Eugene had never doubted who the other father of his daughter was. Even though he slept with quite a number of people at that time, and even though he found out about the pregnancy only four months later, there was only one possible candidate.
Because of everyone who penetrated him in the past six months, only one was an alpha. And the one who matched the four-month window was that alpha. In fact, that alpha was the last one, since he only topped after that. Until he found out he was pregnant, at least.
Even then, Eugene still couldn't believe it. He was cautious; he had never done it without protection. He even remembered putting one on the alpha with his freaking mouth! If there was one thing he could fault himself for, it was that he didn't use any blocker or suppressant since it wasn't near his heat.
Was the alpha's seed so potent that it broke through the condom? Eugene had no idea anymore. But when Hannah was finally born...
There was no way Eugene wouldn't know; there was no way he couldn't be sure.
Looking at that man at the door, he saw his daughter. Even when the primary genders differed, he could see it. The shape of their ears, their straight and pointy nose, the thick eyebrows that Hannah whined about often, or even the way Hannah was taller than her peers.
If there was one other thing different aside from their eyes, it was their hair. The light brown hair, almost blonde, was just as Eugene remembered from that night at the bar where they met. But even from a distance, Eugene could practically feel the thick curls, as if he had just combed through them this morning in front of the living room's mirror.
It was so uncanny he wanted to choke on his uneaten cookie.
Before he knew it, he had already made a startling sound, and everyone's gaze turned to him. The staff looked at him in surprise, and the man's deep brown eyes narrowed.
"Do I know you?"
Eugene's widened eyes dropped immediately beneath his knitted brows. What? He knew it was already six years, but...to think he didn't even remember?
Well...to be fair, it was a one-night stand; they only met for an hour or two before heading to a hotel. Even Eugene's memory was a bit blurry because he had been drinking. Still!
Still! That frown and arrogant voice! Tone as if asking if Eugene was important enough for an elite like him to know! What a jerk!
Wait--Eugene narrowed his eyes. That guy was a jerk. Eugene vaguely remembered him so. The only reason he agreed to spend a night with that man was probably because he had been drinking and horny from fighting with some bar drunkards. Plus...the man was attractive--even if Eugene was annoyed to admit it.
Besides, who cared about personality when it was only meant to be a one-time thing?
Yeah, right. One-time wonder.
A jerk who didn't even remember the face of his date, much less someone he fucked while under the influence of alcohol. He might be Hannah's sperm donor, but Eugene would never let him become his daughter's father.
That man must never find out about Hannah.
But...uhh--Eugene belatedly realized everyone was looking at him, wondering if he knew the man. The proxy. The producer's cousin.
No. He couldn't let people — much less the person involved — know that they had met before. Perhaps because of that, he blurted out rather harshly.
"Why is an alpha here?"
The tone was colder than Eugene himself expected. Perhaps, secretly, he had been harboring resentment for the man's potent seed that threw his life--his twenties--into chaos. Logically, Eugene knew it wasn't the man's fault, but that was exactly why the resentment had just been building up without any outlet.
Until it found a target.
He lashed out so hatefully that the staff was startled, even the young writer. After all, Eugene had been nothing but amicable all this time.
"Uhh...Eugene?" the young writer blinked in confusion.
The sudden ice dagger was met with a blizzard, as a deep frown settled in the alpha's face. Cold, dark eyes that churned with repressed emotion. If the alpha wasn't wearing a scent blocker because of his flight, his pheromone would probably be raging inside the office. Even without it, the omegas were shrinking slightly on instinct, hiding behind the closest betas.
The one who started the storm didn't seem to be affected, however. Eugene just put on a stoic face after asking that, piercing gaze unflinching.
"Ah," the alpha sneered; his head tilted a little bit as he closed the door. "So you're one of those alpha haters?"
"...so what if I am?" Eugene arched his brow defiantly.
At that point, he didn't even care if he was coined as an alpha hater. He did hate his father and brothers, who were alpha, so it wasn't a complete lie. He didn't exactly hate this alpha across the room, but he did harbor resentment, so...
Might as well roll with it.
If it kept them away from each other, the alpha wouldn't know about Hannah...right? Right.
Thankfully for the team, the alpha didn't react further. He just clicked his tongue and asked when the meeting would start, so everyone scrambled to the meeting room to diffuse the tension.
Not that much diffusion could be done with the way the alpha, whom Eugene finally found out was called Arthur Crowley, kept on frowning and scrunching his nose, sometimes with a tensed jaw as if he wanted the meeting to end soon.
But at least he didn't say anything. He just sat there and listened to the meeting with a sour face, making notes in his journal planner every now and then. Eugene, who was sitting as far as possible from the alpha, decided to just focus on the meeting.
Most of the agenda was about the logistics--which Eugene didn't need to know, honestly--but he was there to decide on the actors they'd offer the roles to. With the right given to him to shape the characters of his story, Eugene tried to pick people who were very much different from him without deviating from the character setting.
After all, the last thing he wanted was for people to realize it was a self-insert story.
In the end, the meeting concluded more or less peacefully, considering the tension. The alpha left right after the meeting with just a short greeting, and the director accompanied him out, helping him with his luggage.
Seemed like it was true that he had just landed.
With the source of his anxiety gone, Eugene unconsciously let out a relieved breath. Only then did he have the leeway to realize how tense everyone was. Immediately, guilt washed over him and he apologized before they dispersed to do their own work.
"It's okay, but..." the young writer, Diana, looked at him curiously. "Why did you do that, Eugene?"
"Just..." Eugene shifted his gaze away from the clear, pursuing eyes of the younger girl. "I don't like him."
Even while saying it, Eugene felt childish. Disliking someone 'just because' was something he would reprimand his daughter for, but there he was, doing just that. But it wasn't like he could say that Arthur Crowley was the man who unknowingly got him pregnant six years ago and he was still salty about it.
Surprisingly, however, his pathetic reasoning didn't meet much criticism. "Well...I'm not exactly blaming you..." someone mumbled--sounded like the assistant director.
"Sush!"
Eugene smiled awkwardly and nodded in acknowledgment. It was time for him to pick up his daughter. "See you next time."
"Good work today!"
The team members waved at Eugene as he slipped out of the office. Staring at the door, still with her hand up, Diana narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips suspiciously.
"Hmm...how weird," she muttered.
"What is?"
"I don't think Eugene is that kind of person," Diana shook her head. "He was courteous toward Ashley."
"Isn't it because she's the boss?" someone chuckled. Even if you hated someone, you'd be courteous if they paid you good money.
"But he also politely greeted the alpha security guards!" Diana argued. "Besides, it doesn't make sense for him to hate alphas when he wrote 'Jude' like this!"
Jude was the alpha male lead of Invisible Scent who pursued the main character while he was busy running away and being miserable. A dreamy alpha who didn't even retaliate when the main character punched him and stayed in a storm to wait for the stubborn main character. A total yearner that helped the main character change his perspective and stand on his feet again to reclaim his rights.
"It doesn't make sense for an alpha hater to write such an agreeable alpha, not to mention making the alpha help the omega so much and turning them into a loving, power couple by the end," Diana wiggled her raised index finger while clicking his tongue.
"That's...true," the other who heard her nodded in agreement.
"Maybe--just like he said--he just doesn't like the man?" the assistant director shrugged. But a mysterious chuckle came from his back, so the AD looked around and winced. "What's with you?"
The senior scriptwriter grasped Diana and the AD's shoulders, speaking ominously as if she was crafting some controversies. "From my experience--"
"Do you even have experience?"
"From my experience! As a drama writer!" she ignored the AD's quip by raising her voice. "The tension between them was akin to exes who broke up bitterly!"
Diana rolled her eyes. "Stop reaching, senior..."
"I'm not! I can see it! I can see--oof!"
"Yes, yes~" the lead scriptwriter pulled the over-excited woman and dragged her to the smaller meeting room. "Let's go through the script once more, shall we?"
Thus, the first pre-production meeting concluded peacefully.