Chapter 25

Grace

“Uncle Eason!” Cecil cried. “You should come have cereal!”

Eason bustled in, carrying groceries and breakfast supplies. His cheerful demeanor was infectious, and his presence infused the room with an energy that was hard to resist.

“I don’t know, Ce-Ce, I think muffins—” He cocked an eyebrow at me as he looked between me and Charles. Then he grinned. "Muffins always beat cereal. Morning, Grace!"

Eason's voice was buoyant as he greeted me, his arms laden with bags.

I returned his greeting with a smile, noting the mischief in his eyes. The warmth of his energy was filling me.

"Morning, Eason. You seem unusually chipper today."

Eason's grin widened, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "Oh, you know, just embracing the joy of the morning. And speaking of joy, who's this?"

His gaze shifted to Charles, who sat at the table, sipping his coffee as if he were the picture of calm and collectedness. I could sense the underlying amusement in Eason's tone, a hint of teasing that made me roll my eyes.

He leaned close. “I thought you weren’t going out again? Did he like the dress?”

I scoffed. “I’m still getting rid of it. Eason, this is Charles," I rolled my eyes, my voice tinged with a mixture of exasperation and amusement. “Charles is…”

"Your type!” Eason wiggled his eyebrows.

My face burned. “Eason!”

“Nice to meet you, Charles!" Eason's warmth poured into his words as he thrust his hand forward. "You seem familiar, but I can’t place it… Maybe you look like one of those guys from Grace’s favorite movies—“

I jumped to my feet. “Eason, you can’t.”

Charles took his hand and shook it. Eason jerked and met Charles’ gaze with a sharp motion. His eyes flashed with white light. His eyes widened. He went pale as Charles tilted his head and released his hand.

“Interesting.”

“Charles…” Eason said slowly. “You… have a last name?”

“Blackwoods.”

Eason jerked his head around to look at me. “Uh, well… should I be… addressing you as Your Highness or something?”

“You’d probably like that too much.”

Eason’s face turned bright red and my jaw dropped. Eason glanced at me with wide eyes as Charles chuckled.

“Don’t look so surprised.”

“Eason, could we—“

“Grace, with me.” He grabbed my arm and hauled me around the table and out of the dining room to the parlor on the other side.

“What the hell?” Eason asked. “You… You brought home the Lycan King?”

"He's here to help with the company."

Eason's eyebrows shot up. “Company, huh? Which is why he made that comment?”

“I don’t know---“

“Unless you brought him for me, in which case—“

“Eason, focus!” I couldn't help but laugh at his teasing tone, feeling a faint blush warm my cheeks. "It's not like that, Eason. Charles and I have a professional arrangement."

“Yeah? Well, does that include whatever the hell he just did to me?” He shook himself. “My hand is still tingling. My body is tingling. My brain is tingling!”

I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed. My eyes pricking with tears. “I… I really miss you, Eason.”

He wrapped his arms around me. “What’s going on? You’re getting sappy, and you have a hot man at your dinner table.”

I took a deep breath. “You might want to sit down for this.”

I leaned forward, my voice steady."Eason, our company has been through a rough patch – thanks to Devin's antics. He left the company and the pack in financial shambles. Charles has invested enough money to get us a real chance to fix everything he’s done, and I’ve already signed the contract. Ronald was embezzling from the company, we fired the board, and he got the utilizes turned back on.”

Eason stared at me with his mouth open in horror after I finished. I knew that wasn’t everything, but honestly, I was so frazzled I couldn’t get the information to come out in the right order. I was panicked. It must have shown on my face because Eason was still just string at me.

“Won’t you say something?”

He closed his eyes and his expression turned wary, his gaze searching mine for sincerity. "And you trust him? Even though he’s the guy you called SOS on?"

I nodded, my voice steady. "Yes, I do. We have a contract in place, and he's been nothing but professional. He's given me back the house when he easily could have taken over the pack indirectly. He's invested in helping us get back on track."

“And the cheating?”

I shook my head. “A misunderstanding.”

“And you believe that?”

I nodded. “He was pretty open about it, and evne if I don’t, we’re not romatically involved.”

Eason's eyes softened, his skepticism giving way to understanding. "Okay, Grace. If you trust him, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt."

I smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Eason. I know this might seem a bit sudden, but I believe it's the right move for the pack."

“Sure. You’re also delusional if you think that man doesn’t want you.”

My jaw dropped. “We said—“

“His eyes said something different. And if you don’t want him, ask him how he feels about men.”

I laughed. “Eason, be serious.”

“If he’s up for other forms of gratitude, I’m game.”

Eason's grin returned, his playful demeanor back in full force. "Well, I think we’ve stalled enough, let's give this pack a much-needed boost, shall we?"

I shook my head. “You’re incorrigible.”

“You know if you ease the way with a little extra gratitude no one would fault you, he’s one hell of an eligible bachelor.”

I frowned and pulled him back. “What do you mean by that?”

He smirked. “Curious about your lover, hm?”

“He’s Devin’s adoptive father.”

He let out a low whistle. “Hit that bastard right where it hurts, huh?”

I nudged him. “Quit it.”

Eason shrugged. “He’s not married, never mated. People swing between wondering if he’s hiding his lover or just a romantic. I had always hope he was gay, for obvious reasons, but it doesn’t seem like it from what you told me. No gay senses, though how he knew about me I can only guess.”

I frowned. “How… did he know?”

“You think he could smell it on me?” He sniffed his arm. “I haven’t gotten laid in like a year, but maybe it lingers?”

I snickered. “Please stop.”

He cackled. “Maybe it’s a lycan thing.”

“Maybe. He growled at Richard and got him to calm down.”

He grinned. “Really stroking that mommy engine for you, hm?”

I shoved him out the door as he laughed.

As Eason and I rejoined Charles at the breakfast table, the atmosphere was surprisingly relaxed. Charles was doting on Cecil, wiping her hands and cleaning up a small milk spill, while Richard lay nestled in his arms, fast asleep. I couldn't help but feel a surge of appreciation for his presence, and I exchanged a knowing glance with Eason, who seemed to be assessing the situation.

Eason's voice was playful as he leaned back in his chair, his gaze flickering from Charles to me. "Well, well, it looks like Richard's quite comfortable with our new addition here. Kid's got a good sense for people – he can scent evil a mile away."

I chuckled softly, nodding in agreement. "Yes, he seems to have taken a liking to Charles."

Eason pulled out his laptop, the screen casting a soft glow on his face as he turned his attention to business matters. "Alright, enough of the warm and fuzzy – let's get down to business. I've been working on a plan for Wolfe Medical."

I leaned forward, eager to hear Eason's ideas for rejuvenating the company. His enthusiasm was infectious, and I couldn't help but feel a glimmer of hope for the future. "I'm all ears, Eason."

He grinned, his fingers dancing across the keyboard as he began to outline his vision. "First off, I'm thinking we should play up the family angle – you know, returning to our roots. I've got some ideas about reediting Dad's old commercials, or even creating new ones with a nostalgic twist. It'll resonate with the long-standing customers and bring in new ones."

I listened attentively, appreciating Eason's creativity and dedication to the pack's legacy. "That sounds like a solid plan, Eason. But before we dive into the heartwarming stuff, we need to address a more pressing issue."

Eason raised an eyebrow, his curiosity piqued. "Pressing issue? What are you talking about?"

I took a deep breath, realizing that what I was about to propose might catch Eason off guard. "We need to launch a trash campaign first."

Eason's eyes widened, his expression a mix of surprise and confusion. "A trash campaign? Grace, are you serious? Why on earth would we want to tarnish our own image?"

“To buy back the rest of the company as cheaply as possible.”

His eyes widened. He looked stunned.

“You are really going to have to explain to me what is going on.”