Desire Me If You Can [Novel] - Chapter 61

The station chief, upon hearing the report in the morning, naturally became furious. He immediately called Dane and Grayson into his office. Upon seeing the two giraffe-like men standing before him, he was taken aback. Other than one of them having a palm-sized bandage on his temple, it was difficult to decide who looked worse, as both were in a dreadful state. Bruised and swollen all over, with visible tears and traces of blood, seeing them like this made the chief feel like his world was collapsing. He looked from one man to the other and shouted in frustration.
“What’s the problem with you two?!”
The emergency sirens blared loudly within the fire department, nearly matching the intensity of the chief’s enraged voice. Dane flinched, and Grayson unknowingly took a step back before returning to his place. Of course, the chief didn’t care and continued shouting.
“Causing a scene at a bar and getting reported! And you two, of all people, being firefighters! Where did your duty to protect the citizens’ property and lives go? If there’s a problem, you should solve it together! Why the hell did you have to start a damn brawl there? Are we in school? Am I the principal? Do two 2-meter tall guys get called into my office for fighting like this? Huh? Speak! If you have a mouth, speak up!”
The last words were uncalled for.
Dane tensed up, fearing Grayson might say something stupid, but to his surprise, Grayson said something completely unexpected.
“It was self-defense.”
Both Dane and the chief looked at him at the same time. Grayson continued without hesitation.
“This man, Striker, hit me first, so I was just defending myself. See? Here.”
He pointed at the large bandage on the side of his temple with his second finger. Perhaps it was a prepared defense, as the words flowed easily from his mouth. The chief, boiling with anger, couldn’t bring himself to criticize him further. This time, he shifted his focus to the other person.
“Dane Striker!”
“Self-defense… wasn’t the case.”
Dane reluctantly admitted, but he still had something to say.
“I hit him because he deserved it.”
“Why?! For what reason?!”
The chief pressed, clearly impatient. Dane glanced briefly at Grayson before spitting out his words with disdain. “This bastard insulted me.”
“Insulted? What did he say?”
The chief was caught off guard for a moment. If Miller had made a derogatory remark toward Dane, it could be a matter for the entire department. Immediately, the chief tensed up, and Dane answered.
“I can’t say.”
The lack of explanation made the chief sigh in frustration.
“You have to speak up if you want me to mediate or discipline you.”
The chief softened his tone, trying to calm him down, but Dane remained unmoved.
“Just discipline me. I won’t say anything.”
With his stubborn silence, the chief’s temper flared once again.
“Then why speak up in the first place? You should have stayed silent!”
When the chief pointed this out, Dane answered indifferently, as usual.
“I just wanted to make it clear that I didn’t hit him for no reason. I’m not a pervert, and I’m not crazy like this bastard. I hit him because he deserved it.”
The chief was stunned by his insistence on his justification. He then turned his gaze toward Grayson, as if silently telling him to speak up instead. But Grayson just shrugged and offered a vague smile.
“I didn’t think it was an insult, but since he says it was, I’m afraid I might be sued, so I can’t speak up.”
What kind of nonsense was this?
The absurd words coming from Grayson made the chief’s blood pressure rise. For someone from the Miller family to fear being sued was ridiculous.
“Stop with this nonsense. Nathaniel Miller will handle it!”
However, Grayson pretended to be horrified and shook his head.
“Then are you asking me to have my head smashed by a disease again? I hate pain. If Striker doesn’t speak, then I won’t either.”
The chief groaned in frustration. These two clearly caused a problem, but with no clear reason, he couldn’t figure out how to properly discipline them. He scratched his head in contemplation, then finally, with a stern expression, he decided on a punishment.
“Both of you are getting a 3-month pay cut!”
“I object!”
Immediately, there was a protest. Dane stared at Grayson and pointed at him.
“This guy is rich. But losing my salary is fatal for me. Besides, I have a cat to take care of. Three months of pay cuts? Is this fair? Our money isn’t the same!”
It was a reasonable argument. The chief nodded, then quickly amended the decision.
“Then Dane gets one month, and Miller gets three.”
“Wow, this is true equality in action.”
Grayson mocked, looking surprised, but the chief ignored him.
“Now, both of you get out. I don’t even want to look at you. Out, now!”
As the chief’s increasing shouting finally drove the two to leave, they had no choice but to turn around. As they left the office, the chief kept shouting after them.
“Next time, just shoot! Why use fists? What is this, the Stone Age? Why punch when you can use a gun? Just blow their heads off with a gun! I don’t want to see either of you again, so one of you should go to heaven and the other to jail!”
His last words were abruptly cut off when Grayson slammed the door shut. Looking bewildered, the secretary was left behind as they exited. Dane, feeling frustrated, took out a cigarette and lit it. A one-month pay cut… that meant he had to postpone buying Darling’s new cat tower, which he had placed in his shopping cart for next month.
Damn it, I’ve been planning this for months.
Having seen various items for cats in a celebrity’s mansion, Dane immediately searched for them online. Naturally, they were all outrageously expensive, and after some hesitation, he picked one. He had been saving money for months to finally buy it this month, but now everything was falling apart.
He sighed, but there was nothing he could do. At least he was grateful for the one-month reduction.
The chief had really shown leniency. This was the first time he had seen the chief this angry. Especially since Dane had always been treated like a treasure in the fire department, always coddled, so it was clear the chief wouldn’t let this go easily.
Should I go to a volunteer activity at the end of the year?
There was an annual group activity in the fire department where they visited orphanages and hospitals, giving gifts and playing with the children. Since it wasn’t mandatory, Dane had planned to enjoy the end of the year with Darling on a trip  instead.
But then, the true culprit of all this came to mind. Grayson Miller-if that bastard hadn’t been talking nonsense.
“Do you feel better now? You crazy bastard.”
Dane glared at him, gritting his teeth, and Grayson shrugged nonchalantly.
“I don’t get why you’re angry. I received a harsher punishment than you.”
“It’s because you started all this nonsense.”
Dane responded as if it was obvious, but Grayson tilted his head and gave a strange smile.
“Most people, when asked if they’re omega, just say no, right? They don’t smash someone’s head.”
He still hadn’t gotten it. Dane thought. Then again, he was an extreme alpha, so it wasn’t surprising he was out of his mind.
“I’ve told you dozens of times, but I’ll say it again. I’m a beta.”
Dane spat the words with gritted teeth.
“I’ve said it enough times, your small brain should remember this, you dumb bastard.”
On purpose, Dane pressed Grayson’s forehead with his second finger and pushed him away. He then turned and started walking briskly. Grayson, trailing behind, spoke again.
“You stand out too much.”
Grayson raised his voice, as if to make sure Dane heard.
“With your appearance, it’s hard to believe you’re a beta. You must be an alpha or omega. An alpha wouldn’t hide
his traits, and an extreme alpha can’t hide them… well, omega? Is that really necessary?”
Grayson, acting like he was unsure, muttered while looking at the back of Dane’s head.
“Unless you’re a very special omega.”
Dane just raised his third finger above his shoulder. Without stopping or even looking back, he walked away quickly, thinking to himself.
This bastard can’t just be left alone.
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