Chapter 10 Rowan
Rowan
I step into the office at Wynter Lodge, and my weary eyes land on Robin immediately.
The Alpha barely looks up from his tablet as he waits for me behind his desk. The lights of the screen reflect off the lenses of his glasses rather ominously as he mutters, “You’re late, Thorn.”
Always so sharp and formal whenever he’s addressing me, and is that any way to greet his Omega’s cousin? I could be petty and call Noelle and tell her that her Alpha is being mean to me, but I heave a sigh, shutting the door behind me.
I shrug off my coat, hanging it on a peg on the wall.
It still smells faintly of the train, even though I’ve washed it several times.
All those screaming kids have really done a number on my eardrums, and never again…
I sent a very wordy email to the train company’s complaints department.
Hopefully, my grievance will be dealt with very soon.
My eyes find my wristwatch. “By mere seconds, Wynter.”
That earns me a low huff of amusement. Robin finally graces me with his undivided attention, his piercing eyes assessing me carefully. “So… how bad was it?”
I loosen my tie, rolling my shoulders like I’m still shaking off the train smell, or more or less her scent. “Better than expected. Investors were circling yet again.”
Robin places his tablet down on the desk. “Circling how, exactly?”
A wry smirk crooks up the corner of my mouth as I recall all those old, stuffy suits.
“Like buzzards circling a cadaver on the desert floor.” I place my laptop down across from him next as my fingers fly over the keyboard.
“They’re looking at expansion, Robin. Branded lodges across the East Coast. Of course, I’m handling the operational oversight.
Coordinating their plans, reporting progress, and making sure everything aligns with the lodge’s standard rather than negotiating with investors directly. ”
Robin’s jaw tightens. “That was never the deal.”
“And I told them that,” I reply quickly as I don’t look up from the laptop. “But they couldn’t be swayed. Not even with charts.”
Who doesn’t love a good bar graph, after all?
Robin exhales, removing his glasses so he can rub at the bridge of his nose.
The guys are looking to expand. There’s a beautiful lake not far from the site, as Robin wants to invest in some land there.
That was why they hired me in the end to help them secure a deal, but the investors are proving difficult.
Unfortunately, the only way those old vultures will help is if the Wynter Lodge becomes a franchise.
Robin gets to his feet, moving toward the window that overlooks the trees. It’s a sight to behold. The mountains paint a perfect view, and it truly is picturesque. It’s a wonder why I want to travel to the city at all, but it’s just a part of the job in the end.
“We don’t turn Wynter Lodge into a resort chain, Thorn,” Robin announces next.
“We won’t,” I tell him, flat. “But we do need to tighten spending around here if we wish to secure funding. There will be other investors. Ones who may listen.”
That gets me Robin’s attention. “Meaning?”
“Meaning tighter control over bookings and events. Perhaps this next function should be the last for a while.”
Robin smirks at me then, amused. “You mean your own high school reunion?”
I deadpan him. Is that a serious question? “Yes. I am in no rush to see any of my former high school associates. Least of all Kyle Barlow.”
The spotty-faced Beta appears from my memory archives next, and I ball my fists, swallowing back a growl. How I loathed that asshole. I see him tripping up Daisy in the school hallway once again, laughing along with his inferior-in-looks girlfriend, Natalie Fox.
That Beta female had the gall to insult my scent match’s looks as if she were Miss World. She was not. Not even close—I’ve seen better-looking women attracting sailors on the wharf. A has-been then and a has-been now.
They’re both rotten has-beens.
They tormented her, yet I never did anything to stop them. I convinced myself it was for the best, but the memory still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.
Worst of all, I only endorsed their wrong opinions of her by calling her unremarkable.
She never was. She had a quiet, budding beauty that was just waiting to bloom. And bloom it did…
I still can’t get her face out of my mind.
I rise to my own feet, joining Robin at the window.
The contrast between us is stark—Robin is all soft wilderness and quiet power, while I’m clean lines and cold control.
“If it all goes pear-shaped,” I continue, lowering my voice, “it won’t be because we weren’t prepared. But we need everyone aligned.”
Robin glances at me sideways, and the distant mountain reflects in his glasses. “Including you?”
I meet his steely gaze. As immovable as that mountain sitting on the horizon. “Especially me, Wynter.”
A beat of silence passes between us.
Robin sighs, “Are you going to stick around this time? Or are you flying back to the city anytime soon?”
My jaw tightens. “No. I’m staying. My brothers and I have just got all our affairs in order. We have our grandmother’s house now. Our mother’s home… So, it’s time I planted my roots here.”
I don’t bother telling him about a certain blonde Omega. Besides, that’s irrelevant now.
Daisy is not the reason I’m staying… I just think a change of pace would be good for me. And I truly do want to help Robin with his plans for expansion.
The Alpha has an eye for business. I will give him that.
Robin studies me, clearly hearing the weight behind my words. “Is that so?”
My eyes shift; we’re navigating dangerous waters now. “For now…”
He nods. “Good to hear. Because things are about to get complicated around here.”
My lips curve ever so slightly. “They always do.”
I just hope he doesn’t hear the double meaning in those words. My life has indeed just become very complicated.
Because a certain ghost from my past has returned.
Unfortunately, the moment my eyes land on the familiar sight of a platinum blonde walking the grounds with my brother, no less, my mood goes from sour to worse.
Of course, she would be here. And with Ash, of all people.
And there I was, worried about Briar. The quiet ones truly do surprise you in the end.
Could my day get any worse?
“Who’s that with Ash?” Robin asks, intrigued. His gaze finds mine. “Do you all have an Omega now?”
My teeth clench as I exit the room, loosening my tie. Not that it’s any of his business, but I’m still polite when I say, “If you’ll just excuse me… I have a brother to reprimand.”
Robin doesn’t ask any more questions, and now he returns to his desk as I leave him to his tablet.
Oh, Ash is about to get it.