Omega In The Office - Aria Grace Page 0,33
thought I did right was submit our listings in places where people might find them. When I reach Candor’s side, he holds up the phone to show me.
“When I switch the filters, I can eventually get it to come up,” he explains as he changes a few things on the search bar. “But that’s only with the ‘no vacancies’ filter turned on.”
“I screwed up.” My heart sinks, and I feel sick. “We don’t have any tenants because I messed up the listings. How long has this just been sitting there like that?” I swear under my breath. “I guess I know what I’m doing this afternoon.”
“No, you’ve got more important stuff to deal with, Lee,” Lucius says, his voice strangely calm. “This is on me. I got so wrapped up in managing the contractors and negotiating deals for the renovations and everything. A website, social media, the rental sites...that’s all stuff I should’ve been handling. You’re dealing with the tenants, the maintenance, the landscaping, all of the daily stuff. Now that the renovations are done, I can get it fixed.”
“You’re both idiots.” Candor’s expression is placid, but his tone is full of annoyance. “You’re not even considering your biggest asset. You both just start jumping on swords and talking about how this is your fault, and you’ll have to fix it. I just...I wish you would stop thinking that you’re the only ones invested in this.”
My heart starts beating again, if only barely. “The other day, when we were talking about stuff, you mentioned you were a web developer.” My eyes meet Candor’s, and I feel like I finally understand what he’s trying to tell us.
“I can fix this,” Candor says, looking at Lucius and me in turn. “I can build a website, I can manage the social media accounts, I can set up the listings and manage them. I can handle all the technical stuff of making sure you’re showing up in the search engines. I can even get you guys added to the online maps. This is my wheelhouse.”
“I just don’t want you to feel like you’ve got to do this,” Lucius says, clearly still struggling with the idea. “How we feel about you isn’t contingent on what you’re contributing to the business.”
“If I was still just a tenant and you needed a web developer, would you hesitate to hire me?” Candor asks. “No, you wouldn’t. Because I’ve got all the skills to do a job you need done. I’m the perfect person for the job. So why are you hesitating now? I just got done telling you I want to be part of this. I’m invested. This place is my home. It’s where I met you. It’s where I live with you. I want to help keep it running.”
Lucius looks away, his face lined with shame.
“Lucius, what’s wrong?” Leon reaches out to grab his hand. “You, Candor, and I are mates. We’re a team. We should’ve been working together like this the whole time. Now we’ve got the chance to do that.”
Lucius lowers his head, still refusing to look at us. “I originally wanted this place to save you, Leon. It was my way of getting you out of the escort job and creating a place where we could leave all that shit behind. But I needed your help for that. So it’s become your burden too.
“Then we met Candor, and the three of us became one. I wanted us to create a place where Candor could thrive. Where he wouldn’t have to worry about anything. I wanted to give him a home that was filled with love, stability, and any support he could possibly need…” When Lucius lifts his head, his eyes are shining with tears.
“I wanted to take care of you both,” he continues, biting back the tears. “I never wanted either of you to have to worry about the future because I wanted to provide everything you needed. I wanted to be the alpha you both deserve...” His voice cracks, and my heart breaks. “I failed.”
“You did nothing of the sort,” Candor says in his strong voice. “As someone I know once said, how we feel about you isn’t contingent on what you’re contributing to the business.” He grins as Lucius tries not to smile.
“You’ve never had to save anyone, Lucius,” I add, picking my words carefully. “You don’t have to set yourself up as our protector against the world. We protect each other, provide for each other, work together... At least, that’s what