Read with BonusRead with Bonus

Chapter 1

The sky is dark and I watch the chants and the placards. I can feel the excitement in my chest and I can feel the anger in theirs. Several workers have fallen victim to the hazardous work environment created by Harrington Corp and they have fine nothing about it.

I remember a meeting with the young Anna Harrington and her temper which made her an easy target for the tabloids. Hopefully, this will awaken the dragon and I'll get to see the CEO of Harrington Corp. I'll get to make my terms and force him to accept them.

The protests are going on and the rain starts which means we will have to disperse for a while but will be back when the rain stops. I curse the rain in my mind as I walk to the restaurant nearby, my belly rumbling and growling from the hunger that wants to tear it apart. I walk to the building and sit at the table when a man walks up to the table. He is wearing a brown coat with a sweater underneath, tall and broad-shouldered with soft brown eyes covered with glasses and a charming, dimpled smile.

"Hello, my friend. I am sorry, the other tables are taken and I was wondering…" he gestures to a table opposite me and I nod.

He gives a nod of gratitude as he sits down and takes out a book. I raise an eyebrow, impressed. It is a rare thing to see anyone reading, rarer to see that it is a man. He reads for a while then looks at me, his eyes curious. He looks outside through the glass walls. There is something about him that seems familiar.

"You… you are among the protesters outside the building?" He asks just as the waitress comes and he makes his order. I make mine and she leaves. He is looking at me, a soft smile on his face. There is something about him that is extremely disarming and makes me decide to tell him about the protests. I sigh.

"Yes, actually. That building there is the Harrington Corp factory. Harrin Sevada? The car? Yeah, this is one of the car manufacturing factories and seventeen of their workers have been injured in the last two months. Three died this year alone because of the terrible conditions they were forced to work under.

"That is truly awful but I hear the pay is excellent, no? Many would consider that a good trade, wouldn't they?" He asks. The question would have been annoying and even offensive coming from anyone else but he seems genuinely curious.

"Good pay and pension do not mean that workers should be treated like animals within their work environment. They deserve to have safety."

"I see," he said, nodding, seemingly turning this over in his mind for a while.

"And this has been forwarded through the appropriate channels? I mean, shouldn't they be sued or shouldn't reports be made to…"

"You do not know the Harrington family. It is more of a gang than a family. They have everyone in their pocket and they are led by that evil, privileged prick, Marcus Harrington. He inherited the company five years ago after his father's death, you know? Wasn't better under his father. No one can touch them at this point so we decided to take matters into our own hands," I say to him. He nods slowly then sighs as his order is brought. It is a simple hot soup and water. Mine is brought as well.

"Kind of a lost cause, don't you think?" He asks, his eyes in the soup like he is reading the words he is saying from inside it. I shake my head, digging into my rice.

"Nothing is a lost cause if there are people willing to fight for it," I reply. He stares at me for a while then he nods and stands up.

"It was nice talking to you. I have to go now," he says and moves away before I can even tell him that it is still raining. He steps into the rain, hunches over, and walks away, his broad shoulders straining against the large coat.

Man, he is huge

It's morning the next day when I get a call inviting me to speak with Marcus Harrington himself. I stare at my phone after the call, unable to believe that I have doused him from all the way back home to this place. I gather all my courage and start preparing, mentally arranging the questions I have for him in my head.

It is a short drive to the Harrington factory and I am led into a bright, spacious office with potted plants and a book on the table along with a single computer and a bowl of soup. The space is simple and elegant, the furniture is tasteful in a way that awes me as I run my hand along the mahogany table.

"Mr. Harrington will be with you shortly," the woman says to me and walks away. I sit down there for a while, then I start getting afraid but then again, what can they do to me? All my people know that I am here and I am a werewolf. It would be too difficult to harm me and be able to keep it silent. Surely they wouldn't want to go through the hassle.

I am still seated there when I suddenly feel an almost overwhelming pressure. It is so much that I find it difficult to breathe and that is when I hear the footsteps behind me. They stop a little bit away from behind my chair and I try to force myself to continue breathing but it seems almost impossible. The pressure reduces until it almost fades but there is a tingling at the back of my senses, an aftertaste of what just happened. I stand and turn around and that is when my eyes meet his and I pause.

Marcus is a massive man and from his slightly red eyes, I can tell he is an alpha. He has black hair cropped short and broad shoulders covered in a finely tailored suit. There is a little earring dangling from one ear and his face seems like it has never known a smile before but then again, I can see something else. He smiles and it becomes clear.

"Yo…you?" I ask, pointing at him and he dips his head in acknowledgement.

"I thought the book and the bowl of soup would jog your memory but I must say, your powers of deduction are terrible. Please, sit," he says, gesturing at the seat as he walks around the table and sits in his. He looks so at me and I stand there, my heart beating fast, anger and embarrassment seeking to swallow me.

"How were you…how did I…"

"Honest mistake, really. People see what they expect to see and in the same way, they don't often see what they don't expect. There is no way in the world you would have expected me to sit at lunch with you and I shielded my aura, wore contacts, and a smile. Glasses do go a long way in disguises as well. I did good, didn't I?" He asks.

His smile is so terribly condescending. The one thing I want to do is to smack it away from his face.

"Miss Norton. Sit, please. I was told you wanted to speak to me. I must also tell you that my sister doesn't seem to be your biggest fan," he says to me. I slowly sit.

"You shouldn't have done that," I say. He shrugs.

"What shouldn't I have done?"

"You spied on me."

"Ah, enough with that already. I have spoken to you and I have listened to the things you have to say. I find them reasonable and there are, currently, contractors who have come to start the renovations. These are documents and papers that will make sure that I don't go back on my word and you don't go back on yours to stop these protests and leave my work to go on in peace," he says then leans back in his chair.

I look at him then at the papers then back at him again. I take them and check them thoroughly, but everything seems to check out.

"Just to make sure I am not being an, eh…how did you put it again? An evil, privileged prick, you can take that to your lawyer and have it checked. You will see that the terms are transparent."

"What is the catch?" I ask him and he shakes his head.

"There is none," he replies.

"I find that hard to believe," I reply. He nods at the papers.

"On this matter, there is no catch but I would like you to see it as an offer of goodwill for the second matter that I would like to propose to you," he says.

"Ah, thought you said there was no catch."

"If there were, trust me…you wouldn't have to ask. This is something entirely different. Something, I believe, that will be to our mutual benefit."

"What is it?" I ask, my curiosity awakening.

"You can oversee the renovations, if you wish but after that, I would like you to come work for me, Miss Elizabeth Norton."

I look at his face, searching for any signs that he may be lying but there seems to be no sign of a bluff on his face. I shake my head at the sheer audacity of the man.

"You are asking me to work for you. You think that I would actually work for you?" She asks and he nods.

"You are an industrial designer and you are an exceptionally good one. However, your activist tendencies have made it rather difficult for you to maintain a job and you are currently running late on your rent and may move to the suburbs to live with your aunt after all this is over. Am I wrong?" He asks me. His words infuriate me so much that I find my hands have turned white from being clenched so hard.

"How…how the hell do you know all that?"

"I know many things, Miss Norton. You will be laid a very handsome salary and an official car of your choice will be acquired for you. You also get to live in one of the company houses," he says to me. The look on his face says that he has already taken my acceptance for granted.

"You are not a man accustomed to being refused, are you?" I ask and he sighs.

"I suppose you are about to make me familiar with the feeling?"

"Yes. I refuse your offer," I snap at him. His face is calm through all of it then he nods once.

"My card," he says, handing me the card then he leans back in his chair. I look at the card then stand.

"You have done what I wished for you to do and that is the end of our business. Have a nice day, Mr Harrington," I say to him then turn around and leave as the tears start gathering in my eyes. What right does he even have? What right does he have to treat me like that? To say and know those things? To come to me when my guard was down. I continue walking while the people turn to blur from the tests in my eyes.

Previous Chapter
Next Chapter