FALLING FOR MY EX-MATE'S FATHER

Chapter4

Seraphina Vale

The heels of my red Louboutin shoes clicked sharply against the floor as my grip tightened around the straps of my Dior bag. I walked into my consulting company, Vale Strategic Consulting.

Five years of sweat, hard work, sleepless nights, tears, ups and downs — I had built the small but thriving company from scratch. I had made a name for myself. I did it. All by myself… with Aurora’s support and encouragement, though.

I waved in response to the employees’ greetings.

Thelma, my assistant, extended a glass of coffee towards me. “Good morning, Miss Vale.”

“Good morning.” I took it from her, taking a sip of the warm latte that was soothing, then continued my journey to my office.

The automatic door slid open and I stepped in, stopping midway when I saw a gigantic bouquet of lavender flowers on my desk.

“Alpha Liam sent this,” Thelma said even before I asked. She was so sharp that she knew almost everything that was on my mind before I asked. “He said it was an appreciation for a job well done.”

I had helped the Alpha of one of the biggest packs in England to find out why his pack’s funds had been going missing. Even after paying me fifty percent extra, he still sent flowers.

I stepped closer, dropped my bag and coffee on the desk. A small smile tugged at the corners of my lips as I lifted the bouquet with both hands and breathed them in. It was truly refreshing.

I set them back on the desk before rounding the table and sitting in my chair. “Make sure to put them in a vase.”

“Alright, ma’am.”

“So… what is my schedule like for today?”

Thelma’s eyes were fixed on the iPad in her hands. “You have quite a free day for the first time in weeks. You only have a meeting with the Beta of the BlueMoon Pack in an hour. Then you have a lunch date with Miss Aurora.”

“Hmmm…” I was quite excited. At least I’d be able to spend some time with my babies. “That is good. I will get ready for the meeting with the Beta.”

Then Thelma’s face fell. “But then, the Silvercrest Pack sent another email.”

I sighed. I had been turning down their request to work with them for the past two months. I had no intention of going back to the Silvercrest Pack… to the same place that broke me.

“Turn them down,” I said bluntly.

“I already did… but the Beta himself contacted me again. He made an offer.”

I opened my laptop, trying to respond to my emails. “I don’t care. Just turn them down. I wouldn’t work with them even if they offered twenty million dollars.”

“Well… they offered thirty million.”

My fingers paused on the laptop keypad. I stared up at Thelma slowly, my brows furrowed in confusion. My lips parted in disbelief. “You can’t be serious right now.”

“I am serious, Miss Vale,” she confirmed. “The company has been losing a lot of funds lately and they want you to look into it for just a couple of weeks. I really think you should consider it.”

Instinctively, my mind quickly calculated how far thirty million would go in uplifting my company and giving my babies the life they deserved. But then… I couldn’t go back there, especially because of my babies. I didn’t ever want that bastard anywhere close to them.

I swallowed hard. “Turn down the offer.”

“Ma’am!” She snapped.

Of course, she did not know how much that place had broken me.

I eyed her down and went back to responding to the emails.

“Alright, ma’am.” She grabbed the flowers. “I will do that.”

Finally, she walked out of the office.

Once the door clicked shut behind her, I heaved deeply. “Oh my Goddess…” I murmured. “A freaking thirty million dollars.”

Just how bad had the company become that they had to offer such a fortune?

I tried not to think too much about it.

Of course, I tried but failed because by the time I was done with my meeting with the Beta of the BlueMoon Pack, Thelma walked back in.

“They increased the offer to fifty million, Miss Vale, and they are willing to pay seventy percent upfront. They also offered to take care of all your needs during your stay there.”

“Fifty million!” I screamed out before I caught myself.

Fifty million wasn’t a small amount — not even to me. It wasn’t just the money that tempted me. It was what that money could build.

“Yes, ma’am. Do you still think I should turn them down?”

I was speechless. That was too much fortune to turn down… but then I had no choice.

I cleared my throat. “Turn them down.”

“But—” The words died in her mouth when I glared at her. “Alright, ma’am,” she said quietly.

I stood, grabbed my bag and started walking out of the room. “I will be going home after lunch with Aurora,” I called without looking back. “Send me an email if any emergency comes up.”

“Alright, Miss Vale.”

—————

Aurora and I had finished lunch and were now having champagne.

“Fifty million dollars,” she was shocked after I had narrated everything to her, setting her flute gently on the table. “Are you sure, Phina?”

I took a sip of the champagne. “Of course. Thelma can’t be lying and do you know they are willing to pay seventy percent upfront?”

“Oh wow, that is a lot of money.” She handed her bank card to the waitress for the payment of everything we bought before she looked at me again. “So you turned them down?”

I nodded firmly. “Of course. I never want to go back to that place ever again.”

Aurora’s brows furrowed like she was in deep thought. “I think you should accept it.”

“Accept it?!” The words tasted bitter on my lips. “Do you realize what you’re saying, Aurora?”

“Of course, I do.” She shifted closer, gripping my hands from across the table. “See, Phina… you need the money. That money is enough to help expand your company. You won’t reject such a life-changing opportunity because of that bastard who has long forgotten about you?”

“But what about my children? I don’t want them anywhere around him. What if he tries to claim them?”

“He wouldn’t dare!” She snapped. “He rejected and hurt you, so he has no rights to claim them. Besides… he would never know those children are his. Your private life has always been off social media, so you can just claim that you are married and they belong to your husband.”

“How would I do that? He would be able to smell them, wouldn’t he?”

“There are scent suppressants,” she suggested. “Or you keep them with me while you work.”

I paused for a while. Her words were starting to make a lot of sense.

“Accept the offer, Phina. Bid higher if possible since it’s obvious that they are desperate. Go to the Silvercrest Pack, not as the broken Omega but as the intelligent Fixer herself. Fix whatever is wrong with their company in a couple of weeks and come back here to invest in your company. Easy peasy.”

Then she added, “If one rejected mate can stop you from entering a pack, then he still controls your life.”

After a brief moment of contemplation, I nodded slowly. “You are right. I will take the offer.”

I lifted my champagne flute and stared at my reflection in the golden liquid.

Five years ago, I had fled Silvercrest with nothing but a broken heart.

This time… I was returning as the woman they had to beg for.