Chapter 2: The Lesser Evil

Another post.

Another photograph.

This time, Dominic’s gaze was fixed on the man in his arms as though the rest of the world had ceased to exist. The two watched the sunset from the shore, fingers intertwined, foreheads nearly touching.

Forever yours.

Then another.

And another.

Alex watched Dominic’s account continue to refresh before his eyes.

Every photograph featured the same blond man.

Some were recent.

Others carried dates from months ago.

Years ago.

His thumb stopped.

Two years ago.

Almost the same time their engagement had been announced.

His expression remained unreadable as he continued scrolling, passing dinner dates, business trips, birthday celebrations, matching coffee cups, flowers, and careless snapshots taken from the passenger seat.

Most showed little more than two heads and one increasingly ugly truth.

They were countless ordinary moments, the sort that could only accumulate after spending day after day beside the same person until taking pictures of each other became as natural as breathing. Nothing about them looked staged or carefully arranged for appearances.

They were the sort of moments that couldn’t be faked.

His phone vibrated in his hand, only to do so again before the first notification could disappear.

Then again.

Their mutual friends, business acquaintances, former classmates... Apparently, everyone had something to say.

Messages flooded in so quickly that the notifications buried one another.

No way... Alex, please tell me this isn’t real.

Wait... weren’t you engaged to Dominic?

I honestly thought you two had quietly called it off.

What the hell is Dominic thinking?

Did everyone know except you?

I’m sorry, Alex.

I know arranged engagements still happen, but there had to be a better way than this.

If he loved someone else, he should’ve ended it first.

This is humiliating...

Please don’t read the comments.

The words gradually began to blur together, not because he couldn’t read them, but because he suddenly found that he didn’t want to anymore.

Then another notification appeared.

This time, it was a tagged post.

His thumb tapped it almost mechanically, and another photograph immediately filled the screen.

A man in a tailored suit stood outside the Marriage Bureau with his back to the camera, his tall figure perfectly straight, his hands quietly folded before him.

Waiting.

Even from behind, Alexander recognized himself immediately.

He swiped.

The next photograph showed him checking his phone.

Another showed him beneath the scorching sun while someone offered him a bottle of water.

There were more.

One had captured the elderly guard speaking to him, while the final image had been taken only moments ago, right before the Bureau closed.

Beneath it was a caption in bold letters.

Alexander Vance waited the entire day at the Marriage Bureau.

His thumb stopped moving.

Then he noticed the account that had uploaded it.

Ah, the missing wedding coordinator.

Apparently, someone had found today’s spectacle entertaining enough to document from beginning to end.

What had begun as Alexander Vance’s quiet attempt to honor his commitment had effortlessly become something else.

The abandoned groom.

And this time, the entire city was watching.

Some pitied him. Others mocked him or treated the entire incident as nothing more than entertainment.

Then, amid the flood of opinions, a verified account appeared.

Giovanni Mercer.

For a few seconds, the replies beneath the post seemed to stop.

No one had expected one of Alexander Vance’s longtime business rivals to appear there.

His message was short.

"Keeping an appointment isn’t humiliating. Failing to keep one is."

Silence.

Then the replies exploded.

Wait... Giovanni Mercer?

Since when did those two know each other?

Weren’t Mercer Group and Vance Holdings competitors?

Hold on... they went to the same high school, didn’t they?

They grew up in the same neighborhood.

I almost forgot about that.

They were both student council officers.

Didn’t everyone think those two would eventually become business rivals?

I’ve never seen Giovanni publicly defend anyone before.

This is getting bigger than I thought...

If Giovanni took Alexander’s side, this might not end as some relationship scandal.

Alex stared at the screen. A name he hadn’t seen in years had somehow become the first person to stand beside him.

The last text Alex received from the same number was two years ago, right about the time their engagement was announced.

It consisted of only two words.

My condolences.

Alex had thought Giovanni was joking.

At the time, he’d even wondered whether the message had been sent to the wrong person.

Now, standing outside the Marriage Bureau after discovering two years’ worth of photographs, Alexander finally understood.

His thumb hovered over the screen before he typed.

If you’re free, answer.

Alex pressed the call button.

No answer.

Figures.

But given his circumstances, he couldn’t quit just yet, so he thumbed his phone and sent a message: "Any other convenient time to meet up?"

It was like shooting his shot into the wind. It’s been such a long time that he wasn’t sure if it’d work, but what do you know?

Before he could even stow away his phone, he actually received a reply.

Now. Mercer Penthouse.

Quick and direct as always. After all, he was never known to dilly-dally.

Across the Bureau, the limo was already warming up and ready to depart on short notice. The driver handed him a hot dog sandwich with no mustard as soon as he settled inside the back seat.

"Where to, sir?"

"Mercer Penthouse."

__

The Mercer Penthouse was an icon in the city. Built with a mall on the ground floor, office spaces on the floors above, and the penthouse for the owner.

An exclusive elevator was waiting for Alex. It seemed the receptionist had been expecting Alex because the guard used his special key card to send the lift up.

The lobby guard escorted Alex to a private lounge. The small corridor was impressive enough with its solid wood panels and soft lights.

Even more impressive was the spacious room beyond it, a man cave with toys for big boys. A lone person was playing darts.

He neither greeted Alex nor looked at him as he stood by the open door. He was focused on his aim for the bullseye. He used several darts before he hit it dead center. Only then did he motion for Alex to come in.

Alexander walked past the bar with a crystal pitcher of ice water and two glasses.

The hot dog sandwich needed washing down, so he helped himself to a glass of water. It was presumptuous of him, sure. But better than choking to death from all the tension.

Meanwhile, Giovanni continued playing darts with the same intensity, as though it were a tournament and Alex was the only spectator.

Alex cleared his throat, but to no avail.

He moved past the bar and found an old-time favorite pinball machine. He used to be good at this game. Perhaps the dart player would not mind if he played a game or two.

Just as he was getting the hang of it, a figure was reflected in the glass.

"Did you come here to play?"

"Ah, no. Sorry. I came to see you, but this might not be a good time." Alex felt rather foolish. He’d been the one to ask to meet up, yet after a game of pinball he was out there mumbling.

Then again, he figured he was already doing a lot better than most people who would’ve succumbed just to that stare. He wasn’t sure how Giovanni learned to stare at people like that, but it was unsettling enough even for Alex, who was supposedly used to all sorts of gazes. To think he couldn’t even see him directly, with his back turned as if for his own defense.

Still, he could feel those eyes burning through his back.

Or maybe he was just overthinking everything and was making excuses for his nerves with Giovanni’s all-too-imposing presence.

"What is it that can’t wait until office hours?"

Yep. Maybe the guy should’ve just continued playing darts.

"It’s personal."

Giovanni stood close behind him now. His cologne was still strong even after a long day. Meanwhile, Alex could smell a whiff of the hot dog on his breath, and he felt that the negotiation wasn’t starting with his best foot forward.

"Probably a long shot... but would you happen to have mint around?"

Giovanni pulled a box of mint candy from his trouser pocket and handed it to Alex.

Two pieces entered his mouth in seconds as all the reassuring space they had between them vanished.

"So?"

Alex took a deep breath. The host was not making it easy for him to ask a personal favor. Granted, a particularly huge favor.

Actually, he needed two favors, and both would sound crazy anyway. So he simply went for it.

"I’m sure you can guess... But given what happened earlier... If I were to pull out from the partnership with the Sebastians, the board would demand a competent replacement. So I’m here to ask if the Mercer Group would be willing to start considering our projects?"

There. He actually managed to say it without tripping over his words or worse, his life.

Though if he were to truly lay it all out, Alex knew it would take considerable resources because of the suddenness, but it would still end up being beneficial to the Mercers in the long run, so it was actually the easier and more logical favor to ask.

But it didn’t matter how logical anything sounded to him. Because, as the one currently seeking this partnership, it was truly another thing to wait for a response that could change the trajectory of his schedule for who knows how long.

A beat that felt like forever passed between them, but as if managing to grace him with an answer, Giovanni finally spoke.

"Consider it done."

"!"

"You would be willing to collaborate?"

He’d been racking his brains trying to figure out ways to further convince the guy when he’d gone there impulsively, so he didn’t quite expect him to just agree to it like that.

"I am willing to submit proposals that may work to both our advantages."

The Board meeting would convene at 10 AM the day after tomorrow, and while Alex didn’t expect to show specifics in that meeting, he’d at least walk in there knowing he had a competent group waiting to take over.

Giovanni stared at Alex, who couldn’t help showing his relief through the shift in his shoulders.

But the relief was short-lived because it was clear the man knew there was more to this conversation from the way he held his gaze, as if waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Alexander cleared his throat, preparing for the worst.

"As for the truly personal thing I was talking about... I’m here to ask if you’d be willing to marry me."