270
Tony
"Certain potions," I corrected. "There's a... let's say, a giant deficit in the werewolf community for potions and medical supplies. We tend to get what little medicine we can from witches, but it's at such a high price that we often don't, and because werewolves have more in common with humans--"
"You think you'll have an entry into the human pharmaceutical niche."
"I think so, but I don't have access to all of Green Corp.'s R&D information: supernatural and not."
He nodded. "Well, simply put, Green Corp's R&D is entirely supernatural."
I blinked. "Well... that could change some things."
"In a good way?"
I tilted my head. "It depends on how the interface between Green Corp and the human agencies works out."
He scoffed. "Humans run their tests on it and put a stamp on it. There's an inspection or two, but no lab these days is using cauldrons."
I snorted. "Fair."
He leaned back, studying the documents. "Sounds ambitious, Tony. I trust you know what you're doing. How much time do you think you'll need?"
"I'd say a couple of months for the initial assessment and planning. Once we implement the changes, we should start seeing improvements within the next quarter."
Mr. D'Amico hummed. "That's a pretty conservative estimate, yeah?"
"I like to underpromise and over-deliver."
He laughed, sliding the pages across the table. "Scoundrel. The plan looks good. I'll send Green Corp.'s contacts your way. Now, what about this supernatural arm?"
"I thought you said a future docket."
He shrugged. "It's the future."
A solid hour later, I left his office feeling like I had a better direction to go in with Height and Green and a better understanding of Mr. D'Amico. He wasn't a man for politics or waiting around. It was refreshing that while I had a sense of pace, I didn't have to slow it or change it because he wasn't ready to move.
And the man had the impeccable ability to ask hard questions that he seemed to know I already had answers for.
I got back to my office, and no sooner had I sat down and started to draft emails than my phone rang.
My heart leaped into my throat as Quillan's daycare number flashed on the screen.
I snatched it off the desk.
"Hello?" I answered, my voice betraying the nervousness that was gnawing at me.
"Hi, Mr. Chance, it's Ms. Anderson from Quillan's daycare," the voice on the other end sounded so calm, yet my heart was racing. "Is now a good time?"
My mind raced through scenarios of potential accidents or emergencies involving Quillan.
"Of course. Is everything okay? What happened?" I asked quickly.
Ms. Anderson quickly allayed my fears. "Oh, everything is just fine. Quillan is settling in. He's made a friend, as far as I can tell. I'm just calling to ask about your availability to chaperone an upcoming field trip."
Relief flooded over me, and I sank back into my chair. I felt ridiculous and realized that I had already been drafting an email to Mr. D'Amico about rushing out. I deleted it.
"Right. Sorry."
"It's okay," she soothed. "You're the fourth parent I've called that sounded like they were about to race over here. You're in good company."
"When is the field trip?" I asked.
"No problem at all, Mr. Chance. The field trip is next week on Wednesday. We'd really appreciate your help. It's a trip to the local museum."
"I'll have to check to be sure. Could I confirm a bit later?"
"Of course! Whenever you can, right up to the day, honestly."
"Thank you."
"I'll put you down to check back in with. Have a pleasant day. We'll see you later!"
As I hung up, I couldn't help but feel ridiculous. Once upon a time, I wouldn't have even thought about things like daycare and how a child was adjusting to new surroundings. If we were still at the Estate, I doubted that I would have cared then either. I probably wouldn't have seen Quillan much except for the occasional meal times as the kids always ate elsewhere.
It was strange, but I couldn't say that I didn't like it.
I sat back in my chair, my fingers tapping against the desk as I drafted a text to Matt.
Almost made a fool of myself with Quillan's daycare. Are you back home yet?
I hit send, waiting for a response. Minutes turned into an anxious eternity as I stared at my phone, willing it to light up with Matt's reply. Yet, the screen remained silent. I set it aside and checked the time.
He couldn't be still at the hospital. Maybe he'd had a job interview and hadn't told me.
It felt like that's how it usually happened. One day, Matt was unemployed. The next day, he had a job somewhere, seemingly like magic. I remembered when I'd called him up in college one day and had just so happened to have caught him on his lunch break.
I considered that. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I didn't know nearly as much about Matt as I felt I once had. Our mind link had been gone for too long for me to even bother trying, but I felt like our whole relationship had changed in ways I didn't even realize because of it.
He felt... secretive rather than spontaneous now. Was that new, or had I just never ever paid much attention to what he was doing?
I winced at that thought and pushed it away. That couldn't be accurate. We were under a lot of stress right now, trying to get away from Blue Moon, Quillan, Ginevra, and whatever was happening with Matt's health.
I pushed my hand through my hair, wishing more than anything that I had more answers, more certainty.
It felt like everything had started to change the moment we'd found Lucy in that auction. A part of me felt like I should feel some sort of guilt, maybe even remorse, but I felt nothing, not even anger. She was our mate. One way or another, she would have to come back to us. How that would happen, I had no idea, and I didn't want it to happen now with everything that was happening.
I frowned at that. Shouldn't I be angry? Knowing that she was with another man, another alpha at that? I should be furious. I should have wanted to tear David limb from limb, but I didn't. It was like I cared that she was ours, but I didn't. It was like a passing interest now, and where David's mere existence used to irritate me in every way, I couldn't even conjure up an ounce of the animosity I once felt toward him.
Aside from him personally rubbing me the wrong way, he was... a teenager. I frowned as the thought seemed to grow more profound.
David... was a teenager. He wasn't even twenty-one yet. In reality, there was no real contest. There was no need to even be irritated with him.
Should I have felt more compassionate? Empathetic? Something other than anger towards him?
Hadn't I once been a young man, too young to manage the power that was suddenly in my hands? I had a brother to help me, someone to split the work with, but David had no one.
To my knowledge, he didn't even have a pack the way I'd had a pack.
I wrinkled my nose. A sense of self-disgust flickered and died out just as quickly. It was dizzying, nauseating, and annoying.
Maybe all the coffee and the stress were messing with my head, but I could feel sleep pulling at my eyes, and I had hours of work to go. My coffee cup was empty again. I grimaced and stood to grab more coffee. Maybe I should just put a small machine in my office for the ease of it. I swayed on my feet, feeling oddly weak for a moment.
Don't you understand that you might be upset, but you're suffering by being away from the pack for so long?
Eliza's words haunted me. I winced at the thought. Was she right? The exhaustion, the weakness, even Matt's bleak appearance these days... If that was the case, then how had Matt been okay while he was off to college in a completely different area of the continent? I shook my head. Our leaving the pack hadn't done anything to Matt's health or mine. I was just stressed in a way that I hadn't ever been, and he was...
I don't know. On drugs? Depressed and not eating? Maybe he was more affected by us not being there than I thought.
Just as I was about to leave my phone down, it buzzed. I lifted it, expecting to see Matt's name, but it was a different number that I didn't recognize.
Hesitant, I answered, "Hello?"
The voice on the other end was somber, "Hello, this is Nurse Jameson from Yellow Ridge Hospital. Have I reached an... Anthony Chance?"
"Yes," I said slowly. "What's this about."
"I'm calling regarding Ginevra."
My heart skipped a beat, and dread sunk into my stomach.
"What is it?"
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
