Omega In The Office - Aria Grace Page 0,25
into my chair. “You’ve got to realize that you’re making this very difficult for me, right? You lied to me, you won’t tell me who you work for, and I bet if I look into this address, it’s either going to be fake or some sort of flophouse. What am I supposed to do here, Wren?”
“You’re supposed to help out your fellow omegas,” Wren counters with a growl. “We’re in this together, aren’t we? I saw the look in your eye when I said I was an escort. You’ve been in the game too. You know what it’s like out there. I just want to sleep somewhere that’s clean and safe. I want to get off the streets, out of the flophouse, and start making something of myself. No one is going to give me a real job as long as I’m living out there...”
He’s right and I know it. I just can’t risk the future of my family by letting my heart get in the way of smart business decisions.
He lowers himself into the chair in front of my desk. “All I’m asking is that you give me a chance here. I promise you won’t regret it.”
I rub my temples for a moment before waking up my computer with a shake of the mouse. “Let me check something. I’ve got an idea that might work. Maybe...”
“What idea?” Wren perks up slightly. “Whatever you can do, I truly appreciate it. I know I shouldn’t have misled you...and I hate to beg. I just need to get out of the shit I’m in right now.”
There’s an edge in his voice, something that I can’t quite put my finger on. It’s almost like he’s afraid.
“Right...well...” My voice trails off, and I exhale forcefully. I really don’t know if this is a good idea, and since I haven’t had a chance to discuss this with Lucius, I’m completely clueless as to whether or not Wren is even up to the task. But...I’ve got a feeling in my gut.
My gut has never led me wrong. “How much do you know about landscaping?”
“So, basically, it actually evens out in the end,” I conclude, spreading my hands in front of me as I sit across from Lucius at the dinner table. It’s evening, and I’m finally getting around to explaining the deal I struck with Wren this afternoon.
“But he doesn’t know anything about landscaping,” Lucius says, raising an eyebrow slightly.
“No, but...he’s enthusiastic.” I offer him a sweet smile. “Plus, it eliminates one of our ongoing expenses. The apartment was standing empty anyway. The monthly rent is slightly less than our monthly landscaping contract. We’re coming out ahead.”
Lucius sighs and looks back down at the ledgers and bills he’s spread across the table. I don’t know why he won’t just claim the spare bedroom as an office. He makes a few notes in a couple different columns and then looks over at his laptop screen. He’s silent as his fingers click across the keyboard.
“You gave the property management job over to me. I’m trying to fill apartments and cut expenses where I can.” I bite my lip, hoping I didn’t screw things up. “Did I make a mistake?”
Lucius drums his fingers on the table for a moment. “You’re doing fine, babe.” He forces a smile and lifts his eyes to meet mine. “Unfortunately, the costs for electricity alone mean that having someone in that apartment actually costs more than the landscaping contract.”
I swear under my breath. “Of course, I just made everything worse.”
“Not entirely,” Lucius says, directing his gaze back down at the papers. “You’ve secured a loyal employee. Someone who is grateful to you for giving them a fair shake. You said he’s enthusiastic and desperate to make a better life for himself. Hopefully, he’ll apply that to his work. You can’t really put a price on loyalty and dedication.”
Even though my gut tells me we can trust Wren to live up to his end of the deal, my brain is telling me we might be expecting a little too much out of him. I don’t exactly know him well.
“That doesn’t resolve the bank account issue though, does it?” I wish there was more I could do to help.
“We may have to bite the bullet and relax the tenant requirements.” Lucius sighs heavily as he closes his laptop. “The fact of the matter is, the type of tenants we’re looking for are more interested in renting other places.”
“If we start lowering our standards now, we’re going