Page 6 of Knot in Their Wildest Dreams: Part 1

Least of all me. My childhood was spent playing on our estate, running around without a care in the world as my parents spoiled me with anything I could desire. Although my father was a hard worker and not around alot, he and my mother made sure to give me the best childhood anyone could ask for, full of love.

When they died in a horrific car crash, I went from being fully supported and having my life planned out, to having to carve my own way, with only their memories for guidance. Being in the antiquated society I lived in, the rules for inheritance were structured with alphas and betas in mind. Normally any business would be handed down to the next male heir, and an omega would be under their care until they came of age and joined a pack. But my father left only me in his will, and the courts had a conundrum. My uncle stepped up to take over as the interim CEO. I remembered the executor of the will, our family attorney, listing off our assets and having to consult his colleagues about the specifics of what I should inherit. I was in a daze at the time, but I snapped out of it to argue that I should be in charge of the company, as it was mine by my father’s will.

The case ended up in court, and the news and story of our tragedy and subsequent legal firestorm hit the news in both provinces. Public opinion was overwhelmingly on my side despite the archaic views of the judges in my area. After months of legal battle, my uncle came up with a solution - I would be allowed to take on some aspects of leadership, under his guidance, along with a board of directors until I reached eighteen. After that, I would assume temporary ownership until the age of twenty-three, an age when most omegas in the past were locked down with a pack. It was assumed I’d do the same, and my assets would be split from the company so that I could join a pack. The board would then have a successor in mind who would take over and run Harringday Industries, severing it from me. At the time I considered it a win, but as time went on, I saw that it was really just a way for the company to give me the idea I’d won until I joined a pack. They never expected me to want to stay on as the leader. But I did.

I worked harder than anyone. I learned every system, signed every contract, studied every deal. As my twenty-third birthday approached, a surprise merger proposal landed on the table - one that required “a more seasoned executive” to close. It was a transparent attempt to edge me out before the board could decide. And Pack Lockwood, who wanted to see me fail more than anyone, even tried to prevent me from showing up at all.

They failed.

That was the biggest day of my life: the day I walked into that boardroom, shaken but never broken, and walked out as the official CEO of Harringday Industries.

“Miss Harringday? We’ve arrived.” The driver’s words pulled me out of my thoughts. I cleared my head, ready to see why my uncle had scheduled this emergency meeting.

Chapter 4

Celeste

I arrived at the large compound, which technically belonged to the family trust. For many centuries, omegas didn’t have the legal standing to be independent. Wealthy ones would still be expected to bond with a pack, and then everything would be managed by the alphas.

My parents had thought ahead, knowing I could potentially be at someone else’s mercy as I was their only child. My uncle, thankfully, was in my corner throughout all of this. But even he had some old school views.

Even now, as I strode through the halls of my family’s estate, I felt the precarious nature of my position. I was the wealthiest omega in the province, but only if I could convince other people that I deserved my position. Now at twenty-four, I had no pack to take me in if I ever lost this position. My uncle was the technical owner of the estate until I found a pack to bond, and he could kick me out of the compound if he wanted to. Not that he had any reason to. But I still tried to toe the line when it came to my uncle. I’d been a model niece as far as I was concerned. I’d listened to his advice, heeded his guidance, and tried my best to prove how strong of a leader I could be.

My heels clicked on the marble as I walked down the hall to his office, the echoing noise announcing my visit to anyone in the vicinity. I reached the wooden door, knocking curtly as I stood outside and waited.

The door swung open, and Sterling stood there, holding it for me with his usual, effortless precision. I never quite knew what to make of him. He was always dressed in a suit, crisp and immaculate, complete with a poker face. He rarely spoke to me, and when he did, it was clipped, professional, never personal. His steely gray eyes gave me no indication of what he thought. But I never quite trusted my uncle’s staff.

Sterling had been his closest assistant for two years now, replacing Arnault, who had been an absolute nightmare and a traitor. Although Sterling seemed to be loyal, I learned to never put my guard down around him. I breezed past him, ignoring his presence as I approached my uncle at his large wooden desk.

“So apparently, the news is reporting that Harringday is now going to offer paid parental leave.” He said, not looking up as he scribbled signatures on various documents. I felt my mouth go dry. Somehow, I always felt like a child when he reprimanded me.

“I know the announcement came earlier than we planned,” I said, keeping my tone even. “But it was a calculated decision. The journalist was gearing up to publish a hit piece on me. But I took over the narrative. Now everyone’s talking about how progressive Harringday Industries is.”

He shook his head slowly, lips pressed into a line. I held back a sigh, trying not to let his quiet disapproval chip away at my resolve.

“You know these things have a time and a place to be rolled out. Our Communications team had an entire strategic plan, and now all that work has to be thrown away.” He said, still not looking up yet. I bit back on what I really wanted to say. Even though I had cemented my place at Harringday, I still had to appease my uncle and the board of directors. Though they allowed me to take on the role as CEO, I was still running my plans by them before anything minor could be implemented. It was maddening.

They just didn’t trust an omega to be a real leader. If they had the slightest concern I was taking the company in a direction they didn’t like, they could attempt another vote to oust me. Their lack of trust in me was a type of discrimination I always had to deal with. It would never happen to an alpha. I bit back my frustration and nodded at his words.

“Anyway, that’s not the reason I called you in today. There’s something more serious we need to discuss.” My uncle said, his tone somber as he finally looked at me and stood up from his desk. When his eyes met mine, I wondered how he could possibly be related to my father. They looked nothing alike, my uncle’s beta frame smaller and so very average looking compared to my father’s alpha height. A few moments passed, and I started to get antsy about what he wanted. Normally I could handle even the worst news, so why was he hesitating? He sighed. “There’s been a development.” He finally said.

“What development?” I asked, wishing he would get to the point. I’d handled plenty of fiascos before. No company as large as Harringday was without problems.

“I don’t have to remind you how close we came to disaster when the Tedena incident occurred.” My uncle said, and my mind instantly flashed back to that awful time.

Ah yes, the Tedena incident - an off-the-books factory, outdated fire codes, and a quiet payoff to keep the story buried. I hadn’t even known about it until after the damage was done.

“Of course you don’t have to remind me. But that’s been handled.” I said, my stomach turning as I wondered where this was going.

“Well it seems that despite our best efforts, somehow the Pack Lockwood has gotten their hands on proof that not only did it happen, but it happened under your approval.” My uncle’s words hit me like a brick. How could anyone, let alone Pack Lockwood, get such a thing?

“What? The entire fiasco was because of Arnault!” I said tightly, my mind flashing back to when my uncle’s old assistant had almost ruined me. When the incident was uncovered during one of our internal audits, we found out he’d signed off on the whole cover up - involving a bribe to the local mayor - usingmysignature. A forgery, and something he should never have been able to do. By the time we found out, the damage was done. My uncle had his assistant fired and removed from the premises, but since the directive was under my name, it would be me who would look responsible if it ever came to light.

My uncle nodded. “Yes. But it seems that he might have sabotaged you in revenge. Pack Lockwood has copies of the paperwork, which clearly makes you look like the responsible party.” My uncle said, and I felt my heart race. That pack would ruin me, in any way possible, if they had the chance. And this was their chance.

“This is a disaster!” I said, pacing around as I started to sweat. My mind raced as I thought of how we would have to handle this. It would be a PR nightmare, plus with my already spicy reputation, many people would choose to believe that it was me who made the decision, not my uncle’s power-hungry assistant. It had almost been a year since I was voted in as CEO, and the board members who were always against my ascension could use this to tip the scales and vote me out.

“There is, however, a way out of this.” My uncle’s words stopped me.

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