Chapter 23 #3
I realize now how little I know about either of their lives, even though we grew up alongside each other. I made a lot of assumptions out of pain and grief but have I been wrong all this time?
Hatton is overdressed in a frilly designer suit and waistcoat. He looks like a pretty bauble.
It is unusual for Frost Omegas to attend these meetings. It’s why Hatton didn’t risk being at the meeting with us, in case he was missed by Maya and it gave her advance warning.
Has Maya brought her two Omegas today to show them off to the others? To prove that she has disciplined Ellington? Or to try and make a matching for Hatton with one of the board members?
I growl, before I can stop myself.
Maya loses her step in shock. “What are you…? In my chair…? And this meeting wasn’t even meant to start for another hour.”
She doesn’t seem to know what to be most outraged about first.
I’ve never seen her this inarticulate.
It’s a good feeling.
“Whoops, did I forget to send you the change?” Icarus pushes his glasses higher on his nose. “I rescheduled the meeting for half an hour earlier.”
Zero chuckles.
Maya flushes with rage. “Get out of my chair, Grace.”
I settle myself more comfortably into the seat. “Make me.”
Maya loses her cool, storming further into the room.
Ellington doesn’t appear to know what to do, hanging back.
“Touch one hair on her head, and I will break every one of your fingers — slowly,” Lionzio’s voice is cold and deadly.
Maya, a bully who surrounds herself with Omegas because she hasn’t the bravery to meet the challenge of fellow Alphas, becomes ashen.
“H-h-how dare you.” She crumbles, darting her gaze to the door, before yelling, “Security!”
“Sorry,” Icarus says, not sounding sorry at all, “but I fired your security team. There’s no one to save you.”
The board members shift in their seats.
Maya’s eyes flash with fury. “What gave you the right? You’re only the manager, and now, you’re nothing. I’m throwing you out of the hotel. I hope that you and your little brother enjoy the New Year freezing to death in the snow.”
Several of the board gasp in shock.
They obviously only know the charming, gracious version of Maya that she shows to guests. Well, her mask is off now.
Welcome to the world of the staff.
“Maya,” Mrs. Heverbrook attempts to hiss in warning, “this is a coup.”
Ellington’s gaze snaps to Dad’s.
Dad merely arches his brow.
Ellington swallows, protectively wrapping his arm around Hatton’s shoulders.
But Maya laughs. “Ludicrous. Cooper, who gave you permission to bring that breeder out of the penthouse? Were you tricked?”
“Tricked?” Dad’s voice deepens with rage. “Indeed I was.”
“I knew it.” Maya smooths down her hair. “Criminals who lead innocent Omegas into trouble like this will pay a heavy price. Coup? Do you think that I would allow somebody to steal my business?”
“Over twenty years ago, you’re the one who tricked me.
” Dad slides his fingers between Papa’s, as if needing the comfort, even as his expression becomes hard.
The words spill from him like he has desperately needed to free them from behind his teeth for years.
“I was suffering from Shattered Bond Syndrome, attempting to keep the hotel and businesses going, while caring for my young baby. And you pretended at the funeral that you’d been a close childhood friend of Ryan’s; I thought that you were helping me out of kindness.
But it was lie, wasn’t it? All of it. You only cared about taking this hotel.
I was barely aware, still in a haze of mourning, when you bonded me.
When I came out it, you didn’t even try to treat me with kindness again. Everything was a lie.”
“What?” Maya whispers.
Yet she doesn’t hold Dad’s unwavering gaze. Instead, she appears more concerned about the judgmental glares that she is now getting from the elite Alphas around the conference table.
They are her jury.
She flushes with humiliation.
She is being exposed in front of the board, her pack, her peers who she played top Alpha to for so long.
She won’t be able to hide this scandal.
“You made me a Second Omega in my own home,” Dad presses. As much as this hurts to hear, Dad needs the opportunity to say this. I wish that it hadn’t taken so long. “You took a third Omega from the Hotel Omegas who you treated as a breeder.”
Papa forces himself to push his hair out of his eyes and say three simple words, “I hate you.”
For an Omega to say that publicly to their Alpha tells everyone in this room all that they need to know.
Ellington looks like he’s readying to flee.
He always was smarter than Maya.
“Then you took our kids away from us.” Dad’s anguished gaze falls on me, before he tightens his hand around Papa’s. “You marked them as Rejs, abandoned them, and cruelly kept us apart. You have even sent Bird to the Institute. You risked their lives over and over.”
“I am Head Alpha,” Maya snarls, no longer pretending to be the perfect Alpha with her pretty pack of Omegas. “I can do exactly what I want with all of you. And after this behavior, you’ll be lucky if any of you survive.”
“Did the rest of you hear that?” Icarus says, icily. “That’s a threat and a confession. You’re witnesses.”
“All they are witnesses of,” Maya grabs Ellington by the arm, dragging him away from Hatton, “is an Alpha trying to get on with her annual meeting, while rebellious Omegas and her daughter’s clearly out of control new pack, possibly heat addled, disrupt it. I am the CEO and I am in charge.”
I smile at her brightly. “Thanks for reminding me.” I clap my hands together. “I am choosing a new CEO. Since we haven’t got the time to change the archaic rules of this company that insist it is an Alpha, I propose Icarus.”
“Seconded and passed.” Dad grins.
Icarus looks floored.
This is part of the plan that I did keep secret. I am allowed one more of them, right?
“But,” Icarus blinks, “I’m the manager. I’m not an elite Alpha.”
“Who knows the hotel better than you do?” I finally stand out of the seat, gently taking the dazed Alpha by the shoulders and guiding him to sit in the CEO seat, before dropping to sit in his lap.
“Who is respected more by the staff? You are perfect to lead the chain into its revolution and new era. Congratulations, President Sinner.”
I kiss him.
“Is this more of your make-believe?” Maya sneers. “You always did spend most of your childhood daydreaming or acting out fairy tales.”
I glower at her. “This is real. My dream, more like your nightmare.”
Zero tilts his head. “Bad luck for you, bitch, your bonded Omega and his daughter are the majority shareholders. And they’ve just ousted you as CEO. All we have to do is kick your arse out as Head Alpha, and I’d say that you were fucked.”
“You’re lying.” Maya snatches at the papers; her eyes are wild, as she scans them.
She becomes paler, realizing that not only is Zero telling her the truth but that we have the evidence of…everything…that she’s been doing for years.
Piper’s expression becomes harder.
He grabs Maya by the neck and slams her over the table. “Don’t miss the letter of emancipation in there because of your abuses, which has been drawn up by Senator Knight. You’re toothless, Alphahole. You’re never going to harm another Omega again.”
Maya’s chest is rising and falling; she howls but she doesn’t struggle. “You scheming, manipulative Omegas.”
“Thank you,” I reply, proudly.
“How?” She pants, broken. “How did you do this?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?”
Not knowing will drive her fucking mad.
She deserves it.
To my shock, Hatton falls to his knees in front of Ellington, shielding him.
“Please,” Hatton’s eyes glimmer with tears, “I know that we haven’t talked about this.
We couldn’t. I wasn’t sure if we could pull this off, but you’re so amazing sis, I should have known that you would.
But don’t punish my dad. He has been trapped as well in ways that you don’t know about.
He has been helping me too, as well as advocating for the staff whenever he could.
Still, I know that he has… he has hurt people. ”
My eyes narrow at the memory of the bruises on Icarus’ side. The fear of the staff being taken by Ellington for discipline. His contempt toward Papa.
“It’s okay,” Ellington says, softly, resting his hand on Hatton’s shoulder.
“Stand up, son. Don’t kneel like that. Whatever is done to me, I won’t fight it.
Just stay here with your sister. I don’t believe that she is unfair enough to take out her anger at me on you.
And bring your brother back from the Institute, you hear me? ”
So, Ellington truly does care about Bird. He cares about saving him more than saving himself.
My expression softens.
I glance at Dad. “What do you think?”
Dad lifts Papa’s hand to his lips and kisses the back of it. “It’s up to Papa. He is the one who has suffered under Ellington the most.”
Ellington’s shoulders slump. “I suppose you would like me to kneel?”
I hold my breath.
I have no idea what Papa will say. I hate how distressed Hatton is.
Ellington is his dad, after all, and he’s about to lose his mom.
I don’t want to more or less orphan him at the moment of my greatest happiness.
Papa’s sweet face tips to Ellington’s. “I don’t hate you. I understand you. I know that we have barely spoken, but we’re both fathers. We only want the best for our sons.”
A tear slips down Ellington’s cheek. He nods.
“So, I don’t need to see you punished. I know that you protected me…all of us…probably more times than I know,” Papa adds, softly. “You tried to save Bird. Also, our Alpha hurt you as often as she hurt the rest of us. You were just better at covering it up.”
Ellington’s hand flies to his black eye.
This morning, Maya is making a point by leaving his injuries on display. But how many days has Ellington covered his bruises with makeup?
“No one is going to hurt you anymore, Ellington,” I swear, “or send you away. But you’re also no longer in charge of the Omegas in this hotel either; Hatton is. Things are going to change around here, and you need to as well.”
“I understand.” Ellington desperately hugs his son, after Hatton launches himself into his dad’s arms. His voice is suspiciously wet. “Thank you.”
“Pathetic.” Maya launches herself upward, knocking Piper back.
When she attempts to dive for the door, however, Zero trips her. She sprawls in a final indignity onto her face.
Papa lets out a surprised laugh, and so do several of the elite Alphas.
Maya snarls, attempting to sit up, but Lionzio launches himself across the room to pin her down.
Lionzio yanks Maya’s arm behind her back, causing her to howl.
“Get off me.” Maya is panting in terror.
She truly has a phobia of Alphas, unless she has power over them.
“You shouldn’t have touched my Omega.” Lionzio increases the pressure, keeping her in place.
“Do you remember what I said would happen? You’re lucky that Sheriff Dante Marshal is just outside the office waiting to put bracelets on you that are metal, rather than designer.
Then he is going to take you out of this hotel in handcuffs through the busy lobby and then out of the front door of the hotel.
All the guests will see your shame for being an abusive Alpahole. ”
Maya struggles but she can’t escape.
Now she knows what her pack and every staff member and HO have experienced for so long.
Both Dad and Papa are grinning.
Joy surges through the bond, amplified from both Icarus and Lionzio.
“I’m not hiding this.” I feel lighter than I have in my life.
“I want everyone to see what happens to Alphas like you, even if you bribe the jury or persuade the judge to let you off, your reputation will be ruined. Except, I’m the billionaire now.
I’m surrounded by powerful people myself who want to use that power for good.
So, I believe that you’ll be sentenced to the Alpha Center permanently.
You can stay there, while I change this hotel into a home for the staff as well as the guests, knowing that you were outwitted by your own Omegas. ”