Omega Manual chapter 53

Listen to the Boss

In Shelley’s clear, glass-like eyes, Irey saw an indescribable sense of being moved.

“I see,” Shelley murmured, looking at the children happily playing outside.

The light shone on the snow, dispelling the harshness and cold of the winter night, creating a warm and reachable illusion. The children weren’t cold at all; in fact, they were sweating from all the running around. Before long, an old lady came out from under the eaves with a plate of snacks, called out something, and all the children stopped their games and gathered around her in a flurry.

After experiencing the disgusted stares from the Duhaat people, this small village seemed like a paradise, far from the hustle and bustle of the world. Here, little Omegas were not treated like livestock, and here, all the survivors of disasters huddled together, comforting each other for warmth.

But how long could such warmth last?

When these children grew up, how would they face the harsh and unreasonable world? What would happen to them when the old lady passed away?

Was this fleeting warmth a more ruthless cruelty?

“Do you like children?” Shelley suddenly asked, looking out the window.

“What, are you going to give me one?” Irey retorted casually.

“…Halton!” Shelley raised his voice in exasperation, eliciting a mischievous smile from Irey.

“Half and half,” Irey relented. “I took care of Caroline when she was little, and I liked many of her friends. But some kids can be particularly nasty; you can’t imagine how such a small child could harbor such malice. The good and the bad in children are both very pure; it’s hard to separate and judge them individually.”

As he spoke, he climbed onto the bed and sat beside Shelley. “What’s wrong? Why ask this all of a sudden?”

He reached out and touched Shelley’s forehead, noting it was cooler than before, and then withdrew his hand with satisfaction.

Shelley lifted his head under Irey’s touch, golden hair falling from his temples and brushing against Irey’s fingers. His eyes narrowed slightly, like a lazy cat. “Nothing, just remembered how my father used to be busy arranging various blind dates for me, trying every means to persuade me to marry and have children.” 

Irey frowned.

“Actually, he was the person who hated children the most that I’ve ever met. He just wanted to quickly groom the ‘next successor,’” Shelley said. “The day I came out, he got very angry, kicked me out, and said I was unworthy of being a Manta and that he never wanted to see my face again. After that, many years passed without me seeing him even once.”

Irey showed a look of disgust. “Though I’ve said it many times before, your family really is a bunch of assholes.”

Shelley smiled and stretched lazily. “Probably. Anyway, since the meteor shower disaster five years ago, I haven’t had much contact with the Manta family. I heard many of them died in that catastrophe, and those now running the Manta Hotel almost have no blood relation to me; they just give face to the Manta name and are willing to offer me some legally permissible help.”

After hearing this, Irey understood why Shelley was always so reluctant to ask for help from them.

With his proud nature, he couldn’t stand being in such a subservient position.

“My father only called me once after learning of my differentiation results,” Shelley’s voice was very light, and one could easily miss the latter part if not listening carefully. “It was also a snowy night like this. I came back from buying supplies, and the phone in the living room kept ringing. When I picked up, he said only one sentence, and I can still clearly recall his voice and tone. He said…”

He looked up, staring aimlessly at a mold spot on the corner of the ceiling. “’If you’re useless, just die.’”

Outside, the children happily finished their snacks and hand in hand started devising new games in the open space. The old lady was tidying up the dishes while advising them about something. Just after she finished speaking, a child ran too fast and fell, prompting her concerned reprimand and the hearty laughter of all the other children.

The cursed words echoed in the narrow room. Irey remained silent for a long time, a sharp glint flashed in his brown eyes like an arrow, but before he could say anything, there was a knock on the door.

The old lady who had given the children snacks came in, still smiling kindly with every wrinkle exuding warmth.

“I made dinner. If you’re feeling up to it, would you like to come down and try some?”

The silence in the room solidified like grease, and no one spoke for a moment. The old lady looked surprised and lowered her voice, “Oh dear, did I come at a bad time?”

Before Shelley could respond, Irey had already gotten off the bed and stood up.

“No, you came at the right time.” He grabbed the coat hanging on the back of the chair and draped it over Shelley. “Let’s go, this lady’s cooking is excellent.”

The old lady’s cooking was even better than Shelley had imagined, with every ingredient perfectly paired and handled, reflecting her experience and skill. Shelley couldn’t help but ask her several questions about cooking, and she patiently answered each one.

After dinner, Irey, who had claimed to be “half and half,” had integrated with all the children in the yard within ten minutes, playing various games in the snow that Shelley had never heard of.

“Got you!” Irey reached out and effortlessly grabbed the last child by the collar. The boy struggled desperately but couldn’t escape.

“No fair! You’re cheating!” The little boy shouted indignantly, his face red. “You’re an adult, your arms and legs are longer! It doesn’t count!”

“You were the one who wanted to bet in the first place, and now you want to back out?” Irey shrugged. “I don’t mind, but you’ll be known as the ‘cheating king’ from now on.”

The other children immediately started chanting.

“Cheating king! Cheating king!”

The embarrassed little boy’s face turned redder, and he could only stomp his feet in frustration.

“Alright, hand over your toy plane,” Irey said lazily, extending his hand. “Adults have a saying, ‘a bet is a bet.’”

Shelley, who had been standing nearby, couldn’t bear it anymore and said, “Halton, stop bullying the kids.”

“Alright, alright.” Irey stood up straight, raised his hands with an innocent expression, and said, “I won’t take it. You keep it safe.”

The little boy’s face was still red as he hugged his toy airplane tightly, warily looking at Irey. “Really?”

“Really. If I lie, I’m a puppy.”

A girl curiously looked at Shelley and then at Irey, asking in a clear voice, “Why do you listen to him so much?”

“No choice. He’s my boss.” Irey shrugged.

“Do you have to listen to your boss?” Another girl came over, curious.

“Yeah, the boss pays me. With money, I can buy good food and fun stuff.” Irey squatted down in front of the girl. “If I make the boss angry, he won’t pay me. Without money, I can’t buy good food or toys.”

The little girl looked surprised, then nodded in agreement, saying crisply, “Then you must listen to your boss!” 

“Isn’t there a way to not listen to him?” The boy holding the airplane asked, “Always listening to him to get good food is too tiring. I don’t like listening.”

Irey thought for a moment and said, “Well, it’s not that there’s no way.”

“What? What?”

“As long as you make him like you and rely on you.” Irey lowered his voice, “Then even if you don’t listen to him, he can’t leave you and will have to keep paying you.”

The kids looked at Irey with astonishment and admiration, as if he were some amazing con artist.

“Irey Halton!” Shelley couldn’t stand it and called out his full name.

Irey stood up from the group of kids with a smile and walked to Shelley’s side. Without waiting for him to say anything, he naturally bent down, pressing his forehead against Shelley’s.

In the dim light, Irey’s eyelashes cast a shadow, his brown eyes full of laughter, and the warm scent of oolong tea enveloped him.

It was like a playful hint at the edge of his boundary, or just simple concern for his health.

“No fever.” Irey lifted his head, confirming again with his palm. “It’s going down pretty fast.”

This cunning Alpha from the lower city always advanced by retreating, constantly testing Shelley’s limits. He would quickly retreat when Shelley was about to get angry, then strike again when Shelley was off guard.

Before Shelley knew it, his bottom line kept moving back, and when he realized it, this cunning man had already deeply invaded his defenses.

“My body wasn’t that bad to begin with.” Shelley brushed Irey’s hand away. “I used to work overtime at the company often. Even when I had a cold, I’d get better just by lying down with a coat on overnight.”

Irey clicked his tongue, “You sound quite proud of it.”

At this moment, a series of strange explosive sounds came from afar. Then a second, a third.

“What was that?” Shelley turned towards the sound, but his view was blocked by high walls.

“It’s fireworks over at Duhaat.” The old lady said leisurely while wiping the table, “They set off fireworks to celebrate at the end of each month, saying it’s to commemorate some angel’s arrival. I don’t really understand.”

“We can never see the fireworks!” The little boy with the airplane complained. “The village walls are too high, we can’t see anything! Granny won’t let us go out!”

“It’s too dangerous. What if a big wolf takes you away at night?” The old lady scolded.

“Can’t see?” Irey raised his head, placed his hand on his forehead in a viewing gesture. “I can see perfectly fine from here.”

Irey, this guy, was bullying the kids again.

He was the only Alpha nearly 1.9 meters tall, easily able to see over the high walls with just a glance.

As expected, the kids’ faces immediately fell, and two of them looked like they were about to cry.

“Halton—” Shelley dragged out the word.

Irey turned around with a laugh, extending his hand to the pitiful kids. “Come on, who wants to see the fireworks?”