𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐫 || 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐊𝐰𝐚𝐧

Chapter 24

Seungkwan wound up staying the night at the packhouse, in part because of his ankle but also because Joshua’s contract lawyer friend, Liam, was coming to see him the next morning.

Nervous, Seungkwan could barely manage more than a few bites of breakfast.

It wasn’t long before he found himself in Joshua’s office, across the desk from Liam with Joshua sitting right next to him. Joshua had offered to call Vernon to join them, but Seungkwan knew the alpha had things to get on with. He couldn’t keep dropping everything just to hold Seungkwan’s hand.

“So,” Liam said, resting his hands on the stack of paper in front of him.

“I’ve reviewed the whole contract, in detail.”

He paused, and Seungkwan’s stomach sank.

“I’ve got no chance,” he guessed. “Stewart’s got the upper hand?”

Liam looked surprised.

“No,” he said, glancing at Joshua. “It’s quite the opposite. You’re actually the fourth person with a contract like this to come my way in the past few months.”

“Other omegas?” Seungkwan couldn’t see an alpha ending up in a contract like that.

“Other omegas,” Liam confirmed. “What this contract represents is part of a larger case. You wouldn’t be going it alone; we’d be adding your name to the others. They’d all be decided on together. And that’s just the civil side of it. You also need to decide if, like some of the others, you want to pursue a criminal case as well.”

Liam spoke quietly, but the words seemed to boom in Seungkwan’s head.

“Criminal? What does that mean? Am I in trouble? Did I do something wrong?” He knew getting a lawyer involved was a mistake.

Joshua caught his hands, holding them in his and waiting for Seungkwan to look at him.

“No,” he said, slowly and clearly. “You are not in trouble. You did nothing wrong.”

“That’s exactly right,” Liam added. “Stewart and the agents he has close ties with, they’re a different story. They have a lot to answer for.”

Seungkwan wasn’t sure he got it.

“Like what?”

“Fraud, for starters. Exploitation of a minor. Facilitation of a criminal act. But most of these charges would require one key piece of evidence,” Liam said.

“What’s that?” Seungkwan asked, suspecting he already knew the answer.

“You. Your testimony. This can only happen with your cooperation, if you are willing to participate. No one can force you to. That decision does, and always will, lie with you.”

“You don’t need to make up your mind right now,” Joshua added, patting Seungkwan’s clenched hands. “We won’t bring this case up with the authorities unless you tell us to.”

“If I don’t talk to the police, can you still get me out of the contract?”

“Most definitely,” Liam agreed. “You’ll have a stronger case with pending criminal charges, but there’s definitely a civil case all of its own to answer. We take on the contract either way, Seungkwan.”

He breathed a sigh of relief at that. He had choices.

“I’d like to think it over.”

“As you should,” Liam agreed. “But while I’m here, there are a few points I need clarification on. Are you okay to answer a few questions?”