Chapter 132

Victors POV

I could tell by the tone of Alex’s text that he wanted to discuss something urgent. Yet I was stunned when he handed me a file and told me he was handing over the leadership of The United Association of Alphas to me immediately.

I held the file in my hand and stared at Alex.

I couldn’t believe it was happening. My main goal over the past twenty years was now literally in my hands. All I needed to do was sign the papers in front of association members and be sworn in.

Why didn’t I feel happy about it?

“You can’t accept the position yet,” Adam said in my mind. “It will be the end of your agreement with Daisy. We will lose her and Diana to the other wolf.”

“Silence, Adam,” I told him. “I can’t think with all your chatter.”

“I will be silent,” Adam replied. “But you know you don’t want to lose them either. You care for Daisy more than you want to admit to yourself.”

“I said, be silent,” I repeated as I realized Alex was looking at me strangely. Thank the Goddess, he and Daisy couldn’t hear Adam’s words to me.

“Don’t look so surprised, Victor,” Alex chided. “You knew this day was coming since you were a child.”

It wasn’t surprising that Alex was ready to relinquish the association's leadership before his death. He had spoken of it when he first came home from the hospital.

But Adam was right. I dreaded the day I would be sworn in as the association’s leader because it would mean the end of my deal with Daisy.

It would be strange not to have her in my life every day.

I like and admire Daisy very much. And truthfully, I am attracted to her. She is far more beautiful now than I thought possible when I first met her.

But it had nothing to do with love.

I just don’t think it’s time for her to be out of my life yet. She still needs me, and I enjoy her company. There is plenty of time for me to go back to the life of a wealthy playboy.

“It was like a punch to your gut when you saw her holding hands with William on the dock at the lake,” Adam reminded me. “We went for a run not just to calm me but to keep you from making a fool of yourself over her.”

I cringed when Adam mentioned the incident and wondered what the spy at Daisy’s school had seen. Had Daisy and William been careless and shown affection for each other in the cafeteria as they had on the dock?

I glanced at her sitting next to me in front of Alex’s desk, and I felt a twinge of emotion I didn’t understand. The urge to reach out and touch her soft skin was strong.

No, I wasn’t ready to end our engagement. But I kept my hands to myself.

There must be another way to keep the position from falling into John’s hands. I needed to delay taking over as the association’s leader for a while until I sorted things out in my mind.

“I haven’t kept up with the association’s issues over the last year,” I told Alex, although it wasn’t entirely true. “Why don’t you mentor me like I have Daisy for a while before I take over.”

“How long do you think it would take you to get up to speed?” Alex asked.

“Not long, I replied. “And if there are any signs that John is coming after the leadership role, I will immediately accept the position.”

As Daisy excused herself to prepare for her meeting with my mother, I could tell she was worried about Alex. But she showed no regret at our agreement coming to an end.

She considers me her friend. I must be content with that role in her life.

I looked up to see Alex was still watching me.

“Is there another reason why you’re not ready to take on the leadership position?” he asked.

“Your daughter still needs my help and guidance,” I replied. “I advised her to call a meeting with the department heads at the company tomorrow. Now I’m not sure if it was good advice.”

“You don’t think she can handle the meeting?” Alex offered me a drink.

“Some of the executives are under John’s influence.” I poured myself a scotch. “Most have been made nervous about the company's future by all the gossip and her youth and inexperience.”

“She must win them over herself with a display of leadership,” Alex said. “The meeting is a good idea if she handles it just right.”

“I agree.” I sipped my scotch. “And I believe she can handle it. But I didn’t want to make her nervous by expressing the importance of the meeting.”

“She needs to know there are no do-overs with the impression she will make on them,” Alex said. “The executives were hand-picked by me for their abilities. But a few have tremendous egos that I kept under tight rein.”

I finished my drink and put the glass on the edge of Alex’s desk. “I’ll speak to Daisy after my mother is finished with her. I’ll do my best to inspire her without increasing her anxiety.”

“Daisy does need you and will continue to need you for a while,” Alex said. “It would be best if you are available until she is ready to run the company independently. We will wait to file the papers with the association.”

“But we will keep an eye on John Cameron and his henchmen,” Alex added. “Even the Alphas in our society would suffer if John is ever in charge. And the Betas and Omegas would be nothing but enslaved people, laboring to appease his greed.”

“We must ensure he never gets near power,” I agreed. “Many lives depend upon it.”

“I think we need a few of our own spies to keep an eye on things,” Alex mused.

“Is there anyone you can trust within his inner circle?” I asked.

Alex nodded. “They told me about the secret vote while Daisy was at the lake and about the campaign to smear her reputation.”

“I must make sure she understands the need for discretion,” I mumbled more to myself than Alex.

Alex’s eyebrows rose. “What aren’t you saying, Victor?”

“Don’t tell him about Daisy and William,” Adam advised. “If he knows Daisy has feelings for another, he could end the engagement for her.”

“Daisy is unaware of how these games are played,” I told Alex. “She doesn’t understand how the slightest thing can be spun into something that can be used against her.”

“Spin, gaslighting, and alternative facts are the enemy of all decent people,” Alex agreed. “See that she understands how easily someone can use them to ruin her.”

“I will talk to her before I leave tonight, and I will take her to school in the morning to keep her in the right frame of mind.”

“Thank you,” Alex said. “You are a good man, Victor. I was right to choose you many years ago to be my daughter’s mate and my successor.”

“That’s good to hear, “ I said. But Alex’s praise made me understand Daisy more when she complained about feeling guilty when she spent time with my mother.

Benson knocked on the office door. “Excuse me, Mr. Wilson, but dinner is ready to be served.”

“Excellent, Benson,” Alex said. He waited for the butler to leave the room. “Is there anything else you wish to discuss?”

“No. Not that I can think of at the moment,” I replied.

“Then let us go to dinner.”

Mother and Daisy were seated at the dining room table. I sat across from Daisy.

“I need to talk to you after dinner,” I told her.

She looked from her father to me. “What about?”

“We need to discuss your strategy for tomorrow's meeting,” I replied.

“Your mother already gave me some excellent strategy advice,” she said, smiling at my mother.

“Would you like to share her advice with Alex and me?”

Daisy told us the advice my mother gave her on dealing with the company’s executives.

“That’s excellent advice, Lana,” Alex grinned. “I believe the meeting will go well.”

“But you’ll be there, Victor, right?” Daisy asked.

“Yes,” I replied. “But it’s your meeting. You must be in control.”