Chapter 4 Minor Complications
Minor Complications
JESSICA
Acommotion interrupts the second limo from approaching the entrance. A man on the production team stands in front of the vehicle, holding his hands out in front of him for it to stop. Joe immediately steps in front of me.
Anders steps beside me. “What’s going on now?!” he demands.
The host approaches us. “Sorry for the interruption, but with the last-minute changes, the contestants are out of order. The team tried to rectify the situation while we made the first introductions, but unfortunately, Alphas don’t follow instructions very well. Some of them got in the wrong car.”
I’m not surprised. Having met quite a few Alphas through work, I can easily see that happening.
“It’s okay, Holden. Just do what you need to do. I have nowhere else to be at the moment.”
Anders scowls, and Joe asks, “How does something so simple as organizing the contestants become such a problem?”
Holden chuckles. “It’s not an uncommon thing when you run a reality TV show and deal with so many unique personalities. I think it was season three when we experienced our first catfight, and filming hadn’t even started.”
I blink up at him. “They fought in the car?”
He shakes his head. “No. They fought in the hotel lobby before entering the car. Apparently, two women knew each other prior to being on the show.”
This is crazy. I can’t imagine going to such lengths for attention. And yet here I am. Guess I will see it firsthand.
Holden clarifies, “This is the first time we have an all-Alpha group of contestants. I must say—it's already been interesting.” Holden studies me for a moment. “May I give you some advice?”
I shrug. “Sure. This is all new to me, too. I’ll take whatever advice you give me.”
He nods. “Keep doing what you’re doing—the sidebar with Joe and the silent interactions with your brothers and parents.
It’s cute and real. Viewers like that. It also gives them insight into your personality, so when it comes time for voting, viewers are more compelled to vote for someone in your favor. ”
I turn to Anders first and then back to Holden. “Voting?”
“Yes. After this week’s showing, viewers will have an opportunity to vote on who they want to stay in the following weeks. We started this last season when the Alpha couldn’t make up his mind. This season, we’ll start the voting earlier.”
“I wasn’t aware of any voting,” I mumble, mostly to myself.
“Neither was I,” Ander quips.
“Do I at least have the final say?” I ask Holden, incredulous at this new development.
He nods. “Of course. It is your mate, after all.”
Someone from the team calls Holden over, leaving me to reel in the implications of this update. Anders seethes at my side. I take a deep breath and regain my composure. Freaking out about voting won’t change anything. Maybe I can use it to my advantage.
I place my hand on Anders’s arm. When he finally looks down at me, I give him a small smile. “It will be okay. It’s just voting.”
He shakes his head. “It's more than that. It’s all the changes and last-minute shit.” He gazes at Joe. “It doesn’t feel right. This is their twenty-something or other season. You would think they have their shit together.”
“I agree. I’ll investigate it a bit more,” Joe replies.
I continue to rub my hand along his arm. “It’s just a show. You and I have endured worse challenges,” I remind him.
His face softens, and he rests his hand over my own. “I just feel like I don’t have any control right now.” His face contorts in anguish. “I feel… fucking helpless. If anything happens to you...”
I slide my hand on his chest over his heart. Since I learned the truth of my parentage, I haven’t told Anders how much he means to me. “Ever since I came into your life, you have done nothing but protect me. You also taught me how to protect myself, how to make good choices.”
He snorts.
“Well, try to make good choices, anyway, and even if I didn’t always make the right choices, you taught me to deal with the consequences and take responsibility for my actions.
I am who I am today because of you. I have always looked up to you and adored you as a father.
Everything I said in my interview is true.
Now, let me be the girl you raised. Let me show you what a good job you have done. ”
Anders pulls me into a bear hug. “I love you, little one, more than you will ever know.”
“I know,” I whisper. “You show me every day of my life, even when I’m not with you.” Still enveloped in his arms, he rests his chin on the top of my head.
I listen to his heartbeat for a few minutes.
“You know, I should have put you in an all-girls school and then locked you in a dungeon until you turned 100.”
I laugh. He’s always threatening to put me in a dungeon. I pull back to look up at him, “Hmmm, I guess it’s a good thing that the dungeon here has a missing key.”
He kisses the top of my head. “Wiseass.”