng’s face. He knew this man wasn’t genuinely defending his niece. Yu Feng was merely using “my niece is a top-tier Omega” as a badge of his own untouchable status.

After all, Yu Feng was no different from the other two in the room—a Beta who couldn’t sense pheromones.

Ultimately, he simply looked down on his lackeys and knew what benefits Yu Guqiu could bring him.

While the manager processed this, Yu Feng had already switched back to his hypocritical smile.

“But then again, my niece has always been outstanding—just too rigid. She only cares about herself, never others. So selfish. She knows exactly what state the Yu family is in now.”

The manager glanced sideways.

The Yu family was facing financial troubles, largely due to relatives like Yu Feng after the old Yu matriarch fell ill.

And he had the nerve to say that.

Yu Feng went on: “The Alpha from the Tao family is an outstanding young man. It’s a good opportunity for them to meet today.”

The manager played along: “A marriage alliance between the Yu Group and the Taos is far better than Yu Guqiu’s outsider father—a mere Beta—taking advantage of the chaos to embezzle assets.”

Yu Feng’s face darkened at the mention. “That man surnamed Meng is just a live-in son-in-law, nothing more than a Beta. Now he dares to meddle in the group’s affairs? Ridiculous.”

As he ranted, Yu Feng seemed to forget that he, too, was “nothing more than a Beta.”

The young man, peering out the window, saw Yu Guqiu leaving the office building and suddenly felt a twinge of unease. “But Brother Feng, I heard Ms. Yu—Yu Guqiu—has never dated because she’s allergic to Alpha pheromones. If we use drugs to induce her heat… could it be life-threatening?”

“Allergies? Nonsense. Just a spoiled girl’s tantrums. An Omega allergic to Alpha pheromones—does that even make sense? My aunt spoiled her too much. She’ll be fine. It won’t kill her.” Yu Feng waved it off.

After a pause, he added, “Besides, her allergies are the least of it. Her pheromones are… peculiar. They can even attack Alphas—just like her personality. Triggering her heat is actually for her own protection.”

He concluded smugly: “What could go wrong? Nothing will happen. Today, that Tao kid just happened to be at the factory. His family’s investment firm wants to help us with funding, and he wanted to discuss it with Xiao Qiu. If he can’t handle her pheromones, he’ll leave on his own.”

With a few words, Yu Feng absolved himself, contentedly spinning his prayer beads in the boss’s chair.

As for the Tao kid, he’d warned him.

Yu Guqiu’s pheromones were unique—most Alphas couldn’t get close. If Tao didn’t believe him, let him learn the hard way.

It was just a “coincidence” that Yu Guqiu went into heat today. No one could be blamed.

Yu Feng had already prepared this excuse. Even if the old Yu matriarch questioned him, he wasn’t afraid.

The more he thought about it, the more pleased he was with his cleverness—a perfect two-birds-one-stone plan. Secure the Tao family’s funds and humble Yu Guqiu’s arrogance.

As for actually harming Yu Guqiu? He’d never do that.

He wasn’t stupid.

If the old Yu matriarch found out, he’d be finished.

Even if the old lady was ill and no longer managing affairs directly, as her nephew, Yu Feng knew all too well her ruthless methods—a hundred times harsher than this little niece of his.

As for the marriage alliance, did he really think one meeting would seal the deal?

He didn’t expect much.

For Yu Feng, Yu Guqiu remaining single was the optimal outcome.

An Omega without backing was far easier to handle than one with a powerful Alpha spouse.

His goal had always been to muddy the waters—making it easier to fish for benefits. That was enough.

No matter who ultimately gained the upper hand, marginal relatives like him would never benefit.

Yu Feng spun his prayer beads, staring at the overcast sky outside, and smiled in satisfaction.

Yu Guqiu stepped out of the office building, touching the back of her neck. It was burning.

Pheromones pooled in her glands, saturating the suppressant patch, straining to break free.

Her suppressant patches were the best money could buy—custom-made by Professor Zhong’s team, the leading experts in glandular technology, tailored specifically for her pheromones.

These patches temporarily sealed her pheromones in her glands, slowly breaking them down while completely blocking Alpha pheromones containing allergen fragments.

For them to fail now, there was only one possibility.

Heat cycle.

A periodic vulnerability for Omegas—but hers wasn’t due yet.

Yu Feng!

She immediately realized what had happened, recalling the water cup and Yu Feng’s odd smile.

But Yu Feng probably hadn’t anticipated that a top-tier Omega would react more intensely to their drugs, sensing the abnormality before even leaving the office.

She didn’t know what her cousin-uncle hoped to achieve by inducing her heat, but her condition was entirely different from other Omegas.

At the core of it, she’d overestimated these people’s moral limits. These underhanded tactics hadn’t improved one bit.

A cold glint flashed in her light-colored eyes.

Fifteen years ago, she would have cried for her parents to save her. Now, she was no longer that helpless little girl.

Given the circumstances—

The dormitory was out of the question. That was their prepared battleground. Though she didn’t know what awaited her there, avoiding it was the wisest choice.

The parking lot might seem like the next best option—get in the car and leave immediately—but that wasn’t necessarily safe either.

She trusted her driver, who’d been with her for over a decade. But predictable routes were the easiest to ambush.

Her footsteps didn’t slow. At the fork in the road, she made a swift decision.

She headed for the factory’s back gate.