THE ALPHA'S REJECTED MATE

7

Yvonne's POV

I strolled through the corridors of my corporate offices, knowing that this was my final week in charge. Soon, everything would officially belong to Kylian, my soon-to-be husband. The realization was bittersweet, as I struggled with relinquishing control. Despite my inner resistance, I had to acknowledge that this transition was inevitable, and I reminded myself of that fact constantly.

I greeted my employees with a smile and a wave, although they would soon become Kylian's employees. While I held the position of their direct boss, the ultimate authority would shift to the man I was engaged to, at least on paper. Earlier, I had received an email detailing the upcoming changes, emphasizing that while most aspects would remain unchanged, certain details such as the name on the bottom of the checks would no longer be mine but his.

I found myself surprisingly calm despite the occasion. Kylian had arrived earlier, his usual debonair and strikingly handsome self, exuding confidence as he walked down the hallway. It was a humorous realization—he truly did own the place now. I chuckled at the irony of no longer being the decision-maker. Now, I had to answer to Kylian, a reality that stung a bit, though I acknowledged that I had willingly put myself in this position. The important thing was that the company was still thriving, and for that, I was grateful.

"Hello," I greeted him with a smile.

"Good morning," he responded in his deep, captivating baritone, sending shivers down my spine.

“Everybody is inside waiting.”

He nodded. “Sounds good. Let’s do this.”

He walked into the conference room, commanding the attention of my investors in the room. I could admit I was proud to be standing beside him as his kind of colleague and his fake fiancée. Okay, maybe not exactly esteemed positions, but it was still giving me a sense of pride.

“My name is Kylian Litt and you can send all your questions about the company my way. Yvonne will be staying on as the CEO and handle daily operations. I’ll be dealing with the financial side of things. Any questions,” he said, not even bothering to take a seat.

I had to bite back a grin at the looks of shock on the investors’ faces. They’d bullied me earlier and now they knew what it felt like to be belittled.

“Why don’t we have a seat,” I suggested.

Kylian looked at me, one brow raised before shrugging a shoulder. “Sure.”

He took the seat at the head of the table. It stung a little, but I understood it was his right in these types of meetings. Each of the investors introduced themselves while I sat back and listened.

Kylian took over the meeting, as I expected him to do. “As I said, Yvonne will be the CEO, however, there will be some serious changes made,” he announced, giving me a stern look.

Ouch!

The sting of the situation intensified as I received praise from all the investors present. Despite my urge to defend myself, I refrained, realizing that the damage was already done, and I could do nothing but sit quietly.

"Yvonne's vision remains unchanged. I'm here to offer some financial guidance," he explained.

"Financial guidance, not makeup," I interjected.

He chuckled. "And that's precisely why we're getting married soon. She complements me perfectly; I handle the finances while she brings her vision," he remarked with a wink, earning a stern look from me.

"Married!" There was an audible gasp from the table.

Kylian confirmed, "Consider yourselves privileged. You are the first to know among us," he announced proudly.

Internally, I wished to express my frustration. "We intended to keep it private," I whispered sharply. Kylian seemed unfazed, grinning mischievously. "They'll find out eventually. Wouldn't you prefer controlling the narrative rather than letting a reporter exploit your happiness?" he teased.

He was purposely goading me, knowing I could do nothing to refute what he was saying without breaking our deal. I smiled at him, although my teeth were clamped together behind the smile.

I took a deep breath, looking at the room full of shocked faces, some were suspicious. “We’ve been dating for a while,” I explained, not wanting it to look like I was marrying him to keep my job, which was exactly how it looked.

“Is that why you bought the company?” one man asked.

Kylian shook his head. “Not at all. I saw an excellent business opportunity and took it. Not to mention, this makes me her boss, at least outside of the home,” he teased.

I did my best to appear entertained while I contemplated the many ways I was going to make him suffer for his choice of words. Everyone laughed at his joke. Everyone except me. I felt like I was being belittled.

“I wanted to keep this quiet for as long as possible. The media can get a little difficult to deal with and they are the last thing I want to handle. I don’t want the focus to be on me and the upcoming wedding when I make promotional appearances.” I explained.

Kylian nodded in agreement with me. “We’d prefer to keep this as quiet as possible.”

“Are you sure this isn’t going to cause problems? How can we be sure you are going to make decisions based on the needs of the company and not what keeps your wife happy? If she puts up a fuss about the changes you know need to be made, can you handle her?”