105 The Same Kind 2
+3 Points 7
Mara
“May I help you?” I asked Lacy, my voice clipped, the message clear: You don’t belong here.
She fidgeted, her confidence cracking the moment she realized I wasn’t going to pretend she hadn’t just walked in without
a word.
No greeting. No courtesy. Just entitlement. The air around her screamed smugness, and I didn’t miss the subtle flicker of
discomfort in her eyes.
Before she could speak, Alpha Vander stepped in.
“Actually, I asked her to come with me,” he said casually.
I already knew. That didn’t excuse the disrespect.
“Well, in that case,” I replied, meeting his gaze without flinching, “it was still inappropriate for her not to greet me.”
There was a pause-long enough to make the moment uncomfortable.
“You’re right,” he admitted. “I was so pleased about some developments, I let that slide.”
He turned to Lacy, his voice shifting. “You better learn to respect your Luna.”
I didn’t care if the correction came from him or not-I wanted her to know I saw her.
“I’m sorry, Luna Mara,” she said, painting innocence onto her face like a cheap mask. “I just didn’t want to interrupt your
conversation with Uncle Vander.”
Uncle Vander. Of course. The performance wasn’t for me-it was for him. A pretty little lie tucked in a harmless tone.
He cleared his throat. “I found out Lacy is still working as an intern. I’d like her to be placed under Mary. With you handling
operations now, I think it makes sense. I know you were uncomfortable with her working directly under Lucian, but now
that you’re here, perhaps it’s time to reconsider. She’s well-qualified, and she’d be an asset. Trust me-family is the safest
choice, Mara. That’s why Lucian chose you.”
I almost laughed.
Family? His family, not mine. Lacy wasn’t blood. She was proximity. And I wasn’t naive.
“With all due respect,” I said, voice cool but steady, “I don’t think that’s a wise decision. Lucian made it clear he doesn’t trust Martha’s relatives in his business. And now that Martha is in financial trouble, it’s hard to ignore the timing.”
That landed. He didn’t like it. The disappointment in his eyes wasn’t subtle-it was personal. He’d come here expecting obedience, not boundaries.
“When I arranged your union with my son, purchased you actually,” he said, voice low and sharp, “I thought I was getting a sweet girl. Someone who might soften him a little. But you… you’re just as cold as he is.”
And there it was.
I bowed my head-not out of submission, but to mask the fire in my eyes. Let him think I was cowed. Let him sit with his insult, believing it landed.
But inside, I stood tall.
Because I wasn’t sweet.
10s The Same kind 2
I was strong.
And he’d underestimated the woman who now held the keys to his son’s heart.
“Alpha,” I said, steady and unflinching, “you can’t expect kindness from a child you never showed love to. Kindness grows from love, not from punishment or silence. You believed every lie Martha told about Lucian. You humiliated him for things he didn’t do. He isn’t cruel-he’s guarded. Just like I am now.”
His expression didn’t move, but I saw the shift in his eyes.
“I respected you. I still do. But that day at the breakfast table-when your wife tried to destroy me with her lies-you didn’t defend me. You didn’t question her. You nearly cast me out without proof. And when the truth surfaced, Martha got
nothing more than a scolding.”
I leaned forward, voice calm but resolute. “That’s why I won’t allow Lacy to work closely with Mary. If she makes a mistake
-or worse-she’ll walk away without consequence. I can’t run a company where some people are untouchable. That’s not
leadership. That’s chaos wrapped in privilege.”
Lacy looked stunned. Her innocence act evaporated under the heat of my truth.
“If she wants to stay as an intern on the ground floor, fine. If not, she can go to Winston’s Corps, or any other company.
But not here. Not under me.”
I met his gaze fully now.
“She has her sights set on my husband-the one you purchased me for, remember? Don’t act surprised. You knew what you were doing. And now you’re trying to sidestep Lucian by going through me, hoping I’ll fold.”
He blinked, caught for a moment. I didn’t let up.
“You tried this with him first. I remember. He said no. You told Martha it was his company and to accept that decision. So
why are you pushing it on me now? You think I’m easier to pressure?”
My voice lowered-not out of fear, but finality.
“Let me be very clear. Lucian would never forgive me if I allowed the niece of the woman who tormented him access to the
inner workings of his company. Lacy isn’t just a risk-she’s a liability. And right now, I’m knee-deep in damage control
because Martha and her allies nearly ran Steel Corp into the ground. Incomplete contracts. Shoddy work. Months of
oversight undone. And you turned a blind eye to all of it.”
I took a breath. Held my ground.
“I won’t do it, Alpha. Hate me if you want. Call me names. But I will not endanger everything Lucian and I are rebuilding.”
He stood. Slowly. His body tense with heat he hadn’t released yet.
He walked to the window beside my desk, staring out across the city skyline. Steel Corp’s tower rose above everything, glass gleaming in the sunlight. The tallest structure for miles. Unshakable. Proud.
I watched him carefully. For a moment, I thought he might lash out. Hit something. Hit me.
But I didn’t move.
He didn’t speak.
And neither did I.
“I built this company from nothing,” he said, his voice firm, laced with that same righteous conviction men like him wear
like armor.
“Natasha provided the capital, but I was the visionary. The entrepreneur. She stood by me-for four years. Martha’s been
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with me for twenty-three.”
He leaned in slightly, not threatening, but not gentle either.
“I gave this company to Lucian out of love. Out of loyalty. And you-you’re part of that gift. But don’t forget where you stand. I won’t ask you nicely again, Mara. I like you, I do-but I know when to draw the line.”
His eyes narrowed.
“Lacy works with Mary. That’s final.”
I nodded slowly, carefully. But not in agreement.
“Well then,” I said, evenly, “you should take that up with Lucian before she starts. This isn’t my company. I’m only holding this office in my husband’s name. She can begin once he approves it.”
His gaze sharpened. The mask cracked.
“You’re not a gentle soul, Mara,” he said, voice darker now, almost snarling beneath the surface.
“You’re manipulative. Calculated. You think I don’t see it? You know damn well Lucian will say no-and even if he wouldn’t, you’d tell him to. You want to embarrass me. Undermine me.”
I held his stare. Unflinching.
“Don’t push me,” he warned. “My Alpha Mark may be gone, but I still know how to make life unbearable.”
He stepped closer.
“I bought you for my son, remember? He was in love with someone else. Crazy about her. And still, he gave her up before anything ever started with you. If I want to end this union, mated or not-I can. Lucian is still my son. He’ll always want to please me.”
Then he drove the knife in.
“You’re not even pregnant yet. His ex is. She’s living in my house. Don’t tempt me to remind Lucian where his true legacy
lies.”
His words hung there, venomous.
And in that moment, I saw it clearly-how much Martha had rubbed off on him. He was no longer the cold but predictable Alpha who once led with stoic pride. He was something worse now: a man with influence, clinging to power he no longer owned, desperate to play puppet-master in a world that had moved on.
I didn’t respond-not with fear, not with submission.
Because he didn’t realize:
Lucian wasn’t his boy anymore.
And I wasn’t someone he could bully.
