Chapter 102

Arthur looked left, right and behind him as he crossed the street. He stopped in front of the motel in the shady looking neighborhood.

As soon as he stood on the sidewalk, an omega walked towards him. She wore a tight miniskirt and heels that looked like they hurt.

In the dark, he could see how almost bluish her toes looked sticking out the front of her heels. Her hair hid most of her face but the red lipstick she wore was clear enough to see.

"Here for a good time?" She drawled, sounding drunk.

Arthur doubted it was just alcohol and by the strong smell that met his nostrils, she needed more than a change of perfume.

He ignored her and walked past, but she had no intention of letting him go, and she stretched out her hand to touch him. Arthur swatted her hand off him hard enough to leave a bruise.

She jumped back and he glared at her before he walked towards the front of the motel. If he wasn't so desperate, he would never be caught dead in these kinds of places.

He knew the kind of omega she was. The ones that sold themselves on the street for the next high. The thought that she had been bold enough to touch him with those filthy hands made his skin crawl.

He adjusted his coat as he walked through the glass door. There was a missing part at the bottom, enough for a person to fit through but the door still functioned.

Arthur hid his shiver, wondering why it had to be such a filthy motel but he knew this was one of the places that was safe enough for word not to reach the Mafia King.

He walked to the counter where a young man sat behind. He had a dazed look in his eyes and he suspiciously watched Arthur as he approached.

"I want to go to room 16."

The young man's face soured. "You're not here to book a room?"

"No."

"Then go and stop wasting my time."

He made a fist by his side. "Where is room 16?"

"You can count, can you not?" He said and waved his palm at Arthur while smiling at a customer walking through the broken door.

The customer had on his arm the omega he had rejected and she was clinging to him with her whole body. Her scent permeated the reception, attacking his nostrils.

Arthur's face hardened as he glared at the young beta and the customers that just walked in. They moved closer to the counter but he didn't step out of the way.

"Sir," the receptionist called coldly. "Would you move out of the way?"

Arthur took a long stare at them before he adjusted his suit and turned away. If he wasn't desperate, he would never have to deal with filth like this.

Melissa had assured him it was worth his time. He didn't know why he had agreed to see her but she promised she would explain what had happened.

The stairs made creaking noises as he made his way to the first floor. It was odd that concrete sounded like wood as he climbed. It was clear the building was old.

He got to the line of rooms as he got to the top floor, counting from number nine. He was irritated again; he had gone through the stretch of rooms on the ground floor to realize it was upstairs.

He walked down the corridor with flickering lights and tiles that needed cleaning. He stopped when he got to the one with sixteen written at the top of the door.

Arthur swallowed and raised his hand to knock; he didn't like the slight vibration in his hands. He couldn't lie to himself that he wasn't affected.

This was the first time he would be seeing her in over a decade; he could hardly keep still. He was both excited and angry. Very angry.

He knocked twice. Despite the anger he felt, he was surprised how quietly he knocked. The door opened before his hands fell to his side.

Arthur's mouth fell open as the door opened and she appeared. He recognized her in a glance; not much had changed in the past decade except a few smile lines.

Her brown hair still glimmered and her hazel eyes still stared at him in the manner they did over ten years ago.

"Arthur," she called with wide eyes, her lower lip quivering. "You came."

He could hear the relief in her voice. She sounded the same. He already knew that after the call but the effect was different in person.

"I said I would, Melissa," he replied coldly.

"Yes, but I—never mind. Come in." She stepped out of the way so he could walk in.

Arthur stared at her suspiciously then past her but nothing seemed out of place in the room. What bothered him was her unchanged scent even after so many years.