Mated By the Alphas

Chapter 1

Ansley

This is the moment I’ve been waiting for my entire life.

Well, most of it. Ever since my grandfather sat me down and screwed my head on straight, as he called it.

He helped me focus on the things that matter, like getting good grades, attending a respectable college, and finding a job I could turn into a career.

I’ve done all of that. I ignored the temptations that were all around me, focused on school, and now I have an entry level position at York Financial. I’m still basically a glorified intern, but they’re paying me well, and my future has never looked brighter.

It’s my first day, and I’ve been invited to sit in on a high-level meeting.

I’m not sure if every new hire gets invited to a meeting like this on their first day, but I’ve heard that Ms. Frost likes to see what people are capable of.

I was just hoping I’d have more than a foot barely in the door before I got called into a meeting with the CEO.

I step into the conference room and hold my breath as I look around.

The room is larger than my entire apartment, framed by floor-to-ceiling windows that spill early morning light across a polished glass table long enough to seat an army of executives.

The chairs are sleek black leather, perfectly spaced, and perfectly aligned.

A massive screen covers one wall with graphs and market data I recognize but don’t fully understand yet. I’ll be responsible for compiling graphs like that soon. I’ll have to prove myself before they trust me to do more than that, based on what I’ve heard.

“Good morning,” I say timidly, unsure if I should introduce myself or wait to be addressed.

Victoria Frost is at the head of the table.

She’s in her sixties but hardly looks it.

She’s the CEO of York Financial and she’s got quite a reputation for having high expectations and very little patience.

Some former employees referred to her as the Ice Queen in a scathing article they wrote after being terminated.

Instead of suing them for defamation or burying the story, she simply owned it without a single apology.

There are two men seated on either side of her, across from each other. Gilbert Waters and Harold Smith. They’re two of the major decision makers at York Financial, but Ms. Frost has the final say in everything.

“Ansley, right? The new girl?” Ms. Frost asks, glaring at me. “They should have told you how we like our coffee.”

“Yes ma’am, I’m Ansley Ellery,” I reply, then I realize that she isn’t glaring at me because she wants me to introduce myself. She wants her coffee. “And yes, one cream two sugars for you.”

Ms. Frost wafts a hand, and I hurry to the table with coffee and breakfast pastries. I memorized how she likes her coffee by repeating it over-and-over in the elevator. I think Mr. Waters likes his black and Mr. Smith likes a splash of milk. I hope I didn’t mix those up.

I prepare Ms. Frost’s coffee first and bring it over to her.

Walking over with the other two, I feel awkward, not certain I got them right.

I tentatively offer Mr. Waters the black coffee and he raises a brow, so I switch the cups.

He smiles and takes it. Mr. Smith doesn’t look up when I put his cup on the table. Hopefully that means I got it right.

“Alright, let’s get this meeting started,” Ms. Frost sighs, taking a sip of her coffee. Her expression doesn’t change, so I’m not sure if she likes it or hates it. “We need to talk about Blithe Holdings. Lots of activity this morning in the market.”

“As planned,” Mr. Waters says. “We liquidated our position before the market closed yesterday. Five million shares. If the trajectory holds, we’ll buy back in before the market closes today.”

“My team is predicting we’ll be able to pick up eight million shares with the capital from yesterday’s liquidation. Then tomorrow the shares will skyrocket, and we can decide how long we want to hold them before we turn some more profit,” Mr. Smith adds.

“Our investors will be happy. That’s what matters,” Ms. Frost says. “That’s all that matters. As soon as the price peaks, sell everything.”

“Everything? You don’t even want to hold the five million shares we started with?” Mr. Waters questions.

“No. Blithe Holdings had a good year, but they won’t have another one like this.

They’re behind on AI integration because they tried to build it themselves rather than buying it from one of the industry leaders,” Ms. Frost says.

“We’re better off investing in a company that is more innovative.

Blithe Holdings is a relic. I don’t like relics. ”

“Yes, ma’am, understood,” Mr. Waters accepts.

I listen carefully. It’s a bit overwhelming.

They’re discussing deals worth millions of dollars like I discuss a shopping trip to the mall with my best friend.

But if I’m going to work here, I have to get used to it.

Especially if I hope to one day have a seat at this massive table and do more than bring them coffee.

But that’s decades away. That’s the end game. I’m a long way from that. The only thing I’m worried about right now is surviving my first day and hopefully not making a fool of myself before I get my first paycheck.

“What do you think, Ansley?” Ms. Frost asks, turning her attention to me. “Don’t stand there like one of those emotionless angel statues downtown. My meetings are interactive. I expect everyone to give their opinion.”

“Oh, um,” I stammer. I wasn’t expecting to be asked any questions.

I didn’t prepare for this. I quickly try to recall everything I know about Blithe Holdings.

“What you said about their AI integration is correct, from what I remember. However, I saw an article two days ago that said they were still investing heavily in it.”

“And?” Ms. Frost tilts her head slightly. I’ve never had this kind of attention from someone as important as her. I’m definitely not prepared to be quizzed by the CEO on my first day. “I didn’t ask you to regurgitate something you read. I asked what you think.”

I take a deep breath before I respond. I went to school for this. I’m not completely out of my element. How would I answer this in class? We had discussions like this.

“Well, AI is still rather new,” I say. “A lot of companies have integrated it, but even the companies that are buying their models from industry leaders aren’t all seeing the kind of success they predicted.

It’s also expensive to go that route, especially for a company the size of Blithe Holdings.

” I take another deep breath. “Yes, they’re a relic, but people said the same thing about Grant Tech two years ago. Now their shares have quadrupled.”

“So, you disagree with my strategy?” Ms. Frost asks, her tone like a whip that cracks through the air.

“No, I mean…” I fidget with my hands, sweat trickling down my lower back.

“Then you agree with my strategy? We should sell?” she presses.

I should just agree. That’s the smart thing to do.

The quicker this meeting is over, the better.

I’m not supposed to be making financial decisions like this.

That’s what the other people in this room do.

Do I really want to get on my CEO’s bad side the very first day?

But if I agree, I’m lying, and it’s no secret that Ms. Frost hates liars.

“Your strategy is sound, Ms. Frost,” I say, doing my best not to tremble.

“However, there’s very little risk to York Financial if you…

we… hold onto some of the shares. We might miss an opportunity to sell them at the peak price, but if the earnings reports are going to be favorable tomorrow, then the price won’t dip lower than what we paid.

They should still stabilize at a higher price. ”

“You’re not concerned this is going to be the best year Blithe Holdings ever has?” Ms. Frost questions. “That by missing the opportunity to sell at the peak, we’ll lose out on millions of dollars if we have to liquidate them later?”

I can’t turn back now. I’ve stated my position and now I have to defend it, just like I did at school. “Every investment is a risk, Ms. Frost. Last year, York Financial liquidated their position in a number of companies that had a better year than they were forecasted to have.”

“Don’t remind me,” Mr. Smith grumbles.

Ms. Frost studies me for a long moment. She reaches for her coffee and takes a drink, then puts it down in front of her. The room is so quiet I can hear the faint hum of the building’s ventilation system.

“Very well, we’ll retain our original position in Blithe Holdings,” Ms. Frost says. “Ansley, you will be in charge of monitoring this investment for us as part of your portfolio. I’ll expect an update in my email shortly after the markets open each morning. Don’t make me have to ask for it.”

My eyes widen and I can’t stop my lips from trembling. Monitoring an investment? Daily reporting to the CEO? This feels way, way above my pay grade.

“Yes, ma’am,” I reply, unsure of what else to say.

The discussion about Blithe Holdings seems to be over. I hope I didn’t screw up. Didn’t overstep. She put me on the spot, and I didn’t know what else to say.

I pay attention to the discussions about several other investments, but nobody asks my opinion about those. After that, the meeting ends and I hold the door for the three of them. Ms. Frost blows past me without a word. Mr. Smith does the same. Mr. Waters stops.

“Good job. You’ve got a bright future here, Ms. Ellery,” he says, flashing a smile before he leaves the conference room.

I wait until they’re out of sight before I step out into the hallway. My heart is racing. My palms are sweaty. The back of my blouse is practically sopping wet. I hurry to the bathroom to try and calm down some before returning to the bottom floor, where I’ll be working.

My boss spots me as soon as I step off the elevator. He’s a heavyset man who is in charge of the new hires and he waves me over, so I approach him.

“Well, you didn’t get fired, so I guess your first meeting with Ms. Frost went well,” Mr. Fleming chuckles, like he’s amused by it.

“You should have access to the system now and the training package for your orientation should be in your email. You can spend the rest of the day working on that. Let me know if you have any questions.”

He turns and walks away without giving me a chance to respond. I’ve calmed down some now. I’m certainly glad I didn’t get fired on my first day. I didn’t even realize that was a possibility.

I walk into the cubicle maze that makes up the first floor of York Financial and am grateful I remember where my desk is.

Everyone is hard at work, and nobody even looks at me, so I sit down.

My login information works. The orientation training package is in my email.

I load it and realize it’s quite extensive.

It may take a couple of days to get through it all.

After I’ve been clicking boxes for nearly an hour, my phone lights up with a text message from my best friend.

Daisy: Hey girl! How’s the first day of corporate life going?

Ansley: Stressful! I got called into a meeting with the CEO and she put me on the spot. I don’t think I’ve ever sweated so much!

Daisy: Sounds like you’re going to need a drink after work. Swing by the bar?

Ansley: I’m not sure if I’ll feel up to it. I just want to put on my pajamas and go to bed.

Daisy: It’s not even noon yet!

Ansley: I meant after work. Obviously not right now. Unless you think I could get away with it. Do you think they’d notice?

Daisy: Just stop by. Please? I haven’t seen you in weeks! First drink is on me.

Ansley: Fine. Just one drink, though. Then I’m going home.

Daisy: See you then!

Daisy and I have been best friends since middle school.

Our lives have gone in different directions, but we’re still close friends.

At one time, we were both planning to conquer the corporate world.

That fell apart for Daisy after we got to college.

She got distracted, disinterested, and dropped out after she lost her scholarship.

Since then, she’s been working as a bartender at Fletcher’s Bar. It’s not a dive, but it’s close. I’ve stopped by a couple times since moving back to Chicago, but like she said, it’s been a few weeks.

One drink and then I’m going straight home to the comfort of my pajamas.

I’m looking forward to that more than ever.