FOUR
The board room was quiet when he entered, but he heard some of them audibly gasp when they saw who was walking behind him. He felt a small tug of disappointment, he hates how they are so open about how they don’t really respect him, especially now that his company is in the brink of danger. They were at least trying to be subtle before. But now that they know they all have power over him, they are all showing him outright disrespect.
They were all standing up by the time they made their way to the front of the room. Mr. Wong was standing far back, and he has a suspecting look on his face.
Klyde roamed his eyes around the room, making sure to meet everyone’s eyes. He wants them to know that he’s not affected by what’s happening. He hopes his front is convincing, because he feels so fucking terrified right now. He has to physically stop himself from fiddling with his fingers because of how nervous he is. His head turned sharply to his left, where Wade is standing, when he felt his hand settle on his lower back. He must have sensed that he’s nervous, the scent is subtle but enough for Wade to smell because he is standing beside him. Wade wordlessly nodded at him, gesturing to start the meeting so he took a shallow breath before once again looking ahead.
“Good morning. Let’s start the meeting, shall we?”
Things settled like how it used to, the board sat down once the meeting started. Louis, Klyde’s secretary, got an extra swivel chair for Wade. He sat at the head of the table while Klyde remained standing. He went on to discuss his company’s current status, the case of investors pulling out and their financial situation. They were all attentively listening, some still shameless enough to cast obvious glances at Wade who is also quietly listening.
“My marriage with Mr. Curtis now will lead to a merge that will hopefully save our company. We have yet to discuss the grounds of the merging that will happen, but since his company handles travel agencies and chains of hotels like us, the merge would be easier—”
“So, you decided to sell yourself out?” someone said cutting him off, he turns to find the owner of the voice and of course, if someone had the guts to say that it would be him, Mr. Wong. That fucker.
“Excuse me?”
The older alpha looks so smug while sitting on his chair. His smugness oozes out of him, an irritating smell. He made a show of checking his fingers.
“You decided to sell yourself out. Isn’t that what happened? Pathetic excuse of a marriage,” other board members are exchanging nervous looks. They’re casting worried glances between the alpha and Wade who is still silent on his seat, observing.
“Do you really expect us to believe that you’ve been dating all this time? That sudden engagement was bullshit!”
Klyde folded his hand into a fist. He can’t believe him.
“Mr. Wong—”
“The omega who built a legacy on his own, suddenly tying himself up with an alpha? Right in the middle of a company crisis too? What a coincidence, huh.”
Spikes of anxiety and fear permeated the air in the room but the alpha dominance and smugness was the most prominent.
“I wonder how you did it? Was your scent that good that it charmed Mr. Curtis? Or did you present yourself like the submissive omega that you should be? Whore.”
They all froze at the warning growl that resounded in the room. Low and long. Klyde is shocked when it registered on him that the growl indeed came from the alpha quietly watching the scene—Wade. His scent is strong, challenging. But Mr. Wong paid it no mind, the annoying smirk still present on his lips, eyes glinting with something like mockery.
“I advise you to watch your words Mr. Wong”, Klyde said sharply. He’s had enough of the older alpha. He can’t just let him humiliate him in front of his people like this.
“You be careful, Mr. Taylor. I am still the chairman of the board. We should’ve voted you out of the company the moment this problem started. You wouldn’t have made it this far without us. Know your place—”
A loud snarl interrupted them. It was dripping so much of alpha dominance that the other few omegas in the room all bowed their head, alphas letting out a low growl of their own in retaliation, fighting for dominance.
Wade stood up from his seat, his own angry scent battling the smug alpha scent Mr. Wong is emitting. His chest is rumbling with the vibration of his continuous growl.
“Mr. Wong,” Wade started after retracting his growl.
“You are very brave.”
Mr. Wong scoffed at that.
“As I should be.”
“Your bravery won’t take you to the place you’re aiming to, I’m afraid. Threatening my omega in front of me?”
My omega. It should make him feel proud to be called that. But it drips with ownership, and that leaves a bitter taste in Klyde’s mouth.
“I am not threatening him. I am merely telling the truth. No matter how much he denies it, how much he wants himself to appear as the omega who succeeded, he wouldn’t have done it without me. I am the chairman of the board. I built this company the same way he did. And if firing him would save it, and so be it.”
“Of course, you’re the chairman of the board. I wonder how you got there,” Wade said, tone mysterious.
“That doesn’t excuse you disrespecting my omega, though. You’re on thin ice.”
“Are you insinuating something?”
“I don’t know. Am I?”
His scent spiked, irritated. Wade turned to everyone else inside the room, producing a deep low growl from his throat, effectively cutting of the low rumbling of growls from the other alphas in the room. He looks powerful like that.
“A meeting will be held another time to discuss about the merging. We will continue this another time. Meeting adjourned,” Wade concluded before reaching for his left wrist, his grip tight but at the same time gentle, dragging him as he walked to get out of the room. He is silent, shame burning in his system as his mind plays the events of the meeting.
Wade pushed the door and paused on the threshold, making him stop on his tracks too.
“I almost forgot,” Wade started, their backs facing everyone in the room. His voice is void of emotion, it almost made Klyde, himself, shiver.
“I don’t fucking care if you don’t believe the actuality of our marriage. I don’t fucking care if you think he did it for money. I don’t give a flying fuck, believe me."
He made a show of lightly turning his body to the right, meeting the eyes of everyone else in the room, hanging onto his every words. His jaw clenched, eyes sharp and threatening. Only a fool wouldn't bow before him. He uttered his next words with so much venom that made everyone flinch, including Mr. Wong, who had been sending them his own glares.
"What irks me, though, is how you address him. Treat my omega with respect. He’s a Curtis now. The husband of the most powerful alpha today, right? Refer to him as such.”
Wade tugged at his wrist, grip tightening as they both walk away from the room. Leaving stunned board members and a seething elderly alpha.