Chapter 93 Forty percent
Aria’s POV
The moment I got home that evening, I couldn’t resist calling Damian.
I sat on my couch, turning the elegant velvet box over in my hands, admiring my choice.
The sapphire cufflinks I’d bought earlier gleamed under the lamplight, and I felt a flutter of anticipation in my chest.
Would he like them? God, when had I become this person—nervous about giving a gift?
The phone rang twice before his deep voice filled my ear. "What’s wrong?"
Nothing was wrong. But the way he said it—his tone was different tonight.
Softer somehow. Like warm honey dripping through the receiver, coating every word with an intimacy that made my skin tingle.
"Nothing’s wrong," I said, unable to keep the smile out of my voice. "I just... I picked up something for you today. A gift."
There was a pause. I could practically hear him smiling. "A gift?"
"Don’t sound so surprised. People do give gifts, you know."
"Not to me, they don’t." His voice dropped lower, that dangerous edge creeping in that always made my stomach flip. "What did you get me, Aria?"
"Cufflinks," I said, running my finger over the velvet case. "Sapphire. Custom-made. They reminded me of you."
"Take a picture." It wasn’t a request.
"Demanding, aren’t we?"
"Always. Now take the picture, sweetheart."
My face flushed at the endearment. I snapped a quick photo and sent it to him.
His reply came immediately: [Beautiful. Like the woman who chose them.]
My heart did a stupid little flip. [Flattery will get you nowhere.Alpha King]
Damian:[Good thing I’m not trying to get anywhere. I’m already exactly where I want to be.]
Me: [And where’s that?]
Damian:[On your mind. Judging by the fact that you called me the moment you got home.]
I laughed out loud, shaking my head. How did he manage to disarm me so completely?
Me: [Confident, aren’t we?]
Damian:[When it comes to you? Absolutely. Tell me, Aria—what were you thinking about when you picked those out?]
I hesitated, my fingers hovering over the keyboard. The truth was too raw, too revealing. But something about the way he asked made me want to answer honestly.
Me: [I was thinking about how they’d look on you. How you’d wear them to some important meeting and maybe... think of me.]
The three dots appeared immediately, then disappeared. Then appeared again.
Damian:[I think of you constantly. Don’t need cufflinks for that. But I’ll wear them every damn day anyway, just so you know exactly how much you’re on my mind.]
My breath hitched. This man was dangerous in ways Ethan had never been.
Me: [You’re making it very hard to keep my distance, you know.]
Damian:[Good. I don’t want distance. I want you here, with me, where you belong.]
I smiled at the screen, warmth spreading through my chest.
Me: [Goodnight, Damian.]
Damian:[Goodnight, beautiful. Dream of me.]
I stared at those three words until my screen went dark. Mine. God help me, but I liked the sound of that far too much.
---
Monday morning arrived with the weight of everything I’d been building toward.
I stood in front of my mirror, adjusting the collar of my sapphire-blue plaid blazer.
The matching pencil skirt hugged my curves perfectly, and I’d paired the outfit with black Louboutins that added three inches to my height.
My hair was pulled back in a sleek low bun, and I’d gone heavier on the makeup than usual—sharp winged eyeliner, bold red lips.
I looked like power. I felt like war.
Perfect.
When I walked into Silver Creek Pack’s headquarters, I could feel eyes tracking my every move.
Whispers followed me down the hallway. The old Aria—the one who used to shrink under scrutiny—would have kept her head down.
But I wasn’t her anymore.
I pushed open the door to the executive office without knocking.
Alpha Gerald was already there, standing near the window with his arms crossed.
The moment he turned and saw me, something flickered in his eyes—surprise, maybe, or approval. It was hard to tell with him.
"Aria, sweetheart, you’re finally here," he said, moving toward me with that false warmth he always used. "I’ve been waiting."
Ethan was right behind him, and the look on his face was almost comical. His eyes went wide, traveling over me from head to toe like he’d never seen me before.
He rushed forward, reaching for my hand. "Baby, you look—"
I sidestepped smoothly, letting his fingers close on empty air.
His face fell, but I ignored it. Instead, I walked past both of them and took the seat directly across from Alpha Gerald’s massive mahogany desk.
I crossed my legs, folded my hands in my lap, and smiled pleasantly.
"Good morning, Alpha Holt."
The temperature in the room dropped about ten degrees.
Alpha Gerald’s eyes narrowed. "Alpha Holt? Since when did we become so formal, Aria?"
"Since I remembered what you told me when I first started working here." I kept my voice light, almost pleasant, but I let every word cut.
"You said there’s no room for personal feelings in business. Only competence matters. Only results. I’m just following your advice."
I watched his jaw tighten. Oh, he remembered. How could he forget?
When I’d first joined Silver Creek Pack’s operations, Alpha Gerald had made it crystal clear that I wasn’t welcome. He’d called me a distraction. Accused Ethan of letting his dick do the thinking. He’d given me an impossible sales target and a brutal deadline, basically daring me to fail so he could throw me out.
I’d met that target in half the time.
But even then, even after I’d proven myself over and over again, Alpha Gerald never gave me an ounce of respect. He never gave me equity. He barely gave me acknowledgment.
Ethan had been too scared of his father to fight for me.
And now here I was, the only thing standing between Silver Creek Pack and total collapse, and Alpha Gerald thought he could pull the same power plays?
Not anymore.
Alpha Gerald’s mouth curved into something that might have been a smile if it had reached his eyes.
"Aria, I appreciate your professionalism. But let’s not let a few disagreements between you and Ethan affect the company. This is a Pack business. We all have a stake in its success."
Pack business. Right.
I felt my lip curl before I could stop it. "I’m glad we agree on that, Alpha Holt. And since we’re all invested in Silver Creek Pack’s success, I’m sure you’ll have no problem transferring fifty percent of the company shares to me.
"Once that’s done, I’ll bring my team back and we can start rebuilding immediately."
Alpha Gerald slid a thick document across the desk toward me.
"Aria, the Holt family only holds seventy percent of the company in total. Ethan has pulled together forty percent for you—from his shares, his mother’s, and his sister’s. That’s more than generous."
Generous. The word tasted like ash in my mouth.
I glanced down at the share transfer agreement without touching it. Forty percent. They thought forty percent was enough.
I’d killed myself for this company. I’d brought in every major client they had. I’d designed their entire expansion strategy.
And they thought they could lowball me with forty fucking percent?
They could dream on if they thought I’d give in.