Chapter 16

SYDNEY'S POV Alexander, after wishing Dad a happy birthday and giving him a wrapped gift he had gotten for him, had said a succinct goodbye to him and Mom, and we left. Dad's smile kept faltering as he looked between Alexander and me. The ride home was fun. Alexander had taken us home with the car that brought him and Bella. Bored, I had decided to taunt him. I placed my palm on my chest.?"Poor Bella,"?I sighed, letting my shoulders droop as I turned to him.?"How will she get home now that you've left with the car?" He hadn't said anything. His jaw just remained clenched as he fixed his gaze outside the window. I sighed again.?"I hope her heart doesn't hurt so much when she's trying to go home or when her friends laugh at her that her mate left her." I caught his pinky finger on the palm he pressed on his lap twitch. I needed more than that. I sighed, suddenly changing the topic.?"Now, I can't see the Italian bar guy again,"?my chest rose higher as I sighed loudly.?"I guess I'd have to meet up with him some other time then." More of his fingers twitched again, but that was the only reaction I had gotten till eventually, I got bored of his silence. Now, as we stepped into the house—him, loosening his tie as he walked into the living room; me, removing my heels and letting them swing in my hands as I followed him into the room—the shrill of his phone disrupted the calm silence. "Hey,"?his voice came out rough, so he cleared it and tried again.?"Hey…"?There was a long pause as he listened to the person on the other end of the line, then,?"I'm sorry I left." I rolled my eyes. I didn't need to be told who it was. Uninterested, I padded my feet to my room. But, behind my closed doors, I couldn't help but wonder what they were talking about. His soft murmurs drifted to the door, and I wondered if she was asking him to return to the party or something. Ever since this farce called a mating bond began, Alexander and I had always had separate rooms. "Come on, Bella. You know I don't like it when you cry,"?his voice drifted to me, and then her sobbing did too. He had put the phone on speaker. I frowned as I listened to Bella's cries boom out of his phone's speaker. Why wasn't he making the phone call in his room? Was he trying to keep an eye on me? Perhaps, he thinks since I couldn't go to meet Luigi, I would invite him in. Or maybe he just wanted to make sure I didn't sneak away. Whatever his reason was didn't bother me. All I wanted was a good night's sleep. I stretched my limbs and lulled myself to sleep with the sound of Bella's distressed and frustrated cries. I had a small victory today. I would pack out tomorrow after I've paid Alexander. These thoughts brought a smile to my face as I gathered the blanket that was left after I had covered my body and drifted into a blissful sleep. *** I woke up to the sound of my alarm clock. It was 6:00 AM. Though I hadn't been going to work for the past three years, my alarm was set at that time. I always wanted to wake up early so that I could help Alexander prepare for work and also watch him leave for work. I groaned groggily, and my hand shot out to stop the sound from disturbing my sweet sleep. At exactly 8:00 AM, the alarm rang again. The first thought that came to my mind was that I would be leaving Alexander's house today, and he'd also sign the papers to break the bond. The thought alone brought a smile to my face. I stretched my limbs and collapsed back on the bed, feeling refreshed and energized. I stared at the ceiling. Today was going to be a long but good day. I couldn't wait to see the look on his face when I throw the?$5 million?in his face. "I'm moving out today. I'm moving out today!"?was my mantra and song as I got ready for work. I tapped my feet as I brushed, singsonging the words. I nodded my head to the beats I made with my mouth as I rapped the words and put on my shoes. When I stepped out of my room, fully dressed and ready for a productive day, I could already tell that Alexander was gone. The Omegas weren't rushing up and down; they delivered their assigned tasks with ease. I didn't meet Grace at work. I tried her line, but it wasn't going through, so I decided to wait till she arrived. Throughout work that day, I didn't get a whiff of Grace. I focused on drafting the jewelry designs of other customers while I waited. At the end of the day, towards evening, she still wasn't around. I didn't have the patience to wait, so I headed to the finance department. I would explain to her afterward. "Hello." "Good evening, ma'am." The secretary there had a bright smile on his face as he greeted me.?"Good evening. Inform the head accountant that I'm here to see him." He nodded and made a call. I was hastily summoned in. The accountant was all smiles as he ushered me in, already waiting at the door.?"It's a pleasure to have you back, ma'am." I smiled.?"Thank you. I don't think we've met since I got back, right?" "We haven't,"?he confirmed as he got in his seat. I got in the seat on the opposite side of his desk too and started to tell him what I needed. The accountant's face had become solemn as I spoke.?"That wouldn't have been an issue a month ago, ma'am." I raised a curious brow.?"And it would be an issue now?" "Yes, kind of." My heart dropped an inch. He smoothed his palm on the edge of the desk.?"You see, we needed more hands in our department, so we hired a new employee, after a series of tests, of course. We picked the best out of the best. This employee had mistakenly given the wrong dimensions and textures of fabrics and machines to our main suppliers. We had already paid, and when our orders arrived, all of it was wrong. There was no way they could be of use to us, and the suppliers weren't willing to refund and take back the supplies."?His eyes swept to the door before they fell back on me.?"You can check our storage rooms; it's where we've stocked them, hoping they'd be useful one day. So we had to place new orders since our customers were on our necks, demanding their orders. Some of the customers were impatient, so we refunded them, which made them really mad and bitter." I rested my elbows on the desk and held my head in my hands.?"How didn't I get a whiff of this at all?" "It would've deeply affected our goodwill, so we quickly sorted it out with the public relations. They demanded a lot, but we needed the bad reviews and bitter comments down ASAP, so we caved in. They handled the crisis effectively and stopped it from escalating." I thought he was through until he spoke up again. "And now, the wrong supplies are taking up space, so we needed to expand our storage to accommodate the right ones that are on their way. We started to restrategize, so we spent quite a lot on logistics too. Right now, we're struggling to stay grounded with the cash flow we have left." He took a deep breath and clasped his hands on the table, holding my gaze.?"I'm sorry, ma'am, but if I should approve the withdrawal of such an amount, then I am simply approving the fall and ruin of Luxe Vogue."?Then he muttered,?"I doubt we even have up to that right now." "Fuck!"?The accountant flinched back as I thumped my fists on the desk without thinking.?"Shit, shit, shit!" "I'm sorry,"?I heard him mutter.?"I wish there was a way." "And where's this employee?!"?I erupted. "He's been placed on suspension, ma'am." "Goddess!"?I reclined on the chair and tilted my head back. I tried to calm myself down. My savings are still there. I didn't know how much I had there since I had placed it on an automatic saving account, but I was sure it was a lot. I sat back up.?"But I checked the financial statements; everything looked good." "That must be a month ago, ma'am. Our financial statements are in ruins right now, nothing to boast about." I made the calculation and nodded to myself. He was right; I had half-mindedly checked the financial statements during my trip. I hadn't wanted to be actively involved in work yet then. "And why am I just hearing of this? Does Grace know?" "No, ma'am."?He shook his head.?"We've held several meetings, and we have everything under control." "You have everything under control, yet we're on the verge of sinking?!"?I yelled at him, and his gaze dropped to his clasped hands. "Inform the HR team,"?my voice was firm and determined.?"Get your team too. We're holding an emergency meeting right now. Meet me in the boardroom." I picked up my bag and headed to the boardroom. My hands shook as I tried Grace's number again. Thankfully, it went through. "Girl,"?my voice was urgent.?"Where have you been? I've been trying your line all day." "Oh really?"?She sounded at ease. I was sure she'd panic when she hears of the latest financial status of our company.?"Must be the network; I didn't receive any of your calls." "Whatever, just come over. We're holding an emergency meeting right now. I'll explain everything when you get here." She must have sensed the urgency in my voice because she didn't ask any questions.?"Alright. I'll be on my way." Less than an hour later, everyone was seated in the boardroom. Some of the members were breaking a sweat as they had to rush here.