Page 80 of The Omega Switch: Part 2

"We understand," I said. "You tell us what you want. We follow your lead." I assured her. Ivy nodded, but then something changed in her gaze. It was subtle, but I'd become better at reading Ivy. Her eyes stayed on Elias a little too long before moving to Hunter's loosened tie, lingering at the skin of his neck. Then finally, she looked at me, her pupils slightly larger than usual. The faintest trace of her natural perfume slipped into the evening air. It was sweet - and very, very interested.

She looked away quickly, then dabbed some perfume-neutralizing oil onto her neck. The guest house was the safest place for her. That was all that mattered. If she wanted us fifty yards away during her entire heat, that was where we'd be. I'd sit outside the place standing guard for a week if that was what made her feel secure.

But, I had also seen the way she'd been looking at us just now. Between our slow courtship and the way she’d been perfuming more often around us, it wasn’t hard to see that Ivy was interested - at least, her body was. Her emotions, her mind - that was the bigger hurdle.

But the possibility that Ivy might actually want us with her during her heat didn't feel like an impossible dream anymore. Not now, when she was eyeing me up, her lids low as she looked me up and down. Did she even realize she’d licked her lip while she stared at me?

Maybe this omega was more sensual than I realized. In truth, out of all the sides of Ivy I’d seen, I’d never seen that side of her. And I couldn't wait.

Before, she’d been through one of the worst heats I could ever imagine, all alone. But this time, whatever she decided, she wouldn't be abandoned. We would make sure she had a safe place to stay. She would have everything she needed, and more. She would have three men waiting on her, in any way she wanted, even if that just meant dropping off snacks and dog-sitting.

And if she did call for us, there wasn't a force on earth that could keep me from answering.

Chapter 39

Ivy

I was nearing the end of the negotiations with my family. It had been easier than I expected - I guess the lawsuits with Pack Vale had been so taxing on them financially that they gave in almost immediately to my demands. Not that they had many other options.

The court granted me the patents, and between that and my share of Nestwell, I pretty much controlled everything about how our current products could be sold, and therefore, I controlled the company. That realization was so alien to me that I almost couldn't fathom it. I’d never felt powerful before, not like this. My own lawyers had to remind me that I had equity in Nestwell Aesthetics, and along with that, they’d fought for my family to compensate me for underpayment over the years, as well as compensating me for reputational loss. When I saw the numbers, I was nearly speechless.

My family had money, I always knew that - but it was seriously dwindling. They barely had enough left to pay me what I was rightfully owed, and the majority of their remaining wealth was tied up in their assets and the company. Now, as I looked across the table at my fathers, I was about to take Nestwell, too.

"I don't think you understand what this means for us personally," George said. He and my other fathers sat at the table, already having exhausted every angle except for guilt - which had always worked on me in the past. "Most of our income comes from Nestwell."

"I know," I said, looking at them directly. It must have been unnerving for them - I always looked down when I lived with them, rarely meeting their eyes.

"Without it, our lifestyle will be unsustainable. We’ll barely be able to make it." He said, waiting for a response from me. I knew they wanted me to feel bad, like I always had before, and give in.

“Yes, that will likely happen,” I said with a shrug.

George leaned forward. "We have expenses, Ivy. The house alone costs a significant amount every year."

I looked at him, thinking about the house. The enormous house where I'd spent most of my adolescence learning how quietly I could walk down a hallway and getting pushed into a small room barely big enough for a bed and a desk.

"We may not even be able to keep it," he continued. To be honest, I couldn't care less. I leaned in slightly, and they looked excited, like I was going to give in.

"The buyout is generous. If you're at all smart with the money, you should be perfectly capable of keeping the house." I said.

There was something so satisfying about watching my fathers realize they were no longer the most powerful people in the room. Nor were they the richest. They couldn’t dangle anything over my head anymore, or make me do anything. Now, I was the one making demands. I probably shouldn't have enjoyed it as much as I did.

My father sat back with his arms folded tightly over his chest, while George and Aaron sat beside him looking pale. They knew they had nothing to stand on. Their attorneys took over, going back and forth with mine. For the most part, I just sat there and let them talk. It was clear that we were going to get almost all of what I asked for.

The power difference was like a shock to my system. Even after I became an adult, I was always submissive to my fathers’ authority. Looking back, it was no surprise when my father’s alpha bark still affected me well into adulthood. Oh, my attorney asked for damages for that incident as well.

"Do you not get it? This arrangement will financially ruin us!" my father said yet again, looking over at me.

"Your financial future is not our concern. Keep on topic.” My lawyer shot back at him.

"Ivy, please. You know we have no other way to make an income if you take Nestwell.” George said, turning to look at me.

A few months ago, this entire situation would have made my stomach tighten in anxiety. Not anymore. I leaned forward and held my hand up to my lawyer. “You were making your own money before my mom even started the company. And besides, there are three of you. Four if you count Clara.” I said with a shrug. “From what I remember, you didn’t even think Mom would sell a single product.” It was true - they’d never taken my mother seriously. It was only when her products started to sell wildly beyond even her own expectations that they got involved. One of my lawyers glanced at me, and I saw a hint of amusement in her expression.

My father leaned forward. "You’d put your own family out on the street over this?" he asked. I shook my head.

"No." I said, "I'm just not going to let people who lied and stole my inventions continue to profit from them. If you want to sell products, come up with your own for once.”

George looked extremely frustrated. I kind of loved it. "We’re trying to reason with you. We are family, or do you not care about that at all?" he asked.