I do get something.
Money.
At least there’s that. Finally, I won’t be anyone’s personal ATM. I have a salary now, money for my work. That alone feels like a step up.
Unfortunately, that’s it. Blue lowers his gaze back to the tablet.
Our conversation is over.
I stare out the window, a little dazed. What now? What comes next? I need to find some kind of footing in all of this, something stable. I’ve been drifting for too long. Now I have a job, a purpose.
And it anchors me.
Maybe… it won’t be so bad?
???
It’s not exactly great either.
It turns out Blue’s schedule is packed, and most of it is painfully boring, at least for me.
His day is an endless series of meetings with contractors, investors, scientists he collaborates with, members of the executive board, the CFO, the COO, the CSO, a never-ending stream of people coming in, presenting their cases, and giving reports. On top of that, there’s a visit to the lab, where Blue takes time to supervise experiments and even runs some himself.
Usually, I just stand in the corner like an idiot, not knowing what to do with myself.
Moreover, Blue eats very little and only at specific times. His lunch takes twenty minutes, and then he goes straight back to work.
Which means I’m stuck following the same eating schedule. And I’m a twenty-one-year-old alpha, for fuck’s sake. I’m constantly hungry.
But there’s no time to relax.
I’m not always allowed into the conference rooms where the meetings take place, especially when the discussions involve sensitive company matters. Blue gives me a special wristband linked to his, though, so if anything happens, he can press it and I’ll know I’m needed inside. For that reason, I spend a lot of timestanding outside different rooms, and it’s mentally draining, but at the same time, it’s not so bad in some ways.
I use the login details my dad texted me for my classes. On my phone, I can connect to the lecture room and attend remotely with my earbuds in, so whenever I get the chance, I try to join the sessions.
Of course, when Blue’s meeting ends, I have to leave class and log out of the online session, but thankfully there are enough meetings that this doesn’t happen too often.
Evening comes soon enough, but my mood keeps slipping as the reality of the next few years settles in. Especially the part about having any kind of private life or relationship. It feels almost impossible.
Blue wraps up his work around nine, and that’s when he meets Simon one last time to go over what happened during the day, what still needs follow-up, and to plan out the next one. Only after that do we head back together to his penthouse apartment in the tower.
It’s basically the first moment I get to talk to him again since the limo ride.
What’s interesting is that Blue doesn’t seem tired at all. Maybe that rejuvenation therapy of his really does give him the energy of a twenty-five-year-old?
I, on the other hand, can definitely feel it in my back and legs. I’m not used to standing in one position for that long.
When we walk into the apartment, a short, stocky omega comes out to meet us. Blue introduces him as his butler, James. He takes care of the penthouse, cleaning, laundry, and delivering Blue’s meals from the Lowens’ private kitchen.
As Blue explains, there were attempts to poison him in the past. Once, he barely survived, only because he’d eaten a very small portion. After that, his father personally made sure all of Blue’s meals came from his own private kitchen.
When I step into my room, I realize James has already unpacked everything and put it neatly into the closets. I guess that’s one of the perks of having a butler.
Blue and I sit down at the table in the living room for a late dinner. He keeps glancing at his tablet, not really saying much to me. Oh well.
After we finish, he gets up and leads me down the hallway. My room is on one side, and directly across from it there’s a door with a videophone installed.
"This is my bedroom," he says. "You’ll get the code in case something happens to me, or if there’s any kind of threat. The videophone lets me talk to whoever’s in the hallway without opening the door."
