20. Bailey-Rose
The low rumble of Waffles’ growl alerted me before I saw Jonas round the corner with two other men. We’d almost made it out of the house, but the expressions on these men's faces told us they weren’t going to let us walk out just yet.
“Vili, stop,” one of the other men ordered.
He looked like what you’d picture for an older aristocrat with his gray hair, thick black-rimmed glasses, and gray suit with a black turtleneck. It was as if this man had no concept that it was still summer or maybe he didn’t leave the walls of this stone building.
“Yes, Wilhelm?” Vili asked, his tone matching the cool, detached nature of his father’s.
“Where are you going?” Wilhelm demanded. “I told you there was much we needed to discuss about your place in this company.”
Vili pressed a kiss to my temple before he released his hold on my hand, tucking his into his pockets. “There is nothing to say unless to remove me from Preidon location. If so, I won’t stop you.” He shrugged. “I prefer design to management.”
“If that’s what you want, then we need to change the contracts,” Jonas cut in. “There’s no way we can keep things as they are if you won’t give more to the company.”
Vili scoffed. “Give more? What do you give?”
“Excuse me? We took a small luxury jewelry company and made it an international success. I think we’ve done our part,” Wilhelm boasted.
Nodding, Vili scratched his jaw as if in thought. “No, the contracts stay. If you no longer want to pay for my designs, then don’t buy them… it’s simple.”
“You can’t be serious,” the third alpha blurted, an incredulous look on his face. “Just like that, you’d turn your back on us, your family? Your mother is upstairs dying, and you just want to spit on the legacy she helped create?”
Listening to these men who claimed to be Vili’s family and the way they twisted everything to make Vili out to be the bad guy was disgusting.
While Vili might not be showing it outwardly, each attack chipped away at the shield Vili had placed around himself.
A few more blows and they would start tearing into him, and I wasn’t going to allow that.
“Seriously, you must be joking with that shit,” I interjected with a harsh laugh.
The three men turned to look at me, and I couldn’t help but shrink back a little at the weight of their gazes.
Waffles was there to remind me that I was perfectly safe as he nudged me forward.
Quickly, I collected myself and approached the men who would no longer have a say in Vili’s life once we walked out the door.
“Who are you?” Wilhelm asked, looking down his nose at me.
“That’s his Omega,” Jonas answered as if I was nothing of consequence.
Vili started to speak up, but I gripped his arm. I wanted to handle this. “My name is Bailey-Rose Thatcher, daughter of the oil moguls Rawlins and Adrian Thatcher, owners of Infinery Petroleum Industries. I also happen to be part owner of the billion-dollar company, The Snuggery.”
This information instantly transformed the way these men looked at me. No longer was I some riff-raff girl with crazy-colored hair and an eccentric taste in clothes. I’d just proven that I was worth more money than all of them combined.
“Now that I’ve proven my net worth and have your attention, I’d listen carefully to what I have to say,” I informed them.
“Vili is no longer your son, nor does he have the last name Rantala. Instead, he’s a Thatcher, my bonded Alpha and a valued member of our pack.
As for what his mother would think… she’s the one who told him to get the hell away from you.
Now, Vili has told you he’s not changing his contracts, but should you have any further questions about them, feel free to speak to our lawyer. ”
As if on cue, Yun-Sun walked up to Wilhelm and handed him a card.
“Just so you know who you’d be going up against, my father is In-Su Lee of Lee, Holt, and McNeil.
I'm sure you’ve heard of his skills in corporate law, and while I might not like the man, he taught me well.
I look forward to hearing from you, but we need to be on our way. We have important dinner reservations.”
Vili’s fathers just stared at us as I walked out hand in hand with Vili and Yun-Sun, a little pep in my step as we climbed back into the limo.
God, I don’t know that I’d ever had a moment where I went toe to toe with three Alphas and spanked them good.
The shock and disbelief written all over their faces was something I would treasure, knowing it would be the last time I ever saw those assholes.
I gasped in surprise as Vili pulled me over to straddle his legs. With a hand holding the back of my neck, his lips crashed against mine. Instantly, I was purring as I wrapped my arms around his neck. All too soon, he pulled back to rest his forehead against mine.
“Did you mean it?” he asked. “Can I really take your last name?”
Grinning with delight, I nuzzled his nose. “Vili Thatcher has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”
“I love you to the moon and back, Bailey-Rose,” Vili whispered, pulling me into another passionate kiss.
Dinner was a fantastic experience, and the food was as wonderful as Vili promised.
The chef even came out and greeted us, bringing a dessert he made especially for Vili, knowing it was his favorite.
This man had no idea the day Vili had gone through or how perfect his kind gesture was, but I could feel how much it meant to Vili.
After dinner, Vili walked us to the arboretum behind the restaurant.
He truly wanted us to see the beauty of Tumie and Numoland, ignoring the dark stain his family had left on the day.
Finally, we made it back to the hotel, stuffed and jetlagged, making it easy to fall asleep curled up in the arms of my Alphas.
We spent the following day exploring the city, Vili showing us all his favorite places and childhood haunts.
Learning about him was truly an amazing gift since he’d been so closed-lipped about his life here.
Now, even if we never came back to Tumie, I would have experienced everything there was to Vili’s time here.
This was the most walking I’d done in a while, but I wasn’t willing to tell the guys I was getting tired. However, I forgot that now we’re bonded, they all knew the truth anyway. Ulysses stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, dropped to one knee, and looked over his shoulder at me.
“Hop on, Rosie,” he instructed.
“What?”
He rolled his eyes and gestured with his hands. “Come on, hurry up. I’m blocking traffic.”
That got me moving since he knew how much I hated it when people stopped for no reason, becoming an obstacle to the flow of foot traffic.
Hopping up on his back, I wrapped my arms around his neck as he secured my legs.
Waffles watched us, seeming a little unsure about this situation, but Nugget jumped on Lysse’s leg as if he wanted to be picked up too.
“Sorry, Nug, I can only carry one of you,” Lysse said.
Nugget gave a frustrated sneeze, shaking his whole body but fell in step alongside Waffles as we continued on. I peppered the side of Lysse’s face with kisses then nuzzled his neck. “You’re pretty amazing, you know that?”
“I wouldn’t go that far, but I’ll take it.” Lysse chuckled. “Why didn’t you just tell us you were getting tired?”
“Because I didn’t want this day to end,” I admitted. “If I said I was tired, then you guys would overcorrect and make us go back to the hotel.”
He grunted at that, unable to deny the truth of my words. Vili spun around and walked backward as he spoke. “Not this time,” he announced with a grin. “I have surprise planned.”
“You do?” I gasped excitedly.
“Two, in fact,” Vili answered, holding up his fingers in a peace sign as we came to a stop. “The first is here.”
Looking to my left, I saw a shop full of stunning dresses ranging from what you’d wear for a fancy date night to ballgowns that would fulfill any woman’s dreams. Yun-Sun held open the door for Lysse to enter, ducking slightly so I didn’t hit my head.
Once we reached the center of the store, he let me slide down.
The shop looked like a fairy garden vomited all over the place.
Lush velvet chairs in jewel tones were scattered around the space.
The walls were brick but covered in ivy and other flowering greenery.
Wisteria hung from the ceiling, and the lights were all crystal chandeliers sending glittering rainbow light all over the store.
When I finally got to absorbing the fact there were racks of dresses in every color I could think of, I almost fainted with excitement.
Waffles took up position behind me, offering his support and giving me something to lean on.
“Whoa,” I managed to say, covering my mouth with my hands, feeling so overwhelmed.
Vili, grinning like a cat who’d just been given a bowl of cream, bowed and extended a hand to me. “Mrs. Thatcher, would you go to the ballet with me tonight?”
A squeal of joy burst out of me as I did a little happy dance before leaping into Vili’s arms. “Yes, oh my God, yes. I would love to go to the ballet with you.”
Vili cuddled me close, purring his delight before setting me down. “Then, my kitten, pick your dress.”
Gawking at him, I tried to say something but instead just impersonated that silly signing fish as I flapped about. “I-I get to pick a dress from here?”
“Of course, why else would we come?” Vili questioned, trying not to laugh at my reaction.
“This is like that moment in all those romantic movies every woman dreams of,” I blurted as I looked around the shop. “I don’t even know where to start.”
“Maybe I can be of some help,” a woman around my age offered as she approached us.
She looked like an elf with her delicate bone structure, bright tawny-brown eyes, and shoulder-length cotton-candy pink hair. Instantly, I wanted to be her best friend.
“Zelly,” Vili greeted eagerly. “I didn’t know you were in town. Is Elora here too?”