Chapter3
1364 Words
Seraphina Vale
“Prince heir Ryker Blackwood has finally announced his engagement to Bianca Frost. They will be getting married in two weeks’ time and we wish them a lifetime of love and happiness.”
A female reporter with blonde hair said from the television and my ears caught it immediately as I stepped into the living room. Every word felt like a dagger plunged into my chest.
Involuntarily, the bag in my hand dropped to the floor with a loud thud, attracting the attention of Aurora who was seated on the couch.
She swirled around and jumped to her feet. In seconds, she was by my side, her arms wrapped around me and she led me towards the couch, guiding me to sit on it.
She made her way towards the refrigerator, retrieved a bottle of water, uncorked it and handed it over to me. I took just a sip because the water tasted bitter on my lips and handed it back to her.
Aurora sat beside me. “Are you okay?”
I swallowed hard. “Of course. I'm just shocked that… everything is happening very fast.”
“I understand.” Then she took in my outfit. “Where were you going?”
“Yeah… I wanted to go to work.”
“Go to work?” She repeated. “After everything that happened yesterday? What work exactly? To do what? So Bianca can shove her engagement ring in your face and bully you alongside her minions like she always did?” Aurora sounded angry.
“I wanted to go… to show him that I'm stronger than he thinks but as it is now…” I paused, blinking away my tears. “I don't know anymore. I'm not strong like I thought I was.”
Aurora did not say anything. She just rubbed my back softly.
Clasping my hands together before me, I dropped my head on them, contemplating if I should still go to the company or maybe just quit the job altogether. Seeing them together would definitely break me completely.
A moment of silence passed before she spoke again. “Come with me.”
I snapped my head up. “To England.”
I let out a bitter scoff. “You know I can't do that, Aurora. My entire life is here.”
“No… your pain is here.” She shifted closer. “See, there is nothing here for you, Phina. You don't have any family, your mate rejected you and me, your favourite person, is leaving… so what else are you waiting for?”
“Besides, didn't Ryker threaten to make your life more difficult than it already is because you refused to be his mistress?”
“He did.”
“And that is exactly why you need a change of environment. If you stay here, you will definitely lose yourself completely. Come with me, let's explore England together. You can find a hobby there and restart your life.”
Aurora was right.
There was nothing here for me other than the pain and humiliation.
“I will come with you.”
The smile on her face was broad. She heaved in relief and then pulled me into an embrace.
“You will be fine. I promise…”
And that was it.
Aurora arranged everything. The emergency plane tickets. I had a valid passport ready.
The only thing I did was pack essential luggage, get rid of every picture we took together, go to the bank to withdraw all the money I had—which was quite a fortune because Ryker always provided everything for me so I did not need to touch my earnings from the company in the past two years—and I had the key to the penthouse he bought for me along with the expensive wears, jewelry and even the car delivered back to him.
In three hours, we were inside the business plane to England. I sat by the window side with Aurora who held my hand and squeezed it gently.
The plane took off and I stared at the Silvercrest Pack until it was completely out of sight, making a mental note never to return here.
Ever. Again.
And if I did return, it wouldn't be as the broken Omega everyone pitied.
Five Years Later
Alaric Blackwood.
Thick silence fell over the boardroom. I could feel the entire staff holding their breath like they thought breathing too loudly might cause them to lose their heads. Their fear radiated off me.
I stared at my son in a mix of confusion and disbelief, trying to make sense of the financial reports he had just given.
A bitter laugh bubbled in my throat. “What are you saying, Mr. Ryker?” I asked slowly, trying to keep the anger rising inside me in check. “Are you saying that in addition to the ten million dollars loss from the pharmaceutical products last month, we've made another sixteen million dollars loss this month and in two months we've lost twenty-six million dollars?”
Beads of sweat rolled down from Ryker's forehead despite the air conditioner in the room. “Father, the thing is that—”
“Just answer the question, Mr. Ryker,” I cut in softly. “You mean as the CEO of Blackwood Pharmaceuticals you watched the company bleed millions? And refer to me properly.”
He swallowed hard. “Yes, Chairman,” he answered, his voice trembling. “But I'm working towards fixing it. Very soon I will find out whoever has been stealing the company's funds.”
“Very soon?” The words tasted bitter on my lips. I leaned back in my chair, swirling around as I fixed him with a glare. “You made the same promise last month, Ryker. You told me you were going to fix it but instead it grew worse.”
He did not say a word; he just lowered his head in humiliation, his hands clasped tightly in front of him.
“You know what… everyone leave!”
The staff stood, bowed and scurried away.
Once the last person clicked the door shut behind him, he finally raised his head.
“I'm sorry, Father. Please just give me one last chance to fix this.”
“One last chance!” I rose slowly from my seat. “You mean one last chance to make everything worse. Then by next month we will be losing over fifty million dollars.”
He did not respond.
“You see… this is the reason why I haven't made you Alpha. You've proven to me that you can't even make the right choice for yourself and the company, let alone make the right choice for the thousands of pack members. If you keep going on like this, you might lose your inheritance.”
His eyes widened in fear.
“Yes, Ryker. You might think you're my only son and I have no choice but to hand over the throne to you but trust me… I will always find a way. Always.”
“Now… get out!”
He bowed and walked out of the room.
“You really need to calm down, Alpha,” Roderick, my Beta, said behind me. “I have been doing a lot of research. Since we've exhausted all internal options, I think it's time we seek the help of a professional.”
I turned to look at him, my brows furrowing. “What do you mean?”
“There is a lady called The Fixer. She is the CEO of Vale Strategic Consulting. The best corporate restructuring consultant with a reputation for turning failing corporations around.”
I paused briefly. “Vale Strategic Consulting?”
“Yes, Alpha.”
“Whoever this 'Fixer' is… I want her in Silvercrest within the week,” I ordered.
Roderick hesitated. “There is one problem, Alpha. She hasn't accepted a project in the Silvercrest Pack for the past three months. Even the Prince has been trying to get through to her but she keeps turning down every offer.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Then make her an offer she can't refuse.”
- Writer
