My mother opens her mouth, closes it, then sinks back into the armchair, her perfect posture crumpling under the weight of my words.
“After all the effort,” my mother says in a hollow voice, staring at her hands folded in her lap. “All the expense. The herbs. The doctor visits. The lies.” Her voice breaks slightly on the last word. “And you’re still going to end up like all the other omegas. A housewife with no independence, no control over your own life.”
Tears well in her eyes as she looks up at me. “Why, Holly? How can you give up everything you’ve worked for? Everything I sacrificed to give you?”
I move toward her slowly, kneeling on the floor beside her chair and taking her trembling hands in mine. They feel small and fragile, these hands that once seemed so powerful and commanding when I was a child.
“Mom, I’m not giving up anything. I’m going to fight for what I have as hard as I can,” I say softly. “But no career is worth denying who I really am.”
She shakes her head, disbelief etched across her features. “You don’t understand. I know how the world treats us. I wanted you to have the life that I couldn’t.”
“I know you did,” I whisper, squeezing her hands. “But times are changing. And hiding who I am was slowly killing me.”
“Actually,” Kai interjects, stepping forward from where he’s been hovering near the doorway, “Holly might not have to give up anything at all.”
My mother looks up sharply, suspicion replacing sorrow. “What do you mean?”
Kai sits on the arm of the couch, his usual bouncy energy tempered with unexpected seriousness. “I have a friend from college who actually stayed pre-law and now practices as an employment lawyer. Her firm has been looking for a test case to challenge the legal basis for designation discrimination in the workplace.” He gives me a small smile. “I told her a little bit about your case and she wants to represent you to the licensing board, Hollipop.”
I stare at him, confused. “How could you have possibly made that happen so quickly? The complaint was just filed yesterday.”
A sheepish expression crosses his face. “I actually called weeks ago. Just in case.”
“Weeks ago?” I repeat, momentarily stunned by his foresight.
He gives a shrug that is obviously meant to seem casual, but his gaze is intent. “As soon as I found out you had to hide your designation, I figured it was only a matter of time before someone found out. Whether it was months or years from now, I wanted to be able to protect your career.”
Noah rises from the couch and moves to sit on the coffee table directly across from my mother. “Mrs. Chang,” he says, his voice gentle but firm, “I want you to know that all we want is to make Holly happy. None of us wants to see her chained by her designation. We want her to have everything she’s worked for—and more.”
My mother studies him critically, her years of experience sizing people up evident in her penetrating gaze. After a long moment, she looks at Grayson, who has remained a silent presence by the window.
“And you?” she asks him directly. “Anything to add?”
Grayson doesn’t talk to people he doesn’t know, so I’m not expecting much. But he surprises me by meeting my mother’s gaze without hesitation.
“You should stay with us here,” he says simply. “For a few days, at least. Get to know us. See the town.”
The room falls silent as my mother considers this unexpected invitation. I hold my breath, certain she’s going to refuse and demand I pack my bags immediately.
Instead, she straightens her shoulders, some of her customary composure returning. “This lawyer friend of yours,” she says, turning to Kai. “I’d like to speak with them myself. I have some case law suggestions that might be helpful.”
Kai blinks in surprise, then his face splits into a wide grin. “Of course! Follow me to my office, and I’ll get you a business card.”
Their voices fade down the hallway, and I collapse onto the couch, emotionally drained. Noah gathers me in his arms, lifting me off the floor until we’re settled together on the couch.
“Your mother is... formidable.”
I laugh softly. “That’s one word for her.”
“She reminds me of you,” he observes.
“God, I hope not.”
“Like a dog with a bone when you decide you want something.”
I slap him lightly on the chest. “Oh, stop.”
Grayson’s arm slips around my waist from the other side as he settles beside us. “Not sure which one of you is more terrifying.”
