Chapter 16

I didn’t need Kingston’s over-the-top apology gift, but Riley’s birthday was on the line. And between the toy’s designer, the five brand reps, and a flurry of assistants, I was presented with a plethora of options to choose from.

Finally, after much thinking, I picked something I knew Riley would love: a newly released LEGO werewolf transformation set.

The kind that hadn’t even hit stores yet. The designer said it was “experimental” and “mystical.” LEGOs were some of Riley’s favorite toys, and I knew he would appreciate it no matter how rare and cutting-edge it was. Plus, it came with glow-in-the-dark claws, so I was sold.

As I was about to leave, Kingston glanced up and waved a hand toward a case near the window.

“You should take a watch too,” he said, like he was offering me a paper clip. “For… the inconvenience.”

“Inconvenience?” I blinked.

“Your cake. And your son’s birthday. That’s not a small thing.”

That—as well as the watch—caught me off guard.

The watch was absolutely stunning. It was sleek, silver, and clearly expensive, but understated in an elegant way. I hesitated, but the look on Kingston’s face was firm and encouraging.

I had a feeling even if I told him I didn’t want it, I was getting that watch regardless. He clearly already had his mind made up.

“Fine,” I said. “Thank you. I’ll take it.”

He didn’t grin in satisfaction or even say anything else to me. He just motioned for the watch to be packaged up as well.

I took the wrapped boxes, thanked him awkwardly once more, and left before I did something dumb like blush at his generosity.

That afternoon, I picked Riley up from school. He bounced into the car, saw the gift, and shrieked in excitement, clawing off the wrapping paper like an animal.

“You got the Transforming Werewolf set?! MOM! This doesn’t come out for three more months!”

He hugged the box like it was a sacred treasure.

I smiled. “Only the best for your big day, buddy.” In my head, I thanked Kingston one more time for good measure.

We pulled up to the themed kids’ restaurant I’d reserved a week in advance—werewolf-themed, of course. Riley was obsessed and had always wanted to try it, but I usually couldn’t afford their steep prices without a good excuse.

But just as we were about to sit down, a tall werewolf couple with matching leather jackets swooped in and claimed our table.

“I’m sorry, ma’am,” said the hostess, glancing between us, nervous. “We had to give up your table. It’s pack policy. They… they say werewolves have seating priority.”

“What?” I stared. “I made a reservation days ago! My name is right there.”

The female werewolf didn’t even look at me. “Humans should wait. There is nothing we can do about pack policy.”

I clenched my fists and marched over to the manager. My blood was boiling, but I kept my voice steady. “Excuse me. That was our table. I reserved it.”

The manager was clearly gearing up to brush me off, lips pursed and nose slightly curled like I smelled bad—

Then his eyes dropped to my wrist.

In that instant, his entire face transformed. I could’ve sworn I saw him gulp.

“I—I didn’t realize,” he stammered. “My deepest apologies, miss. Right this way. We have a private room open that you can use.”

Riley tugged on my sleeve, whispering, “Mom, what just happened?”

“I… don’t know,” I admitted, blinking.

The manager personally escorted us to a velvet-curtained room at the back with glowing moons and animatronic howlers. This back room was clearly meant for special occasions and was decorated beautifully.

The wait staff eagerly attended to our every need, practically falling over themselves to serve us. The chef even came out, kneeling in front of Riley to present a sizzling birthday steak that made his eyes bug out.

“Compliments of the house,” the chef said.

The manager lingered by the door as the chef left and nodded toward my watch. “That model… It’s exquisite. I didn’t know the second piece had already been gifted.”

I blinked. “Second?”

He smiled, clearly trying to contain his awe. “There are only two of those in the country. The other belongs to the one who’s most likely to be the next Alpha King.”

My fork paused mid-air. “The Alpha King?”

“Yes. You didn’t know?” The chef leaned in conspiratorially. “Big shifts are coming. And with his pharmaceutical alliances, the frontrunner’s practically locked in.”

I tilted my head. “And… who is that?”

He beamed. “Kingston Ashford.”

I choked on my water.

The rest of the meal passed in a daze. Riley was obliviously enjoying his meal, but I kept glancing down at the thing encircling my wrist like it had grown teeth.

All this time, I thought Kingston was just a grumpy, stiff corporate beast. But he was gunning for Alpha King?

And that drug project I helped salvage? That wasn’t just about sales. It was part of a much bigger picture. As the future potential Alpha King, he needed that project to succeed.

And I had almost messed that up for him.

My fingers traced the silver band of the watch as I thought about this man whom I had seen so much of recently, yet knew nothing at all about.

Monday came fast, and the work week began when Kingston called a project-wide meeting.

I hadn’t expected him to use my solution. I hadn’t expected him to credit anyone at all, honestly.

But there he was, calm and commanding as ever, laying out the plan I’d spent days building with Rock.

“Crisis management begins with clarity,” he said. “Cora and Rock provided three proposals. This is the one I’ve chosen.”

Amy, sitting stiffly across the table, barely twitched. But her eyes were murderous.

After discussing the numbers and the rollout schedule, Kingston looked at Amy and said evenly, “From this point forward, collaboration is more important than infighting. Everyone will do well to remember that.”

Amy looked as if she wanted to burst out of her skin at his pointed look.

Then he turned to the rest of the room. “For the record, both parties—the manager and the directly involved employee—will share responsibility for the prior delay. However, the person who created the solution will receive a promotion.”

There was a pause. He flipped the last page of the proposal, then raised a brow.

“Rock’s name is the only one listed.”

Everyone looked at me.

I kept my face neutral. It wasn’t about credit. I had just wanted the truth to come out.

Kingston nodded to himself. I could see it in his eyes. Regardless of whose name was on there and whose wasn’t, he knew.

After the meeting, I got an email. My suspension had been lifted. Full pay restored. No apology, no confession from Amy—but still. It was something.

In fact, knowing that the truth had been revealed and the problem had been solved was everything.

Later that week, I ran into Ethan in the elevator. He leaned in, eyeing my wrist.

“Nice watch. Let me guess—Kingston?”

We laughed, and for once, I didn’t feel like I was drowning in drama.

Then Ethan tilted his head. “If you’re still looking for proof you didn’t edit that report, you might want to check the backup drives. You know, from your old Sales Department days.”

I blinked. “The drives?”

“Yeah. The old tech closet still has archived files. Could be a treasure trove.”

My heart skipped.

By the time the elevator doors opened, I was already making a plan.

I hit the ground running with that lead the next day. I showed up early, determined and worked late to get to the bottom of it.

When Kingston walked out of the building that evening, briefcase in hand, I was already by his car. The wave of motivation I was riding hadn’t diminished quite yet.

“I’ll drive.”

He gave me a long look. “You?”

“Consider it a thank-you for the watch. And the LEGO set. Driving you to and from work is the least I could do.”

He hesitated. “You sure?”

I smiled. “I’m full of surprises.”

He tossed me the keys without another word.

As we drove off, I saw him glance at my wrist once. Then he looked out the window, his tone quieter.

“You never signed the proposal.”

“I know.”

“Why?”

“Because it was never about credit,” I said. “It was about fixing the mess.”

There was a pause.

Then, just loud enough to hear over the engine, he said, “I think I was wrong about you.”

My chest tightened a little.

“Is that your way of apologizing?” I managed to say teasingly.

“Don’t get used to it,” he mumbled, and we both chuckled.

For the first time in weeks, I didn’t feel like prey. I felt like a partner. Perhaps he would be able to separate his previous opinions of me to respect the hard work I put in.

“I’ll have a new set of keys made,” he said after a pause.

“Keys to what?” I asked.

“My car.”

“Oh.” I blinked at the road. “Careful, you might start making me believe you actually like my company.”

Kingston snorted. “One thing at a time, Cora.”

I smiled inwardly, making it my personal goal to do just that.