Refuse to take a dime

Chapter 6: Chad’s POV

The party finally ended, and I stepped away from the crowded courtyard to grab a breath of quiet air. Before I could even loosen my tie, I saw Noah walking toward me with that familiar, pale faced look he gets when something is about to blow up in our faces.

He reached me and leaned in close. "We have a problem, boss."

I frowned. I had wanted just one peaceful, uninterrupted day. "Is it about the Sanchez syndicate?" I asked in a low voice.

Noah shook his head.

I gestured for him to follow me into an empty alcove near the courtyard entrance, keeping a pleasant smirk on my face so the departing guests wouldn't suspect a thing.

"Okay. Speak."

"Danny is still here," Noah said.

"Why?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Noah ran a stressed hand straight over his hair, dragging it down his face. "Danny is your wife's son, boss. Your wife's son," he repeated, his voice laced with pure distress.

A little laugh burst from my chest, but Noah’s face remained stone cold rigid. "Is this some kind of sick joke, man?"

"Hey, honey! Let's take some pictures with the remaining guests!" Sarah’s loud, grating voice chimed in from behind me. She strutted up, locking her hand around my arm. "Mind if I borrow him?" she squeaked to Noah. "I mean, he's mine now, right?"

I slowly peeled her fingers off my jacket and patted her shoulder lightly, stepping back.

"Business is calling, honey," I said, already turning away.

"What about the pictures?!" she called after me, but I was too stunned to bother answering.

Noah and I reached the quiet lobby. I brought us to a halt and shoved my hands deep into my trouser pockets. "Speak clearly this time, please."

"Danny is Sarah’s stepson," Noah said again. The absolute, absurd coincidence of it forced another dry laugh out of me.

"And how exactly do you know that?" I asked.

"One of her sons saw Danny wandering the hallway earlier," Noah explained. "That's how I found out."

I nodded, my brain processing the mess. "Okay, cool. It was just business last night. Not a big issue," I said, keeping my cool. "Give him ten thousand dollars to keep his mouth shut, okay?" I patted Noah on the chest.

"Boss, wait," Noah said, stepping forward to block my path.

"What is it, Noah?"

"You just want to buy his silence? Have you forgotten you bonded with him last night?"

I stopped dead in my tracks, taking in how visibly panicked my right hand man actually looked. "I bonded with him, so what?"

"Chad!" Noah snapped, using my real name out loud like a stern warning.

It actually caught me off guard. I’d been trying to get my childhood friend to drop the formal honorifics for years, but it took one twenty-three year old omega to make him forget his manners.

"What is it?" I rasped.

"You have to take responsibility for him," Noah said firmly. "Beside you orchestrated all this."

I paused, chewing on his words. He was right. I had faked his robbery, had taken his virginity, flared his heat, and marked him. The bare minimum an Alpha of my status could do was make sure the boy lived a comfortable, financially secure life.

"Okay, make it twenty thousand dollars," I said. "And if he's still hanging around, tell him to get out of my house."

I walked past him, leaving Noah standing there completely dumbfounded. He was never satisfied with anything I did anyway. Danny is my new wife's stepson? That was a piece of dramatic episode I definitely hadn't subscribed for.

I headed back into the main venue, and the first thing my eyes locked onto made my jaw tighten.

Standing right next to Sarah was that pale, slender pretty blonde boy. One of Sarah’s sons, Connor had his heavy arm slung casually over Danny’s shoulder. Danny looked petrified, his shoulders hunched, staring straight at the floor like he wanted the ground to open up and swallow him whole.

"Honey, you wouldn't believe it!" Sarah gushed, rushing over and reaching for my hand.

I casually pulled my arm out of her reach before she could touch me.

"Uh... okay," she mumbled, quickly pivoting to grab Danny by his white top, hauling him forward. "My stepson is actually at our wedding!"

"You never told me you had a stepson," I said, my voice dropping an octave as my eyes pinned Danny where he stood.

Sarah paused, letting out a loud, fake laugh. "Oh, maybe I just forgot to mention him!" She snapped her head toward the boy. "Danny, won't you greet your stepdaddy?"

Danny had been doing his absolute best to avoid eye contact with me, but he was forced to look up. His wide blue eyes met mine, filled with a mix of raw betrayal and fear.

"Hi...?" he muttered weakly.

"Hi?!" Sarah cut in instantly, her tone turning foul. "Is that how your stepfather?!"

Danny frowned instantly, his eyes glaring at me with all intensity. "Well hi, mate, congratulations on your wedding?" he said mockingly.

Without warning, she brought her heavy hand down, smacking the back of Danny’s blonde head hard. The force made him stumble forward, a small groan of pain escaping his lips as his hand flew to his head.

A dark, dangerous heat flared straight up my spine. I didn't care if he had sounded rude to me, but how dare she hit the prettiest boy I had ever laid my eyes on?

"Don't do that again," I growled out.

"Huh?" Sarah blinked, startled.

"I said... don't ever hit Danny again," I warned her, my gray eyes narrowing into slits. A bitter, protective instinct roared in my chest as I watched the pale boy whimpering silently.

I took in the whole family of four standing there Sarah and her two Alpha sons. The way they looked at Danny wasn't like family. They looked at him like he was a stain on the floor, an insect that had no right to exist in their world.

No wonder he was running away from the house that night, I realized. I thought he was just some rebellious kid who ran away from a loving home.

An hour later, after the endless pictures finally stopped, the guests dispatched to their cars and left. I sat alone in a leather armchair in the main living room, swirling the scotch in my glass. I couldn't shake the memory of Sarah hitting him, or the helpless way he had flinched.

"Boss, I'm here," Noah’s voice broke the silence as he stepped into the room.

"I want Danny to stay here," I said plainly, setting my glass down on the table.

Noah blinked in utter surprise. "What? Why?"

"Didn't you tell me he's Sarah’s stepson?" I reasoned, crossing my legs. "He should be living in this house with the rest of her family."

Noah rubbed his face, letting out a heavy sigh. "Well... that's too late, boss."

My brows furrowed. "Why?"

"Danny just left," Noah said. "And he refused to take a single dime from us."