Chapter 45
“ I can’t thank you enough for giving me another opportunity.” I shook hands with Alve Sato next to our lunch table at a downtown restaurant. He was dressed in a crisp suit, his dark hair looking freshly cut.
“I wasn’t going to.” He sat down, observing me carefully. “Getting stood up twice for a business meeting is a little much, but given your explanation, I’m willing to let it slide. Omegas come first in life and in business.”
When I had fully emerged on the other side of Charlotte’s heat, I had reached out to Alve with profuse apologies, letting him know I had gone on emergency omega leave. “That’s a good philosophy to have.”
“Considering our line of work, I would have to agree.” He offered me a genuine smile and ushered me to sit. “You said things have changed since our first contact?”
“Yes. I’m going to be relocating to Las Vegas permanently for my omega.”
“You’ll be opening up a competing branch then?”
“I was hoping for a partnership. We both have the same goal of safe, affordable housing for omegas.”
“That we do.” He sipped at a green tea the server sat down in front of him. “Working together would be far more beneficial. What did you have in mind? A merger?”
“In some ways. I intend to hand my company in New York over to my team and put my focus here. If you would be open to being dual CEOs, I would bring all of my experience and resources with me. If not, I suppose I would be setting up a competitor.”
Alve sipped his tea in silence for a few moments. “Tell me why you’re in this industry. What made you passionate about omega housing?”
“Emily, my first omega. She passed before she was able to see much of the success of our ventures, but it was her idea from the start. I had the family money to put toward it and she had the drive. I’ve continued it to this day to honor her memory and carry on her work.” I swallowed hard. I hoped Emily would’ve been proud of what we had accomplished, helping thousands of omega feel safer in their environment. I wanted to keep doing that for as long as possible.
“A noble pursuit if I’ve ever heard one. I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you. What got you into the industry?”
“My sisters, actually. I’m the youngest in our family and my eldest sister moved out into a less than safe area because it was all she could afford. Someone broke in, and thankfully she wasn’t home at the time, but it scared the hell out of all of us. I wanted every omega to be able to live somewhere safe no matter how much money they made, and when I was old enough I launched the company.”
“Omegas are meant to be safe and treasured, and loving your sisters enough to want them all safe is an excellent first step.”
“I’m willing to entertain the idea of joining forces,” Alve said slowly. “My team and I have done plenty of research into you and your company since you first reached out. I believe our goals and values align enough that it would be a smart business decision.”
Relief loosened into the tightness in my chest.
“Let’s put our lawyers in touch to sort out the paperwork.”
With the important part of the meeting over, we settled in for lunch to get to know one another.
“Do you have an omega?” I asked him.
His cheeks turned pink. “No. Fate hasn’t blessed me yet, and trying outside of that has not been kind to me.”
“Fate has its own timelines in mind,” I said, laughing lightly. “I know that more than most.”
“I would hope fate would give me at least one opportunity if it’s doling out second chances to my business partners.” Alve gazed wistfully out the window. “You said your team is going to be taking over in New York?”
“That’s my plan, but I haven’t discussed it yet with my executive assistant if she’s comfortable with a promotion that drastic. I would rather elevate her than have to find someone to replace one of the other executives when they would still have to spend time learning my role.”
“That’s a considerable amount of trust. Do you think she’s up for the task?”
“I know she’s up for it. She’s been managing everything since I came to Las Vegas. She sits in on every meeting, knows every aspect of the job. Honestly, I think she would do an even better job than I have, and it’s about time we put omegas at the top.”
Alve’s smile was bright. “Another excellent philosophy to have.”
By the time we finished lunch, we had hashed out our preferences for working together. Alve had the real estate connections, but browbeating local officials into letting lucrative spaces go to an omega-exclusive building wasn’t one of his specialties. Safe housing was only as good as the community that surrounded it, and buying cheaper land on the outskirts only served the purpose of reducing costs. No omega who wanted to live in a city, especially one who had children, would be happy to live somewhere that had no grocery stores, schools, or clinics nearby. We wanted to get them into the heart of things, surrounded by everything they needed, without the exorbitant prices that often came with that.
“It was a pleasure to finally meet you,” Alve said as we got ready to depart. “Have you found somewhere for your entire pack to live together yet?”
“No. We haven’t had time to look.”
“I’m going to send you a listing. It might not be your personal taste, but from what you’ve told me about your pack, I think it would suit everyone just fine.”
“I look forward to seeing it.”
After we parted ways, I went back to the apartment and called Autumn to video chat.
“About time,” Autumn said with a laugh when her face popped onto the screen. “Did omega leave go well?”
“The whole pack is bonded.”
“Is that good news?”
“Yes, but I wanted you to be the first in the company to know that I’m going to be staying here permanently.”
Autumn’s smile faltered. “What does that mean for the company? Are you going to stay working remotely?”
“I was hoping it would mean a fresh new face at the helm.”
Autumn scrutinized me. “Do I get to help with the interviews since I’ll have to be working with them?”
“You certainly do not get to assist with interviews.”
Her brows furrowed with hurt. “But?—”
“Autumn, I want you to take over.”
She stared at me, mouth gaping. “Say that again.”
“I want you to be the CEO.”
“Me?” she squeaked out.
“Of course you. You practically run the company now, just with my guidance. Who else would be better at the job than you?”
I gave her some time to process.
“Are you fucking serious right now?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Do you think I would joke about this?”
“I don’t think you would joke about anything . That’s why I’m so confused.”
“Autumn, I’ve watched you from the beginning. You learn quickly, you take shit from no one, you intimately understand the business we’re in, and you believe in the work that we’re doing. To me, those are the makings of an incredible leader, and I want to support you stepping into that role if it’s something you’re comfortable doing. If you don’t want to, I’ll stay on remotely until we select a suitable replacement.”
“Have you talked to the rest of the team already?”
“Not yet. I didn’t want you to feel pressured, so I thought it would be best if we spoke first. Feel free to take some time to consider.”
“I want it,” she chirped. “I never thought I’d get it, but I want it. I can’t believe you’re offering it to me. What if I fuck everything up?”
“Do you think this transition is going to involve me pushing you off a metaphorical train? I’ll be available for any and all questions. I’ll stay on in some capacity if you would like me to, but I promise I’m not going to disappear into the night and leave you to fend for yourself.”
“What if the team gets upset that none of them got promoted instead of me?”
“Then they would not be the people I thought they were. This is my company, and I decide what’s best for it. I know that’s you.” My executive team were impeccable at their jobs but their skills were tailored to their roles. They all knew and loved Autumn and worked seamlessly with her. Regardless of their reactions, I was confident she would be the best choice.
“What happens once I agree?”
“I’ll call a meeting with the team to announce it to them before we tell the rest of the company and get the lawyers involved.”
Autumn hopped to her feet, pacing back and forth. “I can’t believe this is real. You really, really want me to be the CEO?”
I laughed. “Should I draft a letter of offer to make it feel more real?”
“You know what, yes. I need to hold it in my hands.”
“I had one already partially drafted. It still needs to be adapted to your benefits, but I can send it over now. Your pay will be quadrupling.” I went into my email to forward it to her.
Autumn sat down hard in front of the screen. “I feel like I need to get you a Best Boss Ever mug. I’m going to keep you on as a consultant for as long as you want. Keep the position ’til you retire. This company is your baby, and just because you’re letting me lead, it doesn’t mean I want you to be completely hands-off.”
That only made me more confident that she was the best choice. She knew how much this company meant to me.
“Should I call in the team?”
“Yes. I want to see their faces when they find out so I know if they’re going to be upset or not. No one is in a meeting right now, I just checked the calendars.”
I sent a meeting request to the rest of the team and they popped on one by one.
“He lives,” Sienna joked.
“Ladies, I have an important announcement about the future of this company.”
“Ominous,” Caroline said, forehead creasing.
“I’m going to step down as CEO.”
Shock covered their faces.
“You’re leaving ?” Chelsi asked.
“My family is in Las Vegas and I need to be here for them.”
“But who’s taking over?” Sienna asked.
“Autumn is more than capable of taking the reins I’m leaving behind.”
All of their faces brightened.
“We get a full omega team?” Sienna beamed. “Autumn’s going to kick ass. I’ve thought for a while she was a CEO in the making.”
We discussed some of the details, forming a more cohesive plan. Once Autumn had signed the paperwork, we would announce it to the rest of the company. I also gave them a brief update on my personal life, which seemed only fair since that was the reason I was stepping away.
“Are you going to take Las Vegas omega housing by storm?” Caroline asked.
“That’s the current plan. I’ll be partnering with a local company to continue our mission.”
“You know,” Chelsi said, “I was a little bit suspicious when you first hired me, but I’m glad you proved me wrong at every turn. So many alphas just want to talk the talk when it comes to omega rights and protection. It’s nice to see someone actually put in the work and give a shit.”
“You’re not allowed to become a stranger,” Autumn insisted.
“I won’t. I’m sure we’ll speak soon, but I do need to go pick up my sons.”
Once the meeting ended, I headed over to the school where Sammy and Ollie spent much of their day. Charlotte had added the entire pack to the authorized pickup list, so they let the boys race right to me. They crashed against me like little torpedoes.
“Did you two have a good day?”
They chattered away while I got them secured in their booster seats. Now that Charlotte was working at the arena, it would be more difficult to do family dinner right after school. Our whole lives had changed so quickly. A lot of adjustments would need to be made, but that was the beauty of being part of a pack: we could figure all of it out together.