Page 39 of The Heart of Winter

We drove in silence for a long while.

Neither Winter nor I had any good conversation topics on hand, both basically considering ourselves enemies.

Driving, I had a bit of time to think, and I remembered that my father was always careful when choosing words to describe his employees, mainly speaking about Winter’s attitude toward alphas working in the tech industry, but once or twice he’d slipped and said that Winter had never been interested in relationships with alphas. He even took pride in that fact, just like my father, who also never once dated an alpha.

They understood each other well on that subject and, together, shaped the company’s HR policy to ensure that alphas weren’t a thing here.

I put some half-hearted effort into coming up with an interesting topic for a conversation, but I failed. What could we even talk about? We never should’ve ended up in the same car.

Stuck in traffic, both of us stared blankly at the endless line of cars. Winter was clearly getting more and more tense, glancing at his phone every now and then.

And I was glancing at him…

His profile was almost statuesque. Those strange white eyebrows and lashes gave him a distinctive aura.

I wondered why he never darkened them. A little bit of henna, and he’d look much more conventional, more ‘acceptable’ to most people.

But it was one more thing I secretly admired about Winter: he seemed so… unapologetic. He clearly didn’t care what others thought. Those were his eyelashes, and he wasn’t going to hide them.

They looked as if they’d been touched by frost, a strikingly artistic effect.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"If you must," he said, in exactly the tone I expected, like the crack of a whip. Was I starting to like it?

"Did your brother manage to win over that tattooed beta?"

I knew it was a bit inappropriate, maybe even provocative. And I got exactly the kind of reaction I probably deserved.

"What kind of question is that? We’re neither colleagues nor friends, so why would I discuss my family with you?"

Another lash of the whip. Scolded like a misbehaving kid, I bit my lip lightly.

Technically, he was right. It wasn’t my business. The question had been somewhat intrusive. But I just wanted… to get some kind of reaction out of him. Though maybe not one that would make him hate me even more.

"Sorry, you’re right, Director. I just happened to see them both in the cafeteria, and, well, your brother is a very attractive alpha. That beta, though… I wouldn’t say he’s ugly, but he’s definitely unconventional."

Winter’s brows drew together.

"Soren is a very capable and talented employee. As his director, that is the only thing that concerns me. I have nothing else to say on the matter." His voice, of course, sharp as the edge of a knife scraping across glass.

Well, great. Now the atmosphere was even worse. The rest of the drive passed in absolute silence.

Finally, I pulled into the campus parking lot. We both got out.

It was only drizzling now, but the wind had a sharp chill to it.

I kind of regretted saying I’d attend the lecture. Maybe that hadn’t been the best idea. But it felt awkward to back out now.

Still in silence, one step behind him, I followed Winter into the white college building. I had the feeling we’d arrived almost exactly on time, maybe just a minute early. Winter knew where to go, clearly, this wasn’t his first lecture here.

Soon, we entered a large hall. I was surprised to see it was already packed with students! The front row was completely taken, so I had to settle for a seat in the third row, where I managed to find a single empty spot.

Winter greeted the students and said a few words about himself, as an alumnus of the college who had interned at DevApp during his studies. He spoke about the company’s mission, its main areas of interest, and its flagship projects. Then, he encouraged students to apply for internships starting next semester.

After that, he moved on to the main part of the lecture.

I have to admit, I listened with interest, even though this wasn’t my field or something I planned to specialize in. But Winter presented everything in such a clear, accessible, and engaging way. His naturally precise and to-the-point nature came through, he didn’t waste time on fluff. He only shared useful and intriguing facts and insights.

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