Friendly get-together

"Do you, Azrael Del Valle, accept this man to be your lawfully legal husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love him and honor him all the days of your life?"

Azrael answered with a smug face, dropping his gaze at the man beside him, "I do."

The priest looked at the man beside Azrael and repeated the same question. However, the poor man struggled and shook his head repeatedly, unable to speak a word as his lips were sealed with duct tape and his body was wrapped in chains.

Azrael smiled wickedly and turned to the priest, "He said 'I do', Father."

"Mm!"

"He said, he certainly does, Father," Azrael said as he pulled the chains which made the poor man lose balance. The insane groom caught the poor one by the waist, he ripped the duct tape on the shackled groom's lips and dived down. However, Azrael's face was whacked by a flying alarm clock, thrown by a child from the crowd.

"Argh!"

The sheet flew off the bed after Azrael yanked his hand to cover his face from the alarm clock. After a minute passed of utter silence, he blinked and looked around.

"A dream…what the f*ck. Where did that child come from?! I was already in the exciting part!"

He grumpily reached out for the ringing digital alarm clock on his nightstand and turned it off. Then, he stood from the bed, went to the bathroom, and washed his face. Seeing his reflection in the mirror, he remembered the dream and smiled viciously.

Even though the face of the shackled groom in his dream was vague, he knew who it belonged to. His smile turned into laughter, and he pointed at the mirror, at the nodding reflection with a proud look and wide grin.

"That dream…is so on point."

Knox chained beside him wearing a veil and wedding dress certainly made his day and woke him up in a good mood. But why that kind of dream all of a sudden?

Did he dream of a wedding scene because his father was trying to rush the engagement with that woman? Azrael wondered. His parent had been pestering him to give them grandchildren, unaware that his fiancée didn't even want to touch him.

Azrael and Diva's relationship started as childhood friends with Kayden and one other male alpha. All of them have the same sub-gender and the three male alphas' families even compete for the hand of Diva, but the two backed out first as they claimed that they fell in love with someone.

However, Azrael, who hated omegas, found the agreement in his favor, thus he gladly accepted it. Diva, on the other hand, was completely uninterested in him. Even that was in his favor. He finds falling in love and succumbing in the palms of a stranger so troublesome and insignificant.

So, he never thought of falling in love. Rather, he never allowed himself to fall in love.

He never expected to see himself desperately looking for someone for years, and even dreaming about a ridiculous wedding yet feeling satisfied after.

"So, am I in love?" Azrael asked himself as he twirled his glass in his hand, the golden liquid swayed and the melting ice cubes clunked inside.

Beside him, someone reached for the ice bucket and vomited air, then he gave the dazed man an astonished look, "Are you drunk?"

The bartender wiped a flute champagne glass while wearing a royal blue long-sleeved polo with a few upper buttons undone, letting a silver chain necklace peek from his clothes, laughed at Kayden, and spoke, "That's only his first glass, dude. And it hasn't even halved."

Kayden grunted and shook his head, "Unbelievable. Is the world ending right now, Rian? Why is this bastard asking if he's in love? Dude, you can't be in love! You need a heart to be in love!"

Thud!

The noisy fellow got kicked out of his stool and fell on the floor loudly. Kayden gasped in shock and pointed at Azrael, "See! You're a heartless jerk! How dare you kick me, after calling me out here?! I would have been spending this precious time of mine playing tic tac toe with my patients!"

Azrael sipped from his glass as he side-eyed Kayden, then he put the glass quite heavily to the counter and answered, "I'm not heartless. I was just taught to use my heart less. That's different, stupid."

"Shakespeare, is that you?"

The bartender laughed and threw the cloth to Kayden, "I believe it was said by Joker, not the English writer. Our friend here is joking," he poured a Moet and Chandon on the flute glass, swirled it on his hand and smelled it before taking a sip.

The bartender named Rian, the last alpha in their childhood group, continued, "What made you ask yourself if you're in love?"

Azrael almost cringed at the overly graceful and modest act of Rian, but he answered properly otherwise, "I dreamt of my wedding—

"Oh, right, I heard there's a date for your engagement. Congratulations, dear cousin."

Azrael gripped his shot glass and wondered if Kayden's thick skull would bleed if he smashed it with the glass.

He breathed heavily and spoke again, "As I was saying—

"Did you call us here to celebrate your engagement? I thought you and Diva were still in a decade-long battle of the fittest. Did the tides have changed? Should I write a will already?"

"Dude, I told you the world is ending!"

Crack.

Both the doctor and the bartender zipped their lips immediately after hearing the shot glass crack. Kayden even moved a few stools away while Rian just pretended to wipe another glass with his sleeve.

Azrael glared at the two before he declared, "I'm here to collect a debt. Rian, I helped you elope with your lover and let you borrow my island only to get dumped because you act like a princess, and you Kayden, if I didn't push you away, you're thick and stubborn skull would have been buried underneath a pile of debris. You basically owe me your life."

Rian gaped and acted hurt, while Kayden just shook his head resignedly. He asked what Azrael wanted, "Alright. What do you want?"

Azrael answered without hesitation, "Swap places with me."

Kayden sighed and stood. He walked to Azrael and replied seriously, "Sure. Now move."

A kick on the shin answered Kayden's antics. He grunted and complained before he settled down next to Azrael. He pushed his empty glass to Rian and the latter poured it with milk, but Kayden didn't realize as he was already focusing on Azrael.

The doctor asked seriously, "Why the sudden change of plans? You've been looking forward to this engagement because of the merging and the benefits. Why are you backing out now?"

Azrael played with his glass and vaguely answered, "I have reasons."

"That's why I'm asking," Kayden insisted. He sipped on the glass and coughed after tasting milk.

Rian laughed and moved away. He picked up his flute glass and leaned on the other side of the counter, "So, is it true then? You're in love?"

Kayden gaped at Azrael, waiting for his answer with a nervous heart. He already pities the one who recycled Azrael's trashy heart.

Azrael pursed his lips and gripped the glass tightly. If it hadn't cracked again, he wouldn't let go of the tension on his hand. He mumbled, sounding uncertain, "Not sure. What's it like to be in love?"

Rian, the ever-romantic guy in their group, answered with twinkling eyes, "You always wanted this person by your side. Do you feel that way?"

Azrael nodded as he thought – 'I want to tie him up in a place I can always see him.'

"You want them to think of you, miss you, and smile for you. You want to be part of their life so badly, you want to be closer, you dream of your future together, you find everything they do adorable, your heart palpitates whenever you see—what's that smell?"

Azrael looked beside him and grimaced at the sight. Rian screamed, "Ew, Kayden! Go puke at the toilet! Damn you, man!"

Rian leaped over the counter like a skilled agent, he grabbed Kayden by the collar and dragged him to the restroom. Azrael watched the two disappear in his sight. He sighed and massaged his temple.

He met with his friends, except Diva, to ask them to snatch Diva away. After he saw Knox that day, he made a decision. He went to his father after and explained his choice, but the old man only kicked him out without listening to him.

Once they are married, the Idol Entertainment, which is owned by Diva's family, will be under the DV Group, in exchange, the DV Group will give Diva a generous share and be part of the board of directors if she produces an heir for the Del Valle.

With two competent, intelligent, and beautiful genes combined, the next generation of the Del Valle will surely rise to the top.

Azrael grabbed the flute glass and drank the champagne in one gulp. The burning sensation he felt in his throat made him remember that night four years ago. He was in love? With that person?

 He chuckled and shook his head. He wanted to find him to make him pay for deceiving him, breaching the contract, and disappearing without permission. That's all.

"How absurd."

Indeed. It was absurd, Azrael thought.