Chapter 19 #3
But she was also laughing more often than ever before. She was learning to be a part of a team and experiencing the excitement and satisfaction of channeling her boundless rage into fulfilling work with people who valued her contributions. It was weird but also sort of wonderful.
Which is why Bianca decided to be honest again. “Callum has spoken often of how much you mean to him and how you’ve always stood by him, so the feeling is mutual. That is, I suppose I quite like you too, Chloe Breckenridge.”
Chloe smiled wryly. “Good. Because I intend to get to know you, Bianca Bonnycastle. You and Cal will have to come over for dinner soon. You can bring your bodyguards, of course.”
Something in the way her eyes glittered told Bianca that she knew they were more than bodyguards.
Bianca took a long sip of her drink, letting her gaze drift to Daniel, who stood attentively surveying the room from a position near its rear.
As if feeling her gaze, he flashed a wink that only she would catch.
Bianca’s stomach did a little flip, and she quickly turned her attention back to the bar.
She wasn’t ready to be that honest yet, so she ignored the innuendo. “I’d love to join you some time. I’ll have my assistants coordinate with Callum.”
An awkward quiet settled over them for a long moment and Bianca remembered why she avoided talking to people. She finished her martini and set the glass on the bar, unsure whether their little visit was finished.
“Sorry. My autistic ass is bad at small talk,” Chloe apologized, running a hand through her sleek, black bob. “I’m just so glad I ran into you. I’ve been wanting to meet you again, and to thank you.”
Bianca lifted an eyebrow. “Thank me? Whatever for?”
Chloe looked at Bianca like she was an idiot.
“Um, for making my brother happy? I’m so glad to have him back home.
I know this was hard for him. Coming back, facing the family politics, dealing with the gossip, and trying to carve out a place for himself after being away for so long.
He needed someone and you’ve been there for him.
I’ve never seen him this happy and he fucking deserves it, so thank you. ”
Once again, Bianca found herself speechless. She didn’t think she deserved so much credit, but she took a profound pleasure in knowing she made Callum happy. It made her want to purr with satisfaction, and she never fucking purred.
“I’ll text Cal about dinner,” Chloe said, smirking knowingly at Bianca. “See you soon.”
She gave a little wave before leaving Bianca alone with her swirling thoughts.
Pleasure and curiosity warred with guilt and fear as she thought about what it would mean to keep Callum in her life, and how it would hurt them both if she couldn’t.
She was still brooding over it when she left the event.
She thought she might lie awake all night thinking about it, that she might never stop thinking about it.
As she and Daniel entered the hotel she’d called home for so long, Bianca wondered how everything around her could look exactly the same when she felt so different. After a silent elevator ride, she trudged into the penthouse and started toward her bedroom, but Daniel stopped her.
His grin was even wider than usual as he handed her an envelope. Bianca took it, turning it over in her hands, before raising a brow at him. He nodded encouragingly, practically bouncing with excitement. Bianca rolled her eyes and opened the envelope, pulling out its contents.
“What is this?” she asked, staring at the rectangle of paper in confusion.
“It’s a check,” Daniel replied teasingly. “Duh.”
Bianca sighed. “Obviously, I see that it’s a check, you mastodon. But why does it have my name on it?”
“Because it’s for you!” Daniel exclaimed, still infuriatingly chipper.
Bianca glared at him, and he lifted his hands in surrender.
“Okay, okay, I’ll stop being a smart ass.
It’s your commission, BB. You negotiated a ridiculously high price for a custom nest for that makeup influencer with the long ass name.
This is your thirty percent commission for brokering the deal. ”
Bianca’s mouth dropped open. She read the check again. Her name, the name and address of the newly christened Vanguard Custom Furnishings, Daniel’s signature, and an amount of nine thousand dollars. When the words began to blur, Bianca realized her eyes had filled with tears.
“Obviously, the check is ceremonial. I thought you might like to commemorate this first sale. The funds have been deposited directly into your bank account,” Daniel added quietly.
Bianca had always had access to money, but she’d never earned her own.
Her parents paid for her home and upkeep and the credit cards they’d always provided had no limits, as far as Bianca could tell.
She’d never used more money than was required to meet their expectations and keep herself reasonably entertained.
She figured she deserved the compensation, given her volunteer labor for the charity and the other general indignities of being under Pack Bonnycastle’s thumb.
Still, she’d never been legitimately recognized for her efforts.
It was a strangely exhilarating feeling.
When she lifted her gaze, she found Daniel eyeing her warily.
He was obviously prepared for a flippant remark or a vicious tongue lashing, and normally that’s exactly how Bianca would’ve responded.
But for once, she wasn’t angry, didn’t want to lash out, and didn’t want to suppress her emotions behind a mask of boredom or indifference.
Daniel had listened to her, had shown repeatedly that he valued her intellect and opinions.
He and Pack King had reminded her again and again how competent and capable she truly was, even when she was mean and hateful in return.
Just this once, she could show him how much that meant to her.
Biance stood on tiptoe and flung her arms around the big alpha’s neck. He let out a grunt of surprise but immediately lifted her from the ground and wrapped her in a hug that smelled like chocolate and butterscotch and contentment. Bianca melted against him.
“Thank you, Daniel. This really means a lot to me. Not the money, but what it represents,” she whispered into his neck.
Daniel’s arms tightened around her. “I know, sweetheart. And I should be the one thanking you. I never would’ve thought about selling my work if it wasn’t for you, and I damn sure wouldn’t have sold my first custom nest for thirty thousand bucks.”
Bianca laughed. It had been so easy. She’d simply posted about Daniel’s bed in the omega brunch group chat, with some idle musings about the elegance of truly bespoke nests, and the private messages had poured in.
Alicia was willing to pay premium to be first in line, and she’d immediately boasted about her purchase to anyone who would listen.
Bianca had already started a waitlist that would keep Daniel as busy as he wanted to be for the next several years.
“If I’d known I was earning a commission, I would’ve gotten her up to forty thousand.” Bianca sniffed and wriggled free of Daniel’s embrace. “Also, my fee is forty percent. This is my personal circle, and I’m vouching for your work. My reputation is at stake and that comes at a price.”
Daniel laughed and shook his head. “You are a force, woman. Thirty-three percent. A third of the profit for ten percent of the labor seems pretty fair to me.”
Bianca smirked. “With the prices I intend to negotiate, thirty-seven percent is a steal.”
“Thirty-five,” Daniel countered. “And I’ll wire the rest of this first commission immediately.”
“Deal.” Bianca felt another thrill of exhilaration.
She was going to make Daniel a very wealthy man. As soon as Alicia could decide on the best angles and catchiest captions, she’d post about her new nest all over her social media and then Vanguard would be flooded with requests. They should patent the design as soon as possible.
Bianca would ask Chloe for recommendations for a good web developer.
Vanguard needed an elegant website, with a distinct identity from the main King’s Guard brand.
For that matter, the King’s Guard website could use some upgrades.
And they would need to sync calendars across both businesses so that Daniel would still have time for his classes and the occasional security gig.
They’d already decided that King and Dante would rotate teaching duties with Daniel, but they might still need to hire additional instructors.
“You’re plotting again.” Daniel interrupted her thoughts with a lopsided puppy dog smile. “Add your thoughts to our running notes and we’ll talk them over in the next team meeting. I’ve got to go cut your check.”
“Get used to it, poppet,” Bianca retorted, lifting her chin proudly. “You’ll be doing it a lot from now on.”
“I don’t doubt it,” Daniel answered in a confident voice that made her chest swell a bit more. He backed down the hall, as if he couldn’t bear to take his eyes off her, still grinning like a fool. “You’re unstoppable.”
Bianca rolled her eyes and turned away, her steps lighter than before. She still might not sleep much tonight, but her mind would be wrestling with ideas instead of worries.
“BB!” Daniel called and Bianca looked over her shoulder to find him still watching her. She lifted a brow and he smiled at her like she was his favorite person in the world. Her stomach flipped again. “You know I would’ve given you fifty percent.”
Bianca let herself smile back. “And I would’ve done it for fifteen. Good night, Daniel.”
She didn’t look back again, but she knew he watched her walk away.