"Zoe, look at the mess you've made." Damien pointed at Zoe Pierce's face. A bit of orange sweet-and-sour sauce was smeared on her cheek.
The faint smile on his gaunt, somber face instantly softened it, making him look just as he had when Zoe first saw him after she woke up.
Zoe froze for an imperceptible second, then wiped her face with a napkin and pursed her lips. "Don't laugh at me, Brother."
"I just think you're beautiful even like this, Zoe." Damien sighed. "If your pheromones hadn't disappeared, you probably could have married into a good family. You wouldn't have to work so hard."
No one would be so harsh on such a slender and beautiful Omega.
For some reason, though his words sounded perfectly normal, they made Zoe's back instantly tense up.
Zoe couldn't help but overthink it. 'If I still had my pheromones, would Damien plan to sell me off?'
Some things didn't bear thinking about too deeply. The fact that Damien wanted to use her to get close to people like Miles Sherman, in particular, made Zoe sense his malice.
'It's like I'm just a tool in his hands.'
Zoe pursed her lips and looked at him, feigning concern. "Brother, how bad is our family's situation, really?"
Since waking up, she knew the Pierce Family had started out in the Energy Mine business, with jewelry as a secondary venture.
One catered to Alphas with Mecha components, the other to Omegas with jewelry. While their business wasn't massive on The Capital Star, it wasn't small either.
Both sides of the business were moderately successful, so even with her amnesia, Zoe could tell that the family ought to be wealthy.
But according to Damien, they were suffering losses—huge losses, at that.
At the mention of this topic, Damien's brow furrowed. He looked at Zoe. "None of these problems will be a big deal once we connect with the Sherman Family or the Xavier Family."
Zoe said, "Brother, tell me which side of the business has the more serious problems. If they can really help, it would be good for me to know what to say."
Damien faltered, his tone turning grave. "On the energy side. The Caldwell Family is our rival, and they're currently buying up our energy sources."
He was vague, and all Zoe really got out of it was the name "Caldwell Family."
Still, it was much better than being completely in the dark.
After Zoe finished eating, Damien sent a few short messages on his Intelligent Brain. When he looked up, he saw Zoe watching him.
"What is it?"
Zoe stood up and blinked. "Nothing. I was just waiting for you to finish up so I could tell you I'm heading upstairs to study."
Damien was at a loss for words. Zoe was being too diligent. Whether it was exercising or studying, she was so well-behaved that no one could find fault with her.
"Brother, don't you feel anything... off?" Zoe asked just as Damien was about to reply.
He looked at Zoe, confused. "What's off?"
Zoe looked dazed, wrapping her arms around herself. "It's nothing. Maybe I'm just a little cold. I'll head up now."
Before Damien could react, she turned and went upstairs.
Her heart was just pounding a little faster. A moment ago, her spiritual power had leaked out unintentionally, but Damien hadn't reacted at all.
'He didn't sense my spiritual power.'
*
A month passed quickly. Aside from the first day when she was assigned to a group and met Aaron Xavier and the others, Zoe hadn't run into them since.
Then, early this morning, along with the summons to assemble, their little group chat pinged again.
It was a message from Miles Sherman, giving the coordinates for the assembly point.
The supply distribution point for Omegas was different from the Alphas', so Zoe had to pick up her things first before heading over.
Every Omega would receive a Space Button. After collecting their supplies, they also had to go to the white building next door for a physical examination.
Michelle Young was in front of Zoe in the line. Knowing that Zoe didn't remember the procedure at all, Michelle explained as they waited, "This physical is to check if any Omegas are about to go into heat. If their pheromones are unstable, the instructor will make them stay behind for an inhibitor shot before they can leave."
She also pointed to the alarm function on the Space Button. "If an Omega runs into an emergency, press this immediately. The instructors are always monitoring it."
The Space Button had two alarm buttons: one was blood-red, the other was gray.
The blood-red one signified that the Omega was in a situation involving an Alpha or pheromones.
The gray one was the elimination button. If someone from another team pressed it, that Omega was eliminated.
As they were talking, it was Michelle's turn for her examination. The entrance and exit were in different places, but she didn't forget to look back and tell Zoe, "Zoe, I'll wait for you at the exit."
Zoe nodded quickly. A month wasn't a long time, but it wasn't short either. She and Michelle had gotten to know each other quite well.
According to Michelle, she used to be a very aloof Omega who didn't socialize much. She was always busy with something unknown and always went home early.
As a result, she naturally didn't have any friends.
But the Zoe who returned after her amnesia was completely different. She was much softer and would unconsciously draw close to people. Now, no one in her class had a bad impression of her.
"Your pheromone level is 8?" When it was Zoe's turn, she felt a small prick on her hand, and soon after, a number appeared on the machine.
The doctor conducting the exam was taken aback by the number. A normal Omega's pheromone level was usually between 100 and 300, and it could spike as high as 1,000 during heat.
Double-digit levels were rare, let alone a single-digit one.
He frowned and glanced at Zoe's uploaded records, which included her medical chart, confirming her current pheromonal disability.
A level of 8 was only slightly stronger than a Beta's, or comparable to a child under the age of five.
"It's 8?" Zoe asked.
The doctor didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "How can you be less sure than I am? It's written clearly on the machine."
Zoe was just remembering that when she first woke up, the doctor had said her pheromone level was only 5.
In just over a month, it had actually increased by 3.
"Alright, with a pheromone concentration this low, not only do you not need inhibitors, but you probably shouldn't even use suppression patches. I'll prescribe you some barrier patches instead."
Zoe's pheromone concentration was so low that the doctor was afraid a suppression patch would lower her already pathetic level even further.
Compared to suppression patches, barrier patches contained less of the pheromone-suppressing medication and were much milder.
"If you feel uncomfortable while wearing the barrier patch, just take it off. They're mild, but they still contain some medication. Your case is special, so if anything feels wrong, find an instructor immediately, understand?"
Zoe nodded obediently. After picking up the barrier patches from the pharmacy, she wasn't surprised to see Michelle Young standing off to the side, looking bored as she waited.
"Zoe." Michelle waved when she saw her.
Zoe walked over. "Shelly."
Everything they needed was stored in their Space Buttons, so they were both empty-handed as they walked toward the assembly point.
They hadn't taken more than a few steps when Michelle stopped and nudged Zoe with her elbow.
"Zoe, look... Isn't that Nathan Lockwood...?"
Zoe followed her gaze and saw a tall, slender Alpha standing less than ten meters ahead.
He was wearing the standard-issue academy training uniform. His limbs were long, and he didn't have overly developed muscles, yet it was impossible to ignore the sleek, firm lines of his body. His back was ramrod straight, and he was turned to the side, looking at something.
As if sensing their gazes, he slowly turned his head. His jaw was well-defined, and his thin lips were a healthy red.
A pair of long, almond-shaped eyes met hers with a detached look, and his deep voice asked, "Zoe Pierce?"