L*ck Me If You Can-Chapter 159

Suddenly, the overhead lights turned on, flooding the room with brightness. Until now, only the dim glow of a desk lamp had lit the space, so when the room filled with harsh light, Ashley instinctively scrunched his brows and covered his eyes with one hand. Blinking against the brightness, he was just beginning to adjust when a familiar voice spoke.

“I'm here for the report. Shall we proceed as planned?”

The voice was businesslike—aged, perhaps, but otherwise unchanged. As Ashley slowly lowered his hand, his blurry vision cleared, and the figure before him came into sharp focus.

A middle-aged woman stood a short distance away, her face exactly as he expected. She had been his father's secretary for years—long before his father stepped down—and even now, she continued to serve in that role. Though she always claimed her loyalty was strictly tied to the salary she received, most people who knew her believed that money alone couldn’t account for such unwavering devotion. If it was just money, then her appetite for wealth must have been unimaginable—because despite thirty years of service, she’d never once embezzled, committed fraud, or stepped out of line. That, in its own way, was remarkable.

Ashley didn’t bother speculating about her motives. Whatever reason she had for her loyalty to his father—even if she suddenly betrayed him one day—had nothing to do with Ashley. His entire life had been a daily battle just to survive.

“Did ‘Ashley’ die or something?”

His voice was indifferent. The secretary, unfazed, responded in her usual detached tone.

“No. Not yet.”

Ashley let out a dry laugh. The secretary added a bit more information:

“No suicide attempts or incidents worth noting.”

“Someone who can’t even walk on his own isn’t going to manage a suicide,” Ashley scoffed.

He asked another question, tone still sarcastic.

“Still having Father carry him around, I assume?”

The secretary replied evenly.

“As you know, even getting out of bed is a struggle for him.”

It was a response that made the question sound stupid. Ashley muttered to himself.

“Father probably doesn’t want him to recover.”

Catching her gaze, Ashley let out a short laugh.

“I heard him. Talking to the attending physician.”

That conversation had been the reason Ashley, still a child at the time, had left home for the West. He had been terrified of his father—and of the looming shadow of death that seemed to haunt the house at all times. That’s how he had finally managed to escape.

But now, thinking about where he was again... he felt a hollow bitterness that left him speechless.

The secretary glanced at the table where Ashley was leaning one ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) elbow, then moved to pour whiskey into his empty glass.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

Ashley brought the glass to his lips and downed it in one go.

“That they’re only treating him enough to keep him alive.”

He set the glass down and continued.

“Everyone knows it’s dangerous to carry to term when a Gamma mutates and has a child. There’s no way he didn’t know that.”

“Of course he knew,” she agreed.

Whether she was humoring him or simply refusing to lie pointlessly, Ashley couldn’t tell. But she did add her own thought, cautiously.

“Trusting to luck when the odds of death were so high doesn’t seem like the kind of decision Mr. Miller would make.”

“He might’ve thought it was better to die than not have him close.”

Considering the obsessive way his father had always clung to ‘Ashley,’ it wasn’t an unreasonable guess. The secretary didn’t refute it. She gave no clear reaction, her thoughts unreadable. Ashley mumbled again to himself.

“If he dies, Father’s going to have his corpse stuffed.”

The secretary remained silent as Ashley poured himself another drink.

“There’s been no major change in Mr. Miller’s condition,” she finally said. “As you already know, ‘Ashley’s’ health continues to deteriorate. But he’s still alive. For now.”

Then she shifted the topic.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“May I deliver my own impressions of Junior’s condition to Mr. Miller?”

“You’re going to do it whether I say no or not,” Ashley replied with a smirk.

She had spent her entire career under Dominique’s orders, watching over Ashley. Whether he approved or not, every detail of his life would end up in her report.

“Or what, do you think I’ll try to bribe you into silence?”

When he added that with biting sarcasm, the secretary responded without a change in expression.

“Thank you for the offer, but I’m already well compensated.”

Declining politely, she delivered her final message.

“Mr. Miller says: ‘Don’t forget to extract the pheromones.’”

Ashley raised two fingers in a V and wiggled them mockingly.

“He knows I never miss one of those goddamn parties, doesn’t he?”

“We’re aware,” she replied calmly. “But attending the parties and extracting pheromones are two different things. You’ve started seeing that boy again, haven’t you?”

It was subtle, but Ashley’s demeanor shifted.

“Koi’s a Beta. You know that.”

His tone, which had been flippant and indifferent the entire time, was now slightly off—noticeably different. The secretary answered plainly, unfazed.

“Yes. That’s why I’m asking. Why are you seeing him again? Have you developed some kind of masochistic streak?”

Her question was undeniably rude, yet her delivery was so clinical, it felt more like she was reading a report than being judgmental.

Ashley didn’t answer right away. He poured more whiskey, stalling. Finally, after taking a sip, he replied.

“No. It’s more like... I’m committing to the most childish stunt of my entire life.”

The secretary tilted her head. It was the first emotional remark she’d ever heard from him—but that was all.

“Is it worth it?” she asked again.

Ashley gave a short laugh and murmured lowly.

“Who knows. But it’s the only thing I’ve got left.”

The secretary didn’t press further. She had already crossed the line enough. After repeating Dominique’s instructions one last time, she exited the room.

Ashley was finally alone.

The lights were still on. She hadn’t bothered turning them off.

He sat there, pouring the last of the whiskey into his glass, but the bottle ran dry before it was even half full. He realized he had already gone through two bottles of whiskey—but he wasn’t drunk at all.

Fucking pheromones. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Ever since his manifestation, alcohol never affected him. Like all extreme Alphas, normal substances—booze, medicine, even drugs—had no effect on him. No matter how much he drank, his mind only grew clearer. Sleep was impossible.

Sometimes he thought, If only I’d had a drink before I manifested.

Then at least he’d know what it felt like to be drunk.

But that chance was gone forever.

The night stretched endlessly. Once again, he spent it wide awake, eyes open.

*

Koi couldn’t sleep either. He let out another long sigh and turned onto his side.

He had already messaged Sara earlier to cancel their plans. Last-minute cancellations were the worst, and though it was already quite late, Koi had mustered the courage to send her a message.

Thankfully, Sara was still awake—and she accepted his apology graciously. In return, Koi promised to treat her to a proper meal next time. He hadn’t been able to lie and say he was feeling unwell, but she hadn’t pressed him for details. He was grateful.

There really are good people out there.

Feeling thankful, Koi washed up, watered his plants, and climbed into bed.

The moment he closed his eyes, Ashley’s face appeared. The memory of what he’d said while handing over his card throbbed in Koi’s chest all over again.

How could he say something like that?

Koi couldn’t understand it. In that moment, Ashley had felt like a complete stranger. It was like ten years of time he hadn’t seen had suddenly caught up all at once. That wasn’t the Ashley he had known.

If you cancel plans with someone, don’t you try to make up for it? Comfort them?

That’s what the old Ashley would’ve done. But now? Now he was trying to patch things up with money, like that was normal. The way he’d said it—like it was no big deal—shocked Koi to his core.

That’s not Ash.

Koi squeezed his eyes shut, trying to force himself to sleep. As he drifted into a messy doze, he dreamed of long-ago days from his childhood.

“I like you, Koi.”

Ashley, smiling brightly as he kissed him. Ashley racing across the ice with no hesitation. Rushing to Koi’s side after a winning final. The confession sealed with a kiss.

“Mmm...”

Tossing in bed, Koi let out a small moan.

That night, a fever burned through his body—hot and relentless.