Mostly to balance things out a little bit, tl;dr:
MC's bottom line is the chairman position. He tolerated the secretary because he never touched the bottom line. He pushed away ML because ML has basically been dancing on his bottom line this whole time.
He most probably also have an avoidant attachment style; emotional intimacy scares him. We readers see ML's pov, but he doesn't. With shit communication, he naturally prioritizes ML's threat to his bottom line over acknowledging his feelings. The latter is too risky & scary for him.
Is he a jerk? Yes ofc, as are most people with avoidant attachment style. It's just the fact that he's a jerk doesn't invalidate the clear logic behind his actions.
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He tolerated the alpha subordinate & strings him along because that secretary has never been a threat (not enough family status, combat power, or business competence), and his feelings towards MC guarantees his loyalty (& guaranteed over-performance above pay grade)----miscalculation in hindsight ofc with the rape and all, but in a way the rape was also how his manipulation backfired. MC gave him a serious beating afterwards, owned his mistake (to string him along and take advantage of his feelings), cut him off, and further use him as a pawn/negotiating chip for business down the line; I'd call that a pretty decent & clean resolution.
ML, on the other hand, is a serious contender for _the_ position that MC has been vying for his entire adult life; ML even publicly declared his intention to get that position no matter what. Without proper communication, in MC's view, that's a glaring conflict of interest, right at a time when getting the position is MC's main obsession; he's projected too much meaning onto it (e.g., his self realization, his core identify, omega dignity, alpha envy, etc.) to take any threat to it lightly.
Call me cold-blooded or whatevs, but I don't believe there could be genuine affection/love anywhere when objective conflict of interest exists and the bottom line is touched. Especially when communication is shit & MC gets unsettled by any inklings of himself getting attached to anyone.








Haven't started yet but I passionately hate Grayson from Kiss Me If You Can and Kiss me Liar. ヽ(`Д´)ノ