4. Chapter 4 #2
There it was. The flattery was laid on thick enough to make my stomach turn.
I knew this was how these things went, but it still made me want to cringe.
I knew part of this whole thing was partially because Arabella was ready to find a pack - and Pack Vale was unbonded.
They were notoriously a bachelor pack and hadn’t even gone to the omega balls to find a partner in years.
That didn’t matter to my family, though - once Arabella had her eyes on something, she usually got it.
I knew from hearing my family talk that they considered Pack Vale to be a social climbing step - but even with Arabella’s beauty and the company money, Pack Vale was still more in demand than she was.
Hence, the buttering up and flattery from my father.
“And of course, I’ll be available to strategize whenever needed.
” Arabella chirped, sitting up straight and proper, which also helped prop up her perfect chest in the silk dress she wore.
I knew that it had to be doing something to the alphas around us.
But I didn’t even look. It would just be more of the same.
I wouldn't be surprised if we ended up receiving several large courting gifts from the pack after tonight.
“Speaking of working together, I didn’t realize Ivy here was so passionate about product development.
” I straightened at hearing my name from Elias.
He was leaning over, on the other side of Hunter, and looking at me.
His words were like a knife through the sound of our conversation.
My name was never brought up in these types of events, and not when Arabella was around to be praised.
The silence of the table fell like an anvil, and I froze. Clara cleared her throat.
“Ivy is certainly helpful when it comes to assisting with various parts of the business. But Arabella here is the visionary.” My stepmother’s statement was meant to convey one message - Arabella is the brand. Not me. I swallowed, looking down at the table.
“Oh? She was just telling me about an idea for a calming scent spray. I think it’s a novel concept - I think you might have two visionaries on your hands.” Elias said, oblivious to the growing tension between me and the other half of the table.
“Well, she does spend a lot of time playing with scents,” Aaron said, as if I were a child playing with crayons and not the one who created half the products we sold.
“But yes, we have a great team. And Ivy certainly helps out a lot.” He chuckled.
Helps out - I hated when they talked about me like a child.
But I didn’t dare counter my family publicly.
“I think Arabella has been a wonderful influence on her,” Clara added.
I bit my tongue. Arabella didn’t know anything about product development, but because she mentioned that she came up with our award-winning product in an interview, it became an accepted lie that she was the mastermind behind all of our best products.
And despite that not being the truth, speaking up now would only damage the carefully curated image our company had created.
“Well, Ivy mentioned her interest in bonding and genetic research. I’d love to brainstorm more with her.
And,” Elias said, turning to me again, “Since we’ll be spending so much time on the collaboration, I’d love to share my knowledge.
Maybe you’ll be inspired.” He ran a hand through his hair, giving me a smile and a wink.
Something about his confidence in me was making me feel things I hadn’t felt before - not in a long time. Hunter nodded in agreement.
“Yes, I think this is a great opportunity to share knowledge and perhaps collaborate on future projects, too. Ivy can perhaps be an ambassador for her own product in the future.” He said, his tone even and polished, as if this was something normal and not completely new for me.
No alphas ever wanted to pay me attention.
Clara smiled tightly. “Perhaps.” She said in a clipped tone, and Arabella rolled her eyes.
“Ivy’s happiest when she’s tucked away in the lab somewhere,” she said before snapping another photo.
“Whereas I’m the one who’s a bit more extroverted, as you can tell.
” She said with a twinkling laugh, trying to draw the attention back to her.
It didn’t matter. Hunter glanced at me, a small smile on his face.
“Well, either way, it’s a good team. I’m looking forward to seeing more of you.
” He said before the next course came out.
Arabella jumped in with a story, drawing everyone’s attention back to herself.
But it didn’t matter. I’d just been treated like I was an actual professional with a valuable opinion by several members of one of the most successful packs in our city. I was practically floating.
The rest of the dinner went by quickly, with Arabella and Clara dominating the conversation while I enjoyed eating a full meal for once.
But the entire time, I was cognizant of the alphas and beta next to me.
Hunter included me on occasion when he thought I was being too quiet, and Elias spoke of our future meetings with actual excitement, bouncing ideas off of me while Arabella cleared her throat each time.
Ronan was quiet - but he didn’t seem to say much to anyone.
I also sat quietly, the heat radiating off of Hunter’s body a distraction for me that I didn’t anticipate.
I hadn’t spent this much time close to a non-related alpha ever.
When dessert was served, I figured this would go down as one of the best nights ever.
The small plates came out, and the dessert was a specialty custard that my family had flown in as a gift to Pack Vale.
But the waiters looked around the table in confusion when they were one custard short. Clara feigned surprise.
“Oh! That’s right. Ivy, you never filled out your food preferences because you wanted to come at the last minute. I’m afraid we submitted the dessert order before you decided to RSVP.” I nodded, not surprised. But Hunter straightened up next to me.
“What? We can’t have that. Here, have mine.” He said, pushing his plate toward me. I shook my head furiously. If he gave me his dessert, my family would never stop berating me for it when we got home. I would be the one who ruined dessert with our new business partners.
“No, it’s fine. I don’t even like custard,” I lied, and Hunter frowned.