by Esme Beal
“For telling you about all of my worries and concerns. I didn’t mean to make breakfast such a downer.”
“When I’m with you, it’s never a downer. Don’t ever forget that. Finish your breakfast or I’ll feed it to you.”
“Now that doesn’t sound like such a bad idea.”
I picked up Noah’s fork and playfully put a bite of eggs into his mouth. We shared a laugh. Seeing Noah in a good mood was exactly what I needed to get through the rest of my day.
I couldn’t wait for everybody else to see me with him. The banquet couldn’t come soon enough.
Chapter 11
NOAH
Three days later…
I didn’t have to convince Ashton that I was content with the way my life was. Working at the restaurant and spending my free time at the shelter was more than I could ask for. Now that the millionaire CEO was becoming a fixture in my life, it only made my life that much sweeter.
I was quickly getting into a routine that was easy to get used to. After work, I’d spend time with Ashton at the shelter. He was just as enthusiastic as I was to get to know everybody there. It helped that everybody loved him.
Afterward, we would spend time getting to know each other even better. I was around Ashton so much that I started to crave him enough to feel embarrassed about it.
I’d wake up in his penthouse suite and cook him breakfast and I would start my day all over again.
It was the middle of another day for me at work. I’d just finished a long part of my shift and was on my break. The ingredients in Ashton’s fridge were a little fancier than I was used to, so I was able to piece together a sandwich for lunch that was a little more special than usual.
I leaned up against the wall in the alley and ate by myself. It was so quiet, with only the traffic in the distance to fill my ears. My thoughts started to wander.
Where is he?
I looked up and down the alley but there was nobody to be found. I checked my phone to see if any of my texts or phone calls had been returned but there was nothing.
Charlie hadn’t shown up to work since the last time I spoke to him. Even though I had every reason to be concerned, I convinced myself that maybe he’d found the success that he was looking for.
Maybe he’s rich enough that he doesn’t have to work here anymore.
The thought of it was enough to make me laugh. I shook the thoughts out of my head and took another bite of my sandwich. I was in the middle of chewing when I caught something in the corner of my eye.
A familiar-looking black sedan pulled up to the curb down the alleyway.
“Charlie…”
My heart stopped in my chest as soon as I saw it. Despite wanting to think otherwise, every instinct in my bones was telling me that something was wrong. I couldn’t shake the bad feeling that was building inside of me.
The back door opened up and Charlie stepped out.
“Charlie!”
I called out to him. He looked up at me. Even from a distance, he didn’t look the same as he usually did. His face was gaunt like he hadn’t gotten any sleep. His clothes were disheveled. He slowly walked over to me and I saw just how terrible he looked.
“Charlie? Charlie, what the hell is going on?”
He looked up at me. A frown on his lips, Charlie’s eyes were filled with the kind of sadness that nobody would want to see.
“I… I…”
“What is it, Charlie?”
The hulking driver of the car stepped out and opened the other side of the car. I watched as the woman likely responsible for the state Charlie was in stepped out.
Queen had her nose high in the air like she always did. Her pale skin glistened underneath the bright Snow Falls sun. She looked at me, a sneer on her face as she slowly made her way toward Charlie and me with her bodyguard.
I didn’t wait another second.
“What is this?” I said. “What’s going on?”
“Business,” she said.
“Business? What does that mean?”
“I gave your friend Charlie here a substantial loan. I bet on him because I thought he had what it took to take down some of the high-rollers. It seems that when big stakes are involved, Charlie here shrank under the pressure.”
I turned to Charlie. He had his head down, looking at the ground like he was searching for something he’d lost.
“What did you do to him?” I said.
“Nothing. Not yet, anyway. But I believe it goes without saying that Charlie here owes me a debt.”
“And just how much is this debt?”
“Fifty-thousand dollars.”
“Fifty…”
The number was large enough that I couldn’t even finish saying it. I blinked my eyes like I wasn’t sure I’d heard her correctly. But the cold woman just kept giving me that icy glare of hers.
“I wanted to give Charlie a chance to raise the money,” she said.
“And what if he doesn’t give you your money?”
She glanced at Charlie.
“His debt will be paid, one way or another. You can be sure of that.”
Queen turned around without saying another word and sauntered back over to her sedan. The suit she wore made it clear she wasn’t from around this part of town and she carried herself like it.
“Noah…”
Charlie looked up at me, his eyes filled with a fear I’d never seen from him before.
“What am I gonna do?” he said. “I don’t have that kind of cash. I don’t make anything working here.”
“Hold on a second, Charlie…”
I started following after Queen.
“Hey!”
I yelled out but she ignored me. I moved faster and managed to catch her just before she stepped back into her car.
“Hey!”
She refrained from giving me the usual look of disdain she had, raising her eyebrow at me in curiosity.
“Yes?”
“You can’t do this,” I said. “You know that Charlie doesn’t have that kind of cash.”
“It doesn’t matter if he has it or not. He has to pay his debts. People always pay their debts to me.”
“There must be some other way—”
“There’s another way. Charlie has three days to figure that out for himself. When the time comes, he’ll pay his debts.”
“But—”
“I suggest you stop insisting on trying to find another way out of this. I won’t hesitate to make sure that you pay his debt as well.”
Queen’s icy-cold stare was enough to make it clear how serious she was. I suddenly found myself fuming, breathing hard through my nose and clenching my jaw. I couldn’t try anything. Not with her massive bodyguard looking for any reason to snap me in two.
Queen didn’t give me another moment, stepping into her car and disappearing down the road.
It’s all right… Everything will be all right…
I sighed a deep breath of frustration. I couldn’t let Queen get to me. Not when I knew Charlie needed me.
I headed back over to the young Omega, who was leaning up against the wall, still staring at the ground.
“Charlie… What happened?”
“I…”
His throat bobbed up and down with a nervous swallow.
“…I don’t know.”
“You have to know. You don’t just get in 50,000 dollars deep with a woman like Queen without knowing how.”
“I was playing… I was winning… They kept putting me up against the best opponents but I managed to keep winning… But then…”
He shook his head and sighed.
“…Then I lost… I figured it was a fluke, so I kept going. Next thing I know, I lost my money. Queen told me it was okay and gave me a loan. Started with 10 and I lost that. Another 10 and I lost it. I’d come up but…”
“The hole just kept getting deeper.”
“I was there for three days. I didn’t sleep. I didn’t eat. I just kept playing but…”
>
“It’s all right. I understand.”
I grabbed Charlie and wrapped my arms around him. I squeezed him tight as he started to sob into my chest. I wanted to do everything I could to take the fear I felt away from him. But when he looked up at me, it was still there, cheeks flushed red and eyes bloodshot.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m sorry, Noah.”
“What are you sorry about?”
“I should’ve listened to you. I never should’ve gotten involved at that place.”
“It’s not your fault,” I said, pulling him back into my arms. “People like Queen take advantage of everybody. She did everything she could to get you on her side. You don’t have to apologize for that.”
“What am I gonna do?”
Charlie was never one to lack any confidence. The way he looked now, he looked like something out of a nightmare. I could feel in myself the kind of helplessness I saw in his eyes.
There’s a way out of this…
“It’s all right, Charlie. I know how to get out of this.”
“But I don’t have any money. And I know you don’t either because you work here—”
“It’s all right. I… I know someone. I just… I have to have a talk with them.”
“They’ll be able to pay back my debt to Queen?”
“Paying back your debt to Queen shouldn’t be a problem for them. All I have to do is convince them to do it.”
I didn’t have much in my life. There was no way I could come up with that kind of money in such a short amount of time.
Ashton…
The answer was simple. He was the one who could get me out of this. He was the only one.
But even though I knew I was going to go through with seeking his help, there was a lingering doubt in my thoughts for a reason I couldn’t figure out. This wasn’t about me. Charlie was the only thing that mattered now.
Chapter 12
ASHTON
The chandelier shined bright from the ceiling, illuminating all the people down below it. The live band played some soft classical music to keep everybody entertained while they mingled with one another. Despite everything happening around me, I couldn’t take my eyes off of the man standing right next to me.
“Do you ever get used to this thing?”
Noah tugged on his collar to loosen his tie. He had the kind of uncomfortable look on his face a child would make when their parents forced them to dress up.
“I don’t know if anybody ever gets used to wearing a tuxedo,” I said. “It’s just something you have to do.”
“Is this what I’m gonna have to do spending time around you? Wearing tuxedos and attending lavish meetings in ballrooms?”
“I’m enduring it the same as you are. Look on the bright side.”
“And what’s that?”
“It looks good on you.”
Noah clenched his jaw but it wasn’t enough to stop his cheeks from flushing red. I kept grinning at him and he looked away from me.
“Whatever you want,” he sighed. “If you can do this, I can do it.”
“Don’t worry. If you hate the tux that much, I’ll do my best to make sure to help you out of it…”
“Ashton,” he spoke through gritted teeth. “I don’t think now is the time to talk about those sorts of things.”
“It’s too much fun… But you’re right. Let’s get the formalities out of the way, shall we?”
Noah walked by my side as we walked deeper into the ballroom. The evening had already started. A bunch of rich, old board members who actually enjoyed these things were already busy getting to know some of the invited guests. I’d seen so many of their faces before.
“These people are all here for you,” Noah said.
“They’re not here for me. They’re here for the company. If I wasn’t the CEO, they wouldn’t even bother giving me a second look. Except maybe her…”
I eyed the redhead walking toward me. She was wearing a modest black dress that didn’t stand out much, not that she needed to. A smirk on her lips, she moved closer to me.
“You’re here,” Donna said.
“Of course I’m here. Did you expect me to not show up?”
“I never know what to expect with you.”
“I’m here. And look… I brought the Omega everybody was hoping to see.”
“The Omega?” Noah said, arching an eyebrow at me.
“Just a joke. Donna, I’d like you to meet Noah. Donna here is my personal assistant.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Donna said as she extended her hand out to Noah.
Noah shook her hand while she looked him up and down.
“What?” I said. “What is it?”
“Oh, it’s nothing—”
“Spit it out.”
“I’m just checking to make sure you brought someone you’re really interested in.”
I rolled my eyes at her and sighed. Noah looked like he was lost, and with good reason.
“Donna here gave me a list of eligible Omegas that could accompany me to the banquet,” I said. “She, among others, wanted me to seek out a suitable date. I thought it would be more appropriate to find it myself. Don’t you think that’s more appropriate?”
“I do,” Noah said with a soft smile on his face.
“Hey, hey, hey!” Donna said, putting her hands up in the air. “I’m just following orders. You were told to find an Omega for yourself, whether it was Noah here or someone else. My opinion doesn’t matter anyway. Some of the board members…”
“Let’s not worry about that now,” I said. “This is supposed to be a joyful gathering. Let’s enjoy it.”
I grabbed a couple of glasses of champagne for Noah and me. The bubbly alcohol was sweet and loosened me up enough to deal with the onslaught I knew was coming. Donna knew it, too.
“I’ll be here if you need me,” she said. “It was nice meeting you, Noah.”
Donna excused herself just as a member of the board walked up to me. I introduced him to Noah and we exchanged pleasantries.
It had gone on like that the entire night. Someone would come up and talk to me. We’d talk for business a bit and make sure one another was doing well. The kind of small talk that got old quickly.
Noah stood patiently by my side the entire time. He smiled when he needed to. He was polite when asked to speak. Nobody noticed that it was his first time wearing a tuxedo. It didn’t matter that he was an Omega from the Southern Block.
Dinner proceeded and the conversations remained cordial. Noah and I kept one another company while more of the invited guests continued to talk my ear off. Noah was doing fine for the most part but as the evening wore on, he seemed to be growing more distant. I guess that was to be expected when he had to sit by my side while I did what I had to do.
The evening grew late but the guests remained energetic. The festivities continued after dinner. Noah and I sat at our table and we were greeted by the one man who was more important than everybody else in the room.
“Ashton,” the man said. “I’m sorry I haven’t gotten the chance to speak to you until today.”
“It’s not a problem at all, Jon. These banquets can get quite hectic.”
“Investors are eager to speak to the man running their company.”
“It’s my duty.”
“Your duty, yes, but you still treat it with pride. You had no obligation to come here. And it appears you brought a guest…”
“Yes… Noah.”
He raised his head up and smiled at the old man standing before me.
“This is Jon Elder,” I said. “He’s the head of the board of directors.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Noah said, a polite smile on his lips.
“Yes… The pleasure is mine…”
Jon looked down at Noah. His eyes shifted like he was sizing him up for some reason. Noah sat in his seat, staying silent like he’d been this entire night.
“If you’ll excuse us, Noah,” Jon
said. “There’s some business I’d like to discuss with Ashton.”
“Anything you have to say to me, you can say in front of him,” I said.
“No,” Noah said as he got up out of his seat. “It’s all right. I… I think I need a breath of fresh air anyway.”
“Okay… I’ll look for you.”
Noah gave me a nod and excused himself like he was in a hurry. I watched him walk through the ballroom and head toward the balcony.
“What’s so important that you wanted to discuss alone?” I asked. “Everybody seems to be in a good mood. And I found an Omega, like you suggested. I think the numbers will improve.”
“They might. But I wonder…”
“You wonder what?”
“What will they think of a man spending his time with an Omega from the Southern Block?”
Jon widened his eyes. All of the wisdom that came with age was clear in the way he stared.
“How did you know?” I asked.
“It’s not hard to tell. When you’ve lived as long as I have, you tend to notice little things.”
“So Noah is from the Southern Block. What difference does it make?”
“I don’t know. But investors will find it curious that a man of your stature is dating someone like Noah. And quite frankly, the board might feel the same way…”
“Are you telling me you disapprove of my relationship with Noah?”
I’d known Jon for a long time. I could trust him to tell me the truth, even if I didn’t want to hear it. The deep sigh he gave me was every indication that he didn’t want to say what he was about to say.
“I can’t tell you what to say or do,” he said. “I just think it’s something you should be aware of.”
“Noah is fine. He’s just another man like so many in Snow Falls. Now if you’ll excuse me… My date looks like he can use some company.”
“I’ll see you at the next meeting, Ashton.”
I bowed my head to the old man and got up from my seat. Everybody stared at me as I walked by. I found Noah standing at the large ballroom balcony, looking out onto the rest of the city.
“Hey.”
Noah didn’t respond to me immediately. I moved next to him and looked into his eyes. He appeared lost in thought.