The administrative trailer smelled of stale coffee, blueprint ink, and the frantic hum of a portable air conditioner struggling against the humid evening air.
Inside, Chancellor Sterling—a man who had spent thirty years navigating the treacherous waters of academia—looked as though he were facing a firing squad. He stood behind a cluttered desk, his eyes darting between the predatory silhouette of Malcolm Ford and the wide-eyed, sweater-clad "student" who had just stumbled through the door.
"Ah, Luca!" the Chancellor exclaimed, his voice hitting a pitch of forced cheerfulness that bordered on the hysterical. "You're just in time. I was just—well, we were just discussing the university's brightest minds."
Malcolm Ford didn't turn around immediately. He remained standing with his back to the door, his hands clasped behind his back, looking like a statue of a vengeful god. The sheer volume of his Alpha presence seemed to suck the oxygen out of the small room.
"Brightest minds?" Malcolm's voice was a low, dangerous purr. "I just met this 'bright mind' in the dirt outside. He was lost on his own campus. If this is the peak of Vetify's intellectual output, Sterling, I'm concerned for the future of my engineering wing."
Luca bit his lip, performing a masterclass of embarrassment.' He let his cheeks flush—a trick of controlled blood flow he'd spent hours practicing on the jet—and lowered his head, clutching his bag to his chest as if it were a shield.
"I... I'm sorry, Chancellor," Luca whispered, his voice trembling just enough to be pathetic. "I didn't mean to intrude. I just... I realized I'd missed the deadline for the Deviloy internship packet. I was coming to see if you could—if you could still forward it."
Chancellor Sterling jumped on the opening like a drowning man grabbing a life raft. He looked at Malcolm with a pleading expression.
"Mr. Ford, please, don't let a clumsy first impression cloud your judgment. Luca Vane is... he is exceptional. Truly. He is top of his class in AI Ethics and Neural Architecture. He holds the highest GPA in the history of the department."
Malcolm finally turned. His amber eyes locked onto Luca's face, searching for a lie, searching for a weakness. He looked at the crooked glasses, the oversized sleeves, and the faint, sweet scent of "lilies in the rain" that Kaelen's patches were pumping into the air.
"Then why," Malcolm asked, his voice dripping with skepticism, "did he 'forget' to hand in his application? Genius doesn't usually come with such a lack of discipline."
The Chancellor cleared his throat, leaning in as if sharing a painful secret. "The boy has had a difficult time, Malcolm. Family problems at home. Serious ones. He's been working two jobs while maintaining his studies. He's been... distracted. But his brilliance is undeniable."
Luca looked at the floor, his shoulders shaking slightly. It was a beautiful touch. Inside his head, the Enigma was screaming: I'm going to melt your brain for making me act like I have 'family problems'.
"No," Malcolm said flatly. The word cut through the air like a guillotine. "Deviloy isn't a charity. I don't hire 'potential' that gets distracted by personal drama. I hire people who leave their problems at the door."
"Mr. Ford," the Chancellor said, his voice dropping into a register of absolute gravity. He stepped around the desk, placing himself between Malcolm and the door. "I am so certain of this boy's value that I will make you a deal. Give him two weeks. Just two weeks as a junior intern in your personal office."
Malcolm's eyebrows shot up. "My office? You want me to babysit a clumsy student?"
"Two weeks," Sterling repeated, his face pale but determined. "If, at the end of those fourteen days, you are not satisfied—if he makes one mistake, if he shows even a hint of the 'clumsiness' you saw today—I will resign. I will step down as Chancellor of Vetify University immediately, as a show of my loyalty to your standards."
The room went deathly silent. Even the air conditioner seemed to stop humming.
Luca looked up, his eyes wide with "shock." Well played, Sterling, he thought. That was a bold addition to the script.
Malcolm stared at the Chancellor for a long time. He respected high stakes. He respected people who were willing to gamble their entire lives on a single hand. He shifted his gaze back to Luca, who stood there looking like a deer in the headlights of a semi-truck.
"You'd lose your career for this boy?" Malcolm asked quietly.
"I won't lose it," Sterling said with a shaky smile. "Because he is worth it."
Malcolm exhaled, a sound of profound annoyance. "Fine. Two weeks. He starts Monday at 6:00 AM. If he's one minute late, Sterling, I expect your resignation on my desk by noon."
"Thank you, sir! Thank you!" the Chancellor breathed.
Malcolm didn't acknowledge the thanks. He grabbed his coat from the chair. "Now, enough of this. We have a building to discuss. I want to see the foundations of the north wall. The finances aren't adding up, and I want to know why."
He brushed past Luca without a second glance, his shoulder knocking into the "Omega" once more, but this time Luca didn't trip. He stood his ground, watching as the Alpha and the Chancellor exited the trailer, their voices fading as they headed toward the dark, skeletal shadows of the construction site.
The door clicked shut.
Luca's posture shifted instantly. The "innocent" slouch vanished, replaced by the terrifying, predatory elegance of the Boss. He reached up, straightened his glasses with one finger, and tapped his earpiece.
"Did you catch that, Kaelen?"
"Crystal clear," Kaelen's voice crackled, sounding impressed. "Sterling really leaned into the drama. The resignation threat was a nice touch. It gave Ford the 'high-stakes' environment he craves. You're in, Dahmer. Or should I say, 'Luca'."
Dahmer walked to the window of the trailer, watching the distant figure of Malcolm Ford pointing at a steel beam. The Alpha looked powerful, untouchable, and utterly convinced of his own superiority.
Dahmer whispered, a dark, dangerous smile finally spreading across his lips. "He just let me in."
"He did," Kaelen agreed. "But now you have two weeks. Fourteen days in his personal office for a probation. Just remember... no pheromone leaks. You have to be the perfect, submissive, brilliant Omega. If he smells even a hint of your true nature, things will turn into a mess before you can get a single vial of his DNA."
"He won't smell a thing," Dahmer said, his eyes glowing with a cold, pale light. "He thinks he's the one in control by giving a 'clumsy boy' a chance. He has no idea he just invited the end of his world through his front door."
"Monday morning, 6:00 AM," Kaelen reminded him. "Don't be late. And Dahmer... try to look like you've actually had 'family problems'. You look too much like a man who wants to commit a massacre."
Dahmer softened his expression, practiced a look of weary, hardworking determination, and stepped out of the trailer into the evening.
"I'll see you at the office, Mr. Ford," he murmured to the wind. "I hope you're ready for your new intern."