Don't come in

"We have to resolve this before it escalates."

"And of all people, he's immediate family..."

"Even immediate family has to take responsibility! The company's reputation is ruined! Our stock has already fallen 7%!"

The directors argued among themselves. Most of Yuan Hao's supporters had given up on him after reading yesterday's reports, leaving only a handful still struggling to defend him.

A bunch of ungrateful idiots.

Trembling, Yuan Hao burned the faces of those traitors into his memory one by one. His gaze wandered before finally settling on Yuan Chen, who sat across from him, composed as ever.

Even amid all this chaos, he alone remained completely at ease. Jealousy gnawed at Yuan Hao's insides, and a sudden blaze of anger flared up, bringing his long-suppressed resentment to a boil.

Yuan Chen had always been like this. Nothing had ever shaken his lofty bearing, and he could effortlessly take hold of things others had worked themselves to the bone to obtain.

As if he was born entitled to all this, entitled to success, to a life without failure, just because he was a top-tier Alpha? I'm an Alpha too, yet I'm forever trapped in Yuan Chen's shadow, struggling in vain.

He glared at him with bloodshot eyes. Those deep eyes slowly lifted to meet his gaze, and Yuan Chen raised his sharply defined chin slightly. Even from a distance, his scrutiny was condescending.

On the surface, his expression was weary and businesslike, but to Yuan Hao, the mockery hidden beneath it could not have been clearer. The bastard who had trampled him into this pit was now savoring his victory.

"That fucking idiot..."

Just as Yuan Hao was about to curse aloud, Chairman Yuan, who had been quietly watching events unfold, slowly raised his right hand. The noisy meeting room instantly fell silent.

"What good does all this shouting do? When someone does something wrong, he must accept the appropriate punishment."

Chairman Yuan had made up his mind. Though Yuan Hao was his grandson and one of the most promising candidates to succeed him, he was also the culprit who had dealt the company a devastating blow. To answer to the shareholders, he had to sacrifice Yuan Hao.

"I now submit the following motion to the board: Yuan Hao is to be suspended for one month, with a salary reduction for three months. In addition-" Up to this point, the disciplinary measures were fairly standard. Chairman Yuan tapped his thick fingers against the solid wood tabletop. Nearly seventy, his eyes were still sharp.

"I propose that he be transferred indefinitely to the D City branch. We will now vote by a show of hands."

"Chairman!"

Panicking, Yuan Hao slammed his hand on the table and shot to his feet, but Chairman Yuan did not so much as glance at him. The atmosphere in the room was grim.

"Vice President Yuan, please remain calm. The motion has been submitted, and we will now vote. Those in favor of disciplinary action against Vice President Yuan Hao, please raise your hands."

Reading the room, the directors raised their hands one after another. In moments, raised arms filled the meeting room. Unable to bear looking any longer, Yuan Hao covered his face with both hands.

A transfer to the D City branch was tantamount to shutting him out of the inner circle at Headquarters altogether. It also meant that Chairman Yuan no longer considered Yuan Hao a potential successor.

Sensing which way the wind was blowing, the directors endorsed Chairman Yuan's proposal without hesitation. Yuan Chen was the only person in the room who had not raised his hand.

"I declare this motion officially passed. This emergency meeting is adjourned."

Chairman Yuan left first, and the other directors hurried to their feet and followed. With their patron fallen, his followers scattered, emptying the room faster than an ebbing tide.

Yuan Chen stayed until the very end. Only after confirming that everyone else had left did he rise unhurriedly, the chair legs scraping harshly against the floor. He straightened his already immaculate suit and looked down at Yuan Hao for a moment.

Driven to the edge of a cliff, Yuan Hao now had nowhere to go but down. He had brought it all on himself, and Yuan Chen felt not the slightest pity.

He looked away and turned to leave. His leather shoes struck the floor firmly, each footstep ringing distinctly through the empty meeting room.

"..."

Yuan Hao pressed a hand bulging with veins against his forehead and held his breath. The only movement in his entire body came from the faint twitching of his jaw muscles and the vein throbbing at his temple. When he finally lowered his hand, molten anger was slowly coursing through him.

Waiting outside the meeting room, Shen Yi hurried forward as soon as Yuan Chen emerged. His expression was far too calm. Though Shen Yi had faintly heard some of the commotion from outside, he still needed confirmation from Yuan Chen himself.

"How did it go?"

"Not badly."

Yuan Chen strode forward, and Shen Yi followed, adjusting his pace to walk beside him.

"He's been transferred to D City. We should have some peace for a while."

"The Chairman seemed very angry."

"Perhaps."

Even Yuan Chen was somewhat surprised by the Chairman's decision. He had expected Yuan Hao to face disciplinary action, perhaps even be sidelined if the punishment was severe, but a transfer had genuinely come as a surprise.

"What's on the schedule this afternoon?"

"The team meeting originally scheduled for four has been postponed to Friday because of the board meeting. There are no other fixed appointments after that."

"Good. We're leaving on time today."

For some reason, Director Yuan was especially accommodating today. He really must be in a good mood, Shen Yi thought, before answering briefly, "All right."

As the two walked side by side, hurried footsteps suddenly sounded from the far end of the corridor. They turned to see Yuan Hao charging toward them, his eyes blood-red.

"Yuan Chen! You scheming bastard!"

He seized Yuan Chen by the collar and shoved him backward hard, instantly crumpling his expensive shirt and tie.

The moment Yuan Hao moved, Yuan Chen swiftly caught his wrist and twisted it sharply.

"Still can't read the room, can you? Starting a fight at the office?"

"You think I don't know you were behind all of this?! You bastard, do you think I'll just roll over and take it?!"

"What else can you do?"

"Aaargh!" Yuan Hao roared, consumed by rage. All reason had vanished from his eyes as he lunged viciously at Yuan Chen again, throwing a punch with all his strength.

"President Yuan!"

Yuan Chen narrowly dodged the punch by turning sideways. At that instant, Shen Yi almost cried out in alarm.

Even if no one's around, this is still the office! Shen Yi stepped forward to stop Yuan Hao, only to halt abruptly as he drew near, his face paling. In his fury, Yuan Hao was uncontrollably releasing intensely oppressive Alpha pheromones.

Seeing this, Yuan Chen clenched his teeth, his expression turning even colder. He grabbed Yuan Hao's shoulder, flung open the door to an empty meeting room beside them, and roughly dragged the wildly struggling man inside. Then he turned back and warned Shen Yi sharply:

"Don't come in!"

The door slammed shut with a bang. Shen Yi stood frozen, his heart pounding. Don't go in? He hardly dared imagine what might happen inside.

He understood that Yuan Chen was protecting him. Knowing that he had only recently differentiated, Yuan Chen was probably worried he could not withstand Yuan Hao's rampaging Alpha pheromones. But could he really just leave them alone? He was Yuan Chen's secretary. He had a responsibility to ensure his safety and put his welfare first.

Perhaps the commotion had been too loud, because three or four security guards came running up. They approached Shen Yi, who stood alone in the middle of the corridor, and asked, "What happened? We heard arguing here."

"No, it's nothing. Nothing happened. The emergency board meeting just ended, and everyone has already left."

"Is that so?"

Just then, a tremendous bang came from behind the door, accompanied by the sound of the wall shaking. It came from the empty meeting room where the Yuan brothers were.

The guards were about to investigate when Shen Yi quickly blocked the door. With just the right amount of discomfort on his face, he snapped:

"They're currently... dealing with some confidential matters in there. All of you, leave!"

"Are you sure you don't want our assistance?"

"No! I'll take responsibility if anything happens."

The guards exchanged awkward looks. They quietly glanced at the employee ID hanging from Shen Yi's chest and had a fair idea of who was inside. If it concerned President Yuan, they really were in no position to interfere.

"You have our contact details, don't you? If you need help, please be sure to call us."

The guards lowered the brims of their caps, offered brief nods, and left. Shen Yi remained by the door for a long time, only managing a small breath of relief once they had disappeared completely from view.

"This is driving me crazy..." he murmured, rubbing his temple anxiously.

Pressed close to the door, he could faintly hear cursing and sounds of a fight inside. This was a meeting room, after all; the soundproofing should have been good.

Yet the noise still carried through, a testament to how fierce things were inside. He was terribly worried the situation would spiral beyond control.

Bang! Another, even louder impact made Shen Yi's shoulders jerk. With things having reached this point, he could no longer stand by and do nothing.

Pull yourself together, Shen Yi. What's your top priority right now? Are you really going to leave President Yuan in there like this?

He clenched his hands, which had gone numb with tension. Whatever happened, he had to put Yuan Chen's safety first. That was his duty as a secretary.

Though he had no confidence in his ability to intervene in a fight between two Alphas, if someone had to take a beating, it should be him. As for the consequences of disobeying Yuan Chen's orders, he could no longer afford to worry about them.

"Is someone really going to get killed?"

Shen Yi took a deep breath and gripped the door handle tightly. He decided to ignore Yuan Chen's warning and go inside to check. With a click, he slowly pushed the closed door open a crack.