Donovan family blood

Vernon barely sat down in his chair when a shadow fell over his desk. He lifted his head and looked at the man standing.

"Is there a problem?"

The other's gaze slid over Vernon's staff ID card. "You must be Vernon."

The omega's gaze lowered to the man's tag. "And you must be Daniel."

He didn't like the other's cocky smile one bit. "But that doesn't explain why you're here."

Daniel smiled. "This attitude won't get you anywhere."

Vernon chuckled softly. "And who are you to decide that?"

He raised a questioning brow, wondering why this man was wasting his time.

"Miss King is looking for you."

The omega resisted the urge to roll his eyes and stood up.

"You better be humble!" Daniel called after him.

Vernon ignored him and headed for Melissa's office. He briefly wondered why she wanted to see him.

He knocked twice, adjusting his tie.

"Come in," came Melissa's voice.

Vernon pushed it open, stepping in. "You called for me, Miss King?" he asked, hiding his annoyance with a blank face.

Melissa propped her chin with a hand. "Have you done the work I gave you this morning?"

The omega frowned. "No. But I am nearly—"

"Yet you found it convenient to leave your work and go for lunch?" she asked, cutting him off. Her gaze narrowed. "That is not a good look for your first day, Vernon."

Vernon frowned. "I just went to have lunch. I'm not breaking any rules."

Melissa raised a brow. "You're even talking back to your superior. That is disrespectful."

The omega was taken aback by the sudden turn of discussion. He blinked. "That's not what I meant. I'm just saying—"

"It seems you're misunderstanding something, Vernon," Melissa cut in, her tone icy. "Being the CEO's husband doesn't give you any privileges in this company."

She leaned back, eyes filled with disdain. "You haven't contributed anything to this company, whereas I am an asset that Donovan Enterprises can't afford to lose."

"Even Mr. Xavier Donovan knows that too."

Vernon watched as Melissa closed her eyes as she said Xavier's name, a blissful smile on her face.

So his guess was correct.

Melissa felt more for Xavier. Though could it even be called love?

It made her look pathetic in his eyes.

He swallowed his disdain and forced a smile on his face. "Of course, Miss King. I will focus more on work from now on."

Melissa's eyes snapped open and her lips curled in a satisfied smirk. "That is what is expected of you. Henceforth, you will bring me coffee each day at meal times without fail."

"And I won't tolerate tardiness," she said. "Is that clear?"

Vernon nodded. "Yes."

"Good. And every work I hand to you must be completed within that day," Melissa instructed. "I don't care if you skip meals or you're the last to leave the company. Is that understood?"

Vernon nodded again. "Yes."

She waved him away. "You may leave."

The omega was headed out when Melissa spoke again.

"And Vernon?"

He turned and looked at her. "Yes?"

"You can tell your husband if you feel I am being unjust. That will only prove to everyone that you're a weak person who is not worthy to stand beside a man like Xavier Donovan."

Vernon wordlessly walked out, his heart clenching in his chest.

As he sat in his seat, Martha slid closer to him. "Are you alright?" she asked, worry bleeding into her tone.

Vernon nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine."

Martha didn't look like she believed him. "Then why did Melissa call you to her office?"

"Are you in trouble?" she inquired.

The omega shook his head. "No. She just... gave me advice on how to work more efficiently."

Martha's brows furrowed in confusion. "That doesn't sound like her. She doesn't—"

"There's a first for everything," Vernon said, interrupting her. He started arranging the files on his table. "Don't worry yourself about it."

**************

Maids scampered around the room, avoiding being hit by the cases Oliver was throwing around.

His assistant tried to pacify him. "You have to be calm, sir. I'm sure the issue can be solved without you getting hurt."

Oliver screamed again, throwing another vase against the wall. It shattered, a shard piercing a maid's thigh.

The metallic tang of blood filled the room as she cradled her injury, a pained whimper escaping her lips.

That didn't stop Oliver from his rampage. He continued throwing things around, screaming at the top of his lungs.

The assistant's gaze slid over to the injured maid. "Go and have that treated."

She immediately scurried off, and he turned back to his employer with a tired sigh.

"Maybe a beauty spa could do you good and ease your worries, sir?"

Oliver's eyes snapped to him. "Are you an idiot? How is a beauty spa going to change the fact that my alpha has been stolen from me?"

He grabbed a jar and threw it at the assistant, which the man avoided by ducking quickly, saving his head.

"Why am I surrounded by fools?!" Oliver cried, pulling his hair. "Why? Why can't anyone provide a solution?!"

"I will get my alpha back," he whispered, placing a hand against his chest. "No one can love Xavier like me."

"I will prove it to him, and he will love me again," Oliver said, his scent turning sweet. "It will be just like before."

His assistant stayed crouched on the ground, his forehead covered in sweat. He clutched his tablet to his chest, his breath coming in heavy pants.

His employer was truly crazy!

***************

"So it's true that your son got married, Alyssa."

The woman flinched at the gravelly voice, tightening her grip on the spoon she was holding.

"Yes," she replied, her voice steady. "I attended the wedding."

Alyssa lifted her head and met the old man's gaze. "My son was happy. Something this family never allowed him to be."

"Careful," the other tutted. "You shouldn't bite the hand that fed you and protected you with such venomous words."

Alyssa's gaze faltered, and his smile widened. "Xavier is the heir of the Donovan family, and it shall remain that way."

"He only needs to step up and stop being a coward."

"What if he's trying to build something new that's not covered in blood?" Alyssa asked. "My son has been through much since that day, and—"

"So has everyone," the old man interrupted calmly. "The Donovan family blood runs through his veins, and so does our bravery, whether he likes it or not."

He stood up, the sound of his chair scraping echoing through the room. "Xavier should enjoy his marital bliss for now. I'll simply observe him for now."

Alyssa watched his back as he retreated, her eyes filling with tears. "I wish I could protect you more, my son."