"One second," Blue says suddenly, arms crossed. "You run a billboard and digital display company? Where exactly?"
"Everywhere. In the city center alone I have close to fourteen displays, and within a one-mile radius another forty, including some classic billboards."
"Malden could use some additional advertising. It is always beneficial to stay visible, especially when people are stuck in traffic. Billboards are effective," Blue says, tilting his head slightly. Does he always see opportunity in everything? His mind seems to be constantly scanning for it.
Veyron’s jaw drops. "Wow, well… having a contract with Malden would be huge for me. I am absolutely open to cooperation," he says enthusiastically.
Blue hands him a business card. "This is my assistant Simon’s contact. Reach out on Monday, and we will arrange something."
"You bet!" Veyron grins.
Wow. Is this the reason why Blue was questioning my cousin so closely? He wanted to establish a partnership with someone who already has a positive attitude toward him and his company. Smart. Surely it’s much easier to work with people who are friendly than with people like those at the college.
"So, training? Now that business is settled?" I mutter.
"Of course." Veyron drops his bag on the ground and starts stretching, his smile never fading. I join him, and we begin warming up together.
Meanwhile, Blue remains in his rattan chair with his tablet resting on his knee.
About ten minutes into the warm-up, another person arrives, led in by Simon.
A silent alpha who seems slightly displeased by the presence of unexpected outsiders. Blue introduces him as his nephew Axel, who is currently pursuing a doctorate at one of the colleges downtown.
The man is tall and lean, not overly muscular for an alpha. He looks kinda serious, his short hair has an unusual color, almost black with streaks of dark violet that look natural. I know that in the Lowen family, unusual hair colors are not uncommon.
He gives us only a brief, restrained handshake without saying a word, but when I give my name, instinctively using my previous surname, Nolan, he reacts strangely, almost scowling.
"Any relation to Dallas Nolan?"
I blink and nod. "Well, my half-brother is Dallas. From my father’s first marriage. Do you know him?"
"Something like that." His face sours, but he doesn’t explain further. Oh well. I’m not really convinced that digging into this topic would be wise. If they have some kind of beef with each other, it’s better to just ignore it.
Soon he and Blue start their chess game.
I am curious how Blue performs against someone competing at the state level, but Veyron quickly captures my attention completely.
We start with a light warm-up, jogging a few laps around the pool, swinging our arms, and doing some shadowboxing.
Veyron is better than me at jiu-jitsu, but when it comes to striking techniques, I have the edge, so we train each other and help cover the areas where we’re weaker.
Then we roll around on the mat together, and he's not an easy opponent, incredibly flexible and well-conditioned. Still, I have these moments when my gaze drifts toward Blue, and every now and then I catch him stealing a glance at me too, only for him to quickly look away as if he doesn't want me to notice.
It is interesting, and it pushes me to try even harder, even though I am not using my five-second ability since it would make no sense during sparring. Instead, I focus on fighting in a way that shows the full extent of what I can do.
A few times I even manage to submit Veyron, despite his greater experience in jiu-jitsu, though it’s obvious he’s not going all out and is treating this more like casual training, while I am pushing myself hard. Honestly… I am showing off a little for Blue.
At one point, as we roll across the mat, Veyron mutters, "Why are you so intense today? You’re going to make me think you’re trying to impress someone…"
"Shut up," I mumble. "Maybe go a little easy on me today, what do you say?"
Veyron smirks knowingly.
"Sure, I could even let you win every few seconds, but I think it would be better if he saw that you actually earned it."
He grunts as we keep grappling, then adds, "I can’t say I don’t get it though. I’ve always been into older omegas, especially the ones higher up in the social ladder and in life. I had a crush on pretty much all my professors, seriously, all the omegas and even a few betas."
I grimace slightly. "I think I just like driven people with strong personalities, and Blue definitely has that," I admit, breathing hard, realizing how awkward it sounds.
