Page 6 of The Sterling Acquisition
“I’ve been having some challenges,” Leo began, “with a particular asset management situation.”
“The Omega,” Dante said.
“Right.” Leo took a long drink and seemed to be weighing his words. “Look, I understand this is way outside protocol for both of our companies, but SVI techniques are failing. Have been failing. I’ve tried everything in our handbooks. I need help. Gensyn help.”
Dante waited, letting the silence stretch. In his experience, drunk people eventually filled uncomfortable silences with more information than they intended to share.
“He’s valuable,” Leo continued. “Extremely valuable. The kind of... investment... that could make a career. Or destroy one.”
“How valuable?”
Leo hesitated, then spoke: “2.7 million iscs. Medical debt auction. I outbid some very serious people to acquire his contract.”
Dante kept his expression neutral despite the staggering figure. “That’s quite an investment.”
“It was supposed to be straightforward,” Leo went on, the alcohol loosening his tongue. “Standard domestic contract with a one-year claiming clause. It seemed like it’d be easy, establish dominance hierarchy, mutual benefit arrangement. Except...”
“Except?”
“He won’t submit.” The words came out flat, defeated. “Nearly a year of proper SVI conditioning techniques, and he’s gotten worse.” Leo stared into his coffee.
“How much worse?”
“More defiant. More violent. Smarter about his escapes. That little show the other day? That was him going easy on me because we had an audience. Usually, he draws more blood.”
Leo pushed up his sleeves, revealing a collection of bite marks, scratches, and a large burn. “See this? Last week’s ‘behavioral correction session.’ I try to explain the basic concept of submission, he tries to set me on fire with the coffee pot.”
Dante was intrigued. “An SVI claiming clause gives you a year to claim him before someone else can buy his contract, correct? Forgive my lack of knowledge here, but it is my understanding that an Omega must willingly and publicly submit for a claim to be established here. Have you considered other options?”
“Like what? Selling him?” Leo’s laugh was sharp, but there was something underneath it—fear, maybe, or genuine concern. His eyes darted to the wall separating them from Orion’s room, then back to Dante.
“Do you know what happens to contracts like his when they change hands?” Leo continued, lowering his voice. “The new owner usually starts by breaking both legs to establish dominance. Orion’s got spirit, but he’s not invincible. I’ve seen what some of these bastards do to stubborn Omegas.”
An interesting moral complexity that Dante filed away for later consideration. Leo was failing spectacularly at managing his asset, but his fear seemed genuine—a mix of self-interest and something that might be affection.
“So you’re protecting him?” Dante asked.
Leo’s expression shifted through several emotions—defensiveness, shame, resignation. “I’m trying to claim him properly,” he corrected, shoulders stiffening. “The way it’s supposed to work. Alpha and Omega, natural hierarchy, mutual benefit. But also...” He glanced at the bottle in his hand. “I sank my life savings and a shitload of corporate debt into this contract. But I’m not—” He struggled with the words. “I’m not that kind of Alpha. He’s valuable, he’s mine, but I don’t want to destroy him.”
“Has anything in the SVI manuals worked?” Dante redirected, filing away this new insight into Leo’s character. Not just a failed Alpha, but one with a twisted sense of protective ownership.
Leo was quiet for a long moment. “No. Obviously not. That’s why...” He looked up at Dante with something approaching desperation. “I need help. A consulting arrangement.”
“I’m not sure what kind of assistance—”
“You’re from Gensyn,” Leo interrupted. “You people know how to handle difficult assets. I saw what you did in the courtyard—thirty seconds and he was compliant. How?”
Dante considered his words carefully. “Different techniques. More... refined approaches.”
“Exactly! That’s what I need. Gensyn’s famous for efficient resource management. You could help me with this situation. Secretly, of course, but I can pay you. It’ll be worth it to me, too, whatever your price.”
There it was. The opening he had been waiting for. Leo was so desperate that he was ready to let a corporate rival into his most personal business. Which meant access to Orion, opportunity to study the situation, and potential leverage for his actual mission.
As he formulated his response, Dante mentally composed two different reports. The first was the official one for Amalie:Subject identified as potential leverage point for Project Tether acquisition. Threatening a 2.7 million isc asset would create optimal pressure point for information extraction.
The second was... something else. A growing file of observations about Orion himself. His intelligence. His defiance. The way his scent affected Dante’s impeccable self-control.
“I’d be willing to provide some consultation, discreetly, of course,” Dante replied. “In the spirit of inter-corporate cooperation, I won’t even charge you.”
